Part 4: Reflection & Conversation Starters
Before you bring this to your team, take some time to sit with what you've noticed. These questions and prompts will help you prepare for a meaningful conversation.
Questions for Your Own Reflection
What surprised you in this assessment?
What did you expect to see but didn't? What showed up that you hadn't consciously noticed before?
What confirmed what you already sensed?
Where did the assessment validate a hunch you've had for a while?
If you had to name the ONE thing draining your team's energy right now, what would it be?
If you had to name the ONE resource that would unlock the most motivation, what would it be?
What is within your control to change?
Be honest. What can you directly influence as a leader of this team?
What would require support from above or across the organization?
What are the constraints you're working within? If you can't change something, can you at least advocate for it?
How ready is your team for an honest conversation about what's not working?
Do they trust you enough to tell you the truth? Have you created the conditions for candor?
What are you hoping to learn from them?
Are you testing a hypothesis? Gathering input? Inviting co-creation of solutions?
What are you worried might come up?
What feedback would be hardest for you to hear? How will you stay open if it surfaces?
Are you genuinely ready to act on what you hear?
If people tell you what's wrong, and you can't or won't do anything about it, the conversation will make things worse, not better. Be honest with yourself about your capacity and authority to respond.
What will you do if your hypothesis is wrong?
If the team sees things differently than you do, are you willing to adjust your understanding?
How to Start the Conversation with Your Team
Your observations are hypotheses. Your team holds the real data. Here's how to open the dialogue.
Two Approaches to Consider
Before you start, decide which approach fits your team's dynamics:
Approach A: Share Your Hypothesis First (Hypothesis-Led)
You come in with your observations from the solo assessment and present them as a hypothesis to test.
Best for:
- Teams with moderate to high trust
- When transparency and leader vulnerability will model the openness you want
- When you have strong signals you want to validate
- When a clear starting point will focus the conversation
Approach B: Gather Team Input First (Open Discovery)
You come in without sharing your hypothesis. You facilitate the team through the assessment together and let patterns emerge organically.
Best for:
- Teams with high psychological safety where people will speak freely
- When you want to avoid anchoring the conversation with your own perspective
- When there's a risk of groupthink or people deferring to your view
- When you genuinely don't know what's going on and need unfiltered input
Note of caution: In teams with strong groupthink tendencies or where your authority might inadvertently silence dissent, Approach B (gathering input first) can surface more honest data. Choose the approach that best serves your team's current dynamics.