Step 3: Connect Insights to Actions

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1. Relate Insights: Consider where, how, and how often the insights from Step 2 show up in your daily work environment.  Assess the type of impact they have on your team.

2. Select Insight: Choose the insight that you can take even further as a team.

3. Plan of Action: Create a Plan of Action ensuring it is clear, timely, and feasible.

Relating Insights to Work Environment

  • Reflection: In what situations or contexts do these insights appear in your daily work?
  • Frequency: How often do you encounter these situations or observe these behaviors?
  • Impact: What specific effects do they have on team effectiveness, collaboration, or dynamics? Are they helping or hindering progress?
  • Patterns: Are there recurring themes or trends that connect these insights to broader challenges or opportunities within your team?

Developing Plan of Action

  • Clarity: Define the action in specific terms, ensuring roles, responsibilities, and expectations are clearly communicated.
  • Timeliness: Set a realistic but prompt timeline for implementation, focusing on actions that can demonstrate meaningful progress quickly.
  • Feasibility: Assess the action’s practicality, ensuring it aligns with your team’s available resources, skills, and constraints.
Teaming Tip: When crafting your Plan of Action, address the “who, what, when, how, and why” to ensure it is actionable, measurable, and aligned with your team’s goals.

In Step 2, the team identified that they made their decision too quickly. During Step 3, they reflected on how this pattern shows up in their day-to-day teaming environment. They noted that decisions are often rushed during meetings, particularly under time pressure, skipping critical exploration of ideas. This regularly leads to missed considerations and extra work to address gaps later.

Plan of Action – Introduce a Wisdom Miner

  • What: Introduce a rotating role called the “Wisdom Miner” to ensure deeper inquiry during decision-making.
  • Who: The “Wisdom Miner” role will rotate among team members to share responsibility and engagement.
  • When: Begin this practice immediately in the next meeting, focusing on key decisions.
  • Where: Apply this approach during team meetings, particularly when time pressures might otherwise rush decisions.
  • How:
    • Dedicate 5-10 minutes before finalizing key decisions for the Wisdom Miner to lead additional inquiry.
    • Use prompts like:
      • “What might we be missing?”
      • “What assumptions are we making?”
      • “Have we heard from everyone?”
      • “What could go wrong if we decide now?”
    • Document key insights or unresolved questions for follow-up.
  • Why: To encourage thoughtful, inclusive decision-making, avoid rushed outcomes, and maximize the team’s collective expertise.

In Step 2, the team identified confusion about who was responsible for certain tasks, leading to missed follow-ups and inefficiencies. During Step 3, they reflected on how this issue often occurs in their day-to-day teaming environment. They noted that action items are frequently discussed but not clearly assigned, causing delays and duplication of effort.

Plan of Action – Implement an “Action Tracker”

  • What: Use a shared action tracker to document decisions, assigned responsibilities, and deadlines.
  • Who: The meeting note-taker will update the tracker during or immediately after meetings.
  • When: Start using the action tracker in the next meeting and review it weekly to ensure accountability.
  • Where: Apply this process in all team meetings where action items are assigned.
  • How:
    • At the end of each meeting, confirm action items by listing them in the tracker.
    • Assign each task to a specific person with a clear deadline.
    • Use a shared digital tool (e.g., Google Sheets or a project management platform) for accessibility.
  • Why: To ensure clarity, accountability, and follow-through on team commitments, reducing inefficiencies and missed opportunities.

In Step 2, the team identified that not all voices were heard during key moments, with quieter team members often being overlooked. During Step 3, they reflected on how this dynamic appears in their day-to-day teaming environment. They noted that louder or more assertive voices tend to dominate discussions, especially under time pressure, leading to missed perspectives and a lack of diverse input.

Plan of Action – Create a “Round-Robin” Format

  • What: Introduce a structured round-robin discussion format to ensure every team member has an opportunity to share their input.
  • Who: The meeting facilitator will lead the round-robin process.
  • When: Begin this practice in the next team meeting, particularly for discussions on important topics or decisions.
  • Where: Apply this format in team meetings, especially when addressing high-stakes issues.
  • How:
    • After introducing a discussion topic, go around the table (or virtual room) to hear from each team member.
    • Allow members to “pass” if they’re not ready but return to them before closing the discussion.
    • Conclude with an open floor for additional thoughts or clarifications.
  • Why: To ensure every team member’s perspective is considered, fostering inclusivity and leveraging the full diversity of ideas within the team.
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