Team-Building Exercise for Understanding Teammate Preferences
The goal of this real-world – About Me & My Preferences Team-Building Exercise – is to increase teammate’s understanding of each other’s work preferences.
I used this exercise many times in my four-decade team-building practice. It was a wildly successful exercise. It never failed. And it is much faster than conducting a personality-type-style workshop.
In most cases, it was actually more effective than personality workshops because teammates addressed their most important work preferences. Doing that meant they were able to create meaningful Work AgreementsA Work Agreement is a collective teammate promise to transform non-productive, adversarial behavior into collaborative teamwork behavior. More that helped build and sustain Right-Minded Teamwork.
Do this exercise, and you will be following Reason’s Right-Minded Teamwork philosophy.
Exercise Instructions
- Teammates choose one or two of the below questions to answer.
- They bring their answers to a team meeting that all teammates attend.
- Each teammate shares at least one of their answers.
- Other teammates ask clarifying questions.
- If appropriate, the team or individual teammates will create Work Agreements to resolve identified challenges.
- IMPORTANT: conduct this conversation in a collaborative and compassionate spirit. Find ways to work with other’s preferences. Do not try to change another teammate.
- Remember: Right-Minded Teammates Do No Harm, and they Get Work Done.
Preferences Exercise Questions
- How would you describe your work style? What works or does not work well when it comes to interacting with you and your work style?
- If another teammate thinks you are about to make a mistake, what is the best way for them to respond or call it to your attention? And what will be your responsibility?
- What is the best way for others to express disagreement or alternative opinions without offending you? And what will be your responsibility if they don’t?
- What are your pet peeves? What makes you mad? If you are triggered, what is the best way for you and the other person to recover?
- The biggest mistake another teammate can make with me is _________, and the best way we can recover is __________.
- The best way to communicate with me is __________, and the best way to motivate me is __________.
Get Started with About Me & My Preferences
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To Your Success, Dan Hogan