Stop the Team Swirl!

Picture this: you're in a team meeting.

The conversation is swirling. Again. 

A few team members keep circling back to the same points about a decision you thought  was made last time. Some people haven’t talked at all.  

You're watching the clock. You’ve got a full plate. The meeting drags on with no clear resolution. And you’re wondering: 

How is all this input even being used? 

Sound familiar? 

Most teams swirl from time to time. Some swirl every time. But they don’t have to stay stuck.

Now imagine the same meeting—with one key difference: 

A team coach is in the room. 

As soon as it’s clear that the team is stuck in an unproductive back-and-forth debate, their coach reminds the team of various decision approaches they could use. 

The leader then realizes she never clarified the decision-making approach: 

• Authority with consultation (the team offers input, the leader decides), or 

• Consensus (the team decides together and keeps going until everyone can live with the outcome) 

She names the agreed-upon approach: authority with consultation. 

She thanks the team for their input and explains how it shaped her thinking. Then, she shares her decision, and the team shifts into action. 

And just like that—no more swirl. 

This kind of shift is exactly what inspired me to become a team coach—and to mentor others who want to do this work, too. I love seeing the team shift in the moment and become more productive.

And, while this example on decision making is just one of many that can reduce team swirl, leaders often come to me saying, “There’s a lack of trust on the team.” 

While that’s often true, the cause of mistrust is frequently a lack of structure: unclear roles, fuzzy decision rights, vague meeting goals.

When a team slows down just enough to clarify how they’re working, everything changes. 

Decisions speed up. Trust builds. Productivity increases. 

And no ropes course required. 

Want to see what this looks like in practice? 

Alan Whitman (former CEO of Baker Tilly) and I recently talked about my work with his team as he was preparing for his new book, Break the Mold.

If your team is caught in swirl, let’s fix it. 

Lori    

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