When I joined TMNL as CTO, I was thrilled by the opportunity to lead a diverse team comprising individuals from 24 different nationalities and backgrounds. My leadership team was young, vibrant, and full of potential, but the diversity also presented unique challenges in collaboration and communication. One of my primary assignments was to build a high-performance tech organization. I knew the foundation of such a transformation had to be trust.
To kickstart this journey, I invited my leadership team to an offsite retreat to foster trust and collaboration. We engaged in three transformative exercises that laid the groundwork for our success.
▶ Sharing Our Stories: The First 25 Years
In our first exercise, we shared what we felt comfortable disclosing about the first 25 years of our lives. This exercise was profoundly eye-opening. It allowed us to be vulnerable and open with each other, breaking down walls and fostering a sense of empathy and understanding. We learned about each other’s backgrounds, challenges, and triumphs, which humanized our professional relationships and created a strong foundation of trust.
▶ Understanding Our DISC Profiles
Next, we explored our DISC profiles, a tool that helps understand behavioral styles. We discussed how these profiles manifested in our daily business interactions and recognized patterns in our behavior. This exercise was crucial in helping us appreciate our differences and learn how to leverage them to work more effectively as a team. It highlighted the importance of adapting our communication styles to suit different team members and situations, enhancing our collaborative efforts.
▶ Country Mapping with Erin Meyer’s Insights
Our final exercise was Country Mapping, inspired by Erin Meyer’s writings on cultural differences. We discussed various cultural styles and preferences and laughed while making these insights practical through observations of everyday situations. This activity deepened our understanding of cultural nuances and made us more mindful of how we interact, fostering a more inclusive and harmonious team environment.
This offsite was just the beginning, but it was a critical step in breaking down barriers, building empathy, and better understanding ourselves. It set the stage for a high-performance tech organization rooted in trust and collaboration.
This approach worked well for us. However, I’m always eager to learn from other IT leaders. How have you brought your teams to higher levels of collaboration and success? Let’s share and grow together!
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