Check-In Frequency Best Practices

Partnerships have a honeymoon period. But you can't build a successful partnership strategy that way. A successful partnership strategy can't survive on starry-eyed excitement. It needs consistent tracking, review, and adjustment. Setting up a routine for regular partnership reviews helps ensure that every partner continues to contribute value and align with your goals. Here’s a straightforward guide to establishing an effective review cadence: DURING MONTHLY CHECK-INS: Monitor Engagement and Pipeline Health: - Partner Engagement: Are partners actively promoting your solutions? Monitor how frequently partners engage, share leads, or collaborate on content. - Pipeline Health: Review the current status of partner-sourced leads. Are they progressing through the pipeline or stalling? This provides a pulse on lead quality and pipeline velocity. (Pro Tip: Use CRM dashboards to quickly visualize monthly trends. A partner falling behind in engagement or lead generation can be flagged for extra support before the issue impacts quarterly goals.) DURING QUARTERLY CHECK-INS (Quarterly Business Reviews or QBRs): Assess KPIs and impact: - Revenue Contribution: Track revenue from partner-sourced leads. Are partners contributing to target revenue goals? Compare this against previous quarters to detect any patterns. - Deal Velocity: Examine the average time for partner-sourced deals to close. Faster deal cycles may indicate strong alignment with your audience, while slower cycles could highlight areas for enablement improvement. - Retention and Renewals: Review retention rates for customers acquired through each partner. Higher retention often suggests the partner is bringing well-aligned, high-value leads. (Pro Tip: Share a summary of the QBR data with the broader team and executives. Keeping everyone informed boosts alignment across departments and reinforces the value of your partnerships.) DURING ANNUAL CHECK-INS (Annual Pipeline Audit): Evaluate & adjust long-term strategy - Trend Analysis: Review metrics like partner-sourced revenue, pipeline growth, and retention over the year. Look for trends that show which partnerships delivered consistent value and which may need reevaluation. - Resource Allocation: Identify high-impact partners and consider how to deepen those relationships. This could mean exclusive training, co-marketing, or more dedicated support to further accelerate growth. - Forecasting and Goal Setting: Use annual metrics to set achievable targets for the coming year. Which partner types or industries contributed the most? (Pro Tip: Use insights from the annual audit to adjust your Ideal Partner Profile and refine your partner strategy. Trends from a full year’s data will guide resource allocation and pinpoint where to focus for maximum impact.) Anything you'd add?

I lost a client despite hitting all our metrics. Every number was up and to the right. Weekly calls were full of congratulations. Their Director of Marketing couldn't be happier. Then a new CMO arrived and replaced us with the agency she used at her last gig. At first, I felt blindsided. Then, I figured out what'd happened: We'd been optimizing for what mattered to the Director, not C-suite. After that loss last year ago, I realized something uncomfortable: once I signed a deal, I hardly checked in with executive stakeholders. Here's what we do differently now. When talking to C-suite, our team meets more regularly (monthly or every 90 days) to have direct conversations about what’s working and what’s not. For PE port-cos, I also make sure I align with operating partners re: how marketing spend drives toward their goals. The check-ins are simple, but powerful: • First 5-10 minutes: High-level updates on numbers and performance • Next 5-10 minutes: Asking specific open-ended questions • Final portion: Discussion of expansion opportunities Earlier this year, just by asking those specific open-ended questions, a CMO mentioned their additional desires about channel expansion.  It led to a new SOW with an incremental $20K MRR.  And a new north star metric (incremental cost per purchase) to focus on.  Had I not checked in, I’d never have known. Bottom line: It’s easy to become complacent when you’re hitting KPIs. But if they’re not the ones that matter to the top stakeholder, you're just counting points in a game only a few people are watching.

Most leaders think they're having enough conversations with their team. They're not. Annual reviews don't catch problems early enough. Quarterly check-ins miss critical moments. Weekly meetings focus on tasks, not people. The teams that perform and stay have leaders  who ask the right questions monthly. Because over the course of 30 days: • Priorities shift without clear communication. • Innovation gets buried under busy work. • Small blockers become major delays. • Stress builds up silently. • Wins get forgotten. Monthly conversations change this dynamic. Here's how to make them count: 1. Start with genuine wellbeing checks. People need to know you care about them, not just their output. 2. Identify what's blocking progress. Most obstacles are solvable when caught early. 3. Confirm everyone understands priorities. Misalignment wastes more time than any other factor. 4. Highlight what's working well. Success patterns need reinforcing to become repeatable. 5. Ask where people need support. The best performers often struggle to ask for help. 6. Create space for fresh ideas. Those doing the work see opportunities leaders miss. 7. Turn challenges into learning moments. Growth requires reflection, not just action. This isn't about adding more meetings. It's about having better conversations. The frequency matters as much as the questions. Monthly is the sweet spot: Often enough to maintain momentum. Spaced enough to see real progress. Regular enough to build trust. Your team has insights you need. They're facing challenges you don't see. They have solutions you haven't considered. But they need you to create the space for these conversations. Stop assuming everything is fine because no one's complaining. Start asking questions that invite real answers. The best teams aren't built on perfect execution. They're built on consistent, meaningful dialogue. Make it monthly. Make it matter. ♻️ Valuable? Repost to share with your network. Follow me if you want to build a stronger team, faster. P.S. Struggling to build the right team while scaling? We help scale-ups hire offshore talent without the costly mistakes. DM me "TALENT" and I'll share how we build high-performing teams – so you don't have to.

