Property and liabilities is an train I usually facilitate with groups to take a listing and drive a shared understanding of what’s working for and in opposition to the group. It’s additionally a superb technique to seize inputs from individuals who don’t usually work collectively (the place competing views could also be at play).
Regardless of the altitude, this train is tremendous simple and one thing I embrace in lots of endeavors, from strategic planning workshops and idea-generation classes, to prototyping workshops.
Have one individual personal the whiteboard (it’s in all probability you should you’re the facilitator), writing the phrases “property” and “liabilities” on the prime with a dividing line drawn vertically between them.
Subsequent, seize the contributions that others share. I wish to crowdsource gadgets for the property column first as a result of they are usually constructive and assist preserve an optimistic power within the room. Ask the group for examples of issues which are recognized strengths, notable efforts or proof factors, and something that’s working or has labored up to now that the group might leverage or study from.
From there, transfer on to liabilities; the issues that may get in the way in which, alternatives for development, what to be careful for, issues that would hurt the group’s efforts, or issues that didn’t work earlier than. I all the time like to notice that one thing might be each an asset and a legal responsibility, and is price analyzing from that lens.
At this level, you may even see a pure 1:1 ratio throughout columns, or you could not. That half isn’t as necessary as getting the group to align on the lists laid earlier than them, and making a shared understanding for the state of the state.
Laying this basis is a wonderful jumping-off level for the work forward, so this could be a helpful methodology early in your workshop and even pre-workshop if you’d like the data earlier than you’re within the room.
This methodology is attributed to my time at GoKart Labs the place the thought was cultivated and refined by a gaggle of makers (and possibly the most effective set of colleagues I’ve ever labored with ❤).
Go away just a few claps should you plan to do that methodology, and be part of my e-newsletter group for extra assets like this one, delivered straight to your inbox as soon as a month.
