Are you checking up or checking in?

The Leadership Shift That Changes Everything

You’re leading a growing creative agency, so you know how important it is to keep projects on track and clients happy. But when you reach out to your team, are you checking up on them—or checking in with them?

There’s a real difference. And your team feels it.  

Checking up sounds like this: “Did you send that yet?” “Where’s the file?” “Just circling back…”  

We’ve all done it. It feels productive—but let’s be honest, it can also feel like hovering with a clipboard. (And no one loves the clipboard person.)  

One of my clients, a brilliant creative agency founder, used to personally review every client deliverable. She called it quality control. Her team called it “waiting around for her final sign-off.” 

Deadlines started to slip. Confidence dipped. And a bottleneck was quietly forming—one that had her working nights, not because she had to, but because everything seemed to land back on her desk.

She couldn’t see it until it revealed itself during one of our coaching calls. Once it was illuminated, she knew what had to be done.

She made one small (yet powerful) shift: weekly, intentional check-ins. 

Same goals, totally different vibe. 

She asked things like …

👉 How’s it going? 

👉 Anything in your way?

👉 What support do you need to move forward?

Her team started flagging issues early, solving them together, and showing up with more ownership. Everything got lighter—and she finally had space to lead.

Now, maybe you’re thinking:  I don’t have time to check in with everyone.

But here’s the truth: checking in IS the work of leadership. It’s not a distraction—it’s the path to building a team you trust.

So before you fire off that follow-up Slack, pause and ask:  Am I checking up, or checking in?

One builds dependency.  

The other builds trust.  

And trust? That’s how you design a business that runs without you.

You’ve got this!