How did you find last week’s challenge? Did you ringfence time for yourself? If not, put some time in your diary this week to jumpstart your year as you mean to go on.
Let’s go with week 2
Do you have your statement of intent to hand? We had great fun putting ours together last week and we found the whole process surprisingly revealing. Find out how Kerry and Igot on.
Every strong organisation starts with a strong foundation, that’s why Rockefeller Habit 1 tells us that The executive team is healthy and aligned.
What does this mean and what does it have to do with week 2 of our challenge?
Let’s unlock possibility
Think about the potential of a team that learns, grows and develops together. An environment of psychological safety where opinions can be challenged and decisions pushed back on in a respectful manner. Where egos don’t get in the way of the business and conflicts are constructive because essentially everyone is on the same page and working towards the same purpose.
All of the energy that could have been lost to drama has been ploughed back into the business instead.
It’s important to remember that we’re not alone in business, we’re part of a community, so it’s about recognising the ecosystem we operate in and letting it in. This means asking for help, playing to strengths and choosing to let go of the things that get in the way of this happening.
So trust is at the core of the healthy and aligned team and it’s at the core of this week’s question.
Your question for week 2
How will you create a stronger platform for your teams to share and build trust?
Trust is only gained over time in the same way that we build habits – consistently and with purpose.
Your 2 things to do:
The list looks like this:
- Find out. How much do you know about what your team is struggling with right now? Add this to your weekly team meeting agenda. Don’t forget to set the tone and ask for help yourself – being vulnerable helps people build trust because they see the real you.
- Care about what you find out. Consider drawing up a team charter and agree on ways of working with each other going forward. When we are transparent about our plans, discuss our goals frequently and we’re accountable we build the alignment and trust our firm foundation needs.
Your 3 reflections
After you’ve completed the task, look back and ask:
- What have you noticed?
- What have you learned?
- What is your next step?
Make it work for you
If you’re looking for a little inspiration on where to start the conversation, here are a few questions we picked up from Patrick Lencioni:
- What are your high points of the previous period (week, month, quarter, year)?
- What were the hardships you endured?
- What are your hopes for the next period?
It’s in this kind of open sharing that we build relationships.
Interestingly, KPIs are often lagging indicators such as revenue or profit – but the real success lies in monitoring your leading indicators. These are the source activities that lead to the best outcomes. Share these metrics with your family and team members because it keeps you accountable to someone else as well as yourself.
We’re in this with you
Like last week, we’re walking our talk. Check back to our LinkedIn account on Friday to find out what we found easy – and not so easy!
If you’re enjoying the challenge so far, why not recommend it to your colleagues? It’s simple to join, just forward this article and ask them to subscribe to our Tiny Sparksnewsletter.