Something is Off
The project is moving forward and making decent progress. People are showing up, doing their bit, and dealing with the daily grind. But lately, something feels off. The pace feels frantic, deadlines are looming, and you can sense the tension hanging in the air. People aren’t really clicking like they used to. Conversations are shorter, more strained. Meetings, once productive, have turned into passive-aggressive exchanges. There’s more whining than problem-solving, and it feels like everything is harder than it should be.
You find yourself frustrated, noticing the troubling signs everywhere. Enthusiasm has been replaced with a sense of “just get through it.” And sure, things are still moving, but are they moving in the right direction?
Midboarding
Midboarding should take place every six months. The objectives are similar to onboarding but adjusted to the realities of having worked together for an extended period. The goal is to ensure clarity on:
What you’re delivering…
Who’s doing what, and who’s in charge
The communication strategy
Team integration
Non-negotiables
Rather than repeating the onboarding process, midboarding takes the lessons learned over the past six months and bakes them into a refreshed approach. By now, you’ve had time to observe your team in action, gather feedback, and understand how people interact, their strengths, and the pressure points within the project.
Benefits of Hingsights
By the time you reach a midboarding, you should have a clearer view of how things are working…or not. But the key here is not to change too much. Things may not be perfect, but they’re probably working well enough to keep the project moving forward. A complete overhaul is rarely needed unless there’s a crisis, which would require a different set of actions entirely.
Instead, focus on three priority issues, each tied back to your midboarding objectives.
- What are you delivering? Is the team still clear on the project’s key deliverables and priorities? Are they unnecessarily yielding to client demands, or has the plan and schedule shifted without proper realignment?
- Who’s doing what, and who’s in charge? Is the chain of command being respected? Are people working together or do you hear people saying to each other “this is not my job…” Are there gaps in people’s responsibilities, i.e. things not being done, or not being done by the right people?
- Communication Strategy. Is information flowing effectively? Are reports submitted and data updated promptly? Are protocols for uploading, sorting, and archiving documents being followed to prevent confusion and ensure compliance?
- Team Integration. Are team members working well together, or are cliques? Is anyone disengaged? Are there any distractions, such as visa or medical issues, that could pull the team away from their work?
- Non-negotiables. Are your non-negotiables being followed? Are people following your standards and best practices? For example, are people turning up to meetings late that really grinds you?
Here are just some questions, you might want to ask yourself. The important thing here is find three priority issues to address. No more.
Bringing It All Together
Midboarding isn’t a feel-good ritual. It’s a pressure valve. Left unchecked, small cracks in communication and accountability will grow into silos, “not my job” thinking, and eventually a blame culture. Even if the work is still getting done, that slow slide in morale is a real project risk. When everyone assumes “someone else will handle it,” nobody does, and things start to unravel. A midboarding session is your chance to stop that spiral before it takes hold.
Keep it simple: 30–45 minutes with your direct reports (and their key leads). If there’s a wider group, do a second round – but keep the room small enough for people to speak honestly. Choose three priorities. Not ten. Just the three points that, if clarified, will make the biggest difference in how the team operates. Be specific. Agree on what’s being delivered, who owns what, and how information will flow. Where friction is building, surface it and deal with it. Follow through. Summarise decisions and confirm what happens next. Don’t let it become another vague workshop.
Handled this way, midboarding keeps teams aligned, prevents silent disengagement, and restores a sense of shared ownership. It’s not about a big reset. It’s about making sure the next six months don’t drift into a grind where everyone’s just covering their own patch.
