How School Leaders Create Clear Team Agreements | Empowered Educator

I sat in a team meeting once where everyone seemed to leave feeling good. There was lots of head nodding. People contributed ideas. The conversation felt productive.

A week later, frustration showed up.

One person thought a decision had been made. Another thought they were to gather the input. Someone assumed a task belonged to another team member.

Everyone had attended the same meeting. Yet somehow, everyone left with a different understanding.

As I reflect on what happened, I realize the problem wasn't commitment or resistance.

It was assumptions.

The team had mistaken a good conversation for a clear agreement.

That moment changed how I now think about teamwork.

Many of the conflicts that leaders deal with aren't caused by difficult people. They are caused by unclear expectations.

People fill in gaps as our brains are constantly making predictions and assumptions. When those assumptions collide, frustration often follows.

The strongest teams I've worked with don't eliminate misunderstandings because they have better people. They eliminate misunderstandings by spending time creating clear agreements.

💫  Thought Spark 💫 

Clarity is one of the kindest things a leader can create.

Try This:

Clean agreements start with three simple questions:

• Who owns it?
• What specifically will be done?
• When will it be completed?

Before ending your next meeting, pause and make sure all three are clear.

Your Turn: 

Think about a recent frustration on your team. Was it really a people problem? Or was it an agreement problem?