Making a Case for the Humble Check-In Round

Image: Designed by Alisha Lochtefeld

Small shifts can have big impacts. One of the first shifts clients and colleagues alike encounter when they work with The Ready is extremely small; it’s the check-in round, a moment taken at the top of every meeting to ask a question — something like “What has your attention right now?” or “What’s your best unsolicited recommendation?” — that everyone answers in a round.

This pause has various purposes: to get everyone in the room present; to create a shared voice; and to remind ourselves that we’re more than just our work. But the practice can occasionally elicit resistance and eyebrow-raises. Mainly, people think the check-in round is easy to skip — especially if a team has worked together for a while. Here, I argue that check-in rounds shouldn’t be passed over, as they not only help teams become more human, but also help them achieve better organizational outcomes.

A New Definition of Professionalism

I recently had a fairly common conversation about check-in rounds with a new client. I’ll call her Valerie:

“Lucy, I feel like we know each other well, so can I give you some feedback?” she asked. “You know, this team, they’re technical, scientific, cut-to-the-chase types, and we all know each other pretty well. I was reading the room in the last session and I’m not sure we need that, what do you call it…the check-in thingee?”

I could hear her bated breath — and I empathized. From a distance, a check-in round looks suspiciously like an icebreaker. “Yikes,” you might think. “Trust falls must be next.” When you have an overflowing inbox and six back-to-back Zooms, answering a question like “What has your attention right now?” might seem like a joke: “Um, a project that’s only getting more urgent because you’re Wasting. My. Time. With. This. Useless. Question.”

But there’s a big difference between spinning fast in a state of chaos versus driving humanly and adaptively towards clear, co-created, and energizing outcomes. The check-in round plays a critical part in the latter for reasons that center on two things:

• The humans
• The organization

Let’s start with the humans. Where exactly the myth comes from that work should not be fun, authentic, or human might be a mystery — but dominant wisdom suggesting that moments of non-work-related chit-chat should be distinct from “work” is BS. What’s more, that mindset is a great way to dissuade top talent from joining your organization. Some people call that distinction “professionalism” — but what if the opposite were true? What if we defined professionalism as our ability to deliver great work because of rather than in spite of being wired for social connection?

Yes, work-related efforts to “socialize” can feel contrived and coercive when done poorly. But that doesn’t negate the importance of cultivating relationships with one another beyond our roles and responsibilities. Given how much time we spend working, wouldn’t it be nice to understand each other a little more?

For many, that’s reason enough to check in. But for cut-to-the-chase types — for those who want to know how check-in rounds can streamline organizational efficiencies (feel free to insert your favorite corporate jargon here) — we’ve also got you covered.

One argument for check-in rounds that emerged from Google’s Project Aristotle was that the highest performing teams are those with psychological safety — or, according to Amy Edmondson, a professor of leadership at Harvard Business School who coined the term, “a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking.” In other words, the belief that you can share your ideas, questions, concerns, and fears without facing judgment or blowback from fellow team members. Psychological safety is one of the biggest factors affecting team performance — so if you’re a leader not already searching for the holy grail of psychological safety for your team, you might want to jump on that train.

I suggest you make the humble check-in round your first stop. Check-in rounds, in concert with other moves and shifts, can contribute to addressing the very tensions — “We have low trust,” “We need to be more innovative,” “We’re all exhausted and trapped in a state of constant churn” — that tend to hold teams back, which makes them an invaluable rather than disposable element of any meeting. Think of them as a habit, a micro-process, a small input that can have a disproportionately large impact.

The Knock-On Effects of Check-In Rounds

Because this small move can support psychological safety, check-in rounds set the stage for other conditions that drive more productive, adaptive, and innovative meetings. Check-in rounds do this by:

• Normalizing hearing from every single person in a room, which models that every voice is valuable and gradually unlocks more collective insight;
• Increasing focus by giving everyone space to set aside things that might otherwise be distracting;
• Priming a forthcoming conversation with a question like, “What about this project are you most excited to work on?”;
• Sparking innovation (thanks to chance encounters with colleagues’ playful and surprising answers) and making room for good, old-fashioned laughs;
• Respecting people’s time by having a way to begin meetings promptly

Not Too Cold, Not Too Hot: Check-In Round Tips and Tricks

In order to benefit from these rewards, it’s important to consider how you check in. No two check-in rounds are the same, because each one should be designed to best suit a team’s context. Here are eight good-to-knows to help you facilitate the most impactful check-in round:

1. If your team has never held a check-in round before, ask permission before trying one out. And if you hold a position of power on your team, bring a proposal to the group for feedback and consent.
2. Proposing a check-in round and running a check-in round are two different things. Anyone on a team can run a check-in round, not just a leader.
3. When choosing a check-in question, consider the team’s reason for gathering. Ask yourself these questions to prime your thinking: Can people respond to this question on the spot? What vibe do we need? Fun and goofy? Sober and thoughtful? How much time do we have? Check-ins can happen quickly or leisurely; it depends on the vibe you’re after and it’s up to you to facilitate accordingly. How inclusive is this question? Aim for ones that don’t rely on specific interests (e.g., sports) or access (e.g., financial means).
4. If you’re worried about people taking up too much space, establish clear guardrails. For example, ask everyone to answer the check-in question in three words or less.
5. If some people are struggling to think of an answer, move onto the next person and circle back. Checking in is a new muscle; people develop it on their own timeline.
6. Use a check-in question generator so you have questions to grab in a pinch.
7. Check-in rounds aren’t covert ways to micromanage a team by asking them questions like, “What did you get done this week?” Blergh.
8. Check-in rounds contribute to but don’t ipso facto create psychological safety. Don’t confuse process with presence. If there are underlying issues of mistrust or toxicity at work, check-in rounds alone will not fix those.

A Maintenance Habit

Practicing check-in rounds is like changing the oil in your car or watering your plants; it’s a simple thing, but team connection and performance can jam up or shrivel away in its absence. And over time, that damage can compound and create even bigger problems.

I shared these insights with Valerie, too, after she wondered whether we needed a check-in round at all; the light bulb quickly went off. “Oh!” she said. “If the science says it works, we’re in!”

The Ready is an organizational design and transformation partner that helps you discover a better way of working. We work with some of the world’s largest, oldest, and most inspiring organizations to help them remove bureaucracy and adapt to the complex world in which we all live. Learn more by subscribing to our Brave New Work podcast and Brave New Work Wednesdays newsletter, checking out our book, or reaching out to have a conversation about how we can help your organization evolve ways of working better suited to your current reality.

This article was made a whole lot better thanks to editing by Zoe Donaldson.