Leaders, you should know your team.  Yes, it does take time and effort to get to know your team, but once you get to know them as individuals — not just as somewhat anonymous, nondescript members of your work team — then they will likely become a more engaged employee.

Here are 5 simple questions you can ask in order to know your team individually:

1. What are the names of you followers’ spouses or life partners?
2. Where do those spouses or partners work and what do they do?
3. What are specific details related to your employees’ children — age, activities, and accomplishments?
4. When are your employees’ birthday and service anniversary dates?
5. What are your employees’ hobbies and interests away from work?

How To Get To Know Your Team

Now, when I suggest you know your team, I am not suggesting that you:

• date any of them
• go on vacation with any of them
• feel compelled to have any of them over to your house for cookouts on the weekends

Such activities may very well be far too personal and professionally inappropriate.

However, I am suggesting that the act and art of becoming an engaged leader requires people to make the effort necessary to get to know your team.  Know each individual team member’s goals, talents and aspirations. You should also know their fears, failings, and frustrations.  Common sense tells us that we cannot possibly lead effectively if we have little or no idea of what motivates, demotivates, compels or demoralizes our followers.

5 Questions to Help You Get To Know Your Team

Each of these questions has a definitive purpose in helping you get to know your team members.  You can read more about each question’s purpose in Leaders Ought To Know.

Here are 5 questions to help you get to know your team members better:

1. What are the names of your followers’ spouses or life partners?
2. Where do those spouses or partners work and what do they do?
3. What are specific details related to your employees’ children — age, activities, and accomplishments?
4. When are your employees’ birthday and service anniversary dates?
5. What are your employees’ hobbies and interests away from work?

Not-So-Obvious Truth

The not-so-obvious truth for leaders is that if you do not know your team, then they are more likely to choose to follow someone else.  Oh, they may continue to report to you.  But if you don’t know them and you’re making no observable effort to correct that deficiency, there’s a very good chance that they’ll look to someone else for leadership.

#knowyourteam #leadershipdevelopment #communicationskills #relationshipbuilding #greatleaders #leadersoughttoknow  #businesshowto #managementskills #engagedemployees #increaseengagement #howtoknowyourteam

Need Help Getting Your Leaders & Teams to Deliver Better Results? Let’s Talk About It.

• Who Should Be Promoted [Blog Post]
• About Phillip Van Hooser
• More Blog Posts Like This