SA Working Agreements Accountability Practices Brainstorm- MH MS Review by Anchorage Youth Development Coalition (AYDC)

Focus on Effective Time Management:

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We commit to effective time management by maintaining structured, efficient practices that respect everyone's time while honoring our commitments, deadlines, and mutual expectations.

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As a team (project based), determine roles, activities, and deadlines together.

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Determine the method that works best for you to manage tasks, deadlines.

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Individual reflection on personal time management habits, with opportunities to share strategies that work

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Renegotiate commitments when circumstances change, rather than letting deadlines slip

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Allow for adaptable workflows by encouraging staff to communicate when they need adjustments to deadlines or workload while maintaining shared accountability.

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Encourage staff to periodically assess their workload and priorities, making space for adjustments when needed to prevent burnout while staying aligned with goals.

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Set clear agendas and objectives for meetings to keep discussions focused, efficient, and action-driven.

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Use shared tools (e.g., asana, calendars, etc.) to align priorities, manage deadlines, and hold each other accountable. (This is Evy)

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having clear as possible some meeting objectives and agendas. Suggest establishing in meetings a dedicated time for next steps, so team members leave with some clear roles/responsibilities.

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An organizational norm on the use of PM tools like asana can help with the aspiration in this working agreement.

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Support flexibility in how the work is completed, respect individial approaches to productivity.

1.

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For each working agreement, write down one to three accountability practices that will help our team uphold it. Be as clear and detailed as possible. These could be specific behaviors or commitments, such as:

“Respond to emails within 48 hours.”
“Address conflicts directly and respectfully.”
“Follow through on commitments and communicate when barriers arise.”

2.: Reviewing Accountability Practices Independently (5 minutes)

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Guiding Reflection Questions:

Per working agreement, what common themes or similarities do you notice among these ideas?
Which ideas best align with the working agreement and feel most relevant and impactful?

Protocol

Review Accountability Practices Independently

3.: Organizing into Common Themes (10 minutes)

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Guiding Reflection Questions:

Per working agreement, what common themes or similarities do you notice among these ideas?

Protocol

In small groups categorize each working agreement's accountability practice ideas into common themes.
Please choose one person that will share out for your group and one person that will organize ideas in the padlet

4. Whole Group Share Out (5 min)

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Each group share their reflection on the question:

Per working agreement, what common themes or similarities do you notice among these ideas?

5. Voting on Top Accountability Practice Ideas (5 min)

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Protocol

Each of you will vote for one accountability practice per working agreement that you believe is the most relevant and impactful.
To vote, simply click the "like" (heart) button on your chosen idea.

6. Reaching Consensus (10 min)

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Discussion Question

-Does anyone have any concerns or objections before we move forward with the suggested accountability practice?

Embrace Innovation and Growth:

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We commit to embracing innovation and growth through a mindset of curiosity, abundance and opportunity.

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frame ongoing projects with continuous quality improvement in mind (plan, do, study, act)

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Team reflection sessions focused on identifying where abundance thinking led to new opportunities

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Regular assessment of how team processes either enable or inhibit innovation

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Provide education about growth mindset - Share resources about how mindsets shape outcomes and can be developed.

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Stay open to new ideas, experiment boldly, and embrace learning and refinement along the way.

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Establish regular brainstorming or reflection sessions where staff can share innovative ideas and experiment without fear of failure.

Support professional development by dedicating time for knowledge sharing, skill-building, or attending relevant trainings.

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Encourage a "fail forward" culture by openly discussing challenges and framing setbacks as learning opportunities, while showing respect for the way that those challenges were handled (This is Evy)

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I think regular, dedicated time during staff meetings to explore new ideas, especially those relevant to our strategic plan goals, would be helpful in cultivating innovation and growth. Perhaps framing this time to look at possibilities rather than identifying barriers.

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Activity seek solutions, embrace continuous change and growth.

Prioritize Life-Work Harmony:

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We commit to supporting life-work harmony, where personal and professional lives coexist in a way that enhances overall well-being and productivity.

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Well-being surveys to measure whether team practices are actually supporting balance and health and ask what would be helpful

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Modeling of healthy work practices (e.g., not sending emails after hours, taking vacation time...)

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Encourage one another to pause for self-check-ins throughout the day.

