Learning Corner: Team Agreements for a Fresh Start

Estimated Time to Complete: 40 minutes

Objective:
To create a short list of team agreements everyone helped write and will hold each other to.

Materials Needed:

• A team meeting slot

• A whiteboard or shared document

Activity Steps:

1. Look back (8 minutes)
Ask: "When did this team work at its best last year? What was happening?" Capture key words.

2. Name the friction (8 minutes)
Ask: "What got in the way?" Keep the focus on patterns in how the team works.

3. Draft agreements (15 minutes)
Turn what you heard into five or fewer agreements, written as actions. Example: "We share bad news within 24 hours."

4. Commit and check (9 minutes)
Ask each person if they can live with the list. Post it where everyone can see it, and plan a monthly two-minute check on how you're doing.

Key Takeaways:

• Agreements teams write themselves are easier to keep.

• Action-based agreements are clearer than values on a poster.

• Regular check-ins keep agreements alive.

Reflection Prompt:

What is one unwritten rule on your team that would be better if it were written down?

Want help bringing this to your team? Book a free 30-minute conversation with Tony.