Pulse Check: The 9 Vital Questions You Need to Monitor Employee Engagement

Read Time: 3 minutes 15 seconds

I work as an advisor to several companies.

The first question I typically ask is, “What are your biggest problems?”

Any executive earning their paycheck has an answer to this. But the one that catches many of them off guard is the follow-up:

“How do you know?”

And there are two drivers behind this question:

• What is the evidence of that problem?

• Can they separate big problems from small ones?

We’ve already shared playbooks on Diagnosing Problems to Root Cause and Building a Compelling Synthesis, but we haven’t spent as much time talking about the role data play in operating a high-performing team.

And today, I want to help you craft a simple system to keep an accurate pulse on your team. At a minimum, you should use this when taking on a new team, but I found it helpful to keep this system up to date at least quarterly.

Why?

1. Nothing builds trust like consistency.

2. Nothing disinfects like sunlight.

Plus, you reinforce what matters by asking the same questions over time. And you’ll spot (and be able to respond to) small changes that might have otherwise gone unnoticed.

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The Big Question(s)

My goal with any survey is to ask the fewest possible questions to get the highest possible signal. For my team, that means getting a read at different elevations and making sure I understand the environment (which I control) and how they see themselves in it (which they control).

I put all my questions on the same 1-5 scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree) so that they don’t have to shift frames, and I can build an easy-to-consume output (see below).

Here are my 11 questions with a brief explanation as to why I think they’re necessary.

Mission

• I understand and am motivated by the team's mission.

• At least 80% of my work contributes directly to that mission.

Logic: People need to feel connected to something bigger and that their work matters. Separating these two will help you prioritize communicating more vs. rethinking the work.

Expectations

• I know what is expected of me at work.

• I have the tools, access, and support to meet my goals excellently.

Logic: Everyone wants to win. Clear expectations show them how. If you’re cutting corners here, you’ll create a lot of headaches down the road.