Why daily check-ins kill your team's productivity
Daily check-ins are supposed to be a productivity hack. But if used incorrectly, it can be a productivity killer. Learn how to improve your team management skills as a consulting EM.
I hated daily check-ins when I was a consultant.
And I completely stopped doing them when I became an EM.
Here's why.
Daily check-ins are a waste of time.
While one consultant speaks, the others listen with no interest, waiting for their turn.
Daily check-ins were always process-oriented when I really needed to discuss my content to make progress.
They were supposed to be short, but they were never so, with conversations often going off on a tangent for an hour or more.
But what I hated the most was when some sadistic EMs scheduled them early in the morning at 7 or 8 AM. That was absolutely insane, especially when we regularly worked past midnight.
Overall, that's how you waste 30–60 minutes per day. This adds up throughout the project, leading to a significant productivity loss.
As an EM, you can do better.
Introduce these three practices:
1. Weekly team priorities
Begin the week with a brief session for the entire team to discuss weekly priorities. Tell the team about the objectives. Highlight important meetings. Agree on collaboration points.
Here, as an EM, you tell them your vision of how the week should unfold. Not consultants report back to you on their progress.
2. Individual check-ins
Talk 1-1 with consultants. Make it more content-oriented. Help unblock, prioritize, and problem-solve content.
Adjust it to the consultants’ individual performance because some high-performing consultants may require touchpoints once every few days. And junior consultants may need directions a few times per day.
3. Proactive communication
If you still need status updates as an EM from your consultants, train them to proactively communicate their progress, priorities, and roadblocks to you.
You can make it asymmetric. They can update you via Slack or email. You don’t need to get the whole team together in an unproductive meeting.
As a result, this approach improves not only the team's productivity but also their lifestyle. It gives consultants some flexibility in the morning to recover and be more energized.
Very soon, you will feel how productivity gains add up. Also, having rested and energized consultants will make them more creative and motivated.
That's what true EMing is.
Not running process rituals, but providing clarity and support.
If you are an MBB consultant who wants to improve performance, I want to speak with you.
Book a Free 1-1 Consultation to discuss whether I can help you through my coaching program. There is no commitment, and you can ask any burning questions in a risk-free environment.
Read this post to learn more about the Hero’s Journey coaching program.