I recently found my high school yearbook and as I flipped through it, I noticed all the pages dedicated to the different sports and activities that my friends and I participate in throughout the year. Looking at all the different activities reminded me that it wasn’t just the classes we took and the grades we received that defined us, but all the other things we did that made us who we are. We were all part of a class year (ie freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior), but what made us unique were all the other things we enjoyed doing outside of the classroom.
As a leader, to help you discover the unique abilities of your team members, it can be fun to think of your team as everyone in school putting together a yearbook. Start by looking at how each person interacts with you and the rest of the group. Are they more competitive when working on projects or are they more relaxed? Do they really enjoy the creative aspects of projects more? What types of projects do they really jump into and offer their thoughts and opinions? Going through this exercise will help you identify some of your specific skill sets and talents.
Also think about who the influencers are for each of your team members. At school, our influencers were teachers, coaches, counselors, etc. Does anyone in your group act as an influencer within the team? Or does the team also trust or seek guidance from outside influencers who might include other department staff, senior executives, vendors, etc.? This will help you understand team dynamics more clearly.
After you figure out what some of your team’s unique interests and skills are, think about how you might organize them into groups that could be in a yearbook. Ask them what kinds of activities they like to do outside of the office. A more competitive person may enjoy being on sports teams or taking different types of exercise classes. Or maybe they really like coaching their kids’ teams. If they are creative, do they take art classes? Maybe they like to hang out on the beach and read… or do they enjoy yoga and meditation? How can you organize all your interests?
You could watch this activity as you and your team learn about each other’s unique interests for a hypothetical yearbook, or you could create your own team yearbook. Ask everyone to submit photos of themselves doing activities they enjoy outside of the office, and organize them according to the groups you thought of earlier. You could also think about what quotes would describe each person, as many graduating seniors include next to their photos. As a leader, this activity is a way to understand the many facets of your team members, while everyone has fun learning from each other.