Collaborative reflection and exploration are essential to building a well-functioning and high-achieving team. This quick and powerful guide can change the nature of team assessments from fear of failure to power and purpose. These four questions, used at the end of a year or at any periodic interval in between, can help a team stay galvanized and engaged by dynamic steering as practiced by the world’s top performing teams.
You can use it with your team or pass it along to managers to facilitate it with their teams, too.
Step 1: Looking Back
What have we done that we should celebrate?
This first question looks at what the team has accomplished that deserves recognition and appreciation.
What have we learned?
This question looks at what the team has learned and what might need to be changed in order to stay on track.
Step 2: Looking Forward
What contribution are you excited to make?
This question focuses on the near future (the next year or less), asking team members to identify what they’re excited about, specifically as it relates to their own contribution to the team’s performance.
How can the organization help?
This question focuses the team on what resources the organization can provide or obstacles it can eliminate to enhance the team’s performance.
Step 3: Consider sharing your results
Now that you’ve answered all four questions, consider sharing your answers with your team members, using them to drive a constructive conversation about how to improve the team’s focus, learning and performance in the coming year.