How to translate team themes into everyday action HOWs
You’ve nailed your WHY Statement—great work. Now comes the practical muscle: your HOWs. Picture your office values wall Decorated with buzzwords like “innovation” and “integrity.” Inspiring, but what do they really look like at 8 a.m. on Monday? HOWs bridge that gap: actions you commit to each day. During our workshops, we guide teams to distill themes into verbs—“to innovate fearlessly,” “to uphold transparency”—then ground each in a short description: a ritual, a question, a protocol. A software squad who once said “creativity” now says “to explore alternatives,” meaning every sprint planning starts with 10 minutes of wild ideas.
Converting static words into dynamic HOWs changes everything. It forces you to ask, “What exactly do we do to live our WHY?” Maybe it’s “to share every lesson learned” in a quick Slack postmortem or “to invite cross-department feedback” in design reviews. You’ll know you’ve hit the mark when team members can name their HOWs without checking the wall—because they’ve lived them this week. That’s when the leap from ambition to action happens.
Research in organizational behavior underscores that clear behavioral expectations—your HOWs—boost cooperation by 40%. By mapping themes to verbs and then embedding them in rituals, you cement your WHY in daily habits.
Gather your leftover themes, then rewrite each as an active “to” phrase. Beneath each HOW, jot one sentence that describes how you’ll practice it—maybe a daily huddle question or a shared checklist reminder. Post the list where your team gathers, and at your next meeting, ask everyone to pick a HOW to focus on. Keeping these actions visible and practiced will turn ideals into habits—give it a try this week.
What You'll Achieve
You’ll bridge the gap between high-level purpose and daily habits, boosting consistency in team behavior and strengthening alignment with your WHY.
Turn buzzwords into action verbs
List your leftover themes
After you craft your WHY, jot down the other themes your group surfaced during discovery. Keep no more than five.
Convert them into verbs
For each theme (e.g., “creativity”), replace it with an action (e.g., “to spark creativity”). Use the infinitive form for clarity.
Add context bullets
Under each verb, write one sentence describing what it looks like in practice, so everyone can apply it daily.
Publish and practice
Share the list with your tribe—post on Slack or the wall. Ask team members to name which HOW they’ll use this week.
Reflection Questions
- Which HOW feels most natural to you and why?
- What small ritual can reinforce that HOW tomorrow?
- Where might you need reminders to practice your HOWs?
Personalization Tips
- An education department turns “community” into “to build supportive peer networks” and runs a weekly study-buddy signup.
- A design team replaces “quality” with “to refine relentlessly,” adding “hold daily critiques to polish every draft.”
- A parent-teacher group swaps “trust” for “to listen without judgment” and practices it in every meeting with students.
Find Your Why: A Practical Guide to Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team
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