InstagramLinkedInFacebook
Team Health Check2024-05-27T15:53:35+08:00

Team Health Check: Building Cohesion Through Open Communication

Ever wanted to get a better sense of how your team is feeling? What about a better understanding of the strengths and challenges that the team is facing?

Well, you can, with a facilitated Team Health Check session.

This half-day workshop will help you and your team:

💡 Gain a better understanding of the perceived issues in the team

🛖 Create a safe space where team members can share their honest opinions; and

📝 Develop an action plan to improve team cohesion and deliver better results.

Click the button below to contact me to organise your workshop today.

Team Health Check

How it Works

The Team Health Check workshop is a simple session that runs like this: 

1. Ground rules

First, we work collaboratively to set ground rules which help us to have a productive session.

Ground rules provide a foundation for communication, which we can refer to to keep the discussion constructive and respectful as we move through the workshop.

2. Voting and discussion

All team members and the team leader vote on 8 team dimensions to get a sense of how the team feels.

After voting on each dimension, each member then shares the reason for their vote, whether positive or negative.

The voting and discussion about each dimension is not supposed to be anonymous. Each team member takes ownership of their opinions.

3. Action plan

The group works together to prioritise the top focus areas and develop actions to improve.

Owners are assigned to each action, along with estimated timelines.

4. Report

After the session, I provide the team leader with a simple report which captures:

  • The voting against each of the 8 team dimensions
  • Specific comments made against each dimension; and
  • Any actions determined as a result of the session.

“Working with Ben in preparation for our team day was easy and enjoyable – he quickly ‘got’ our initial brief and worked it into a practical planning tool, offering valuable insights in order to achieve the overall goal to improve our team dynamics.

Throughout the day, our team appreciated Ben’s facilitation style, charisma and thought leadership – highly recommended for any team activities.”

– Manager, Utilities sector client

“Ben was an impressive facilitator – this is one of the first workshops where I have been engaged 100% of the time.”

– Workshop participant

Team Health Check workshop features

Externally facilitated

You could run this workshop yourself as the team leader.

However, I’m not part of your team, and I can help facilitate the discussion from an impartial third-party perspective.

I’m an experienced facilitator and coach with a keen eye – I can observe what’s going on in the session without becoming emotionally involved.

Half-day duration

This session is designed to be relatively short and sharp, instead of feeling like a marathon.

It runs for a half-day (between 3 to 4 hours), with a short break in the middle.

Small in-person or virtual session

The meeting can be run in-person or virtually over Zoom or Teams, depending on your requirements, location and preferences.

The participation is limited to a maximum of 8 people (including the team leader) to get the most out of the discussion.

Research-based criteria

The team dimensions used in this workshop are from Atlassian, one of the most successful technology companies in Australia.

They’ve done a lot of research on what makes a high-performing team.

However, you don’t need to be in the technology industry – the model is generic and applies to a wide variety of teams.

About your facilitator

Ben Brearley is the founder of Thoughtful Leader and is a leader, AIPC, ICF ACC and PRINT® certified coach, MBA and former management consultant.

Ben led teams, projects and programs for over 15 years in various industries including health, government, utilities, technology and resources.

Now he uses his skills to coach and train leaders to help them feel more confident, lead more effectively and improve performance. 

You can see more about Ben’s background and credentials on LinkedIn here. 

AIPC-Certified-Coach-badge
CredentialBadges_ACC
Ben Brearley

Frequently asked questions

Who is this Team Health Check for?2024-09-12T08:17:19+08:00

This workshop is for leaders who want to engage their teams in a dynamic discussion about what’s working well, and what could be improved.

It’s to open up communication and provide a way forward for team members to contribute about how to get better as a team.

This session also helps leaders to understand where they’re at with regard to the 8 team dimensions. Then, they can use this as a starting point for improvement and check in on them again in the future to see what progress has been made.

What if I have a really difficult team member?2024-09-12T08:17:00+08:00

These sessions are not designed to replace 1:1 feedback that leaders should be providing to their team members.

This isn’t a performance management forum, and shouldn’t be the place for trying to stamp out unwanted behaviour.

However, if there are behaviours occurring that impact the team, we may discuss them. The key is to keep the conversation constructive and respectful. If I feel we are straying into discussion that isn’t benefiting the team, I’ll use the ground rules to call it out.

Are these sessions uncomfortable?2024-09-12T08:16:38+08:00

Sometimes, if there are disagreements about the challenges going on in the team.

That’s why at the start of the session, we set ground rules to help keep the discussion constructive and respectful. But ultimately, the goal is to improve the team, not to target individuals.

These sessions can be challenging for leaders who hear things they may not have been expecting. Going in with an open mind and being receptive to potential feedback is important.

Why not interview my team members individually?2024-09-12T08:16:19+08:00

This is one way to encourage team members to speak up.

However, it doesn’t do much for the team as a whole. Having the team all together helps me to see the dynamics going on in the team, and to observe them during the session.

This session is also about taking accountability, rather than criticising people anonymously. We want people to own their feedback and then discuss it with other members of the team, who may see things differently.

Couldn’t I run this by myself, as the team leader?2024-09-12T08:15:55+08:00

Yes, of course you could.

There are a few challenges with this approach though:

  • You’ll be busy facilitating the discussion, instead of participating fully yourself.
  • You’re invested in the success of the team, and in the relationships you have with your team members. An external facilitator isn’t and can often provide a more objective view.
  • It can be hard for people to open up with challenging opinions directly. But as an external facilitator, I can ask the right questions and the possibility for more honest feedback increases.