Why this matters
In the last few years, positive psychology and the science of wellbeing have been able to prove beyond a doubt that happiness depends heavily on mindset and that changing behaviours around being able to remember, quantify and savour positive experiences retrains neural pathways to such an extent that we are better equipped to recognise opportunities, stay open to change and be generally much more content. This is true at an individual level but also at a team level.
To remain flexible, be resilient and stay engaged, teams can look into developing a habit of being declaratively grateful for wins and positives at regular intervals.
How to run it
- 1
Frame it as a “furiously happy retrospective or a “PMA (positive mental attitude) Injection”;
- 2
Refer to a certain past period - last month is good, last sprint is even better but correlate that with the frequency you envision for the gratitude practice;
- 3
in a Miro board the Team Leader to write 3-4 pre-filled framing affirmations such as:
- “What DID go well is …”
- “I was pleasantly surprised by …”
- “Thankfully …”
- “The win is actually …”
- “I’m pleased that …”
- 4
Let everyone fill in their answers in the Miro board for a few minutes;
- 5
Have other team members vote on the written answers in a +1, “me too” / “I agree with this one” fashion;
- 6
Pick the one with the most vote and the one with the least and discuss them;
- 7
Ask team members if they still have their own gratitude practice. Is it in the mornings or evening? On paper or using an app like “Gratitude”? For those with children, resolve to explain the practice to the newer generation and help them develop a habit with a 30-days Gratitude challenge;
- 8
Ask people to think of their top 3 items they are grateful for/prod of in a personal capacity for 1-2 mins then mentally add the top voted team win to it - no need to communicate the resulting enhanced list out-loud.
What next
Do this session at regular intervals - at a minimum once every 2-3 months.