When faced with diverging opinions about what to do, align first on what’s wrong.
Okay, maybe “align” isn’t the right word. More like, “appreciate together.”
Because there’s never just one problem, is there?
Usually it’s a swarm of tangled problems, with no clear “root cause” problem to address.
Later, we might offer a point of view that frames that tangle in terms of one problem above all others in order to create focus, but for now we just need to tell the messy truth.
How to do that?
By inviting complaints!
No, not with an anonymous form that goes nowhere.
Complain together! You know, in a conversation! What is everyone seeing that’s problematic about the situation?
The point is to HEAR each other, and to try to understand each other’s perspective.
Ask follow-up questions! See who has similar complaints!
What will naturally emerge in this conversation is the key issues people are already motivated to address.
This is a moment of immense potential. Instead of spinning in circles, you’ve created a window of opportunity for coalitions of action to form.
Now, tap into that potential! And make sure they see that their actions do matter.
Ben and David
StrategyTeaming.com
P.S. You better believe Strategy Tactics can help you run this exercise with your team! Grab your copy, then look for the Complaint Department card in the Purpose category!
Get this and 50+ other tactics here!