Today we are at U in the a-z of team development activities. U stands for unique. It can be beneficial to work with teams around what makes them unique on two levels - at the individual team member level and what each team member uniquely brings, and two - at the collective level and what makes the team themselves unique.
At the individual team member level providing a team member to learn more and share what makes them unique. As I've written in past posts teams that are able to leverage their unique strengths are both more productive and engaged. Check out Teams365 #1070 for an activity to work with team member around what makes them exceptional. you may also want to look at Teams365 #1106 for last week's strengths post.
The second level at which we can work with uniqueness is at the collective level. This is what I call Team Adjectives.
give each team member 3-5 post its or blank index cards and have them write down 3-5 adjectives that they feel makes the team unique. Another way to frame is to have them capture 3-5 adjectives which which describe the team. Then have them note an example of when the team demonstrated that. So perhaps I have shared the adjective of innovation and I am thinking about a time when we were able to overcome a budget shortfall by recycling some of the materials we needed.
Once everyone has thought of their examples, have each person share their top 3-5 and post them on a wall or whiteboard. Note the ones that are similar. Once everyone has shared, get the team to prioritize their top 5-7, with associated examples.
It can be incredibly powerful for the team to have these 5-7 adjectives in mind as they note how this makes the team "stand out".
How might you be able to facilitate a discussion around strengths or what makes the team unique this week?
Contact us to discuss how we can support you in exploring strengths through a team event or through some individual or team coaching work.
Have a great Monday,
Jennifer
At the individual team member level providing a team member to learn more and share what makes them unique. As I've written in past posts teams that are able to leverage their unique strengths are both more productive and engaged. Check out Teams365 #1070 for an activity to work with team member around what makes them exceptional. you may also want to look at Teams365 #1106 for last week's strengths post.
The second level at which we can work with uniqueness is at the collective level. This is what I call Team Adjectives.
give each team member 3-5 post its or blank index cards and have them write down 3-5 adjectives that they feel makes the team unique. Another way to frame is to have them capture 3-5 adjectives which which describe the team. Then have them note an example of when the team demonstrated that. So perhaps I have shared the adjective of innovation and I am thinking about a time when we were able to overcome a budget shortfall by recycling some of the materials we needed.
Once everyone has thought of their examples, have each person share their top 3-5 and post them on a wall or whiteboard. Note the ones that are similar. Once everyone has shared, get the team to prioritize their top 5-7, with associated examples.
It can be incredibly powerful for the team to have these 5-7 adjectives in mind as they note how this makes the team "stand out".
How might you be able to facilitate a discussion around strengths or what makes the team unique this week?
Contact us to discuss how we can support you in exploring strengths through a team event or through some individual or team coaching work.
Have a great Monday,
Jennifer
Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, PCC
Potentials Realized
Author of From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching(Jossey-Bass, 2013) and Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
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