Goals. The outcomes you are responsible for achieving over the course of a year; you may also have longer-term goals, a vision statement, or a strategic narrative to describe where you want to be in three to five years.
Roles and Responsibilities: These clearly describe who does what across your organization.
Annual Activities: Different than your Yearly Goals, your Annual Activities outline recurring work that must be done at certain times per year.
Priority Plans. Three-month extractions from your Yearly Goals that name what matters most for you and your team; they also define the high-level actions needed to arrive at the desired outcomes.
Project Plans. Step-by-step work plans to achieve desired outcomes on cross-functional projects.
Meeting Matrix. An articulation of who you meet with, when, and why; this helps shape each meeting's required preparation and standing agenda items.
Comprehensive Calendar. A long-term, macro view of your calendar that reflects your priorities.
Later List. A long-term and total list of To-Dos, organized and grouped in some logical fashion.
Meeting Notes. Systematic methods for planning, facilitating, and following through on your various meetings to ensure time is well spent and aligned with your priorities.
Thought Catchers. A unified place to record your thoughts for people, teams, or topics to reference at a more appropriate time.
Weekly or Daily Worksheet. An hour-by-hour view of your time and To-Dos for the week ahead, created before the week starts.
Management Memo. An outline of meeting, planning, and communications expectations for your team.
Working Agreements. An organization-wide understanding of communication and Togetherness agreements.
Don't worry if all of these definitions feel daunting at the moment. These are not all fourteen-page documents that you will spend hours creating. Some of them may be as simple as a handwritten list.
Reader Quiz: Togetherness Tools
Now that you have seen where you fall on the spectrum of Togetherness, let's drill down into some specific tools and habits. Warning: I am going to get graphic here. This self-assessment is designed to rigorously examine your current habits. Don't feel bad about your work – I know you are getting it done. This is all about getting a little better and a little stronger! If you would like to take the quiz digitally, be sure to download the Reader Reflection Guide from www.thetogethergroup.com.
Quiz
After reading each statement, consider your current practice and rank yourself on a scale of one to three in table 2.1, table 2.2, and table 2.3. Three means you don't think your system could get better, two means you get mixed results from your current system, and one means you don't have a system. And yes, if you must, you can have good-day and bad-day answers!
Table 2.1 Togetherness Assessment: Section 1
Table 2.2 Togetherness Assessment: Section 2
Table 2.3 Togetherness Assessment: Section 3
The tools that will help you most master the outcomes in this assessment are at the foundation of the Togetherness Tools: Comprehensive Calendar, Later List, Weekly/Daily Worksheet, Thought Catchers, and Meeting Notes.
The tools that will help you most master the outcomes in this assessment work their way up the Togetherness Tools with a focus on Priority Plans, Roles and Responsibilities, Meeting Matrix, Project Plans, and Communication Agreements.
The tools that wlil help you most here sit at the top of the Together Tools: Onboarding Overviews, Yearly Goals, Annual Activities, Organizational Charts, and Scorecards.
Reader Reflection
• What strengths emerged that you didn't know you had?
• Did any gaps get exposed? Which ones? Why?
• Which overall section had the highest scores? Lowest?
If you had any one section rated below the others, I would suggest starting there.
Routines Rule
No Together Tool exists in a vacuum. Any tool needs a routine to create it and keep it alive. Over time, I've observed the routines present in the most Together (and successful) leaders.
Quiz
Please review each of the routines in table 2.4 and rate yourself on a scale of one to three. Three means you consistently act in accordance with the routine. Two means you sometimes act in line with the statement. One means you do not adhere to this routine at all.
Table 2.4 Routines Rule Assessment
If you had low marks for any of these statements, I suggest focusing on routines in Chapter 9.
Reader Reflection
• Where are your routines strong? Why?
• Did any gaps get exposed? Which ones? Why?
Mind-Sets Matter (More Than Anything)
Now that you have examined your tools and routines, there is one more missing element – mind-sets! This is perhaps most important.
Quiz
Please review each mind-set in table 2.5 and rate yourself on a scale of one to three. Three means you consistently act in accordance with the mind-set. Two means you sometimes act in line with the statement. One means you do not adhere to this mind-set at all.
Table 2.5 Mind-Sets Matter Assessment
Reader Reflection
Build the Habit
Sometimes, the mind-sets are there and you've picked up some good tools and routines. But staying consistently Together on an ongoing basis (e.g., “being in a committed relationship” with your system) is a real challenge. There are many ways to build habits; I recommend Charles