I’ve been talking to many CEOs about how they and their teams are doing now that we are nine or ten weeks into the pandemic. Here’s what many in leadership roles have said:
We’re exhausted. There’s been no break from the bushfires, the hail storm, and now a pandemic.
We’re doing okay. We’ve managed to make it through with solutions and are hanging in there.
Our teams are losing focus. It’s hard to get them to engage.
Reflect, Review, Renew - A team development masterplan
As a CEO, now is the time to plan your next team gathering. There is still no end in sight. No magical finish line. But there is a little more stability in the uncertainty.
Depending on where you are, and how much restrictions have eased, you need to be planning an important team reset.
We’ve been through a lot. There is more to come. We need to process and make sense of it.
A team reset meeting needs to include:
Stage 1: REFLECT
Outline the facts of what happened. A timeline is a great way to do this.
Map the journey of feelings. A parallel line, like a heartbeat signal, is a great way for each individual to map their own peaks and troughs through the experience to date.
Explore meaning. Ask each person to share what this time has meant for them. Each person’s circumstances and background are unique, and the experience will mean different things to different people.
Stage 2: REVIEW
List successes. What has the team done well through this process?
Explore lessons. Not everything was great I am sure. What can we learn from this experience?
Identify what we can carry forward. What new practices, values, or attitudes do we want to take with us through the next phase of our work together?
Stage 3: RENEW
Check in with the vision. Is this still relevant and meaningful?
Check in with the path forward. Do the next steps make sense for the vision and our current circumstances?
Check our goals. Do they need adjusting or ditching? Do we need new goals?
A leadership framework for closure in a crisis
Put some closure on the first stage of the pandemic response. The acute first stage of the crisis is over. That’s worth acknowledging and sharing with each other.
Every gathering is a special opportunity to create community, to celebrate, and to connect. This is especially important now. Be kind to one another, and make some space for a pause and a deep breath together. We’ve been through a lot. Good on us.
Another good idea is to have this session facilitated externally, so that you can fully contribute as well. I love this work and would be delighted to assist you in the design and facilitation of your Team Reset. Book a chat with me here and let's explore your team reset now!
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Related Articles:
How to lead with confidence through uncertainty
Perspectives: Is your strategic plan Full of holes? here's how to fix it now
How to Make Sense of Normalised Chaos
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About the author, Canberra leadership expert Zoë Routh:
Canberra based leadership expert, Zoe Routh, shares leadership strategies for team reset.
Zoë Routh is one of Australia’s leading experts on people stuff - the stuff that gets in our way of producing results, and the stuff that lights us up. She works with the growers, makers, builders to make people stuff fun and practical.
Zoë is the author of four books: Composure - How centered leaders make the biggest impact, Moments - Leadership when it matters most, Loyalty - Stop unwanted staff turnover, boost engagement, and build lifelong advocates, and People Stuff - Beyond Personalities: An advanced handbook for leadership. People Stuff was awarded Book of the Year 2020 by the Smart WFM Australian Business Book Awards.
Zoë is also the producer of The Zoë Routh Leadership Podcast.