How to Unite a Team

An exercise enabling teams to build a shared path forward.

Over the next month, we are going to share a series of tools we’ve developed to support clients working through change. The first is meant to help new teams come together with intention. We hope you enjoy!

You’ve heard the numbers: employee turnover rates are expected to reach unprecedented levels this year. As some leave old jobs behind, new team members enter the picture, often in hybrid or fully remote work settings. 

In the past couple of months, many of our conversations with clients have centered around finding talent, helping new teams come together, and using this bridge into the “new normal” as a time to set teams up for a successful future of working together. 

Whether you are part of a new team or an old team in need of a boost, it's helpful to remember that there are five dynamics that set successful teams apart. Those are: 

• Psychological safety: Can we take risks on this team without feeling insecure or embarrassed?

• Dependability: Can we count on each other to do high quality work on time?

• Structure & clarity: Are goals, roles, and execution plans on our team clear?

• Meaning of work: Are we working on something that is personally important for each of us?

• Impact of work: Do we fundamentally believe that the work we’re doing matters

In times of growth and evolution it’s difficult to fit it all in and it can be tempting to focus solely on the work to be done.  But taking the time to invest in your people first is a foundational step towards setting your business strategy up for success. 

As a way to get started, we created a worksheet to help guide a team discussion aimed at fostering a shared commitment to the future, where every team member plays a critical role. It's helpful to run this exercise with the people you work with on a regular basis as the team and the work are always evolving. This can be done as a remote or in-person exercise. We’d suggest allotting 60-90 minutes, leaving enough time for reflection and conversation. 

The exercise begins by identifying the superpowers of each individual on a team. Try writing on Post-Its (real or virtual) one superpower for each individual, including yourself. Then share with the group, focusing on one person at a time. We encourage you to write superpowers for individuals you have yet to work with. It can be surprising and validating to hear what practical strangers can see in you.

Next, reflect on the individual superpowers present. What is only possible when these powers are combined? Your collective power is only available to this particular group of individuals. Each of you should play a key role. 

As the third step, craft your shared ambition. Your shared ambition marries what you are capable of achieving (thanks collective power) with what you want to achieve. We suggest making this a two-part discussion, first identifying what you are capable of, and then honing in on the intersection of capable and desired direction. While you may have many strengths, your team ambition is likely quite singular. 

Finally, your shared commitment. Your shared commitment moves you closer to your ambition, feels possible based on your collective power, and every individual should see a role for themselves in it based on their individual superpowers. We’d encourage you to aim for one commitment that is achievable in the near-term. Your team members should be able to walk away from this exercise with some practical ideas of what they could begin doing right now based on this commitment. 

If you do give it a try, we would love to hear what worked (and what did not) for you. We are a new team ourselves, and your feedback helps us improve.