Some days I worry that it’s less naive to believe in Santa Claus than to believe that healthy, productive teams really exist. I believe in both.  Here’s my Christmas wish for you.

‘Twas the night before a meeting, when all through the team
Not a member was whining, it seemed like a dream
The agenda got sent out plenty ahead
In hopes that the pre-reads would finally get read

Each item was listed with purpose and time
It even showed who would be acting as prime
The time for each item would suit it just right
We wouldn’t need a marathon well into the night

All arrived at the meeting with minutes to spare
We each grabbed a coffee and pulled up a chair
Each time an issue was raised and discussed
Comments were helpful not masking disgust

The quieter members had each found their voice
They contributed options, ideas, and choice
The normally raucous team members piped down
Even our wise guy stopped acting the clown

We kept on progressing exactly on plan
Made sure that we finished each task we began
When what to my horror should finally emerge
An issue on which we could only diverge

I thought we’d get stuck at black versus white
I feared we found an intractable fight
But instead of each person defending their stake
A brave soul suggested a third path to take

This proved it, we really could deal with it all
Could discuss and debate without having a brawl
Our ideas were getting much better each round
We were giddy with common goals that we’d found

We ended our meeting with a round of high fives
Instead of each leaving with a bad case of hives
It might seem impossible, just a pipe dream
But for Christmas I wish you a fabulous team!

I wish you a very happy holiday.  I’m going to sign off and spend some quality time with the “home team.” I’ll see you back for more tips and tools to make 2013 the year we end the misery of bad teams.

Further Reading

Running a Great Weekly Meeting

The Case for More Conflict

Mourning the Memo and Embracing the Era of Teamwork