Why this matters
Most teams occasionally need to perform some form of exorcism or cleansing ritual to remove any emotional blockers holding them back. If your team has any serious lingering grievances, no honest work can be done to make you into a cohesive bubble who makes magic.
Any gossipy current running through private messages; that one managerial decision you can’t get over; a frightening rumour; that one leader that always makes you roll your eyes or snigger; that systemic lack of purpose that makes you hopeless; how you never got to express how you felt about the last big change that turned your world around; some great unaddressed injustice; blatant favouritism; bullying you witnessed or experienced; if you feel unappreciated, afraid or unfairly treated or any other variation of a toxic streak will disallow you from doing any of the honest human work.
So if you know or suspect your team may have any of these, start with this clear safe space where everything goes and they can have a cathartic, super-honest “b!tch-fest”.
How to run it
- 1
Agree on firm Chatham House Rules — complete privacy, nothing shared in the session leaves the bubble;
- 2
Express clearly that there is no solutioning to be done and no resolution to be had at the end of this session, this doesn’t need to be “Constructive criticism” for once;
- 3
In a Miro board the Team Leader to write 4-5 pre-filled framing affirmations such as:
- “What really gets my goat is …”
- “If I could be CEO/boss for a day I would …”
- “One thing in the last year that was really bad/unfair is …”
- “What makes me day-dream of another job is …”
- “Also, if I were to be really honest …”
- 4
Model the vulnerability needed by answering with brutal honesty as a Team Leader first and going hard. in particular if the team already suspect you have a certain grievance yourself, don’t shy away from being authentic and candid;
- 5
Let everyone take turns with their answers and ensure everyone is listening and they feel heard;
- 6
Try to make sure the session uncovers things such as the rumours, the gossip, the dissatisfaction with change or managerial decisions, the feelings of disrespect, the fears, the systemic criticism, etc. Old wounds and fresh scratches alike. Anything holding you back.
What next
Keep an eye on improvement variation for 2 months then return if you have not achieved the desired result.
Related resources
- Mini-bag of Psychological Safety Tricks (article)
- How to Organise a Team B!tch Fest (video)