- Think of your team on a normal week, not the best one and not the worst.
- Read each statement and tick one box: 3 if it is true most of the time, 2 sometimes, 1 almost never. One tick per line.
- When all fifteen are done, go to the end of the sheet: the statements add up into five layers. On the web page and in Acrobat the counts are made for you; on paper, the end of the sheet shows which lines to add.
- Read what the counts mean and start with the lowest layer closest to trust.
The PDF is fillable: open it in a real reader (Acrobat, Preview) to type and save, or print it and write by hand. Anything you type on this page stays in your browser, nothing is sent anywhere.
- We admit mistakes to each other without dressing them up.
- In meetings, we disagree openly about the things that matter.
- We leave meetings knowing what was decided, and we act on it.
- We tell a colleague directly when their work or behaviour is off track.
- We judge a good month by what the team achieved, not by who shone.
- We say out loud where we need help or still have things to learn.
- Our meetings are lively and useful, not dull and not hostile.
- Once a decision is made, people back it, including those who argued against it.
- When someone lets the team down, it gets named, not quietly absorbed.
- We give up some of our own resources or time when the team needs it.
- We apologise quickly when one of us says or does something unfair.
- The hardest topics get time in our meetings, not the safest ones.
- Everyone knows what the others are working on and how it fits the whole.
- Keeping a promise to a colleague matters as much as keeping one to the boss.
- We are quicker to credit each other than ourselves.
For each layer, add the three numbers you ticked on its statements (listed below). Each layer scores between 3 and 9. On this page the count is made for you.
- 8 or 9: Not a problem. This layer holds. Protect it: it can erode quietly when the team changes or comes under pressure.
- 6 or 7: Worth watching. It works some of the time. Notice when it slips: under pressure, with a new member, around one particular topic.
- 3 to 5: Start here. This layer is holding the others back. If more than one layer is this low, start with the one closest to trust.
- Trust: Statements 1, 6 and 11. People admit mistakes, ask for help and can be seen before they are sure. Everything else rests on this layer.
- Healthy conflict: Statements 2, 7 and 12. The real issues get argued in the room, respectfully, rather than avoided or taken outside.
- Commitment: Statements 3, 8 and 13. People leave meetings behind the decision, including the ones they argued against.
- Accountability: Statements 4, 9 and 14. Team members call each other on what is off track, directly, not to you or behind backs.
- Results focus: Statements 5, 10 and 15. Success is measured by what the team achieves together, not by who shines.
The layers stack: trust at the base, results at the top. A problem higher up often grows from a weak layer below it, so a team low on trust and high on results is running on borrowed time.
Pick one move at your weakest layer for your next meeting. Trust: name one of your own current struggles first. Conflict: put the issue everyone avoids on the agenda. Commitment: end with the decision and ask each person if they are behind it. Accountability: agree together on what off track looks like and who says so. Results: replace one vague goal with a visible measure.