Mistakes

I’ve watched so many hours wasted because nobody talked about the basics upfront.

A few years ago, I made the mistake of assuming everyone had the same idea of what “done” meant.

By the time we found out, we had done three iterations, with much frustration on all sides.

That’s when I saw the value of using team charters.

It’s like a relationship contract for your work team.

You sit down together and hash out the stuff that usually stays unspoken:

What are we actually trying to accomplish here?
How do we like to communicate?
What drives us crazy?
What does good work look like to us?

The beauty of that isn’t in the document itself.
It’s more in the conversations you have creating it.
Suddenly everyone’s speaking the same language.

One of the best parts?
When someone new joins, they get the playbook.
Instead of trying to decode unwritten rules for six months.

And the charter isn’t set in stone.
We update it when things change.

Since none of us are perfect at team communication, we need tools like charters to help us get aligned.

When was the last time your team had an honest conversation about how you want to work together?