Imagine you are a team leader. Let’s assume that you have finalised the team’s goals following the principles outlined in the The Strengths Toolbox piece called 3 tips for clarifying the team’s picture of perfection. Here are three steps you can take towards encouraging each person to make their best contribution towards achieving the goals.

1) You can communicate the picture of perfection.

Start by communicating the picture of perfection. Make sure that everybody is clear on ‘What’ the team is aiming to achieve; ‘Why’ it is aiming to achieve it – the benefits; ‘How’ it is aiming to achieve it – the key strategies; ‘Who’ should be doing what; ‘When’ things will be happening on the journey. Make sure people are clear on the road map – then move onto the next stage.

2) You can invite each person to clarify and make clear contracts about their contribution to the picture of perfection.

Give everybody the chance to describe the part they would like to play by completing the exercise My contribution to the picture of perfection. Give them 60 minutes to clarify their best contribution. They are to describe:

My contribution to the picture of perfection

The goals. The specific results I aim to deliver are:

*

*

*

The benefits. The contribution this will make
to achieving the picture of perfection is:

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*

*

The style. The way I work best is:

*

*

*

The support. The support I would like is:

*

*

*

The measures. The specific things that
will show I have reached the goals will be:

*

*

*

Meet with each person to finalise their contribution and make clear contracts about their part in achieve the picture of perfection. Then move onto the final part.

3) You can gather the team and make sure everybody is clear on each person’s part in achieving the picture of perfection.

Gather the team together. Invite each person to make a 10 minutes presentation to the whole team about their contribution. Everybody then knows what mountain they are climbing, why they are climbing it and everybody’s part in reaching the summit.

This model works – providing people keep returning to the POP. Great teams do not look for some new ‘magic bullet’. They keep focusing on the goal. For example, they make it the compass for every meeting. People must show how what they are going to discuss relates to achieving the POP. You can also build-in monthly meetings for ‘course correction’ – making sure they are on-track. Invite people to present: a) The things they have done in the past month towards achieving the POP; b) The things they intend to do in the next month; c) The potential challenges they face; d) The support they need to reach the goals. Keep people on-track until they deliver the picture of perfection.