Probing Questions

How do you assess your existing team as quickly as

possible? How do you reduce your learning curve and

P

repare to meet formally with each person

jumpstart your team's performance in the first 90

by reviewing available personnel history,

days? What are the most common mistakes leaders in

performance data and other appraisals. During your

a new position make?

meeting, ask probing questions. Watkins suggests the

Criteria to Assess an Existing Team

following for a comprehensive evaluation:

1. What do you think of our existing strategy?

W

hen performing your evaluation, you'll find

some excellent, some average and some

2. What are the biggest challenges we face in the

unsatisfactory people in place. You will inherit a

short term? In the long term?

group with its own dynamics and habitual ways of

3. What are the biggest opportunities we face?

working. You cannot afford to make one of the most

common errors: gathering them in a room, telling

4. What resources could we leverage more

them that you're in charge now, and that you'll be

effectively?

making some changes. Instead, you will need to sort

5. How could we improve the way the team works

out who's who, the functions people perform and

together?

how the group has worked in the past.

6. If you were in my position, to what would you

Go in and shake the tree, and you're guaranteed to

want to pay attention?

lose some of the best leaves along with the rotting

ones. Always evaluate thoroughly before acting.

Be on the alert for nonverbal cues. While a person's

Hasty action compromises trust and credibility, and

actual words have merit, much is revealed by body

you may inadvertently lose valuable team members.

language, as well as what a person omits and the way

in which he communicates:

If you are like most leaders, you will form an

impression each time you meet someone. Hold

· What doesn't he/she say?

onto those thoughts, but don't hold them as truths.

Remember: They are merely first impressions.

· Does he/she volunteer information or wait until

Allow them to register, don't suppress them, and

he/she's asked?

then allow other factors to influence your ultimate

· Does the person reveal areas of weakness or only

appraisal.

strengths?

You also must decide which criteria to use when

· Does the team member blame others or take

evaluating your people. Michael Watkins, an

responsibility for specific things?

associate professor of business administration at

· Does the person make excuses?

Harvard and author of The First 90 Days: Critical

Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels,

· How consistent is his/her body language with his

suggests using the following:

/her words?

Competence ­ Does this person have the technical

· Which topics evoke a lot of energy?

skills and experience to do the job well?

· What is this person like outside of meetings, when

Judgment ­ Does this person exercise good

he/she interacts on an informal level with others?

judgment under pressure or when faced with

sacrifice for the greater good?

· Does he/she tend to be cordial, polite, tense,

competitive, judgmental or reserved?

Energy ­ Does this team member bring the right

kind of energy to the job, or is he/she disengaged,

Testing for Judgment

burned out or unfulfilled?

I

Focus ­ Does this person stick to priorities, or is

t can be difficult to assess an individual's ability

he/she easily distracted and scattered?

to make decisions and judgments. This is quite

different from evaluating technical skills and

Relationships ­ Does this person get along well

knowledge.

with other team members, supporting team

decisions?

You must observe the person's ability to make sound

Trust ­ Can you trust this person to be honest,

predictions and develop good strategies for avoiding

consistent and reliable?

problems.

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