Hugo shares three questions to ask regularly, of oneself and of colleagues, to build a culture of progress. Asking for advice rather than feedback opens a more constructive discussion, and asking where the team wants to be and how to get there replaces the search for someone to blame. Finally, questioning one's role lets everyone reposition themselves, as superhuit deliberately keeps roles a little vague.
We often wonder if we have the right answers, rather than the right questions. Though asking the right questions is essential for progress as an individual and as a team.
Building a culture of progress
A healthy company empowers people instead of using them. Nothing is more exciting and encouraging than seeing the members of a team grow and evolve as better individuals. It gives a greater purpose to the mission of the company, which no longer offers a stimulating environment only to DO but also to BE. In that sense a company is more than a place for work, it’s a platform for self-development.
I’d like to share with you 3 questions that should be asked often — to ourselves and to our colleagues — to build a culture of progress.
1. Do you have any advice for me?
In order to progress we need to learn from our mistakes. This means it’s essential to know what they are in order to understand and fix them.
Have you ever asked your colleagues for their “feedback” and got as an answer… almost nothing? This is because the question is too vague.
But when asking for an advice, you open a sincere and constructive discussion: the answer will help you understand what was not sufficient and can be done better, and an actual proposition of how to move forward. This happens because you place your colleague in a comfortable position — who doesn’t like being asked for advices? ;)
Just try it next time — instead of asking for feedback, ask for an “advice” — and you’ll see for yourself!
2. Here is where we are now. Where do we want to be, when, and how can we get there?
Though it might sound very basic, this question makes a lot of sense when applied daily in a team. It is no secret: a project that goes as expected doesn’t exist. Mistakes are made, prerequisites change… When a problem arises, the time and energy we spend in investigating who’s guilty, complaining about the consequences and blaming our colleagues won't help that much. Instead, asking this question helps to think in a constructive way and get started on the right path to fix the actual situation.
3. What’s my role in this team and does it suit me?
Being able to ask ourselves this question and discuss it with our team opens the possibility for everyone to reposition themselves and evolve in their skills and responsibilities.
Contrary to the popular belief that each member of an organisation must have a well-defined role, at superhuit we see an important benefit in keeping our roles definitions a little vague. Not knowing precisely who is responsible for each detail of the process enables more initiative and responsibility from the team members. Some responsibilities are therefore defined organically, depending on the skills and aspirations of each person.
After all, if your answer to the question “Does my role suit me?” is NO, it means that one or more of your personal needs are not fulfilled. The goal is now to identify them and discuss possible solutions with your team to fix that. If there isn't a possibility for the situation to evolve, then maybe it’s time to consider working in another team… — oh by the way *said with an innocent voice*, did I already tell you that we are hiring?
Conclusion
What are the questions you ask yourself or your team in order to progress? Tell us in the comments!
For those of you who’ve never heard of it, MirrorConf is a conference that happens in Braga, Portugal, gathering designers and developers under the same roof with a really interesting speaker lineup. “Refraction: technology that changes” was this year’s title — the 2nd edition — packed with two days of workshops, two days of talks, twelve speakers, one party and more than 400 attendees, including Hugo and me, coming from all over the globe. Now — before we go any further — I suggest we set the proper reading environment, ok? So plug your headphones, here we go:
Where was this beardless guy found? How did I get in this bearded team?Visual communication started for me at the CRÉA Geneva school during my bachelor degree in art direction. I then did some internships as a junior AD in advertising agencies, in Berne and in Lisbon (that’s right … already Swiss-Portuguese in the soul!). […]