The biggest mistake companies make when trying to scale is focusing too much on strategy. Scaling requires more than just the right strategy. You have to stay aligned and consistently execute. Meetings are an underrated, often poorly utilized tool that can make or break your scaling efforts. Here’s how Chiefs of Staff (and others 🤗) can implement effective meeting rhythms to help their teams thrive: 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤-𝐢𝐧𝐬 (𝐇𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬) 🔹 What: 10-15 minute quick updates 🔹 Why: Keep teams aligned on immediate priorities 🔹 How: Focus on obstacles and solutions to maintain momentum ⭐️ Ask: “What’s the biggest roadblock you’re facing today, and how can we help clear it?” 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 🔹 What: 60-minute deep dive 🔹 Why: Review key metrics and address bigger challenges 🔹 How: Use a clear agenda with set priorities, KPIs, and actions ⭐️ Ask: “What progress have we made toward our top priorities, and where do we need to adjust?” 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 🔹 What: Long-term focus 🔹 Why: Assess broader goals, pivot if necessary 🔹 How: Chiefs of Staff should ensure these are strategy-focused, not operational ⭐️ Ask: “Are we on track to meet our strategic objectives, or do we need to reassess our approach?” 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲 & 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐎𝐟𝐟-𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 🔹 What: Strategic reset 🔹 Why: Evaluate OKRs, set new goals 🔹 How: Plan these off-sites early to maintain focus on big-picture objectives ⭐️ Ask: “What big changes or opportunities should we consider as we set our next quarterly or annual goals?” These meeting rhythms: ✔️ keep everyone on the same page ✔️ prevent miscommunication ✔️ ensure accountability ✔️ uncover roadblocks ✔️ track execution As a Chief of Staff, maintaining these rhythms is key to scaling with precision. === ♻️ Repost to spread awareness about the importance of effective meetings 🔔 Follow me, Melanie Jones The Chief of Staff Coach, for more insightful and actionable leadership, ops, and #chiefofstaff content

A reminder to all CS practitioners and leaders alike. Never set up a call to “just check in” - make sure you have a plan! Below is an actual example of guidelines I've put out for a few of my teams. Feel free to take them and make them your own. What else would you add? ________________________________ The check-in call is a good time to review the status of the partnership and mutually created goals, update any action items, discuss challenges, and adjust plans accordingly. You should also use this time to share any product updates! They will likely hear about things from a marketing drip campaign, but you are their trusted advisor, so it's great to hear them directly from you as well. A few other helpful things that can help guide content for these calls are: - Use Google Alerts and see if there's news about the customer. Bring up anything good or positive you've learned and ask probing questions about how and if this impacts their function. - Twitter and LinkedIn are also helpful for looking for updates that are interesting. - Come with a key insight that you've learned about their industry from others you are working with. Try showing them that you know their account and their market and that you are a valuable partner. - Look at usage trends. Has usage changed recently? Talk about usage trends and anything interesting you are seeing. Are there any other folks that should have access? - Try to get connected with other departments that could benefit from using this service/solution. - Bring up the past EBR goals and keep them at the center of the conversation. - Be prepared to discuss open tickets as it is likely to come up. Best Practices: - Before your call, send an agenda (at least 1 day in advance). Always be respectful of their time. Ask: - Is there anything you’d like to add to the agenda? - Is there any person who should be added to the call? - Come with some probing questions ready for problem statements or progress you’d like to assess. Always have a few and work them in naturally. When you start the call, start with some small talk, but keep things on track. - Have one slide that shows the agenda. Prioritize items by importance. - Try and stay on the agenda, but also listen for topics that may drive strategy. - Be flexible and prepare to adapt to their needs. Mind your talk-to-listen ratio. - It’s important that you lead and share, but make sure you talk less than the customers. Of course, I am not suggesting you sit in awkward silence, but make sure you are aware of how much you are speaking compared to them. Listening actively. Pay attention to what’s being said, how it’s being said, tone, body language, and any other non-verbal cues. This will help you gain a greater understanding of the overall health of the relationship. Follow through and follow up! - Always follow up with a thank you email with any information or actions clearly documented. These emails should be sent within 24 hours of the initial meeting.

