As a manager, I often find myself caught in a whirlwind of meetings and juggling far too many projects. And in the midst of all that busyness, there have been moments where I’ve completely lost track of what’s happening with my team, both at work and in their lives.
It’s in those moments I’ve learned something crucial: the busier things get, the more vital it becomes to pause and reconnect. Not just with the work, but with the people doing it.
My team covers a large scope. We handle all things digital communication, support our long-tail customer base and deliver projects big and small across the company. The pace is intense and it’s easy to slip into execution mode and lose sight of each other.
So, I started a simple ritual: quick, intentional ‘pulse checks’ during meetings. They help us reconnect, understand how everyone’s doing and bring things to the surface that might otherwise stay hidden.
I try to dedicate a few minutes of every weekly team meeting or project sync to a quick pulse check. And I’ve learned so much from it. What started as a simple “how are we doing?” has become a creative tool I use in different ways: to gauge energy, reflect on progress, spark connection or spot potential blockers early.
Here are the different ways I use these 5 minute pulse checks at my meetings and how you can too.
🌡️ Mood and energy check-ins
Use these emotional check-ins to get a quick read on how your team is really doing.
This is the simplest pulse check and often the most revealing. I lean on them especially when the energy feels off, or when I know people might be overwhelmed. They create space for honesty and for me, as a leader, to follow up in the moment or later in a 1:1.
Sometimes what comes up are competing priorities I didn’t know about. Sometimes it’s personal stuff. Either way, it helps me lead more intentionally.
Here are a few ideas you can try in Slido:
- What’s your current mood in one word? (Word cloud)
- How energized do you feel this week? (1–5 Rating poll)
- This week feels like… (Multiple choice)
A) Rocket launch 🚀
B) Sleep mode 😴
C) Loading…
D) Quite chaotic 😵💫 - What’s one thing that would boost your mood today? (Word cloud)
- What weather forecast fits your week? (Multiple choice)
A) Sunny ☀️
B) Windy 💨
C) Rainy 🌧️
D) Tornado 🌪️
🤝 Team culture and connection check-ins
Build trust and strengthen collaboration, especially across distributed teams.
Weekly team meetings are also a great moment to intentionally nurture team culture. Especially in distributed teams like ours, spanning from Australia to Mexico, it gives me insight into what’s going on behind the scenes.
A pulse check focused on team connection helps me to understand how we’re collaborating, what people appreciate about each other and what might need more attention. These tiny moments of connection add up and they make a difference.
A few go-to poll questions I use regularly:
- What’s something good that happened this week in our team? (Word cloud)
- Who’s someone you appreciate this week and why? (Open text)
- What’s one small win we can celebrate today? (Open text)
- Any feedback or ideas to improve our team collaboration? (Open text)
- Which of these values do you feel we’re living well as a team right now? (Multiple choice: you can tailor this to your actual values)
A) Don’t Stop
B) Simply Clever
C) We care
📊 Project progress check-ins
Forget endless status updates – ask one good question instead.
Sometimes, one good question cuts through more than a long-winded project status update. I often use quick polls at the start or end of project meetings to surface potential risks, blockers or areas that need support aka the things that really matter.
Try these:
- How’s the project feeling this week? (Multiple choice)
A) Smooth sailing ⛵
B) Minor waves 🌊
C) Storm brewing ⛈️ - How confident are you that we’ll hit our next milestone? (1–5 Rating poll)
- What’s one blocker or slowdown you’re seeing? (Word cloud)
- How focused do you feel you can be on this project this week? (Open text)
- What do we need to align on this week? (Multiple choice)
A) Priorities
B) Resources
C) Deadlines
D) Other
⚖️Workload and focus check-ins
Understand how your team is coping before burnout hits.
These types of check-ins help me quickly get a sense of how busy people are, whether they need more clarity or if something requires more direction. I’ve learned that not everyone will speak up directly. Sometimes people hesitate to ask ‘stupid’ questions or don’t want to bother me with their workload or how they’re feeling.
But when I ask proactively and make it easy to respond, I often learn exactly what I need to support them better. Whether it’s helping them prioritize, pushing back on unrealistic asks from elsewhere or just listening, it opens the door for action.
Here are a few pulse check examples that work well for me:
- How manageable is your workload right now? (1 = Totally fine, 5 = Help! Rating poll)
- If your week was a plate, how full is it? (Multiple choice)
A) Empty plate 🍽️
B) Nicely filled 🥗
C) Overloaded buffet 🍕🍣🍰 - Are there tasks or priorities that feel unclear or overwhelming right now? (Open text)
- Do you feel you can focus on what matters most this week? (Multiple choice)
A) Yes
B) Somewhat
C) Not really
D) I need help prioritizing - What’s the one thing draining your energy or attention? (Word cloud)
🧠 Learning and growth check-ins
Support continuous learning and build a culture of shared growth.
Last but definitely not least: check-ins focused on learning and growth.
In our team, continuous learning isn’t optional – it’s essential. With constant changes and new demands coming our way, we need to keep evolving our skills, remain curious and support each other along the way.
That’s why I try to carve out space to reflect on learning. It encourages people to pause, share what they’ve picked up and realize just how much they’ve grown. It also inspires others and spreads knowledge across the team in a simple but powerful way.
In fast-paced teams, learning often happens on the go. These quick Slido polls help your team reflect, share lessons and build collective knowledge.
- What’s one new thing you learned last week? (From a project, colleague or a mistake) (Word cloud)
- What’s been your biggest learning moment lately? (Multiple choice)
A) A success 🎯
B) A mistake ❌
C) A conversation 💬 - Which recent challenge taught you the most? (Word cloud)
- Sum up your learning from this project in one word or emoji. (Word cloud)
- What did we learn that we didn’t know at the start of this project? (Open text)
The beauty of pulse checks lies in their simplicity. You don’t need long HR surveys or formal assessments. A few thoughtful questions each week can dramatically improve your team’s connection, clarity and collaboration.
In a world full of back-to-back meetings and constant context switching, making space for honest check-ins is one of the most impactful things you can do as a team lead, project manager or people leader.
Try adding a pulse check to your next team meeting. You might be surprised by what you learn.
