It’s one thing to cultivate a cool, professional persona in the office but (as we’re all discovering) the world of remote work has NO boundaries. Whether it’s Carla’s dog leaping up on to her desk, or Derek’s kids shooting Nerf guns at your head, a glimpse into your colleague’s home can reveal more context than years of ‘making nice’ across the open-plan.
But beware getting a false positive: you may see more of your team, but do you really know what’s going on for them? Everyone’s situation is unique. As a leader you know you need to bridge the empathy gap, but where to start?
If you want to know how your team are truly feeling, get curious. Duck the obvious asks, (‘How are you feeling?’ ‘Anything on your mind?’) and experiment with some creative questions. Whether you deliver them during a catch-up or via email questionnaire the key is to get curious and really listen to the response.
We’ve come up with some ‘starter’ questions to get your creative juices flowing. Try them out on your team – the answers you get back might surprise you!
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Give yourself a score out of 10 depending on how you’re feeling right now. What would help you have a higher score?
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When have you been ‘at your best’ since the last time we spoke, and why?
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If you had a magic wand and could change one thing about work right now – what would it be?
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What’s the real challenge you’re facing right now?
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What have you changed your mind about recently?
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Outside of work, what is bringing you joy/ticking you off right now?
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Which member of your family would you like to have as an immediate colleague – and why?
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What would you like me to change my mind about?
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Most useful piece of feedback you’ve received recently, and why
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One thing you’ve seen other teams or companies doing right now that made you think…‘I wish we were doing that’ ?
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What’s the one thing I could be doing differently to support you better?
