3 actions to supercharge future team performance
Your team delivered another project strongly! ? That's good. To supercharge future performance, modern leaders do 3 things upon project completion:
- ??Thank effusively and immediately;
- ??Seek stakeholder feedback & even better ifs;
- ??Hold a team reflection session (aka retrospective).
Here’s why each of these 3 actions matter and some tips on taking good to great.
??Thanking effusively and immediately: It’s mid-2021. Teams are over stretched and under thanked. In a fast paced world, slowing down to say thank you is more important than ever. The immediacy is powerful. Gratitude should never be an afterthought. Formal thanks (bonuses, email to team member managers etc.) can follow, but a launch day message to the team and collaborators is key. 3 top tips to make 'thank yous' more powerful:
- Pre-Schedule the creation & dispatch of the thank you note into your calendar.
- Keep it short but genuine: Brevity is strength. A couple lines will do.
- Consider delivering the message ‘live’: Why? Nothing like hearing a thank you directly to make a team’s day.
?? Seeking stakeholder feedback: Self-praise is no praise. Want to thrive? Seek feedback always and from all ways (leaders, team and customers). This is the secret sauce of continuous improvement!
3 tips to capture feedback effectively and painlessly:
- Pre-plan your feedback mechanisms: waiting until a project is complete to plan feedback is guaranteed to result rushed/ lack luster feedback capture. Planning in advance also allows for project team input in the approach = double win. My ‘fave’ feedback mechanisms = surveys and focus groups.
- Make. It. Anonymous.: But why? Giving tough feedback is not inherent in all cultures. Going with an anonymous feedback mechanism also emboldens ???? the end user and quieter team members who possibly have great ideas but often do not share due to team undercurrents (perceived or real).
- Ask for “even better ifs”: EVERY performance can be improved. Perfection is a journey with no end - but the best teams keep pursuing it to wow customers. So add this question to your feedback mechanism: what are your even better ifs? What could have been improved upon? What are some project/ product ‘buds’ that can bloom into success if nurtured/improved upon?
??Hold team reflection sessions: the team that reflects together wins together. No more than a week post launch/ project completion, have a pre scheduled meeting to discuss the stakeholder feedback. Tips to supercharge the reflection meeting:
- Schedule reflection sessions before the project is completed: no one wants a last minute meeting request. Ever!??
- Do the advance work: collate the reports or send the survey auto created reports (hello MS Forms #ILoveYou) out to the team in advance. Yes team leader this is extra work - but you are working in service of the team (you modern leader you!! ??)
- Have the session led by a coach: Retros can get touchy feely. There is also a tendency for teams to focus on either positives too heavily (#selfpraise)... Getting every perspective into the conversation is an art that a coach can help with. Even better if the coach met with the team before. I love a coach to bookend a project - coach a team planning session + the retro.
- Even better if? Make it fun! Theme the session! Why not make it a retro themed (#80rule) or ‘Grateful Dead’ themed event with folks dressing up? Be sure to have post retro celebration planned. Why: dressing up = auto ice breaker and takes the team mindset automatically into the creative space. This helps keep the conversation light and open. Pre-scheduled celebration = an opportunity for casual, post project connection. If these sound cheesy, just remember that inspiring creativity means stepping out of the usual sometimes - one size need not fit all.
This is a lot to take in. Not sure where to start? Start with the thank you. Gratitude is a must.
Thanks for reading my article! See? Didn't that feel good? ??
Happy #mojoMonday
Missed last week's article on how your team can be a goal positioning system?? I got you covered. Click here.
Owner/Event Manager 107 Events Plus and Enterprise Marketing Manager for Trinidad & Tobago's Largest Telecoms Provider
3 年I really like the idea of theming the reflection sessions, it will def be a good ice breaker and encourage creativity
Marketing Professional
3 年Very thought provoking and a great guide for team leaders. I can recall you practicing some of these very methods when we worked together in a different incarnation so i know it works.
Interesting read. Gratitude is a must.
Great article and advice! Thank you for sharing Danielle (Gratitude reflex here ?? )
Chief Data Officer | Data Leadership | Data & Digital Transformation | Data Analytics | Program Leadership |
3 年Danielle A. Jones-Hunte Great read. Teams so often forget to look back and analyse what could have been done better especially when things have gone well and Leaders so often forget to thank teams if the projects have been tough and maybe not delivered on time. Both behaviours are counterproductive and the sentiment has been perfectly captured in the article, not to mention some of the great ways you have suggested in doing these in a fun way ??