by Caryl Teh
We tell students that it’s not so much about knowing all the answers; rather, it’s about asking good questions. And when we graduate into a team at our jobs, asking good questions is still important, and has the power to supercharge collaborations within your team. So what are some of those questions?
Before we give you 10 suggestions, let’s start with some indicators of supercharged collaborations and reasons why you should make it a habit to ask your teammates these questions periodically:
- Understand each other better, and keep your understanding updated as you grow together as a team
- Avoid miscommunication and reduce friction
- Ensure that everyone is working under the most conducive conditions for them whenever possible
- Provide an opportunity for feedback, including identifying growth a.k.a. problem areas, and giving recognition and praise where it is due
Now let’s get into those questions.
1. What’s the best way to communicate with you?
Does your colleague grasp things better with visuals? If you’re working remotely, do they prefer to voice call or video call? Will they respond faster via email or Slack/Whatsapp? If you’re in the office, would it be clearer to just pop over to their work space and chat?
2. What’s your working style?
Work styles and personality quizzes might be helpful indicators, but it might be better to just directly ask your teammate. Do they work well in a team, or do they work better on independent projects? Do they prefer complete silence or do they need music and bustle? Can they brainstorm on the fly or do they need more time to let ideas stew?
3. What management style works best for you?
As a team manager, this is something you should find out from each individual in your team: does your team member prefer continuous feedback while they work because they feel lost without constant direction and structure? Or do they prefer feedback only at the end of the task because they are most creative and productive when left entirely to their own devices? (Beware the micromanager slippery slope!)
4. What motivates you to come to work?
What empowers your teammates? Is it a clear sense of purpose and fulfilment in what they’re doing? A work space filled with the fresh scent of essential oils or brightened by calming succulents? Caring teammates? Thumbs up for a job well done from the boss? Always available healthy snacks? Aside from highlighting opportunities to make working together easier and more meaningful, showing some care in those key motivators will drive your teammates to show up wanting to do their best work each day.
5. How can I better support you on this project?
Ultimately, team leaders have to make sure teammates support each other. So take some time to investigate that. Does each team member understand their role? Do they have all the resources and information they need? What challenges are they facing? Another great straightforward question that will quickly identify gaps is “What training do you feel you’re missing?”. 
6. What’s the best process for you to learn a new skill?
There’s no such thing as a team that has all the expertise they’ll ever need immediately. The skills required in the workplace are evolving and diversifying now more quickly than ever, requiring something new with each new project. Some workers learn best on the job. Others like to have a textbook, a seminar, hands-on training, and a few discussions before they’re comfortable. Knowing how your teammates learn best will make it easier for you to share resources & help each other be better equipped to execute powerful collaborations.
7. What existing skills can you add to the team?
Each team member was hired because they have a speciality that they can add to the team. An activity that could enrich the team while strengthening relationships is to have skill-sharing and training sessions.
8. How did you find it working together?
For you team leaders, understanding a team dynamic will help you plan better cross-team collaborations in future and give recognition where it’s due. So take some time to investigate. Have other teammates helped this individual lately? Who has motivated them? Which co-worker do they learn from the most or produce their best work with? Maybe they even learned something new about themselves and how they fit in to complement the team.
9. Which areas can I improve on?
The more you ask your teammates for feedback, the more honest they’ll feel they can be. Ask for regular input on improving your communication or even leadership. What can you do more of? Less of? What should you do differently as a manager? What would they have liked to do differently as a team? Build a space for employees to give you these answers and they will deliver. Here’s a simple framework to guide you: K.I.S.S. (keep, improve, start, stop)
10. What can we celebrate?
Never take for granted how much it can boost team morale to celebrate wins together, whether big or small, especially when it is instigated by you, team leaders. Ask each other “What are your latest successes?”, “What challenges have you overcome?”, and “What tasks did you most enjoy recently?”. Take a moment to applaud your teammate for their work, and take note of it so you can make use of this information in future collaborations.
Happy Collaborating!
Working in a team can be tricky! It’s important to take time to understand each teammate and how they work with others. Asking questions like these will polish your active listening skills, and help you plan how you can give your best, and bring out the best in your teammates for your team’s success. So what are you waiting for? Start asking some good questions!
Source:
Trello
