We recently had a team meeting where we got very little done. We had a list of five things to knock out, we completed two. Why? We ended up having a significant conversation about our culture and how we were each doing. This conversation wasn’t planned – it organically unfolded through our Culture Check-In Questions:  

We recently had a team meeting where we got very little done. We had a list of five things to knock out, we completed two. Why? We ended up having a significant conversation about our culture and how we were each doing. This conversation wasn’t planned – it organically unfolded through our Culture Check-In Questions:

• “How are we showing up?”
• “How do we feel about our culture right now?”
• “What kind of culture do we have?”
• “How are we each individually creating this culture?”
• “If we could do anything differently, to make it even better (or remedy a cultural issue), what would it be?” (We check this as a team and also individually.)

These check-ins produce rich fodder for heart-to-hearts. In this case, we made a choice, mid-way through the meeting, to table some tangible actionables in service of honoring the soft stuff that was surfacing.

The meeting was a success and we rated it a “10” for productivity and ease – even though we didn’t “get it all done.” Truth was, when we completed and went back after those three “loose ends,” everyone was more energized, more inspired, more relaxed, and generally in a better space to do their magic. Not only were we all better for our work, we were better for ourselves. [Click to tweet] And then better for our families later that night.

We’ve found that taking the time to dig into these culture questions (and a series of others we rotate in and out as fits our needs) creates more time, energy, and spirit for the team, which results in greater accountability and productivity, and less lost time, drama, and “busy-ness.”

We hold space for the doing and the being and the hard stuff and the soft stuff – and good things happen. We’ve also found that it doesn’t have to take a full meeting (you can do a check-in in five minutes once a week or even less), the point is to keep the conversation alive.

Over the next few weeks I’ll share additional Check-In Questions you may want to use for yourself, your team, or even your family to create more connection, honesty, and energy for doing and being whatever you’re up to. In the meantime, an invitation to try these questions on as you head into your next team meeting whether that be at the office, in the classroom, in the studio, at your clinic, or at the dinner table. Culture happens everywhere, we are creating it in every moment by how we show up. Hop to!

Stay tuned for another list of Check-In Questions (for creating healthy life-giving relationships) later this month.