In one of my organizational culture classes, the students participate in Tom Wujec’s Marshmallow Challenge, trying to make the tallest, freestanding structure out of spaghetti, string, and tape — plus a jumbo marshmallow that must be placed on the top.
Even though this exercise is referenced in Daniel Coyle’s The Culture Code the students are reading, inevitably they wait until the very end to secure the marshmallow and the whole tower tumbles over. They underestimate the weight of the seemingly insignificant item and it causes their demise.
Many things in organizational life are like that marshmallow. We dismiss the impact of smaller details, forgetting they are what can trip up the entire project. We wait until the last minute and then don’t have time for contingencies. We focus so much on getting started that we fail to think the whole process through.
It’s worth your 20 minutes to try the Marshmallow Challengewith your team and to debrief afterward. The lessons from that little cube of fluff can pay dividends in all your project work.
In my classes and workshops, I frequently sort people into groups. The key principle I use is to do random sorting. It helps to have a transparent system that makes it clear that the teams were determined strictly by chance. It prevents anyone from feeling left out, and it eliminates any suspicion of favoritism or manipulation of the groups. It also lands unusual combinations of people together — which is precisely the point.
To do this, I try to avoid the generic and overused “count off 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.” Instead, I used plastic silverware in multiple colors and had people sort by forks, knives, and spoons or by their color. I used playing cards and sorted by black/red, by suit, or by number. I’ve used coins — and groups are determined by which coin they received in a sealed envelope that they chose. I’ve used different kinds of fun-sized candies, and different stickers on the nametags that they chose to write their names.
When I need a last-minute sorting, I count off using categories (the Great Lakes, TV characters, Presidents, or food groups). You can also tie this impromptu sorting to a theme (e.g. we had mummies, monsters, black cats, and skeletons for a group on Halloween).
How you put people together matters. Don’t let people self-select and end up with those they already know. Foster connections and contributions by intentionally mixing people up in unexpected ways.
I recently attended a memorial service for someone who loved rocks. In a fitting and lasting tribute to her, all the attendees were given a rock and encouraged to write something on it — a saying, memory, picture, or quote.
The result was a basket full of color, celebrating her life and sharing affirmations in a way that no flowers or temporary tribute could. Even better, the rocks will be placed around a tree that her partner can see regularly, providing solace to the living — the true purpose of memorial services.
This activity was especially appropriate because of the connection to Mary’s hobby but a similar strategy could be used in other settings. People need to feel the comfort of others or savor the memories long after the event itself. Think about ways you can allow people to express their sentiments in a manner that isn’t fleeting.
One of my favorite tools is the index card. They are cheap, easy to carry, and serve as a quick and anonymous vehicle to receive all kinds of input.
For example:
At the end of every class or workshop, I distribute them to participants and ask them to write 1) a praise (something that went well), 2) a wish (I wish we would have/wouldn’t have/could have) and 3) one thing they learned. It’s a great way to get instantaneous feedback.
I distribute them in large meetings and ask people to write questions on them. It’s a quick way to learn what’s on people’s minds when they may be too afraid to speak up.
In preparation for an interview, I’ll ask my team to write one question they are going to ask on the index card and have it with them. It saves us from having lulls in front of the candidate.
At staff meetings — as a way to get suggestions or feedback about what is/isn’t going well. I shared this recommendation with one of my coaching clients who tried it and found she got nothing back. If it was me, at my next meeting I’d do it again but switch up the question and ask what is preventing people from being comfortable enough to give feedback.
During planning sessions or meetings as an anonymous way to collect “one thing” — one thing people like about the idea, one concern, one priority, one word to describe the current situation, one way they contribute to the organization, etc.
As an icebreaker where people anonymously write the answer to a prompt (favorite food, best vacation spot, etc.) and then turn them in to a moderator who reads each one aloud while people try to guess who wrote it.
Of course, index cards work well for their more traditional uses of notes in preparation for a speech or making lists, but expand your use of the trusty tool. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how the forced brevity helps people prioritize their thoughts and how valuable instantaneous, anonymous feedback can be.
I just concluded a professional development contract with a client I have been coaching for an extended period. At the start of our work, one of my recommendations was to get a notebook just for our sessions — lessons from our time together, reflections that occurred afterward, and prompts to remember scenarios that she wanted to discuss in the future. I did likewise, and in preparation for our last call, we both reviewed our notebooks. They provided tangible evidence of the progress that was made — reminders of things that used to be a struggle but now were not, enhancements that had resulted from some of the techniques she tried, and increased confidence overall.
Keeping such a record is a useful tool for almost any project. You may not think you are making progress on something, especially if it’s an intangible like professional development, onboarding, coaching, or parenting, but having something written down in a discrete format allows you to see the path your learning has taken. Just making a few notes about the issues of the day or your joys and challenges can go far in capturing a snapshot in time that can be compared with future moments.
It’s difficult to have a meaningful sense of time without everything blurring together. If something is important to you, dedicate a notebook to it. It doesn’t have to be lofty (I stock up on cheap spiral versions during the back-to-school sales), but keeping notes will become an invaluable tool for reflection and validation of your progress.
When employees feel like they have a voice it aids in their satisfaction and thus, retention. Rather than just asking people how they feel, a simple matrix can allow them to frame their reflections in a way that allows them to see the bigger picture of a department or unit. By asking four questions, people can share their thinking in ways that can become actionable rather than just venting.
The four quadrants are: 1) What is going well? 2) What needs to be strengthened? 3) What is confusing? and 4) What is missing?
