It’s strange, isn’t it: For generations corporations have required their employees to participate in the annual performance review process. But rarely does the team—together—conduct a review of its collective performance.
That’s a huge miss. While leadership and individual contributions matter, only teams deliver. What’s more, by having the team assess progress in a specific way, it can accelerate the shift from the “me” to a “we” mindset.
Psychologist Barbara Fredrickson and other positive psychology researchers have evidence that shows that when we elevate the focus on:
- what’s working,
- what I appreciate,
- what I value,
then human perceptions are altered and positive emotions flow. And because emotions determine where any of us focus, with little effort, we feel better—together. Which means that as a team we’re more likely to do better.
Here’s a challenge: Have your team conduct a mini-performance review together. As you round out the calendar year, schedule 30 minutes with the team to answer these three questions to enable a greater shift from me to we:
- What do you value most about our team?
- What are you grateful for as it relates to how the team achieved what it did this year?
- What gives you confidence in the work the team will advance in 2018?
