Scaling People

“You know why playing a game is fun? Because it has rules, and you have a way to win. Picture a bunch of people showing up at an athletic field with random equipment and no rules. Someone is going to get hurt. You don’t know how to play, you don’t know how to score, and you don’t know how to win.” It’s critical for companies and teams to establish the playing field on which everyone participates and marks progress.

Claire Hughes Johnson in Scaling People

Another practice to consider is having a team snippets document that every team member completes each week. This way, you don’t have to take up meeting time with updates, but everyone has information about what the rest of the team is up to and the status of important work. If you lead a larger team or division, consider a weekly or monthly cadence of updates that you share with everyone on the team. Use this time to reinforce goals and priorities, celebrate wins, discuss challenges, and ask for ideas. Above all, use it to keep the team connected to you as their leader. Don’t be afraid to share personal anecdotes or photos.

Claire Hughes Johnson in Scaling People

“What I think you’ve taught me most is how important it is to state the obvious.” Yes, it felt like a backhanded compliment. But what I think she meant is that I strive to make implicit structures and beliefs explicit. Making those elements clear to everyone allows a group of people to become a true team and a company to scale.

Claire Hughes Johnson in Scaling People