TomLaForce.com

In working with teams, I often ask the members to agree on a set of rules they will use to govern themselves.  After an hour or so of discussion, the group usually is able to agree on 4-8 rules it wants to adopt.  Each person promises to live by the agreement.

Sometimes I get called back to work with the team several months later.  One thing I like to do is ask the members to rank their adherence to the rules they established.  First I ask them to rank the group’s performance.  Then I ask each member to rank his or her personal performance.

It’s all done on a confidential survey.  When I tally the vote, it never fails that team members all think they are doing better at following the rules than the team as a whole is doing.

Garrison Keillor likes to talk about Lake Wobegon as a place where “All the kids are above average.”  Apparently when it comes to teamwork, the same phenomenon exists.

Groups need to learn how to identify problems.  Individuals need to be willing to accept their contributions to those problems.  If they can’t or won’t take ownership for part of the team’s struggle, it’s going to be nearly impossible to do anything about it.