As we all think about transitioning to what the “new normal” is, while being physically apart, it is still beneficial to motivate your team towards your company’s Core Purpose. Regardless of what the world looks like, your employees want to be seen and inspired. Quarterly themes can do that, while moving your business forward. Gather a representative from each department, and/or your leadership team, for a quick 45 minute pow-wow to discuss and figure out a theme that your team can rally behind.
The most important thing to remember while developing a theme is that it should create a “win x4” mentality: a win for the company, a win for the customers, a win for the employees, and a win for the community.
Being dubbed “Theme Queen”, there are some learnings and examples I’d love to share with y’all. This 9 minute video (yes, sounds long but is packed full of knowledge bombs!) will explain the suggested steps below in more detail and give you examples along the way! - Developing a Theme for Your Team
Step 1: Quarterly Priority/Focus & Timeline - Indicate the priority, or metric, for the quarter, that as a company, you want to focus on. Then decide what success looks like at the end of the quarter if you hit that goal/target.
Step 2: Actions/Game-ify - Decide how people can get involved and what they can do to reach the target number or desired outcome. In other words, the actions that will drive results.
Step 3: Name - Brainstorm 8+ names for the theme, and choose the best one.
Step 4: Reward/Celebration - Decide on the reward/celebration if your team hits the theme goal/target. This does not have to be monetary, choose something that gives back to the community or gets your team together in one place!
Step 5: Visual - Brainstorm what the visual scoreboard will look like.
Step 6: Owner & Theme Team - Assign the theme owner and their “theme team”. They can even create a fun name for themselves. I’ve heard, “Culture Crusaders”, “Dream Team”, “Theme Queens”... They will be responsible for sharing the visual and the progress being made weekly. This is a great way to give team members responsibility.
Step 7: Rollout Date - Put a rollout date on the calendar and send out calendar invites to the whole organization. You’ll be rolling out the details: what, when, how, why, etc. Inspire the team at this event!
Step 8: Theme Team Makes a Plan - The theme team needs to get together again to create their plan and delegate who is doing what.
If you would like help figuring out a theme that is right for your team, don’t hesitate to reach out. I am always happy to lend a hand.