What better way to ensure that your 2023 initiatives are aligned than by starting the new year off with compliments.
All too often we launch new projects at high speed with high expectations and we haven’t taken the time to check in with the team about where they are at, and their commitment level to the project ahead.
This leads to wasted time, energy and resources down the line, often when it’s too late.
In the 4 Steps & 5 Cs of the Alignment process, compliments are built in early. Once you have proposed your idea and probed for clarifications, it is time to ask for compliments.
Asking the group to Compliment the merits of the proposal presented is the secret ingredient in the 5 Cs recipe.
While you may have been taught that it is improper to fish for Compliments, I couldn’t disagree more!
Never skip Compliments!
No matter who proposes, including yourself, take the time to ask what people like about the proposal. This is as simple as asking the question: “What do you like about what is being proposed?”
This simple act creates the goodwill needed to move toward the risky next step in the process: expressing Concerns.
Compliments go a long way toward creating psychological safety, not only for the presenter but also for the audience.
Knowing what works gets you one step closer to alignment.
If you practice making sure every proposal receives complimentary feedback, innovation will steadily increase because your teammates will know the group appreciates their initiative.
If you have a team leader who wants to develop their leadership skills to bring out the best in the team and be able to propose initiatives with confidence, we would love to see them at our next Certified Alignment Leader Program.
It will help them:
Lead the team to nail 2023 company goals
Help the team to work better together
Learn how to bring inclusion, equity and diversity by giving everyone a voice
The training is for:
Managers, team leaders, project managers, functional leaders, and subject matter experts that seek to effectively lead their stakeholders and teams to deliver tangible business results in record time.
For company wide Alignment training to get an entire team on the same page and ready to go, reply to this email and one of my team will speak with you personally to move things forward in your organization.