Without trust, the chances of building a high performing team are virtually nil. Unfortunately it takes time and effort to build the type of trust in which a team can thrive but there are ways to help speed this along. One approach that I share in my leadership workshops is a simple, yet powerful, expectations exploration exercise. So how does it work?

Step 1

Bring the team together in a meeting room. You’ll need about 60 – 90 minutes for this exercise depending on the size of the team. Hand out post-it notes to everyone. Post-it notes are a great facilitation tool that ensures that everyone can contribute equally (there’s no ‘loudest voice’). Draw a line down the middle of a whiteboard and on the left-hand side write, “What are your expectations of me as your team leader?”

Step 2

Ask everyone to write down their thoughts (one thought per post-it note). You might even suggest a few to get the ball rolling. You could say, for example, “I always commit to our one-on-ones,” or “Give you feedback at the right times”, and so on. Ask everyone to put their post-its on the board and group them into themes and give the theme a name – there will always be themes. You’ll end up with something like this.

Step 3

Discuss each of the themes and ensure there is a shared understanding between you and the team. Any outrageous expectations should be discussed to the point of being reasonable. Thank the team for their thoughts.

Step 4

Now write on the right-hand side of the whiteboard, “What do you think my expectations of you should be as a team?” Repeat steps 2 and 3 above.

Step 5

Once you’ve reviewed each theme, if there’s anything you’d like to add, ask the team if it’s okay to add it. If the team feels fully heard throughout the process and the request is reasonable they are more than likely to embrace your idea.

Step 6

Thank everyone for their time and input and wrap up the workshop. Write out the notes (each post-it under each theme) and send them around. Store them on a wiki or team intranet area so everyone has access to them.

Step 7

Ensure you follow through on the expectations the team have set for you. Don’t police the team on their own standards; the expectation is that they hold themselves to account.

You can access this strategy in more detail and many more tools for building a high performing team in my new book ‘Now, Lead Others’.

If you’re interested in hearing more tips about how you can Unleash Your Potential or that of your team, please feel free to subscribe below or drop me a note. I’m always happy to share ideas and help where I can.

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