You’ve placed candidates. They’re doing well… for a while. But then, 12 months in, they’re gone. What went wrong? Here’s the thing: most recruiters stop at placement. They don’t check in. They don’t follow up. The result? Clients experience high turnover, and you’re left picking up the pieces. But here’s the secret: Retention isn’t just about salary. It's about alignment - matching candidates to roles that not only fit their skills but also meet their long-term goals. And it’s about continuing the conversation after the placement is made. Here’s how to fix it: ➡️ Post-placement check-ins: Make it a routine. 90 days, 6 months, and 12 months. These touchpoints allow you to spot potential issues early and align with the candidate’s evolving needs. ➡️ Gather feedback: Check how well the new hire is adjusting to the role, the culture, and their responsibilities. Is the role still a fit for them? ➡️ Client collaboration: Keep your client in the loop. Retention-focused partnerships are a win-win. Strong retention builds trust and fosters long-term relationships with clients. It turns your placements into long-lasting successes, not just quick wins. Focus on retention. Your candidates and clients will thank you. Follow Imaz Akif for more insights!

Hybrid and Remote Team Performance Evaluations – Traditional performance evaluations don’t work for hybrid and remote teams. Relying on “time in the office” or quarterly reviews leads to frustration, misalignment, and concerns about career growth. – A better approach? Frequent, structured check-ins. Weekly or biweekly reviews keep employees engaged, provide real-time feedback, and ensure continuous professional development. Employees submit a short report on accomplishments, challenges, and goals, and managers provide timely feedback before a brief meeting. – This system prevents surprises in quarterly reviews, strengthens communication, and keeps employees accountable without micromanaging. It also helps supervisors guide professional growth, ensuring that remote and hybrid employees don’t feel overlooked. – The future of performance evaluation is clear: data-driven, frequent, and focused on impact—not just hours logged. Companies that embrace this shift will see higher engagement, better retention, and stronger results. Read more in my article for Quality Digest https://lnkd.in/gVGmNtHv

I made a surprising discovery after coaching 47 teams in OKRs And almost every team gets it wrong. Here's the truth: Succeeding with OKR has zero to do with: • The most ambitious moonshot goals. • The most inspirational Objective • The perfectly-written Key Results • Automating your data collection It all comes down to one single thing: 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸-𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆. Here's what I learned the hard way: • Weekly check-ins = OKR success • Bi-weekly check-ins = Mixed results • Monthly check-ins or less frequently = Almost guaranteed failure But here's the game-changing insight I owe to Christina Wodtke: • Stop measuring progress. • Start measuring 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. The single most important question in every check-in should be: "How confident are we that our current strategy is still helping us achieve our Key Results?" This simple shift transforms OKRs from a project management tool Into an engine that turbocharges your strategy execution. Low confidence? Could be an early warning signal to pivot. High confidence? Double down on what's working. 🔑 The secret: Run regular 15-minute weekly confidence check-ins instead of hour-long progress meetings and you'll see real traction. Want to transform how your team uses OKRs? Reply "✅" if you'd like my exact OKR check-in template [Follow me for more simple strategy frameworks and insights that drive results]

I’ve made 1000s of customer check-in calls over the years. Here are my 3 Dos and 2 Don'ts for getting valuable feedback and keeping your customers happy ⬇️ DO ✅✅✅ 📱 Actually get your customers on the call I did a whole blog post on this. The gist: Be persistent, be patient, and be proactive. (link to the full post 👇) 📅 Talk quarterly (at least!) Monthly is usually too often, yearly is not often enough. Nothing says, “You don’t matter” like calling 1x per year right before a contract renewal 🥴 🔟 Ask: "Scale of 1-10, how happy are you with us?" It's the quickest, clearest picture of how your customer is doing overall ... especially if they spent 30min telling you how to improve! (Note: subtract 2 from the # for the "being nicer to your face" bias 😂) DON'T 🙅♀️🙅♀️🙅♀️ 😴 Skip the prep work Meeting without prep is a waste of your (and your customer's) time — I've got a bunch of tips on what and how to prep. 📝 Take notes on a blank doc If you take meeting notes chronologically, it's chaos. Start with a list of categories to help guide the call & streamline your takeaways. (I share specifics.👇) ---- (Links below for the frameworks, tools, tips, recommended reading + more I mentioned above!!👇👇👇) What are your best strategies for check-in calls? Any roadblocks you're still working to overcome?