The above quote is the lead in to a blog post author Wally Bock wrote a few years ago, and re-shared yesterday, titled “Un-Learning Leadership.” It is a great reminder to take stock of our behaviors, especially our leadership habits, and see if there is something we should stop doing.
That post brought me back to a simple but meaningful activity that my teams did a few years ago. We called it Stop, Start, Continue. It’s a great way to solicit feedback from your team about what they would like you to stop doing, start doing, or continue doing.
Here are the basic directions, if you would like to give it a try:
Meet with your team to introduce the activity and its purpose (an in-person meeting is best, if possible). Tell them that feedback is an important part of growth. Because you are their team leader, feedback directly from them is very important to you. Stress that this activity is for your development and their help is needed.
You can get the feedback via a simple form or an email. How you gather the responses is up to you. We used a form so people could choose to remain anonymous if they wanted to (most did not).
Put simple directions at the top of the page:
Please list one behavior you would like me to stop doing (red light), one thing you wish I would start doing (green light) and one thing I should continue doing (yellow light).
Have three boxes below the directions: one with a red traffic light and the heading “Please STOP…”, one with a green light and the heading “Please START…” and one with a yellow light and the heading “Please CONTINUE…”.
At the bottom of the page, a simple “Thank you for the feedback!” would be appropriate and appreciated by your team. You might also want to add a date by which you want the responses.
After you have the completed forms back, take time to review the responses. You will likely see some trends for each box. Take a little time for reflection and personal assessment. Is there a behavior that you should stop doing, or at least change your approach to? Are there some good suggestions you can start doing? Is there an attaboy among the list of things you should continue to do?
Remember, this is feedback you asked for. It is commentary at one particular moment in time. Don’t get upset by it. Don’t challenge it. Don’t rest on any laurels. Simply accept it for what it is and make use of it.
It is a good idea to gather the team back together and share summary results of the exercise. Again, be sure to thank your team for their assistance. Let them know what changes you are committing to. Ask them to hold you accountable. Tell them what surprised you the most. Have some fun with this, too!
Simple? Yes. Meaningful? Very, for both you and your team.
PS: If you’re not already reading Wally Bock’s Three Star Leadership blog, go there now!
