Let's Sketch in - Issue #20
Sketchnotes on handling conflict, team Alignment map, getting started on sketchnote, and next weekly warmup.
👋 Hey, I’m Kumar and welcome to my weekly newsletter. Each week I share Sketchnote(s) on product, leadership, personal growth, and anything that helps you get started on Sketchnoting.
Let’s jump in today's issue.
Sketchnote of the week - Staying Open in Conflict
Visual Framework - Team Alignment Map
Resources to get started with Sketchnotes
Sketchnote of the week - Staying open in conflict
As a leader, I understand that conflict is a natural and often unavoidable part of any workplace or team dynamic. However, knowing how to effectively manage and resolve conflict can be a valuable skill for any leader. Just this week I entered in a conflict situation with different stakeholders. Somehow managed to bring alignment.
Trying to discover a better way came across an article by Shane Parish on FSBlog.
In this newsletter, I want to share some of my insights and experiences (combined with my research online) on how to handle conflict in a way that not only resolves the issue at hand but also strengthens relationships and builds trust within your team. Whether you're a seasoned leader or just starting out, I believe that these tips will be helpful in navigating difficult conversations and finding resolutions that work for everyone involved.
So without further ado, let's dive into the world of conflict resolution with this 3 step approach captured in sketchnote.
Visual Framework - Team alignment map
Last week I was approached by an engineering leader to help resolve conflict in her team. There were groups, working in silos, always in conflict, and not making any progress. I was asked if there’s any creative way of solving this. May be Design Thinking.
Time was limited (approx 3 hours) so I thought of doing a workshop to discover what information about the project, role, and responsibilities, each of the group and team member has. I came across TAM visual framework. A simple 3 column table.
The Team Alignment Map (TAM) is a co-planning tool. A canvas to bring team members on the same page, to increase mutual clarity before doing the actual work. You can use it to plan the work ahead, clarify everyone's role, negotiate resources and reduce risks together. The tool in the link is Miro and extremely helpful for remote collaboration.
Get more details on how to use this framework from the link above. The above snapshot is of Miro.
Below is a picture of doing this workshop on whiteboard. I had each of the participant physically present and contribute to the common mission of the team.
By the end of the workshop we had team members talking with each other and sharing details about their project.
Resources to get started on Sketchnotes
1. Weekly Warmup
Every week I meet sketchnote enthusiast and share my experience. We practice basics of Sketchnotes and create one towards the end of the session.
I have setup weekly Google Meet event.
2. Atomic Sketches
Are you trying to build habit of Sketchnoting?
Look no further.
Check out AtomicSketches.com that helps you to get started in the world of sketchnoting.
The approach is taken from the habit forming framework in the book Atomic Habits by James Clear.
The vision is to help you grow.
Check out what the cohort has done so far.
This project is built in public. Am adding new ways of engaging with the sketches that the group members are doing everyday.
I won’t spam you for anything other than Sketchnotes :-)
That’s all I have for today.
Have a wonderful week ahead Sketchnoting.