Today during "Feedback Friday" session, Margaret and Shauna and I did a blind contour round robin. To mix things up we drew "post-it note" sized drawings with a thick line (sharpie marker). I have decided that an individual's response when faced with the suggestion of doing something like this is very telling about how well we will work together.
Today as we sat around before we wrapped up the day, we talked about how impossible it would be to talk to anyone else about the things we saw this week. Who would believe it? How could we say it in a way that would capture such difficult moments in a life? So, instead we talked amongst ourselves, appreciating that we work in a "team" where we visit patients and families together, each calling upon our individual expertise to get the best outcome for each visit. One of the things that helps us stay strong as a team is to be able to give open, honest, timely, feedback about what went well and what could have gone better.
So while drawing on post-it's might seem a bit strange, it uses an entirely different part of the brain than we use all day long in tough conversations. To be able to let the day go while laughing at ourselves, appreciating our masterpieces is a gift beyond measure.