Leadership Minute: Strategies to Get Your Team Checking In and Keeping You Updated.

I have always struggled as a leader to get my team to check in with me. I thought it was on them to meet or set up a call to discuss what they were doing. In the last year, I have realized that I had it backward. It is on me to set the standard for check-ins and meetings. Leadership comes from leading, and good leadership leads by example. The following are my thoughts on what has successfully kept my team engaged with other team members and with me. Trust and accountability are the cornerstones in this, but before that, you need to set the stage for successful meetings and communication. I will explore strategies to get your team checking in and keeping you updated so that you can stay ahead of any potential issues and better manage your team.

No Vacuum

Leadership doesn't happen in a vacuum; it requires an ongoing dialogue between a leader and their team. But how do you ensure that your team regularly checks in with you and keeps you up to date? The key is to create a culture of open communication and trust. By setting expectations, providing feedback, and encouraging your team to take ownership of their work, you can establish a strong foundation for effective leadership and create an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing updates. All this starts with YOU as the leader. It's up to YOU to set those meetings and expectations.

Establish Expectations

The first step in getting your team to check in regularly with you is to create expectations around that communication. As a leader, you should be regularly communicating with your team members, and team members should be regularly communicating with you. That's the expectation for open communication and trust.

There's no one-size-fits-all approach to setting expectations for your team. How often you want to be spoken to and how your team members communicate with you depends on the type of work your team is doing, your role as a leader, and your communication style. But, if you want your team members to keep you updated, you'll need to set that expectation from the get-go.

If your team is not initiating these conversations, then you, as the leader, need to set this expectation. I have done this by setup same-page meetings with key people and quarterly one-on-ones with the entire team.

Provide Regular and Meaningful Feedback

Employees need to know that they're building trust to feel comfortable regularly checking in with their leaders. And nothing communicates trust like regular and meaningful feedback. Whether you're talking through the details of a project, reviewing employee performance, or just providing a general sense of how the team is doing, regular feedback gives employees greater insight into their work and role on the team.

Feedback can also help you understand how your team members feel about their work and overall place within the organization. If you notice that your team members are providing less feedback or if the input you're receiving is increasingly urgent, these are signs that you may need to take action to prevent potential issues from arising.

Feedback from your team members shouldn't be one-dimensional. Make sure you ask them if they are happy. How is their family? What do they like and not like about their job? You can ask hundreds of questions to learn more about that person. Remember your team members are not a commodity.

Focus on Building Trust

Building trust is a two-way street. While you can create expectations around regular communication and provide feedback to build trust, your team members can do the same. One of the best ways for your team members to build trust with you is to take ownership of their work and regularly communicate with you. When your team members take ownership of their work and regularly speak with you about their successes and any challenges they're facing, they create a culture of open communication and trust and actively contribute to the organization's overall success. Now that's a team worth having!

With that in mind, encourage your team members to take ownership of their work by checking in regularly with you. When your team members regularly check in with you, you'll have a better sense of what's happening at every level of the organization. This will allow you to make strategic decisions about addressing challenges before they become full-blown issues.

You can start these check-ins by scheduling the meeting with your team members. Don't wait for them to schedule a meeting with you. Remember what I said earlier? YOU, as the leader, need to lead and set an example.

Encourage Employees to Take Ownership of Their Work

As a leader, you want your team members to feel comfortable regularly checking in with you. But how do you get them to take the leap and periodically communicate with you when they're not sure what to say, how often to communicate, or how to communicate? The best way to encourage your team members to take ownership of their work and keep you updated is to set an example. Set the expectation that you want your team members to regularly check in with you, then let them know how you prefer to receive that communication. For example, You can encourage your team members to keep you updated by letting them know that you prefer to receive a daily or weekly update from them, letting them know what information you want to hear from them, and setting aside time for check-ins. This will make it easier for your team members to update you regularly and contribute to a culture of open communication and trust.

Just a word of warning. If you set up a system in which your team sends you their updates, READ THE UPDATES. There is nothing more discouraging than having updates not read by the leader.

