Hilary Jane Grosskopf
How to Build a Successful (and Sustainable) Team

Exercise 2: Team Mission Statement
A mission statement is a simple yet profound way to align the team around your core purpose. When the team is tethered to a shared mission, the team members remain focused. They remain motivated about what they’re showing up to do each day. The mission statement is a manifestation of your collaborative efforts and your progress. Team members can refer to the mission statement in times of chaos or change. All the actions they take should tie back to and contribute toward the shared mission statement. To write your team’s mission statement, being by identifying your what: What actions do you all take each week or on a regular basis for the organization? Next identify, your why: What is the impact on the organization? What is the impact on the world? Finally, identify the who: Who benefits from your action? Who is your end-user or customer? Write your team mission statement together. Display it in a location everyone can see and be reminded of the shared mission each day.Exercise 3: Team Wins and Wisdom
When team members pause to reflect on accomplishments and learnings, this fosters a sense of positive gratitude and intentional action. Acknowledging milestones individually and in a team setting cultivates motivation and a sense of community. It is the leader’s responsibility to acknowledge team members for their efforts and contributions, celebrate shared progress, and prompt team members to reflect on wisdom gained in the process. Each Friday, spend time reflecting on your wins and wisdom individually and as a team. On Friday mornings, prompt everyone on the team (the leader included!) to write down their major achievements. Write down at least three new learnings as well. In team meeting, review the team’s wins together to acknowledge individual and shared success. Take turns sharing major wins, learnings, and new opportunities. Teams that find a balance of peace and progress enjoy more impactful and satisfying growth. Spending time on practices that build stronger collaboration and teamwork shows that the leaders values these characteristics as a part of the path to sustainable progress. Facilitate one or more of these exercises to build a culture of collaboration and achievement.Step Out From Behind the Screen: Five Mindful Leadership Practices
The screen is our interactive window for productivity. However, at what point does time in front of the screen actually jeopardize individual and team productivity, health, culture, and success?