What Went Well?

After I checked if you are coming back on Monday, it’s time to reflect: what went well this week?

We all can easily present a long list of problems of the past week, of difficult conversations or annoying trailblocks. The harder exercise is to remember the small or big successes of the week and even harder is to be aware of the highlights of your team members. So why not ask this question in a team meeting [maybe a wrap-up of the week] and enjoy the answers together?

This ritual takes a bit of excercise to develop the awareness of positive memories. Plus, the team has to get used to a short moment of self-bragging. Once you have overcome the first shyness you can expect a broad range of answers. This can be a solved problem, a presentation, a happy client, a postive feedback, a training, an inspiring conversation, …

What went well after asking “what went well?”:

• you will find out things you were not aware of
• your team paves the way to compliment them/each other on achievements
• you learn what motivates your team members
• you share your highlights and your team learns about your priorities
• personal highlights give insights in each others private life
• this ritual is a tool for positive psychology and maybe you even contribute to mental wellbeing in your team

This general question allows an individual interpretation and maybe you want to guide a bit more, e.g. with

• what problem did you solve this week?
• what did you learn this week?
• what was most fun this week?
• who or what made you smile?

This way you do not only share the pleasure of “ticking a box” from the to do list, even more you share the good feeling that the team has achieved a lot this week.

Your next steps on your LeaderTrail:

• Integrate this question in regular meetings. You can start in individual meetings, but the effect is stronger in a team session.
• Be patient, it takes a couple of rounds to make the routine work.
• Moderate a bit: make sure everyone says something and set a limit to those that enjoy this stage a bit too much [let somebody else start every time].
• Give and take: share something personal to help others open up.
• Make it a positive experience, not a burden.
• Nothing is too small to mention, laugh when it is funny.

By the way, this question also works at home. Ask your child or partner the 3Ws instead of “how was your day?” and enjoy how the conversation changes.

Let me know, what went well for you…

Picture credit: https://www.pexels.com/@sebastian