Ask what becomes better because you showed up.

It is a plain and uncomfortable question, and it cuts through a lot of activity. Not what you did or how busy it was, but what is measurably better because you were there. Sometimes the honest answer is nothing, and knowing that is more useful than the vague sense of having contributed.

Ask it at the end of a working day, without harshness. If the answer is thin more often than not, that is direction rather than judgement. It tells you where to put next week.