The Team Check-in

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Looking for employee engagement ideas? Performance management tips? Discussions on human resources management that can get surprisingly deep? You've come to the right place! Welcome, to The Team Check-in, hosted by Emre Ok. The Team Check-in is a performance management podcast powered by Teamflect, the best performance management solution for Microsoft Teams. To learn more about Teamflect, make sure you visit https://teamflect.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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46 recent

September 2, 202650 min

The Five Mindsets HR Needs to Survive the Next 30 Years feat. Trent Cotton

In this episode of The Team Check-In, Emre sits down with Trent Cotton, Head of Talent Insights at iCIMS, host of The Human Capitalist, and author of the upcoming book FutHRist. Trent came into HR from banking, spent his first year on the outside of the clique, and built a career on being the HR person who could talk portfolio runoff and yield spread with a hiring manager. Together, he and Emre get into the five mindsets Trent maps out in the book (Architect, Engineer, Scientist, COO, and Coach), what happens when a company takes a sledgehammer to a load-bearing team and has to rehire a third of it, the Google Oxygen experiment almost nobody talks about, and why the most useful HR work lives in the uncomfortable. Learn More About Teamflect Say "Hi!" to Trent! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

August 4, 20269 min

The 10-Point Scorecard for Choosing OKR Software

In this solo episode, I walk through the OKR software evaluation framework Bora Ünlü and his team built after months of hands-on testing. You'll get the one decision that halves the market before you sit through a single demo, the two criteria that carry more than a quarter of the whole scorecard, and some key insights into what ensures the OKR software of your choice is widely adopted. Learn More About Teamflect's OKR Software Read OKR Software Selection Guide Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

June 30, 202615 min

Why Your Competency Framework Never Makes It Into Reviews

In this solo episode of The Team Check-In, Emre tackles one of the most common frustrations in performance management: the competency framework that gets defined, written up, and then never makes it into the review itself. Almost every company has one. Very few put it to work. Emre breaks down the three reasons frameworks get built and then ignored, how to map competencies to role families rather than individual job titles, why behavioral anchors are the part most frameworks get wrong, and how to design a rating scale your managers will actually use. Learn More About Teamflect Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 31, 202648 min

The Executive's Role in Making OKRs Actually Work feat. Tim Newbold

In this episode of The Team Check-In, Emre sits down with Tim Newbold, founder of OKR Quickstart and a man who has helped over 70 CEOs implement OKRs effectively across their organizations. Tim makes a case that's rarely heard out loud: most OKR failures are not the team's fault but rather an executive's. From choosing the wrong problem to solve, to confusing values with goals, to the dreaded "set and forget" trap, Tim breaks down why so many OKR rollouts quietly stall after the first quarter. Along the way, he shares Domino's story of going from seven OKRs to a single one and achieving 33% sales growth, why cascading goals can be a mistake for some leaders, and much more! If you've ever wondered why your OKRs keep looking great on paper and dying in execution, this one's for you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

March 31, 202642 min

How to Lead Anyone, Anywhere: Intercultural Leadership Lessons feat. Dr. Joerg Storm

In this episode of the Team Check-In, Emre sits down with Dr. Joerg Storm, a leader who spent 12 years managing large-scale IT operations across Japan and China, holds a PhD in intercultural project management, and now lectures on intercultural communication at a university in Frankfurt. Joerg takes us inside what it really means to lead teams across cultural boundaries. From navigating the implicit communication styles of East Asia to managing complex stakeholder environments where German precision meets Japanese consensus and American directness. If you lead diverse teams, manage cross-border projects, or simply want to become a more globally aware leader, this one is for you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February 13, 202632 min

OKRs 101 with Hannes Albrecht: Everything You Need to Know Before Our Live Webinar

Hannes Albrecht from How-to-OKR joins The Team Check-In to break down everything you need to know about OKRs. With 12 years of experience helping companies implement OKRs, Hannes shares what OKRs actually are (and what they're not), why they shouldn't be used for individual performance measurement, what causes OKR implementations to fail, and a nightmare story of a well-known brand that over-engineered its OKRs to the breaking point. Stay tuned for details on our upcoming webinar with Hannes on how to implement OKRs like an expert. How to Implement OKRs Webinar Registration Say "Hi" to Hannes Learn More About Teamflect Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

December 23, 202546 min

The Neuroscience of Dance and Leadership feat. Carol Fraser

What can swing dancing teach us about leadership? More than you'd think. In this episode, Carol Fraser, an HR veteran with 30+ years of experience and 28 years of teaching swing dance, reveals the surprising parallels between the dance floor and the boardroom. Carol breaks down how partner dancing builds trust faster than any corporate team-building exercise, why leaders need to understand "leading vs. bulldozing," and what neuroscience research tells us about movement and brain health. Say "Hi" to Carol Learn more about Teamflect Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

November 28, 202547 min

Why Your Employees Can’t Remember Your Company Values and How to Fix It feat. Ann Melinger

Most organizations have company values — yet very few use them. They sit on a website, printed on a wall, or buried in an onboarding deck… but they rarely guide decisions, shape culture, or influence performance. In this episode of The Team Check-In , Emre sits down with Ann Melinger , Founder & CEO of Bink, who brings 25+ years of expertise in employee communications, culture transformation, and values-driven leadership. Together, they unpack: Why company values become “wallpaper” in most organizations The biggest misconceptions leaders have about defining values How to translate a value into clear, observable behaviors What values look like in action — especially under pressure How to integrate values into hiring, onboarding, performance reviews, competencies, and recognition What to do if you realize your values are outdated, ignored, or misaligned How fast-growing companies can prevent cultural drift A simple storytelling exercise that helps leaders identify their real values When (and how often) to refresh your values as your business evolves Ann breaks it all down with clarity, practicality, and zero jargon — offering a framework that any HR or People leader can start using immediately. If you're realizing your company values aren’t doing the job they should, this episode is your starting point. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

November 21, 202548 min

Why We Freeze at Work: Fear, Shame, and other Hidden Blockers feat. Mindy Honcoop

In this deeply human episode of The Team Check-In , Emre sits down with veteran Chief People Officer and founder of Agile in HR, Mindy Honcoop, for a candid conversation about the emotions we rarely acknowledge in the workplace: fear, shame, and the hidden stories we bring with us into our jobs. Mindy opens up about how fear shapes behavior, why shame disconnects us from ourselves and others, and how these forces quietly sabotage performance, collaboration, and confidence. She shares real examples from her career, breaks down the difference between scarcity and abundance cultures, and introduces practical tools like the Fear Audit to help leaders uncover unspoken blockers before they derail projects or people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

October 23, 202544 min

The Untold HR Lessons from Tesla’s Fastest Growth Phase feat. Felicia Heward

In this episode of The Team Check-In , Emre sits down with Felicia Heward — a seasoned HR leader who’s worked with industry giants like GE Aerospace and Tesla before launching her own fractional HR practice. Felicia shares her remarkable journey from managing labor relations in male-dominated industries to supporting growing startups that need structure and culture. She discusses what “employee relations” really means, how to handle workplace conflict constructively, and the story of Charles — the 80-year-old employee who became a symbol of loyalty and leadership. Felicia also offers an insider look into Tesla’s rapid growth, explaining how HR played a pivotal role in scaling under charismatic leadership and fast-paced innovation. Whether you’re an HR professional, a startup founder, or simply fascinated by workplace dynamics, this episode is filled with wisdom, humor, and heart. Say "Hi!" to Felicia Learn more about Teamflect Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.