Archive December 2013
Looking for a good Monday ritual?
As a team, answer these three questions: 1) What did we accomplish last week? 2) What do we need to accomplish this week? 3) Is there anything standing in our way?
Recognizing outcomes—good and bad
Some teams rationalize and try to cover up missed milestones. Other teams forget to celebrate victories. Make sure you publically acknowledge both—it could be a victory dinner for a win or a learning lunch for a miss.
Do a belief gut check
As a manager, your job is to continually keep the team motivated by building belief in the work at hand. To do this, we recommend regularly taking the pulse of the team: Where is belief strong and where is it weak? What do people need to see to feel a deeper conviction?
Empathy can get you unstuck
When your team is experiencing someone as a roadblock, try explaining the situation from his or her perspective. It opens up new ways of thinking about the problem and can help you generate new solutions.
Find the sweet spot for team size
What’s the best size for most teams? Usually from five to eight members. If your team is larger than that, you should have a good reason why—and a clear idea of the unique contribution each person makes.
Make decisions visible to all
Does your team struggle with keeping everyone informed about decisions? Consider making a decision board in your shared workspace—a place where you can jot down what the key decisions were and why you made them.