Building Team Trust Happens One-on-One

In the world of fast-paced work, efficiency reigns supreme. We schedule every minute, fill calendars with meetings, and chase deadlines with laser focus. Yet, amidst the organized chaos, something crucial often gets lost: genuine, unstructured time for human connection. This is where the humble 1-on-1, often relegated to “that thing we usually cancel,” takes on a whole new meaning.

Think of these 1-1s as an opportunity to shift gears – move away from the daily grind and engage in a heart-to-heart engine tune-up, ensuring everyone's running smoothly. It's a safe space to ditch the PowerPoint slides and delve into the human element of teamwork. Regular 1-1s become rearview mirrors for our blind spots, allowing us to spot communication breakdowns and course-correct before reaching a dead end.

But why prioritize unstructured time in the age of hyper-productivity? Here's why:

1. Building Trust: Structured meetings often leave little room for vulnerability. 1-1s provide an open road for genuine conversations, where personal challenges, anxieties, and successes can be shared openly. This space for empathy and understanding builds the bedrock of trust that fuels strong teams.
2. Getting Under The Hood: Agendas and presentations tend to paint a sanitized picture of work. 1-1s allow individuals to shed the professional facade and delve into the nitty-gritty. Struggles with a project, unspoken frustrations, and hidden talents can all come to light, leading to better collaboration and problem-solving.
3. Unlocking Creativity: Stuck in a rut? Unstructured time can be the key to unlocking creative thinking. A casual walk, a coffee break chat, or simply doodling together can break down rigid patterns and spark fresh ideas. 1-1s provide the perfect breeding ground for this kind of spontaneous collaboration, leading to innovative solutions and breakthrough thinking.
4. Fueling Emotional Intelligence: Effective communication goes beyond words. It's about reading facial expressions, picking up on subtle cues, and understanding emotional undercurrents. Regular 1-1s hone these skills, making team members more attuned to each other's emotional states and fostering effective communication during critical moments.
5. Clearing the Windshield: When information flows freely, teams thrive. Honest and open communication about goals, challenges, and even mistakes builds trust and accountability. Regular 1-1s create a culture of transparency, where feedback is encouraged, and information silos crumble, leading to better decision-making and aligned efforts.

Of course, making the most of unstructured time in 1-1s requires intentionality. Here are some tips:

• Drive Somewhere New: Ditch the conference room. Opt for a coffee shop, park bench, or even a walk around the block to encourage informal conversation.
• Turn Down The Radio: Put away your phone, silence notifications, and focus on truly listening to what the other person has to say. Ask open-ended questions, give genuine feedback, and create a space for vulnerability.
• Embrace the Silence: Not every moment needs to be filled with words. Allow for comfortable silences where thoughts percolate and ideas emerge naturally.
• Jot Down Directions: Don't let the insights gleaned in your 1-1s fade away. Take action on key points, offer support where needed, and follow-up after the 1-1 to ensure everyone is on track with the new directions..

Just like a car needs regular pit stops, teams need 1-1s to refuel trust, understanding, and creativity, ultimately powering them through the journey together.

So, go ahead, schedule those 1-1s, ditch the agenda, and embrace the power of human connection. Sometimes the most productive conversations happen when we simply show up, listen deeply, and allow ourselves to truly connect.

A TL;DR from the CRO

I love doing walk-and-talk 1-1s: it really frees you.

-Roman Noodles, Chief Ruff Officer

TL;DRs From Around the Miro-verse

One of my favorite platforms for doing work is Miro. It is a visual whiteboard that makes planning, workshops, and documentation far more visually engaging than a Google Doc or *ack* a Confluence Site.

Here's a few Miro boards that spark joy:

• ​The 2021 Learning & Development Museum Offbeat​
• ​How to run effective meetings Zoom​
• ​Declutter your workflow with a Marie Kondo-esque retro Kira Naehring
• ​Put words to feelings with the Emotion Wheel Miro​

ROCK TUMBLING UPDATE

After almost two months, these large amethysts have finally exited the Rock Lobster tumbling barrel. While I was initially excited in the last rock tumbling update about green mossy agates, these amethyst honkers really stole my heart.

They're big.

They're purple.

They're purported to ward off...getting wasted?

Allegedly in Ancient Greece, amethyst helped ward off intoxication. Drinking vessels and cups had a lot of amethyst encrusted on them. Greeks drank a lot of wine, also purple. There's assorted Greek myths about horny drunk gods chasing maidens, as you do.

Even the name was sober-curious: the rock got the name from the Greek “amethystos”, meaning “not drunken."

For you February babies, this birthstone of yours may be why you're so good at drinking games.

Yiamas! (translation: Cheers!),

Dan from Learn to Scale​

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​PS. Learn more about how to mine and use amethyst in your home​