How to Run an End of Year Reflection with Your Team - Arista Management Group

How to Run an End of Year Reflection with Your Team

by marlyn@ginagomez.com under on December 8, 2020

It’s Time to Reflect Team

 

We made it! We’re in the final days of 2020 and once we hit that finish line everything goes back to normal and we’ll get back to our pre-pandemic routines….right? 

 

No? 

I know.  

 

Although 2020 has been a whirlwind (more like a year long tornado), we’ve had the opportunity to learn so much about ourselves, others, and we made it through some (ok, a lot of) unexpected lessons. That said, it’s the perfect time to sit down and reflect on what took place and how you can use it to position yourself for the new year. Take some time to do this on your own and encourage your team to do the same. If you can make it a company-wide deliverable, even better. 

I suggest breaking it down into three parts. First, start with something positive before you dive into the deeper questions that will set you up for a positive 2021. Then finish off strong by making some commitments and getting accountable. Ready? Here we go!

Part One:  What worked well?

  1. Which customer success stories reflect how our company has grown this past year?
  2. What were some of our company’s unexpected wins?
  3. What do we want to keep doing that works really well?

Part Two:  Where did we miss the mark?

  1. What were our cringe worthy moments? Where did we fall short?
  2. What have we learned from these experiences and what have we implemented to make sure we prevent them from happening again? 
  3. How will we use these lessons to improve the way we do business going forward?

Part Three:  Commitment and Accountability

  1. How will I hold myself accountable for following through on these commitments?
  2. What happens if we fall off track? What’s our “intervention plan” to get us back on track?
  3. When all of our company goals are met at the end of 2021, how will we celebrate?

When you ask your team to take part in this process, encourage them to be open and honest. Remind them that these issues are in the past so while we can’t change what happened, we can use it to help the company succeed moving forward. Reaffirm your commitment to helping them succeed so that you can all start celebrating your accomplishments with each other and often. 

 

As the leader it is important for you to bring out the goals you had set for 2020 and see where you ended up. Set the tone that this is an exercise of gratitude and reflection. You want your team reinvested in the company’s mission before they decide to look elsewhere (January starts hiring season). By going through these exercises with your team you will remind people that their work matters, their feedback matters and most importantly that they matter. 

Now go show 2021 what you’re made of. I’m counting on you!