21 Questions for Getting to Know Your Team

Business leaders are measured on their results and there is general agreement that increased employee engagement drives these results. So your ability to successfully engage and influence others plays an important role.

How well you know your employees?

Not just their habits, footy team or what they do on the weekends? I am talking about what motivates them, how quickly they adapt or resist change, what causes them stress, and how are they likely to respond to pressure.

Here are 21 questions to help start a conversation?

1. What was your first job?
2. What attracted you to this job?
3. What are your career goals?
4. How do you like to get feedback?
5. How do you keep yourself motivated?
6. What’s the best way you handle pressure?
7. How do you prefer to end your day?
8. What’s one thing that surprised you about working here?
9.If you had a chance to add one thing to this office, what would you add?
10. What skill do you think everyone should learn?
11. What’s the toughest challenge you’ve had in your career?
12. Who inspires you?
13. What’s the best advice you’ve been given and who was it from?
14. What’s one thing in the world that you’re most proud of?
15. Are there any additional duties you’d like to add that would fit your skills and interests?
16. If you could trade places with anyone for a day, who would it be?
17. What’s one thing you’re learning now and why is that important?
18. If you could remove one thing from your daily schedule, what would it be?
19. What advice would you give your teenage self?
20. What’s going well for you in your role?
21. On a scale of 1-10 how fulfilled are you and what makes you say that?

There are plenty of ways to build trust but it must be earned. The better you getting to know your team at work, the more connected you become through shared values and common interests. Use these questions as a starting point to dive deeper into building better working relationships.