Your Victory Report
Take a beat with your team to recognize the wins this year and, most importantly, get curious – explore what enabled those successes.
Curiosity is a secret weapon, especially when teams are physically apart some or all of the week, that can improve ownership, deepen trust and stimulate learning. Yet curiosity is easy to breeze past in our hectic work world – we’re onto the next thing. But, by asking the right questions, we improve the way we work together and boost morale along the way.
Here’s one approach to leading this conversation:
1. Book time to generate a Victory Report with your team in the first half o January- perhaps in an staff meeting or as a “lunch and learn” activity.
2. Ask each team member to come prepared to share a few 2024 wins. Define “wins” broadly – could be an outcome like “Our go-to market campaign hit all its targets” or “We launched a new CRM system” or an activity – “I managed to get time with a potential partner who I’ve been after for months.” It can even be – “I managed to work person X all year and stay sane.”
3. Pick a few of the wins and ask the team to share why they think these efforts succeeded – pick apart the elements and dynamics that led to success.
4. Celebrate the “fails” as well – perhaps something didn’t turn out as planned but there’s still solid effort and learning to recognize regardless. Build your team’s ability to discuss the tough stuff as well as the fun staff. Avoid deep criticism or finger pointing – focus on what was learned and the small wins that occurred regardless of the outcome.
5. Discuss how these learnings can inform 2025 goals and/or improve how your group operates and delivers.
As we navigate a work world where we aren’t seeing each other in person as often, ponder how you can incorporate curiosity and celebration into your management approach. How might this shift help you boost your team’s evolving dynamics and drive success in your organization?
Great leadership and management is a continuous journey. If you're ready for a partner on that journey, I'd love to hear from you. Let's explore how we can elevate your team in this new world of work.
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For more insights on leading with a curious mindset, I highly recommend listening to the insights shared by Liz McLean of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in this podcast episode of Maestro Mindset.
Interested in brainstorming approaches for integrating AI into your team’s work, or exploring ways to build the trust levels that will drive creative ideas and candid conversations about AI? Reach out anytime if you want to brainstorm ways to lead Annual Victory Reviews, After Action Reviews or “Lessons Learned” sessions.