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Jessie I.

Questions to ask your new team

Updated: May 30

It's always hard to start something new, and adding multiple people, personalities, and routines significantly raises the difficulty. Whether you have managerial experience or not, starting to manage a new team is a fresh new start every time.


As a manager, you must have a strong relationship with your staff, which begins with your first day of work. These questions can assist you in getting off to the best possible start, and there are numerous ways to ensure that you get off to the best possible start. One of the first things you should do when managing a new team is start having one-on-one meetings with them. It provides you with a regular, private, and open line of communication with each member of the team.

a hand ready to shake

These questions can spark priceless conversations that are ideal for one-on-one meetings, especially when you are just starting to build a relationship with each person.


"What do you enjoy working on the most? What do you think your strengths are?

You'll be surprised how often, especially on a large team, one person will love doing something else.You can significantly increase the likelihood that members of your team will work on projects they enjoy at least partially by getting to know the work that interests each of them the most. The dreaded scenario in which you assign work to one person who despises it and another person wishes they could have that task can then be avoided.

You can start maximizing your team's potential as soon as you discover your team's strengths and the types of work they enjoy.When you are just starting out as a manager of a new team, the best way to find out about their strengths and areas of interest at work is to ask. Make a note of it so you can recall it later, and inquire further to gain a deeper understanding of their interests.


"What have your previous managers done that you would like me to do as well?"

You will instantly establish credibility with your team and demonstrate care with this question. They will offer you valuable insight, regardless of whether their previous manager was a saint or a devil.

If the previous manager was good, they will tell you what they liked most, which will help you find some of the best ways to lead and motivate people. In the meantime, if the previous manager was bad, you set new goals and give them reasons to be optimistic.

A great way to get started laying a solid foundation for working with them is to inquire about their previous managers' successes and failures.

Additionally, it helps you comprehend what makes them tick. You will know what to give them more of and, equally important, what to avoid or that will upset them if you learn about things that were influential in their past. These are some of the questions that will help you better understand them.


"Where did your previous manager leave off with your career goals?"

The low morale that most teams experience as a result of reorganizations or management changes is one of the biggest obstacles businesses face.The fear and uncertainty of change, not working with the people they liked, and having to start over with their manager are all contributing factors that lower morale.

Their career development is an important part of their relationship with their manager. When it comes time for promotion, your manager will be your primary coach and your strongest advocate. Too frequently, changing managers necessitates a fresh start for career advancement.

As their new manager, it can go a long way toward minimizing any negative feelings to inquire about their goals and the progress they have already made under their previous manager. Employee attitudes will shift to a negative mindset when growth and achievement are interrupted by reorganizations or management does not care about them; After that, they will begin looking for flaws and reasons to be dissatisfied with your business. That can set off a death spiral in which employees reinforce this attitude with one another until they start leaving, which is not surprising.


"In what ways do you enjoy receiving feedback”

When you ask this question before you have a lot of feedback to give them, you can find clues about how to present it in a way that they will be most receptive to when the time comes.


"How do you like to be praised or acknowledged?" "How do you like to be praised or acknowledged?"

The simple act of appreciating your team members, whether through a few words of praise at the end of a difficult week or recognition for their crucial role in a recent project, can make a big difference in their motivation. It's not enough to know to praise your team. In fact, if you're not careful, it could completely backfire on you; While some people enjoy being recognized in public, others detest it. When you want someone to be proud and happy, the last thing you want to do is make them feel uneasy.


"What regular activity outside of work do you do that really matters to you?"

Your relationship with your coworkers is based on rapport. It makes it simpler to communicate, including to give and receive feedback and to discuss issues openly. Consider the difference between hearing something you need to hear from a stranger and hearing it from a trusted friend or family member. However, the goal of this question isn't just to establish rapport. You can get to know them and establish trust by asking a variety of questions.

Another reason to inquire about their most important or favorite activities outside of work is as follows: avoiding exhaustion. It's hard to find a balance between work and well-being, but it takes more than just one person. You can help your team avoid burnout and arrive at work happier and more engaged. And the most important thing is to ask the right question right now to avoid future problems.

Starting to manage a new team can be tough. However, you can establish trust, boost morale, and demonstrate to your new team that you care about what matters most to them by using these six questions. The best part is that you'll learn more about the situation your team was in before you arrived. You will be able to either contribute to the smooth operation of the machine or put in a lot of effort to quickly improve the situation to avoid losing good people as you begin.

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