Hi Reader

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Here's something that might be missing from your team’s toolbox— Written Team Agreements.

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These are the often-overlooked, yet incredibly powerful tools that can significantly transform your work culture.

What Are Team Agreements?

Simply put, Team Agreements are the shared expectations that define how your team interacts, communicates, and works together.

They’re more than just a set of rules; they’re a collective understanding that helps create a cohesive, respectful, and high-performing team environment.

Without these agreements, teams often face the same challenges over and over again:

• Communication breakdowns
• Unresolved conflicts and simmering tension
• Disrespectful behaviors like microaggressions and passive-aggressive comments

Sound familiar? If so, you're not alone.

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The Client Experience: From Chaos to Collaboration

Let me share a story with you about a client who was struggling with all of the above.

This was full of talented people, yet they didn't "crack the code" for how to work through:

• different communication styles,
• unresolved grudges,
• power dynamics,
• or unclear expectations for group intereactions.

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Beacuse of that, this team couldn't seem to get past the conflicts and tension that were bubbling beneath the surface.
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Combined with diminished trust and a lack of psychological safety in meeting spaces, participation was low, and so was collaboration.
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During our first strategy session, I asked my client a simple question: “What are your Team’s Culture Agreements?”

As I expected, they didn’t have any.

So, we set out to change that.

We spent time as a whole group crafting Team Agreements that reflected their values and addressed the unique challenges they were facing.

These agreements covered everything from how to balance engagement in meetings to how they would handle disagreements and engage in respectful dialogue.

The transformation was remarkable.
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By the time we were done, they had a clear set of expectations that everyone had contributed to and agreed upon.
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The tension started to dissipate, communication improved, and the team began to function more like a well-oiled machine.
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They went from being a group of individuals working in silos to a united team, driven by shared goals and mutual respect.

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Why You Need Team Agreements

You might be thinking, "But we already have an employee handbook and a code of conduct."
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And that’s great—but it’s not enough.
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Those documents cover the big picture, but they often miss the finer details of day-to-day team interactions. That’s where Team Agreements come in.

Team Agreements help bridge that gap by:

• Translating company values into daily practices that everyone understands and buys into.
• Clarifying expectations so that everyone knows what behaviors are encouraged and which are off-limits.
• Building a sense of ownership and accountability within the team, because these agreements are created collaboratively.

When your team has clear, agreed-upon norms, you create a safer, more inclusive, and more effective work environment. Everyone knows where they stand, how to contribute, and what it means to be part of the team.

Ready to Transform Your Team?

If you’ve been noticing the signs of misalignment or unresolved tension within your team, it might be time to consider developing Team Agreements.

I’ve seen firsthand how these can shift a team’s culture from chaotic to collaborative.

If you’re interested in exploring how Team Agreements could work for your team, hit reply to this email to get a private link to schedule a free Alignment Call with me.
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I’d love to help you create a set of agreements that will help every member of your team thrive.

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Warmly,

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