The new year is here and there’s no better time than now to reflect on how your team gets along and maybe make some adjustments that will improve things. One great way to do this is by creating a Team Operating Agreement (or `Team Charter’).
A Team Operating Agreement (TOA) is a consensual agreement that everyone on the team commits to. Its content is generated by team members and if someone doesn’t completely agree with the content or wording of a particular point, it doesn’t make it into the TOA. Whether the team comprises three people or two hundred, you can create and live by your unique TOA, thereby creating working relationships that work for everyone and where people hold both themselves and others accountable continuously.
And if your team is experiencing interpersonal ‘issues’ – even if they have been there for a long time – it’s surprising how the process of creating a TOA can change the dynamics and open up new possibilities for working well together that seemed impossible prior to creating the TOA. This dramatic change never ceases to surprise me.
If you’re interested in creating a TOA for your team and want more details on how to get this done successfully, please don’t hesitate to contact me for some specific tricks and tools.
