I had one of those weeks where the work just reminded me why I do this.
I was in Dallas facilitating a workshop with the leadership team at Root Insurance. And before I even walked in the room, the whole group had already pulled their chairs into a circle for a check-in. Not "what's your update." How are you actually doing today?
That wasn't my thing. That was theirs.
I wasn't in the circle. But when they came out? I could feel it. The energy in the room was completely different. Open. Honest. Real. And we hadn't even started yet.
Oh. And every phone was in phone jail. Little pockets on the wall. Named. No exceptions. Before a single slide went up.
I loved that.
Here's the thing about this team. They're not broken. They're really good. High performers. Ambitious. Driven. They care about each other.
But the data we gathered beforehand through PeopleBest assessments and my With Intention DNA framework told an interesting story. Leaders rated themselves well individually. But collaboration across teams? Lowest score on the board.
Sound familiar? It usually does.
The engine was running. It just wasn't pointed at the same thing. So that became the work. Not fixing anyone. Helping a talented group think bigger than their own team. Enterprise-first instead of team-first.
Every leader walked out with one habit to practice. Not a list of twelve things. One rep. Based on their data. Because I keep saying this and I keep believing it more. Awareness without action is just information.
What I love about what I saw at Root is that they're willing. That's the word. Willing. Not perfect. No team is. But they're leaning in. They care enough to do the hard work.
And honestly, that's where all of this starts. Not with a framework or a data set. With the willingness to slow down and actually be with each other.
I think about this a lot for you too. You probably don't need a two-day offsite. You need five minutes before your next meeting where you actually check in with each other. Not the project. Each other.
Put the phones down. Look at the person across from you. Ask a real question. Let it breathe.
I know that sounds simple. It is. But simple isn't the same as easy.
The teams I work with that do this consistently outperform the ones that don't. Not because they work harder. Because they trust each other more. And trust changes everything.
Make the space this week. Even for five minutes.
Talk soon,
Jon
Until next week,
Jon