Step 10 in Action

Step #10 in Action

Tough Issue: How to Recognize Successful Results

How could Tim's R&D team, described in previous steps, sustain its constructive work? Although they reached a breakthrough decision on their next generation of products, what would happen on future highly charged issues? Would the group stick together and follow the constructive process or fall back into the bickering that had them disagreeing about even the mundane details of their office furniture?

A Great Decision Solution

Recognition for the R&D team came in the form of a party. It hadn't been long—just a couple of weeks—since the team members had been wrangling over the color of the couch for their company lounge. But having carried out the first nine steps of the ten steps in this process, they had managed to agree on the path to follow together toward the next generation of products that would be important to the continued success of their company.

Step #10 was the last, but far from the least important, step for them to put into practice. During an afternoon party held in honor of their cooperative achievement, the team members relaxed, enjoyed some refreshments, and offered their impressions about how their decision supported their shared hopes: "We chose a solution that will support each of our innovations," one person said. Another chimed in, "I'm excited and want to get rolling. This gives us a reason to work together." Someone else commented, "The result wasn't my first choice, but I see how it's the right one for our business." The team members had created a new story for themselves and reinforced the process by celebrating their work and the decision they made by working together.

Tough Issue: How to Sustain Progress and Fulfill Your Hopes

How could the operations and maintenance groups at the industrial plant described in Step #4 sustain the positive progress they gained in solving the million-dollar-a-day turbine problem together? They had a legacy of decades of conflict. How could they avoid falling into those old patterns when new problems arose?

A Great Decision Solution

The operations and maintenance team took Step #10 to another level. They not only celebrated their immediate results but also agreed to formally review their progress toward fulfilling their shared hopes on a periodic basis. Both departments joined the plant manager for a special luncheon six months later. They talked about how they carried the process forward, what they learned from their projects, and how much progress they made toward their hopes of becoming a team and being a benchmark plant.

Each person completed an anonymous survey about their progress for each of their thirteen shared hopes. They celebrated the results, which showed achievement of over 70 percent of their long-term hopes. When asked about the prospects for sustaining and fulfilling their hopes in a highly competitive industry, they reported confidence that they would fully achieve 90 percent of their ambitious list of hopes. In a matter of months, they overcame decades of strife, gained important results, and aligned themselves for a successful future.

Celebrations don't have to be time-comsuming or costly. But it is important that you offer some form of recognition to reward the effort and support continued pursuit of your hopes for the future.