For managers, asking the right questions is perhaps the only way to be an effective manager. I’m suggesting five questions that you should ask your employees each month. These aren’t stultified performance review questions. These are real questions that can dramatically improve an employee’s morale, output and quality of work.

How do you ask the right questions?

Just as important as asking the right questions is asking them in the right way. Here are three tips for asking the right questions in the right way:

Ask sincerely. Ask these questions with realness. You want to know the answers. You’re not reading a form. You’re engaging with a person. Ask with authenticity.

Ask these questions with realness. You want to know the answers. You’re not reading a form. You’re engaging with a person. Ask with authenticity. Ask humbly. One asks questions to get answers. Be prepared to hear answers that you may not like. This is a time to listen openly, be patient and hear them out.

One asks questions to get answers. Be prepared to hear answers that you may not like. This is a time to listen openly, be patient and hear them out. Ask frequently. I’m suggesting that you ask these questions weekly. When you and your team members get to it, the gears begin to turn, and the thoughts begin to flow.

Now, let’s ask the questions.

1. What’s going well last week? Any wins this week?

This is a great place to start. Employees get to celebrate and even brag a little about all the positive stuff that happened that week by answering that question. As a bonus, you will glean what employees consider triumphs relative to the goals of the organization.

2. What’s your biggest challenge right now?

The flip side of the biggest accomplishment question is the “biggest challenge” question. When employee shares where they’re stuck, you know exactly where you should coach them and give them guidance that helps them move forward.

3. What things should we do differently?

Every team member has a different perspective on the company. Your job as a manager is to synthesize all this information and improve the company. Everyone can add value, and they can provide value by sharing their own managerial insights.

4. how I can be a better leader?

This one will probably be the toughest on your team, but the responses will also be incredibly worthwhile. You will learn what your employees perceive are core leadership values, and determine if they are aligned with the company. You’re more than a company-minded manager. You’re available to improve their work/life balance.

5. On a scale of 1–10, how happy are you? Why?

When your team is happy, they not only come up with better solutions, but their satisfaction also helps to build a culture of high performance. This question also sends the message that your employee matters beyond mere performance. By quantifying happiness, you can get a quick snapshot of this metric team-wide.

Bonus: What were some great contributions made by other team members?

This opens up the door for praise and can grow cohesion. You can also develop an internal conversation about the top traits to look for in a new hire. It is better to ask this question to elicit specific and positive information.