Successful teams do the work AND they work on the WAY they do the work.
Go further faster by working on the WAY you work.
The Magic Wand:
If you waved a magic wand over your team, what would emerge when the smoke clears?
During a team meeting, make a list of words that describe the team you aspire to develop. (Yes, you love your team. But what would cause you to love it even more?)
Describe your aspirational team.
- Energetic team.
- Accountable team.
- Interactive team.
- Decisive team.
- Growth-oriented team.
- Happy team.
- Courageous team.
- Focused team.
- Compassionate team.
- Organized team.
- Supportive team.
- Visionary team.
- Flexible team.
- Solution-oriented team.
- Collaborative team.
- Proactive team.
- Innovative/creative team.
- Dependable team.
- Candid team.
- Trusting team.
- In-your-face team.
Selection:
Have everyone on the team circle three team-qualities from your combined list that they would love to develop. Tabulate the results and pick the ‘winner’. If there is no clear winner, create a new list from each team member’s top three selections and ask everyone to choose their top one.
Suppose the winner is ‘Accountable team’.
Definition:
Ask each team member to define accountability. Discuss and craft a team-definition of accountability. Write it on the white board.
Behaviors:
Complete this sentence with actions/behaviors. “I see accountability when …”
For example…
- Clear deadlines are publicly known.
- Team members declare their deliverables at the end of the meeting.
- Every project has a champion.
- People celebrate progress based on milestones.
- Missed deadlines are publicly discussed and new strategies adopted.
Execution:
Choose one behavior from your list that everyone will intentionally practice this week. Next week choose a different behavior. (Adopt four behaviors over the next 30 days.)
Rinse and repeat:
Debrief the process at the end of 30 days. Choose a different item from your original list and repeat the process. Perhaps, “Decisive team.”
How might teams work on the way they work?
How might you modify the above process?
