This week on The JSA Blog, we’re sharing some news based on what we are seeing in the current marketplace.
As a manager, it’s easy to get caught up in the day to day grind and forget to poke your ahead above water periodically. Although it always seems that there aren’t enough hours in the day, it is absolutely vital to check in with your team regularly, at least quarterly, to gauge progress, uncover obstacles, find new solutions, check-in on their well-being and to boost morale.
The beginning of each quarter represents the perfect time to check in with your team, as it gives enough breathing room to assess and honestly provide feedback on how things have been going over the last few months, without letting too much time pass before having a discussion.
According to FastCompany.com, here are 5 essential questions managers should regularly ask their teams:
- How are you? This is a no-brainer, we’re all humans after all. Studies have continuously shown that happy employees are more productive. So it’s absolutely vital that you check in with your team not only from a human perspective, but also for the greater good of the team and overall organization as well. It’s important that you allow your team to answer this question honestly and openly, it’s not just a pleasantry, it’s important to have an open discussion without fear of any negative repercussions.
- What is your top goal? It’s important for manager’s to understand what is driving and motivating the members of their team. And the answer can involve obviously professional goals and objectives in the workplace, but also personal goals. It’s an important discussion to have as perhaps managers can find a way to help their team achieve these goals, leading to collective success and overall job satisfaction.
- What is your main obstacle? There are always obstacles in life and at work. Success is the culmination of adapting and finding ways through those obstacles to reach your objective. This involves regularly taking a step back to define what those obstacles are. Perhaps a member of your team doesn’t have the experience or knowledge to get past an obstacle. Your role as a manager is to provide support and share your knowledge and experience with them to help them grow and overcome those obstacles.
- What information do you need? A big part of being a manager is helping your team members learn and grow. Asking them what they need or would like to learn opens the door to that development.
- What are you noticing that I might be missing? We all live in our own worlds to some extent, and it’s good to have a transparent conversation from time to time to see things from another’s perspective. As inevitably you delegate tasks, and step away from the weeds of day to day activities that your team members are living in, they may see things that need adjustments or perhaps have ideas on how to make processes run smoother and more efficiently. Your team members are your eyes and ears on the ground and can help improve systems and identify issues with their valuable insights.
For more details and to read the full article from FastCompany.com, click the link below!
