Published
Culture drifts when leaders lose line of sight to how work actually feels. A short, intentional culture check-in creates a predictable moment for teams to surface friction, name bright spots, and convert sentiment into small operational moves that protect momentum.
What a culture check-in is
- Cadence: Weekly or bi-weekly, 5–10 minutes, attached to an existing standup.
- Scope: Not a survey; a quick scan of norms, clarity, and load—right now.
- Output: 1–2 tiny experiments or fixes before the next check-in.
Prompts that actually work
- Signal: What’s one moment last week that showed our culture at its best?
- Friction: What slowed us down that is within our control?
- Clarity: What decision, definition, or expectation needs tightening?
- Capacity: Is the current load sustainable for the next 2 weeks? (green/yellow/red)
Turn talk into traction
- Name an owner + deadline: Every friction item gets a DRI and a due date.
- Make it visible: Add actions to a simple “Culture To-Do” list on your team board.
- Close the loop: Begin the next check-in with what changed (even if the answer is “not yet”).
Why it works
- Psychological safety: A regular, low-stakes forum normalizes voice and dissent.
- Readiness signals: Leaders spot load, role, and norm issues before they become resistance.
- Compounding trust: Small fixes delivered consistently create credibility for bigger change.
Common traps to avoid
- Collecting but not acting: Capturing sentiment without actions erodes trust.
- Scope creep: Keep it 10 minutes—deeper topics get routed to a separate session.
- Leader monologue: Ask, then listen. Speak last, or better—summarize and assign.
Starter template (copy/paste)
// Weekly Culture Check-In (10 min)
1) Best moment that showed our culture (1 min)
2) Top friction within our control (3 min)
3) Clarity we need (roles / decision / definition) (3 min)
4) Load check: green / yellow / red (1 min)
5) Pick 1–2 micro-actions, DRI + date (2 min)Strategy tells people what to do; culture tells them how it feels to do it. A five-minute check-in keeps those two stories aligned.