Last week we talked about the specialized skill of “herding cats” or getting a large group of people to work together to accomplish a goal. This is especially important for new teams who don’t have a history of working together.
The following tips can help you get all your wildly unique group of humans heading in the right direction.
1) Communicate, Communicate, Communicate. Marketers tell us we need to see things 7 times before we take action. For busy people, repeated exposure is necessary to help your project rise through the noise of competing priorities. Simply reminding people about upcoming meetings and what will be covered can go a long way to creating congruence.
2) Invest time in onboarding. From the very beginning you want to begin orienting your team to the task at hand. This means providing relevant background information, clarifying the purpose of the group, and reminding them of the reason it is important. As you prepare to herd your team, it may help to think of it like you would if you were teaching a class. This forces you to create a framework for what you will communicate and in what order to ensure everyone has a thorough understanding.
4) Be an attentive host. Good hosts work hard to ensure that their guests are comfortable. You can help people feel at ease by outlining what they can expect ahead of a meeting in as much detail as possible. Make sure you communicate the beginning and ending time, location, if lunch will be provided, where to park, if they should bring their laptops, etc.
Helping people feel comfortable also includes alerting them to what they need to bring so that they can be present and effective. You might need them to come with a certain mindset to the work, to review some materials ahead of time, or to bring a sweater because the room is always cold. Giving this information ahead of time reduces apprehension and helps people more easily focus on the meeting’s purpose. By anticipating their questions and proactively providing answers, you are also building trust.
3) Provide treats. While some may feel this is a distraction, we at G2 Solutions strongly disagree. Treats can come in various forms. It may mean providing snacks or incorporating a fun activity into the work. And coffee. Many of us require caffeine to bring our best brains to the table.
5) Accommodate different processing styles. Providing a variety of ways to interact with relevant information helps ensure that all members stay engaged and will be able to participate meaningfully. Some people are soothed at the sight of a spreadsheet that has everything in its proper column and row. For others, color coded and visually appealing graphics are the ticket to their involvement. Verbal presentations should be broken up with pictures and vocal tone that is engaging. And whenever possible, give people the opportunity to interact with the material in an experiential way. Some of the ways that G2 Solutions has done this is by having teams build bridges, play Twister and embody super heroes.
6) Use consistent language and create your own if needed. For example, rather than “the version of the plan that is on the color coded tables on the Google drive”, call them simply, “Goal Worksheets”. This will save everyone a lot of time and confusion.
7) Send summary emails. Providing re-caps of the decisions made at the meeting and outlining what will happen next does several things to maintain coherence in the team: It’s another point of communication that reinforces the information (see #1). It helps keep the group unified around the decisions and next steps. Finally, it provides an opportunity for misunderstandings to be clarified.
The task of herding cats requires continual attention, frequent redirection, and a great deal of patience. But it’s this focus on detail that helps teams be productive, enhance camaraderie, and cement their dedication to the cause.
A hefty dose of humor can also be helpful. To that end, enjoy this Super Bowl Commercial from 2000 about professional cat herders. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxwTC13f1PE&ab_channel=bugmegently
Photo by Thomas de Fretes on Unsplash
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