Identify Two Top Priority Areas to Pursue

Now that you’ve organized your team’s feedback and mapped out the effort and impact of each theme, it’s time to focus your energy where it will matter most. In this unit, you’ll learn how to guide your team in selecting two top priority areas for improvement—ensuring your action plan is both targeted and achievable.

Begin by inviting each team member to choose their top two priority areas for improvement and briefly explain their reasoning. This roundtable approach encourages open discussion and helps surface what matters most to the group. As each person shares, capture their reasons and look for patterns or recurring themes.

For example, you might prompt the team with: "Which two areas do you believe would most improve our team’s experience, and why?" As you listen, note any areas of overlap or particularly compelling arguments. This process helps build consensus and ensures everyone feels heard.

Here’s how such a conversation might unfold between two teammates:

• Chris: I think “Recognition” and “Meeting Effectiveness” are my top two. Recognition because several people mentioned feeling overlooked, and meeting effectiveness because our discussions often feel rushed.
• Natalie: I agree on “Recognition.” For my second, I’d pick “Workload Balance” since some of us are stretched thin, and addressing that could help with burnout.
• Chris: That’s a good point about workload. Maybe if we improved meeting effectiveness, it could also help with workload by making our meetings more efficient.
• Natalie: True, but I still think workload deserves its own focus. It’s come up a lot in feedback.
• Chris: Should we ask the rest of the team for their top two and see if there’s a clear pattern?
• Natalie: Yes, and if we’re still split after everyone shares, we could do a quick vote to finalize. That way, everyone has a say.

This type of exchange allows team members to explain their reasoning, consider each other’s perspectives, and suggest a fair process for reaching consensus. It also sets the stage for identifying the most impactful priorities as a group.

Before finalizing your priorities, guide the group through a quick reality check. Ask questions such as:

• “Is this something we have influence over?”
• “Would this make a meaningful difference if improved?”
• “Is this something we can realistically start on within 30 days?”

If a suggestion is outside the team’s control or too ambitious for the short term, help the group refocus on more actionable ideas. For example, if someone suggests, “Change the company’s entire performance review system,” steer the conversation toward something more feasible, like, “Improve how we give each other feedback.”