Appendix A: The Ten-Step Improvement Checklist

As the steps and examples throughout this book have illustrated, you can make immediate changes in the way you approach tough issues to get great results. The following information will help you to quickly assess your starting point, compare your situation with that of others, target key improvements, and track your progress.

Assessing Your Current Practices

The following questionnaire measures how well your group or organization is currently aligned with the ten-step process. Each statement reflects one element of effective team decision making, and the score you give it will reveal how your organization now approaches important decisions.

Score each statement with a number between 0 and 10:

0 = never

5 = sometimes

10 = always

1. We involve all people who have a stake in or knowledge about the topic.

   Many groups falter at the first step. People who have knowledge about or a stake in the results get left out, and the organization loses good ideas. People who are left out of the process resist implementing the decision. To what extent are you involving everyone who should be involved or may have useful information?

2. We expressly state our hopes for the organization and specific hopes for each major project or decision.

   If you aren't clear about where you want to go, you won't get there. You need a set of guiding objectives with which participants can align themselves. Hopes are very different from a preexisting attachment to a specific outcome. Do you consistently express your aspirations and why they are important to you?

3. We listen to each person's thoughts and feelings about a topic to understand the real issue(s).

   Too many organizations start to solve a problem or decide on a course of action before they understand the real issue(s). Does your team listen carefully and respectfully to each person's perceptions? It pays off in greater clarity and a deeper level of buy-in from participants.

4. All the options for a project or decision get out on the table.

   Does your organization air all of the alternatives before leaping to a conclusion? Or do participants come to the discussion with preset ideas to advocate? Superior performers search out a wide range of possible solutions before drilling down on a particular one.

5. We focus our information gathering on how the options help us realize our hopes.

   Does the information you gather link to the shared hopes you want to pursue? Do participants see this as a way to learn together, or do they focus on gathering support for their own positions?

6. When we review our choices, we listen to everyone's negatives and positives on each option before deciding.

   Does everyone express something negative and something positive about each option? Or do participants stake out positions they want to advocate or defend? Ego attachment to particular points of view kills effective team decision making.

7. Each person expresses her or his candid judgment on which choices would best advance the team's hopes.

   Do you get each person's unbiased view of what would be best for the organization? Can participants register their choices with secret straw ballots without pressure to conform or fear of losing face if they have changed their minds? Or do certain people dominate the decision process or cause others to be uncomfortable about expressing their views?

8. We summarize the individual conclusions and identify the most desirable course of action as well as other acceptable choices.

   Do participants work together to improve what appears to be the most favored choice by considering elements of other favored choices? Do you come up with only one solution, or do you also identify acceptable alternative solutions to deal with changes that might occur later?

9. We monitor whether our decisions are working and promptly modify them as needed.

   Do you set a specific time frame in which to assess how well your decision is working? Is this checkpoint less than halfway to the time when the situation might change and require a new direction? Do your decisions keep up with the pace of change?

10. We celebrate the team's progress and the fulfillment of our hopes.

    Is your decision process joyful? Do you recognize and celebrate how your choices help your organization fulfill its objectives?

After you score each statement, add up your scores from each of the ten steps to determine your Ten-Step Quotient (TQ). If your score is 90 or more, your group demonstrates outstanding teamwork and the capacity to reach and implement effective decisions. If your score is between 60 and 90, your team has many strengths on which to build and opportunities for growth. An initial score between 40 and 60 is typical of many groups. Most organizations haven't discovered and consistently applied these proven steps for reaching great decisions. Below 40, your group is drastically underusing the talents of its members. They are probably locked into very limiting decision-making dynamics and need to make major changes immediately.

Whatever your TQ score is, you can boost it quickly by following the principles and practices of the ten-step process. This advantage of the process stands in contrast to other assessment scores, such as intelligence quotient (IQ) or emotional intelligence (EQ), which are difficult to improve individually or collectively. Changing fundamental personal traits is typically a long, gut-wrenching endeavor; however, changing the process people follow is much quicker and easier. With a commitment to change and to follow the steps outlined in this book, your team can rapidly improve its performance.