Did you ever think the secret to success at management could be as easy as a simple conversation?

Amazing, huh? With just a few words, you can learn a ton about the progress your employees are making on their projects, and whether or not you need to step in.

You might already know this stuff. But it’s kind of like diet and exercise…most of us know what to do, but it’s actually doing it that trips us up.
 

I know you already have simple conversations with your employees – i.e. “How’s it going?” “How is that project coming along?”, “Having any issues or concerns with the software?”, “Anything I can help you with?”

Believe it or not, these basic questions are the key to a Check-in.

Check-in (n): an informal process of making sure your employee is happy, able to do their job and working in the right direction.

Check-ins help you identify problem areas before they get worse!

Pro tip: don’t overthink it!

Keep this as simple and casual as possible. There’s no need to make your employees feel you’re being a ‘helicopter boss’.

A few examples of check-in’s:

1. Simple emails asking how everything is going.
2. A quick stop by their workstation to ask how it’s going.
3. An invitation to get a coffee or go to lunch.

The idea is to make sure you keep the lines of communication open. That way, you stay in the loop about how your people are doing.
 

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How often should you check in?

I recommend having a chat with your new employees every week until they reach the end of their probationary period. After that, drop in about once a month to see how everything’s going.
 
 
 
 

When you keep the lines of communication open constantly, you’ll be amazed how easy it is to keep tabs on what’s really going on in your business.
 

You know what Zig says about motivation – right?

 

Like bathing, he recommends it daily. If you need some daily hiring motivation, check out our Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest for daily tips on how to find and hire great employees!