Having a full team and a busy schedule is amazing, but if there’s constant friction and miscommunication, you’re going to struggle. You need a team that works well together, and that means they need to be aligned around a series of shared expectations. Without that alignment, culture becomes inconsistent and accountability plummets. To get everyone on the same page, you need to create Team Agreements!
Foster Alignment and Reinforce Accountability
Kirk says that “Misalignment is the root of all evil in any relationship,” because when everyone has different expectations, it’s easy for frustrations to build. Your unwritten rules aren’t universally understood, so everyone ends up operating from their own version. When you create team agreements, however, you establish a common behavioral language for the practice that inherently fosters alignment for the team.
Additionally, agreements make accountability easier and remove the emotional component that often makes people take correction personally. With agreements in place that everyone is aligned around, feedback is simply reinforcing what was already agreed upon, which creates a culture of peers holding peers accountable. Remember, you’re the model of the behavior you want to see in the practice, so it’s up to you to bring agreements to life!
Get Started Today!
The first thing to understand is that your team, like every other team, is made up of unique people. As a result, what works for someone else may not work in your practice, so it’s crucial that you come together as a team to create agreements that work for you. I recommend that you break into small groups and engage in some good, old-fashioned brainstorming:
- Identify where you’re feeling tension, frustration, or inconsistency
- Incorporate real scenarios the team experiences daily
- Be specific in defining what “good” is
Realistically, most of your agreements are going to come from issues you face in the practice. When you come together and identify these issues, you’re then able to discuss and solve them by creating agreements that address each one.
Some examples of great team agreements are:
- We will arrive at the office by 7:30 am or earlier to complete all morning tasks and will be seated and ready for the morning huddle by 7:40.
- We will stay and support our teammates until our work is complete for the day.
- We agree to communicate openly and honestly with words that are constructive and not critical, and will use constructive feedback to enhance our growth.
- We will care for office equipment as if it is our own, promptly reporting any damage or malfunction.
- We will enthusiastically participate in continuing education, seeking to further our knowledge, and will assume personal responsibility for creating and adding value for ourselves in this office.
Remember, your team agreements are a contract between all team members, so they must be relevant to everyone. The idea is not to control your team’s behavior, but rather to create the clarity they need to perform at their best. With your agreements in place, you’re able to keep everyone on the same page instead of just in the same building.
To learn more about ACT and how we can help you build a Better Practice and a Better Life, reach out to Gina!
Tune in next time and learn why hiring for a good culture fit is just as important as hiring for skills!
