Key Takeaways:
- The Challenge: A creative team of highly talented individuals was having trouble collaborating, communicating, and pooling their strengths to work together.
- The Approach: Revaluate180 conducted workshops and assessments to resolve the blockers that hindered communication and collaboration.
- The Results: Our guidance helped the team improve their communication and unity, leading them to deliver their campaigns on time and under budget.
A midsized marketing agency’s creative team was brimming with talent, yet their potential remained untapped. Misaligned expectations, siloed workflows, and a lack of trust prevented team members from seeking or offering help. Deadlines were missed, and creative tension often derailed progress. Recognizing the need for change, the agency turned to Revaluate180 for guidance.
After performing numerous assessments, our team uncovered that while the team had strong individual values, they lacked a shared understanding of how to leverage each other’s strengths. Their blockers created additional challenges: some had the Lens Blocker, leading to overly optimistic outlooks, thus bypassing critical risks. Others exhibited the Forest Blocker, focusing heavily on details and slowing momentum. Those with the Sand Blocker avoided confrontation, leading to unaddressed issues. Finally, some were influenced by the Shoulder Blocker, prioritizing others’ needs over their own tasks. These blockers, while rooted in good intentions, created a fragmented team dynamic.
Through our tailored workshops, we helped the team build trust and recognize the power of their differences. By sharing their values and blockers openly, they began to see how these traits could complement each other. Team members learned to approach a Forest colleague for detailed reviews, rely on a Lens teammate for big-picture thinking, and trust a Sand or Shoulder team member to navigate sensitive or interpersonal situations. Introducing the R180 framework as a shared language gave the team practical tools to ask for and offer help.
The results were transformative. By playing to each other’s strengths and working toward shared goals, the team delivered their next campaign with precision, creativity, and cohesion. Trust became the foundation of their collaboration, unlocking their full potential as a unified and high-performing team.
Challenge: Overcoming Communication Barriers in a Creative Team
The team was filled with talented individuals, but communication breakdowns were hindering their ability to collaborate effectively. Misaligned expectations, unclear roles, and a tendency to work in silos led to frustration, missed deadlines, and creative tension. While each team member brought unique strengths to the table, they lacked the ability to integrate their efforts into a cohesive vision.
Our Approach: Identifying Root Causes & Rebuilding Trust
Revaluate180 was brought in to address the underlying issues. Using R180 assessments, we identified the core values and blockers driving the team’s dynamics. While they shared strong individual strengths, their blockers—like the Sand Blocker which caused avoidance of confrontation, and the Hawklocker which caused overanalysis—kept them from having honest conversations or acting decisively.
Through workshops, we:
- Rebuilt trust by creating a safe space for team members to share frustrations and expectations.
- Taught active communication strategies to clarify roles, set clear goals, and align on project deliverables.
- Introduced collaboration exercises to leverage their diverse strengths while reducing the influence of blockers.
Results: Strengthening Collaboration & Boosting Team Performance
The team learned the need to communicate openly and make decisions more effectively. Such actions helped them ramp up their strengths and work as a unified group. What was once seen as blockers became reasons for members to collaborate and get collective opinions. With improved communication and clear processes, they delivered their next campaign on time and under budget, with renewed energy and cohesion.
Ready to Strengthen Your Team’s Collaboration?
Working in a team involves combining individual strengths and learning to utilize them optimally. Even if one member is less aligned with the team and works in an isolated manner, it can affect the team’s overall synergy.
Managing and handling effective communications among team members can be a challenge when the team comprises diverse employees, remote members, and more. Therefore, it becomes critical to have better communication and team-building initiatives to keep the members on the same page.
If your team is facing such communication barriers or is struggling with alignment, Revaluate180 can help. Our assessments and workshops provide the tools needed to build trust, enhance collaboration, and drive success.
Contact us today to learn how we can transform your team’s dynamics!
