The Leader Checkup
Three–ten people · 25 minutes · upward feedback, said out loud
Feedback flows down easily and rarely up. A leader who only hears what is filtered learns wrong.
WorkshopSkill · The Leader Checkup — Slide Deck · CC BY 4.0What do you do
that makes their job harder?
WorkshopSkill · The Leader Checkup — Slide Deck · CC BY 4.0Keep · block · ask
- Keep — one thing that is landing well, said out loud so it does not get lost.
- Block — one thing that quietly costs the team, stated as behaviour plus impact: when you X, we Y.
- Ask — one request, not a grievance. The leader listens and does not defend.
How the 25 minutes run
| Time | Phase | The room does |
|---|---|---|
| 0–7 | Write | One keep, one block, one ask each; the leader writes too, including a self-critique |
| 7–15 | Speak & listen | Round robin. The team speaks; the leader listens — no defending, no explaining |
| 15–20 | Reflect back | The leader says what they actually heard and asks one clarifying question |
| 20–25 | Commit | One concrete change with a follow-up date; the team names what it will watch for |
| — | After | The follow-up date opens the next checkup |
Three rules protect the room
- The leader does not defend or explain. The first defence teaches everyone to edit the truth from now on.
- A block is behaviour plus impact — "when decisions change late, we lose a day" — never character: "you are chaotic".
- One commitment. A list of ten is a performance, not a change.
The leader listens,
the team speaks,
one real change comes out the other side.
WorkshopSkill · The Leader Checkup — Slide Deck · CC BY 4.0Three ways it stalls, three rescues
- The leader starts defending → park explanations until after. Enforce it out loud.
- The team gives only "everything is fine" → the leader opens with a real self-critique: what do I do that makes your job harder?
- A block turns into a character attack → reframe to behaviour plus impact; the room stays open only if it stays about actions.
What leaves the room
- A keep / block / ask set the leader genuinely heard, not a summary they braced for.
- One concrete leader commitment with a named follow-up date.
- The team’s answer to a quieter question: is it safe enough here to say the next true thing?
Three questions before you close
Leader: what did you hear that genuinely surprised you?
Team: did it feel safe to be honest — what made it safer, and what made it riskier?
Both: what exactly will be different, and how will we all know?
WorkshopSkill · The Leader Checkup — Slide Deck · CC BY 4.0What carries into real work
- Run it quarterly; last time’s follow-up date is the first item on the agenda.
- New leader, first month: run the keep-doing pass only, so what already works gets reinforced before anything is asked.
- Two leads can run it sideways — the listening rule is just as hard peer to peer.
.
Listen without defending · commit to one · set the date
Buying honesty costs the leader going first.
WorkshopSkill · The Leader Checkup — Slide Deck · CC BY 4.0Take this folder with you
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