Get teams in the habit of expressing appreciation
and feedback to accelerate team performance.

I regularly coach teams of Executives, Product Managers, Designers and students. During a recent d.school Exec Ed program, I was struck by the transformational impact of feedback on team performance.

2 1/2 days into a 3-day program, working teams stepped away from the session content to focus on process using a simple but very effective feedback tool we use in the d.school called “I like, I wish.”

Starting with myself, I shared what I thought went well and sharing a wish for something I might have done differently during the session, modeling the I like(d), I wish approach. I then did the same for the team as a whole, then each individual. After modeling the level of honesty, vulnerability and level of detail, I gave the team time to reflect on their own performance and that of their teammates, then give each other feedback, one person at a time.

As we debriefed the activity, we discussed how infrequently colleagues take the risk of sharing appreciation or constructive feedback in corporate life, and how much faster teams would gel if this became a conversational habit from the very beginning.

Try this:

I like… / I wish (perhaps followed by a suggestion on how or what to do differently)

For: yourself, as leader, your team, each individual (with gentle but direct eye contact)

Doing this early in the team formation stage and repeating it often makes a difference in the team’s ability to successfully navigate ambiguity and conflict.

Let me know if you see a difference on your team’s performance!