What conversations does your team need to have that you’re not having?

What conversations are not happening on your team or your board – or a team or a board that you’re consulting with?

I was working with a non-profit board on improving their effectiveness and productivity. They had just agreed on a $5 million capital campaign. As I was sitting at the table with them, I asked, “How did you each feel about the decision and how it was made?”

One board member asked: Why are you asking that?

I said: It speaks to how aligned you all are on decisions that you make and how included people feel in the decision making process.
She acquiesced.

As we went around the group, it turns out that some board members hadn’t felt that their concerns were properly heard and they were unhappy about the process.  They weren’t convinced that the campaign would be successful.

Good to know! If I hadn’t asked, this would have gone under the proverbial carpet; as it was, some of them were complaining in their frequent “meetings after the meeting.”

If a team or board want to make better-informed, strategic decisions, it’s critical to take time to discuss “how they (we) are working together.” That includes:
·        Do people feel that their voices are heard?
·        Do they feel comfortable raising concerns?
·        Do they feel comfortable challenging the consensus?
·        Has anyone felt that their concern was dismissed?

You’ll recognize these as elements of Psychological Safety. Of course people need to feel safe enough to raise these concerns, and that’s part of the work.

Having a team coach can be valuable for helping the board or team create the conditions that enable Psychological Safety.

My role as Team Coach is to help teams build confidence in their ability to have difficult conversations. I have received feedback such as:

The retreat was wonderful.  We’ve never had a meeting or conversation like that. Abby created an atmosphere where people felt safe opening up in ways that we haven’t experienced before, which enriched the conversation and helped us better understand each other.

If you’d like help getting your team to have a difficult conversation, let’s talk.