Norms
What is it good for?
By Matthew Laffer
February 11, 2024
The single variable that most differentiates outstanding teams from the mediocre ones is the presence of explicit norms.
The larger goal of team norms is the establishment of a culture in which people learn how to manage themselves better and ultimately hold themselves accountable. *Understand this well and you’ll extend every vacation by at least one week.*
I’d be remiss if I didn’t say something about values early in this conversation. But given the importance of values, we will come back to it in a deeper, more nuanced way at another time. Suffice it to say that values are not norms and vice versa. For the time being, let’s agree on the following:
Values include a clear set of *guiding* principles, and norms include a clear set of *actionable* principles.
Values are easier to understand in theory than they are to put into practice. This is why the presence of explicit norms have such asymmetrical upside. Significant long-term, cultural gains can be achieved by thoughtfully defining expectations for how the team will work together, especially during times of opportunity and challenge.
Norms are a vitally useful tool for explaining distinctly how a team executes on its vision while drawing upon their full complement of knowledge, skill, and experience. Teams need resources for a common vocabulary, a clear understanding of what good looks like, and an easy way to more directly link norms with outcomes.
Here are examples of norms that have been effective for some high-accountability, high-empathy teams that I’ve supported.
“I’m on the hook for ___.” Make your commitments public.
Do what you say you will. Period. Period. Period.
Genuinely ask, “How can I help?”
Have a check-in at the beginning of the meeting to ask how everyone is doing.
End meetings by asking if there are any comments for the good of the company.
Post your work to relevant stakeholders and invite comments.
Be tough on the issues, not the person.
Focus on solving a problem, not on winning an argument.
Disagree respectfully.
Say please and thank you.
And here are some questions that you might consider when developing your team norms.
When the team is at its best, what are we doing?
What does the team want to be known for? How might this be different from how it’s perceived today?
Why does the company want to invest in the team?
If there’s one thing the team could do to have more of an impact on the company, it would be to ___.
How will the team be different if we work together? What happens if we do nothing?
What commitments do you want to make to yourself and to others?
How will you assess if you are making good on your commitments?
What have you not learned how to do that your current situation is asking of you?
What must we always do or never do?
What do you think the norms say about the team’s emotional intelligence?
The creation of norms should never be rushed because they will be woven into everything the team does. Who gets hired, fired, and rewarded. How conflicts are handled, problems are solved, and decisions are made.
You will know you have established effective team norms by the impact you have on others and your ability to repeatedly hit your numbers regardless of the macro-environment.
Many norms are also skills which will require ongoing coaching and a learning structure to accelerate the team’s development.
To be continued…
Matthew Laffer is a 3x entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO at Goalspriing.
