Saying Goodbye

Adjourning is one of the most important phases in team development.  The hardest times that to adjourn from a team is when the team is working very well together.  High-performance groups are very hard to leave; groups that also have the clearest established norms are also difficult to leave.  Those are the groups that work well together and show results. 

The groups that I had a very hard time leaving are groups that I get along with personally and professionally.  Getting closure can help a team move on to work on other teams.  For these reasons, it is essential to adjourn from groups at the end of a project.

Non-Violent Communication

I have had a recent situation in which I had to explain to a parent that their child had many of the red flags of autism.  I employed all of the 3 R's for the discussion.  Being in the moment, being respectful, and being responsive are so critical in conversations such as these.  It is a painful moment for parents to be told that their child may have a condition that they were not expecting.  Communicating my message with compassion, sensitivity, as well as the 3 R's helped get me through even the toughest situations.