These questions work well for staff reflection but are also helpful for evaluating other relationships or projects. We tend to focus on what is working or not working and don’t dig deeper to think about whether confusion or omissions are part of the issue. This tool can help alleviate those blind spots.
The next time you want input on something, ask for feedback through the lens of this matrix. It just might lead to more robust conversations about what is next.
An incredibly simple yet effective way of sorting groups is to utilize playing cards. In my class, I hand each student a card when they walk in and then use them to break the students into groups.
On one occasion, the students sit by suits. On another, they sit by numbers. Or by odds/evens. Or reds/blacks. Or they form a straight. Or numbers are paired together.
It is an instantaneous way of breaking students into groups without the drama of having to “choose” partners like on the playground or having the same people sit together all the time. The students turn the cards in at the end of class and I shuffle then redistribute them at the start of the next.
How can you use this economical method of matching partners in other settings? Use it to form brainstorming groups at a meeting. Develop seating assignments at Thanksgiving. Determine who works on a new assignment. Or use it for household chores: this week, the reds set the table while the blacks clean up.
Shuffle up your repertoire of how you divide people or tasks and let the playing cards do the work for you.
Originally published in modified form on November 18, 2014
My colleague and I hit “send” to submit our 29-page report on the external assessment we conducted just nine days prior. How we were able to write it so quickly stems in part from how we structured our work. I use this process every time I need to organize a project or write anything of length:
1. Write out each of your thoughts — ONE per index card or piece of scrap paper. In the case of our assessment, throughout our visit we wrote out on sheets of notebook paper all of the points we wanted to make (in no order whatsoever), then literally cut them up into little strips of paper — ONE thought per strip. You can write notes over a period of time — they don’t have to come to you all at once.
2. Clear a table (or in our case, the hotel bed) and lay them out in piles according to topics. Make a heading for the pile once a few cards gather in one spot. (So our headings were things like Structure, Opportunities, Challenges, etc.)
3. Then put your piles in order as you think they will flow linearly in your report, session, article, etc.
4. Type up your pile of all the comments in that order. Wa-la! You have an outline, with not only the main headings but all the points you want to make underneath.
5. Start writing from this. If something doesn’t flow, you can always move it, but overall you have a structure that will a) get you started and b) provide sub-sections for you to complete and get that dopamine hit to keep you going.
We left the hotel with our outline in hand. Because I didn’t have to stare at a blank piece of paper or blank computer screen, I started writing even on the plane ride home — just taking the points from my “strips” and turning them into sentences and stringing them together.
I have used this process hundreds of times — it’s how I organize retreats, workshops, articles, projects — and now even the class I will be teaching. As soon as I know I have a big project, I start collecting notes into a pile as ideas come to me in the days, weeks, or months leading up to the moment I really dig in and start working on something. It makes all the difference to start with “something” rather than starting from “nothing”, and I can begin without thinking about it.
Our brains don’t work in a linear fashion. Even with the miraculous cut-and-paste feature on computers, it is still hard to be random when starting on a document in Word. Avoid all that frustration and try the “pile” method above. I guarantee it to be foolproof!
Originally published in modified form on August 14, 2014
I’m on the road again, so for the next week, you can enjoy some of my past favorites…
I found myself in the unenviable position of needing a new administrative assistant. The person that I hired six years ago when I was just weeks into my new job, has tendered her resignation. And so the search begins for someone who knows my nuances and preferences and has the ability to address both with a smile on her face.
As I did before beginning any search, I sat down and wrote out a list of characteristics that I would like the ideal candidate to possess. Such an activity keeps me focused on what is important (not what can be dazzling in an interview) and helps me know how to write the job description, advertisement, and interview questions. I have done an “attribute list” for almost every search I have conducted and it always serves me well.
It also helps me identify where my desires and reality may not be in sync. For this job, I am looking for someone with a high degree of accuracy (to do spreadsheets and lots of detail work). Yet, I also wish for (need) a great amount of flexibility as this person services all the departments in our division and is often called in to be a pinch hitter for an immediate need. Often accuracy/focus and flexibility can be in conflict — it’s hard to keep your nose to the grindstone and happily leave that project when an unplanned project arises.
Doing an attribute list also allows the key skills to surface. For this job, the person must be experienced with Excel. Thus, a good resume with an “I am a quick learner on new software” will likely not be interviewed. To me, it’s like a carpenter candidate saying “I can easily learn to use the hammer.”
The next time you find yourself with an opening, take an extra few minutes to write up a list of what the ideal candidate will possess. I guarantee you’ll be more likely to hire the right person than if you rely only on an undirected friendly chat.
Originally published in modified form on April 16, 2014
I’m trying to re-read and sort through my past dots — and with almost 4000 of them, it’s no small task. At first, I spent too much time trying to create just two piles: book-worthy and not. I struggled with so many of the entries trying to decide in which stack to place them.
Then, I re-did my methods and created three piles: yes, no, and maybe. This has made the task so much easier! There are obvious “yesses” and obvious “no’s” and everything else goes in the middle bin, allowing me to easily move on to the next one.
It’s the 10-20-70 rule and I think this process can apply to other things in life that need sorting. Cleaning out the closet: yes automatically goes back in, no is off to the donation center, and maybes remain in a box to see if you really miss them. Purging files can follow the same pattern. Packing a suitcase. Deciding what to keep when moving or preparing for an estate sale.
Don’t waste your energy making decisions about fine gradations during every sort. Do the easy delineations first, and then haggle over the remaining 20%.
