We wanted to create better bonding between the members of the team – especially when working remotely. Developing empathy as well as a sense of trust and security in the group was a path to foster a collaborative environment, fomenting a creative lifelong learning culture. In a weekly basis we were also building emotional intelligence while reflecting, identifying, and expressing emotions.
We inaugurate our weeks with check-in meetings. If it becomes a habit, check-ins can be done in any day of the week. However, we have chosen to use it as a welcoming transition between weekends and workdays.
The question that guides us is: “How do you arrive today?”. We are looking for honest sharing and active listening – without judgments or comments that can lead to only one type of answer. There is no right or wrong: check-ins are an opportunity to face, trace and express emotions. As leaders, receive and embrace what is said. It is natural that sometimes negative feelings or fatigue will show up, and this also teaches us about our team and ourselves.
After everyone has spoken, use the second half of the meeting to align any needed aspects in a quick and assertive way. By doing so, the whole team can have a systemic view of the work being done.
The use and effects of the check-ins were reported by all the educators as one of the highlights of our management practices in 2020.
In over ten months of check-ins, we have been able to improve the organizational climate expressively, where members feel motivated, committed, valued as individuals, and bonded as a group. During the year of 2020, in which corporations have faced an increased number of sick and stress related leaves, we had none.
We managed to stimulate research for innovation in education in a weekly basis, as well as a sense of ownership of the e-learning material being produced and published. As a result, we have created, discovered, and implemented over a dozen of new resources in our contents. Constant feedback quickly spotted and addressed initiatives that did not work.
Other sectors of the organization implemented the method as well, achieving the same results with much larger groups of people.
Organize weekly alignments meetings and start with the question: How do you arrive today?
Participants share as much they want, everyone participates, and leaders should be the last ones to share.
If you are doing this in a face-to-face environment, try the exercise in a circle. If you are doing It remotely, ask the participants to call for another member of the group after they have finished.
