THE BETTER QUESTIONS — Team‑Building Edition
By: transcriber Jim Homyak, retired volunteer, as Tech Coordinator on Minnesota
If this description sounds like you:
Disciplined, Determined, and Highly Responsible, Master of Achievement, Practical Thinker, with Strong Ambitions, Steadily Climbing Toward Valued Goals with Patience and Integrity. That Means You Value Structure just like USOA Does, in which case:
We need some open honest discussion!
1. Purpose & Opportunity
- What is the real opportunity in front of us — not the one we talk about, but the one we feel?
- What problems and challenges are we uniquely positioned to solve?
- Why does this matter now, and what happens if we don’t act?
- What would “transformational success” look like, not just incremental improvement?
- How could we help if we were actually able to take decisive actions?
2. People & Roles
- Who needs to be in the plans for this to work?
- What strengths does each of us bring that we’re not fully using yet?
- Where are the blind spots in our dream team composition?
- What responsibilities need to shift so people can operate at their highest value?
- Are there any Capricorn's in the house to blend in with the Taurus at the helm?
- Guest Services Director
- Kitchen Staff
- General Manager
3. Alignment & Vision
- Do we share the same definition of the destination?
- What assumptions are we each carrying that haven’t been spoken aloud?
- What would make every team member say, “I’m all‑in on this”?
- What are the non‑negotiables that define how we work together?
4. Execution & Systems
- What processes or tools are slowing us down that we’ve simply accepted as normal?
- What decisions can be automated, delegated, or eliminated?
- What would a frictionless workflow look like?
- Where do we need new infrastructure, and where do we need new discipline?
5. Communication & Trust
- How do we ensure everyone feels heard without slowing momentum?
- What communication habits build trust — and which ones erode it?
- How do we surface disagreements early, before they become problems?
- What does transparency look like in practice, not theory?
6. Risk & Reality
- What are the top three risks we’re pretending don’t exist?
- What’s the worst‑case scenario — and what’s our plan if it happens?
- What constraints are real, and which ones are self‑imposed?
- What would we attempt if we weren’t afraid of failing?
7. Momentum & Accountability
- What are the first three moves that create visible progress?
- How do we measure success in a way that motivates rather than burdens?
- Who owns what — and how do we keep each other honest?
- What does “done” look like at every stage?
8. Culture & Identity
- What kind of team are we becoming through this work?
- What behaviors do we want to reward?
- What stories do we want people to tell about us a year from now?
- How do we make this effort feel meaningful, not mechanical?
If we want, we can turn these into:
- a polished executive‑summary document
- a workshop agenda
- a team‑alignment questionnaire
- a leadership briefing
- or a narrative that fits The Malamo’s voice and mythos
- a list of what kind of comp plan fits everyone
Just tell your technology coordinator, Jimmy, the format you want to shape next. Check the Downloads section for MBU content.
