Building great teams never stops. It requires, commitment, effort, and energy from people with diverse viewpoints, backgrounds, and skills. Learning from history, transparency in all forms of communication, ruthless execution towards the goal with postive attitudes and a collaborate selfless mindset contribute to a culture that is going PLACES:

Planning for short, medium, and long term success as a team

Learning each day, sharing value with others

Attitudes are always positive, acknowledging the best in others

Communication with transparency in good times, bad times, and when things get ugly

Execution of the priorities with quality, accountability, and team ownership

Servanthood is demonstrated in each action, with a bias for bettering the collective community

PLACES is easier said than done. It takes vision for a leader to promote to those around them. It takes commitment and discipline of the team to strive for these excellent principles and values. It takes an evolutionary mindset to arrive at places that are exciting and joyous for the the team.

The Purpose of PLACES

PLACES takes values and actions and marries them together. It does that by casting expected behaviors into a framework that guide the team’s efforts towards a common vision. PLACES creates a sense of purpose and meaning in individual work, fostering a greater sense of commitment and dedication. When team members understand the bigger picture and how their contributions fit into it, they are more likely to be engaged and proactive.

PLACES creates a clear vision enhances communication and collaboration within the team. It provides a common language and reference point, facilitating effective communication and reducing misunderstandings. When team members share a common vision with this framework, they can work together more seamlessly, leveraging their diverse skills and perspectives towards a shared purpose.

PLACES creates consistency in a rapidly changing environment. Having a clear vision based upon this framework allows teams to navigate uncertainties and challenges more effectively. It enables them to adjust their strategies and plans while staying true to their overarching values, ensuring that they remain agile and responsive to evolving circumstances.

PLACES provides direction, inspires motivation, guides decision-making, enhances collaboration, and fosters adaptability. It serves as a compass that keeps the team focused and aligned, ultimately leading to greater success and achievement.

Implementing The PLACES Framework

There is no right or wrong way to start. Just understand that it isn’t an overnight process to see the fruits of a teams labor, especially when pursuing a vision that is driven by changes in culture of teams. Here are some suggestions to get the juices flowing:

1. Start small and maybe focus on one part at a time. Maybe communication is the first area you could get quick wins. Find ways to improve you communications that are simple, repeatable, and are seen as value. This could involve producing communictions that highlight accomplishments your team is already doing and expanding the audience.

2. Bring PLACES into conversations consistently. Maybe it is a review in your staff meetings or a signature in your email. Ask your team, where they showed actions that are aligned to PLACES in their day to day experiences. Capture them and write them down.

3. Make PLACES visible. Create materials that contain the definition. Run your decisions through the lens of the attributes to ensure that you are staying in focus with the vision that PLACES helps create.

It’s All About Culture

Each attribute of PLACES will affect your culture, either positively or negatively. A well rounded team or organization is only as good as the values that shapes it. By adopting PLACES, change is sure to happen. There is also a compounding affect as each item in the framework is compatible with the others, creating a solid foundation to grow teams.