Lightening Round Team Feedback Chats
With a mature and seasoned team, one of the most powerful
- and fast - exercises you can take them through is one where the feedback they
gain is from each other...not you.
If you have ten team members, as an example, carve out an
afternoon where each person will have the opportunity to sit with each team
member for 10 minutes. During
those ten minutes, each team member will have five minutes apiece to share the
following with the other:
-
What do you do, specifically, that most helps the
team succeed?
-
What do you do, specifically, that can stand in the
way of success?
An example of this between Susan and Stan (Susan sharing
her feedback with Stan during her five minutes) might sound something like
this:
Susan: "Stan,
from my perspective one of the things you do that is most effective in helping
the team to succeed is your follow-up.
I don't know of anyone who is as disciplined and thorough as you are in
this regard. I always know where
the project stands and that saves me a lot of time and worry."
Susan: "Stan,
in terms of something you do that stands in the way of our success, I would
suggest it might be that at times you over-communicate. There are days when I receive as many
as 10 e-mails from you on the same topic when one summary e-mail would
suffice. I appreciate you
considering making adjustments there.
Any
questions? Thanks for
listening. Now, it is your turn to
give me feedback..."
For a team of 10, you will want to allow about 2
hours. In advance, designate 10
meeting spots, and create a list that includes the pairings, the place and the
time slots.
The key to this exercise is to not give any advance notice
and instead surprise the team with the assignment. This helps with spontaneity and candor when people don't
spend time in advance preparing what they are going to say.
After the lightening rounds have all taken place it can be
effective to bring the team back together to debrief. While no one is asked to share specifics, general questions can be helpful
like:
How did you like the process?
What did you learn about yourself - others?
What was the most powerful discovery?
This is best suited for a mature team who wants to
take their commitment to the next level.
Happy New Year Colleagues, Clients and Community,
