“How was your weekend? What did you do?”
I would begin every single Monday morning by asking this question privately to each member of my team.
And for each one of them, my reply would be followed by asking some follow-up questions about what they have just told me, as well as sharing about my own weekend.
It’s an idea I got while listening to “The Trillion Dollar Coach”, about Bill Campbell, who was one of Silicon Valley’s most esteemed coaches.
After asking this question countless times, it allowed me to get to know them better. I learned about their hobbies and projects, who they choose to spend time with, and also, if something happened that would probably distract them and I should know about it but they felt it’s too personal to be relevant.
More than anything – I think it made them feel seen.
It’s not enough to say to your employees “I care about you”.
You need to show them that you do.