Those four words form a powerful question that can make a difference for your team. The concept is surprisingly simple. During a meeting or conference call, each member of the team tells a brief story about something that went well for them since the last time the group met. You can set guidelines so that the story must be business-related, or you can leave it open to personal wins as well. The team can set a precedent of keeping the stories brief or adding more detail. How you design this is up to you and your team.
Why is “What was your win” so powerful?
- It invites everyone to think of something good that has happened and cements the win in their awareness by telling others about it. It’s so easy to focus on what’s gone wrong and to gloss right over the wins in our day-to-day hustle. “What was your win” reinforces the practice of paying attention to what went well.
- It encourages teammates to learn from each other. Quite often, the wins are in areas where others are struggling as well, so the success story can start a productive conversation about how the win was accomplished.
- It highlights strengths and accomplishments that the leader may not be aware of. Sometimes the wins that teammates talk about are unknown or overlooked. The win is significant to the person telling the story, so it’s important for the leader to pay attention to it as well.
- It strengthens the connections between members of the team and helps them learn more about each other.
- When used as the regular start or end of a meeting, it creates an oasis of positivity that doesn’t feel forced, even when the team must deal with challenging issues throughout the rest of the meeting. This mood of positivity will encourage creativity, commitment and teamwork with an impact that goes well beyond the confines of the meeting.
During my last two years at the National Mango Board, we ended each retail team conference call with a round of “What was your win?” This ritual was listed on our agenda for every meeting, and even if we were pressed for time, we took a few minutes to have everyone answer the question. Members of the team looked forward to this practice, and because they always knew it was coming, they had to mentally review their recent activity to identify the win that they would share with the team.
I can also see how “What was your win” or some version of this could be used in one-on-one meetings to foster understanding between the participants. Or perhaps the sharing of wins between partners or parents and kids would help to strengthen the connections in these relationships. An evening round of “What was your win?” might work wonders in a family setting to help each person frame their day in a positive light.
Have you used a similar practice? Can you think of different ways to use this powerful question in your work or personal life? Let me hear from you! What was your win?