Share the fun projects and hobbies you pursue outside of work—activities that not only spark creativity but also help maintain balance and keep you grounded

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Dedicate time in team meetings for brief well-being check-ins, allowing space to address workload balance and personal needs.

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Support autonomy by allowing individuals to work in ways that optimize their energy and productivity, such as flexible scheduling or remote work when possible.

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Set and respect and clear boundaries for work hours, response times, and PTO without guilt or pressure. (This is Evy)

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+ Perhaps establishing some policies or written norms on that so it's clear to all and not just an unspoken and understood norm. In addition, maybe some norms on specific "no meeting days" or establishing "focus work" hours for uninterrupted work, protected from meetings being scheduled.

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Revisiting Remote and. Flexible Work Policy-Allow flexibility between in-office, remote work, and flexible schedule based on and balanced by employee needs and responsibilities, and organizational standard business hours

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Workload Management- Normalize conversations amongst teams, supervisor and supervisee, to discuss workload management and capacity, reprioritizing projects when team members are overloaded, delegating tasks amongst team, and normalize saying no or not now when capacity is stretched.

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+1 AYDC Write down the unspoken/understood! Make it the norm to not overly justify the need for meeting free days, focused, remote work or PTO.

Value All Voices, Autonomy, and Collaboration:

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We commit to valuing all voices by fostering a consensus-driven environment that balances individual autonomy with collaborative decision-making, ensuring team members' perspective is heard and respected.

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Actively ask if all who wish to share have shared.

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Utilize consensus voting when appropriate

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Celebration of instances where curiosity and questioning led to positive outcomes

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Rotating meeting facilitation responsibilities to provide opportunities for different voices to lead discussions

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Empower each other to make decisions within our scope while maintaining alignment with the team's shared goals and priorities.

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Use inclusive meeting practices, such as structured turn-taking or anonymous feedback tools, to ensure all voices are heard in discussions and decision-making.

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Support autonomy by allowing staff to take ownership of their work while maintaining regular check-ins to ensure alignment with team goals.

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Provide opportunities for different staff to facilitate discussions, lead initiatives, or contribute to decision-making processes to distribute power and perspective.

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Regularly reflect on team dynamics and seek feedback to ensure everyone feels heard and included in decision-making. (This is Evy)

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Create some norms like meeting facilitators that call quieter team members "in", asking standard questions like "Did we hear from everyone?". If we are making decisions during a meeting, create a standard practice of round robins/reactions rounds where each person has an opportunity to speak; If asynchornous input is being solicitied or decisions are being made, ensure that feedback is requested from all relevant staff.

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Provide information prior to meetings and discussions to allow for preparation. Allow for reflection time after a discussion.

Foster Trust, Respect, and Transparency:

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We commit to fostering trust, respect, transparency, and fairness by trusting each other's working styles while respecting that team members have different roles, responsibilities, and needs.

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Do something like Meyers Briggs and or Strengths Finder to highlight our different working styles and our strengths.

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Continue fostering a culture of consistency by strengthening the systems that guide how we work as a team, ensuring confidence in our processes and outcomes.

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Continue to clarify roles and responsibilities among team members, ask of others accordingly

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Approach challenges with a mindset of understanding and resolution, addressing concerns openly rather than allowing them to build over time.

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Encourage direct, respectful conversations and create space for team members to voice concerns, ask for support, and provide constructive feedback.

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Working Styles-Perhaps there is a working styles assessment that can help us understand individually and collectively our working styles. This might include elements like our preferred communication methods, best times for collaboration, key responsibilities and boundaries. We might create a shared document for these preferences and create Regular check in's (once a quarter) about our preferred working styles.

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Regularly check in with teammates on their preferred working styles and ensure role clarity through open communication.

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Dedicate time in staff meetings for role updates, especially when responsibilities shift.

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Clarifying Roles and Responsibilities and relationships across team members. This a bit in the weeds, but maybe a responsiblity matrix across team to clarify ownership of tasks/projects: https://www.bridgespan.org/insights/nonprofit-organizational-effectiveness/rapid-decision-making

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Assume positive intent and support the work style of others. Address concerns timely and with respect. Come open with an readiness to learn about our team members.

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Please use this space for additional questions, curiosities, or concerns

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How often should we revisit working agreements to check in on implementation? How often should we revisit working agreements for relevancy?

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Who will be responsible for checking in on working agreements and accountability practices?

Big Picture Implementation

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Integrating into an evaluation process