Guest Contributor, Kari Heistad
For weeks after birth, a caterpillar eats continuously; growing nearly 100 times its initial size before it spins itself into a chrysalis. Within the chrysalis, the caterpillar’s robust body completely breaks down into a DNA soup, where it takes several more weeks to reform into a beautiful, adult butterfly.
Like the foraging caterpillar, a team spends time nourishing their group culture in order to prosper. However, in order to evolve even further, there comes a time when even the strongest teams need to break down and transform their fundamental team roles, structure, processes, goals, and vision in order to grow.
Though this transformation can feel like a dramatic regression, the resulting team will be dynamic, high functioning, and capable of flight.
Action Step: Consider restructuring your team if you find that you have lost efficiency, passion or focus.
Discussion Questions:
- What project, procedure or policy needs to be taken apart and put together in a different way?
- Is there any part of our work that we are doing out of habit and "the way it has always been done?" that we need to change?
- How can we be supportive in our team meetings of new ideas, approaches and ways of working together?
- Do any of us have something we are transforming that we need help with?