Encourage ownership with your team members by setting expectations around communication and providing feedback when they check-in. Let them know that you want to hear from them, let them know what you want to hear, and set aside time for check-ins.

Create an Open Communication Environment

If you want to create a culture of open communication and trust, you need to make it easy for your team members to check in with you regularly. Make it easy for them to contact you and give them various options for how they can keep you updated. Whether through email, text, or a dedicated communication tool like Slack or Teams, give your team members multiple options for contacting you so that they can choose the method that best suits their schedule, the urgency of their message, or the type of communication they prefer. This will also help you manage your time better by allowing you to prioritize the tasks that require your immediate attention.

I always encourage my team members to reach out to me whenever they want to. Team, Slack, WhatsApp, Text, Email, Twitter, Linkedin! There are dozens of ways to stay connected. I also always re-enforce that I am never too busy to hear from a team member.

Utilize Technology to Track Progress

If your team is working on a project, be sure to utilize technology that will help you track their progress. Many project management software options are available, including tools like Jira, Trello, Asana, and Basecamp. That way, you can regularly check in with your team members and ensure they're on track to complete their work successfully.

If your team is focused on generating leads or closing sales, regularly track the progress of those efforts using a CRM or sales tool. These tools make it easy to follow tips, assign tasks to team members, and view the overall health of your sales pipeline. If you use a CRM, you can also utilize the marketplace functionality to track the status of leads and sales to see if there's anything that needs your attention.

Set Aside Time for Check-Ins

As a leader, you don't want to only check in with your team members in response to a crisis or sales deadline. You want to regularly meet with each of your team members to get to know them better, discuss their work, and ensure they have the resources they need to succeed. Regular check-ins are an excellent way to learn more about your team members, discover ways to better support them and allow them to ask questions and get advice from you. By setting regular times to meet with your team members, you'll not only be better equipped to handle any crises that arise, but you'll also be able to proactively offer solutions to issues before they become a problem.

I do this through regular L10 meetings and Same Page meetings. We use the EOS process to set up a Level 10 meeting. This means it starts on time, ends on time, and has a specific set agenda for the meeting. You can listen to my podcast with Matt Beecher , who does a great job of spelling out how vital the L10 meeting is.

Embrace Transparency

Another way to cultivate a culture of open communication and trust is to embrace transparency. There are many ways you can be transparent with your team members, including sharing the status of your work and progress, sharing your thoughts and feelings about the work your team is doing, and providing regular updates about the company.

Being transparent about your work will allow your team members to feel more connected to your work and see how closely their work is tied to yours. Let your team members know when you're up against a challenge, when you need their help, and hear their thoughts on how they can best support you. This will create a sense of transparency that will help your team members feel more connected to their work, the company, and each other.

Leverage Your Team for Their Strengths

As a leader, you should get to know your team members personally, but you also have the chance to get to know them better by leveraging their strengths. As you get to know your team members, keep an eye out for their strengths and what they bring to the table. Then, work with your team members to put those strengths to use. By leveraging your team members' strengths, you'll help them feel more engaged in their work and allow them to be more successful at the tasks they're working on.

Pro Tip: learn about your team members' interests and passions outside of work so that you can use that information to help them feel more connected to the work they're doing. Doing so will help your team members feel more connected and motivated to do their best work.

Celebrate Successes

You want your team members to feel good about their work, the company they're helping to lead, and the team members they're working with. This is where the check-in and feedback really take root. When you celebrate each team member's wins, you encourage them to be stronger and do better. Here are a few tips to help you celebrate the good work of your employees:

1. Make sure your employees are cared about and appreciated. This will help them feel motivated to continue working hard.
2. Make sure you keep track of their progress and achievements. This will help you to celebrate their successes and give them a sense of accomplishment.
3. Make sure you provide them with opportunities for growth and development. This will help them feel appreciated and motivated to continue working hard.

No magic answer

There is no magic answer to employee success and happiness, and there is no magic to good leadership. To be redundant: Leadership comes by leading and setting an example. The sharp point of the spear is YOU as the leader, and you have the responsibility of setting the stage for a great team.

Do you want to read more about EOS and the Business Operating System? Click to read this short article.