The Benefits of Meaningful Rounding

How to connect with your team for increased engagement

When I started out in a formal leadership role, I felt so ill-equipped to lead the team.

At that time, there were 32 staff members that executed various functions of the work. And they all had specific needs based upon their role within the team.

I was swamped. I had no idea how to even advocate for them if asked in project meetings or with senior leadership.

Luckily, I quickly realized when I was in over my head and decided to lean on some tactics to help me not only connect with the team but find a common thread between their work and the organizational strategies so we can all move forward as a unit.

Rounding.

By the way, this article was inspired by this quick video I did on how rounding increased engagement. You can watch it below, but let’s dive deeper into the concept.

Rounding is a concept of visiting team areas physically. You not only want to be physically present in that space, but you also want to engage with them and their work. The value of doing so increases engagement between you and the staff members while seeing the impact of the strategies in real-time.

When I was a young leader (well technically, I am still young to the game), rounding was a lifesaver. I was able to quickly understand the work that the team was doing, which filled my blind spots.

Rounding offers a great reality check around my communication style. I was able to assess immediately if my words were effective and the intent aligned with the impact. There were plenty of times where I suggested a plan that, with good intentions, would help the team become more efficient. However, after seeing a plan playout, the concept would slow productivity rather than increases it. I was able to ask questions to help close MY understanding which often resulted in problem-solving towards a new route than what was once communicated.