How long does it take to get a team to agree on four words?

Way longer then you would imagine. As part of strategic planning exercise with organization I always have a team begin with a values exercise to determine what the core values of the business stakeholders are and align those values among those team members. Regardless of whether the organization has pre-determined set of stated values or not the variety of values that surface from the paritisipating team members is amazing.

Amazing because very few of the values that originate during the individual accumulation process are the same among the senior team members. It is no wonder that many organizations are feeling stretched by the arrays of values, being espoused by their leadership team.

Over the course of approximately 4 hours with vigerous discussion the team will arrive at 3 or 4 values with agreed definitions. These values are always in priority order.

What is interesting is that no matter what the objections to the process – typically because of commitment phobia (Team members struggle with the reduction process of going from many values down to very few) – They buckle down and feel good & relieved by their achievement. Typically they feel the lack of originality to the ones values they chose. That is until I ask them the questions that resolve them to the act of signing in blood (OK no blood is drawn) with their words. It is not only the values that they have chosen, it is additionally the prioritization, and the meaning making they do as a team in their team’s discovery.

When a team takes 3 to 4 hours to arrive at 4 words think how much other communication is likely inherently not aligned among organizations stakeholders – especially given the speed in which we do business today.

President Bill Clinton tells a little known story about Nelson Mandela

This week President Clinton met with a small group at the Aspen Ideas Festival. He shared with the group why he holds Nelson Mandela in such high esteem. Nelson Mandela when set free after spending a third of his life imprisoned, he took a walk one last walk around the grounds February 11th, 1990, before he road off. The walk for him was to let go of his hatred of those who had imprisoned him. He new he could not walk through those gates with this anger or he would still be a prisoner. If he had not he knew his hatred would imprison his him for the rest of his life.

Many people know that when he celebrated his freedom he invited the guards that watched over him to the celebration. What many don't know as he rose to power he put those that imprisoned him on his cabinet. He knew it was the only way to bring the country together. This reminded me of Lincolns decision to put together his team of rivals when he was elected to office.

Do you have the capacity to let go of those hateful feeling of those who have hurt you? Do you have the emotional strength to put people close to you who have strongly opposing views? How would you measure your courage to face such adversaries in such a positive light?