Check-in Rounds: A Cultural Ritual at Medium

“Rituals are repeated behaviors that establish a sense of community. They tell the story of your culture and reinforce its values.” — Culture LabX

Like many companies, Medium often uses shared activities like all-hands meetings, game nights, and company meals to build and augment our sense of community. Yet one of the rituals that has had the most impact on our culture is a small action that is part of many of our meetings: a check-in round.

In a check-in round, each person shares a small status update at the beginning of a meeting. Unlike most meeting topics, however, this…