A Weekly Team Tradition To Build Camaraderie And Trust
Ask your teammates what the best thing in their life is
I’ve always been an EQ guy. When it comes to building teams, I think that knowing and understanding who our teammates are can be an incredible competitive advantage. Teams that want to work together will do great work together. It’s important that PMs and other folks interacting with various role functions remind themselves that people aren’t ‘resources’- they are people with emotions, hopes, dreams and goals, and maybe some bad jokes to share.
I’m always thinking about ways to systematically instill this mindset, that teammates should care about each other at a deeper level, into our processes at work. One of those ways is by asking a simple question every Friday:
Start Asking “What is the best thing in your life right now?”
Every Friday during our scrum/team check in, we take a little extra time to go around and (optionally!) share what the ‘best thing in my life’ is right now (otherwise now known as BTIML). It’s hokey, but it’s one of my favorite moments of the workweek, time and time again.
This question, simple as it sounds, reveals an incredible amount of information. Just providing a (semi-structured) opportunity gives teammates a space to share things that might otherwise might not come up through the course of a normal work week. This creates regular chances to learn more about teammates, what makes them tick, and what might be on their mind.
A lot more than you might think gets revealed by this simple question
I’ve been doing this weekly activity across multiple companies for a few years now, and here is a random sampling of some of the things that teammates have shared during our Friday team syncs:
Most are light and fun:
- art projects people are working on
- a movie someone is excited about going to see
- a weekend trip someone on the team has planned
Some get quite deep:
- improved relationship with parents
- succeeded in weight loss goal that they’d kept private
- preparing to surprise a girlfriend with an engagement proposal
Some stuff isn’t the best thing, but the safe space gives team members a place to share what’s on their mind regardless:
- loss of a family member
- revealing that he/she has been dealing with a lot of anxiety and stress
Work might not feel like the place to share these types of updates, but I’ve been shocked at how much opening up and giving people a place to share has led to stronger team bonds. If you provide people with a comfortable space built on camaraderie and trust, many will be eager to take the opportunity.
Do this every week with your team if you want to learn more about the people you work with. Asking this question helps people recognize that, in a healthy environment, their teammates are there for them. It’s our responsibility to care about the people we work with- bake it into your processes if you want people to do better work and to work better as a team.
Hey! I’m a Product Manager at Doximity, the largest online network for clinicians, and a 2018 Fast Company Most Innovative Company. If you want to chat about the team (apply here), product management or something else, send me an email at Sebastianmdeluca@gmail.com. I also work on North Beach Paper Co. with my wife, Amanda, so head on over to the website and sign up if you want to follow along with our journey.
