Earning Acceptance | Part Two

Author: Amber Simos, Director of Market Research

Continued from Part One... The Strategic Program Launch (SPL) team at Indiana Wesleyan University shares insights into how they earned acceptance as a team among our colleagues. 

1. Jedi mind tricks: This one might seem controversial, but hear us out. Having an outsider's perspective to see things from a new angle is often exactly what is needed to reignite creativity and innovation. When you've stared at the same problem for too long, you start to lose focus and even hope. We want to help you get over that mind-block. Often, before meeting with another department in which we plan to tackle a problem, our team will prepare by studying the situation and trying to come up with some creative solutions that might not have been thought of before. Then, when we're in a brainstorming session with another team, we throw our ideas out there in the pot with the rest. Whether we go with any of our ideas or not, isn't the point. The point is that we get everyone to think outside the confines of their usual thought processes. In the end, we usually end up somewhere in the middle, between an "out there" idea and one that has been tossed around for ages, but hasn't ever taken flight. We never want to promote "group think", but we do want to encourage everyone to look at solving a problem from a completely new vantage point. Perspective is everything.  
2. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate: Everyone around here can agree that there's a lack of communication. It is a true organizational epidemic and it will take a while to reverse it. However, we've found we get great buy in and response from other departments in teams due to our communication tactics. We take good notes during meetings, we list out Key Action Items with actionable content and due dates, and we send those notes to the team we've met within 24 hours. This creates accountability, clarity, and urgency. Often we'll set calendar reminders fora week later to check in on progress and ask for updates. SmartSheet has helped us greatly with this as well. We use if for pretty much everything. If a task is assigned, you can bet we're tracking it in SmartSheet. We then use SmartSheet as the central hub where everyone can request updates and track progress. When everyone is on the same page, we meet our goals and deadlines. That creates trust and credibility.  
3. Quick Turn-arounds: How often are you working on a project or task, only to have to stop because someone else hasn't completed the task on which yours is dependent? It's frustrating and it’s a waste of time. One of the more important things our team has done is committed to completing tasks on time and responding to questions almost immediately. This system works for us. People can trust that we will get our work done on time. The more people trust us, the better we can lead, even though we're not in charge.  

These tactics do not apply only to newly-formed teams; they can be effective in breathing new life and fire into a team that has been established for years. Next time your team feels like you're "stuck" or you can't seem to find the solution to a problem within your department, employing one of the tactics above may be just what you need. And if you are part of a new team, like us, make your company or institution proud of the decision to form your team by seeking continuous improvement and innovation.