Leadership Academy — Week 2 Study Guide: Team Operating Rhythm and SBI
A condensed summary of Week 2 for assessment prep — the four touchpoints of a team operating rhythm, and SBI feedback.
Part of the Leadership Academy series — a condensed study guide ahead of the assessment. Full detail lives in Session 2.
The core idea: a team needs a deliberately designed set of touchpoints, not default Agile ceremonies by accident. Four of them, each with one purpose:
| Touchpoint | Frequency | For | Not for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly 1:1 | 30 min, weekly | The team member’s own agenda, blockers, development | Project status updates |
| Team Standup | 15 min, daily | Did / doing / blocked, nothing else | Discussion or problem-solving |
| Monthly Check-in | 60 min, monthly | The bigger picture, as a group — goals, patterns | Replacing 1:1s or standups |
| Quarterly Review | 2 hrs, quarterly | Honest retro + next priorities | Individual performance management |
The framework — SBI: Situation (specific time/place) → Behaviour (observable, filmable — never an interpretation or label) → Impact (the concrete effect) → Pause (let them respond; their reaction is data). Works the same way for praise as for correction.
Two extra distinctions: objective feedback is the leader’s mindset (say what genuinely needs improving); subjective feedback is the peer/manager mindset (only offer what’s asked for). If feedback keeps landing badly, it’s often a channel mismatch, not a content problem.
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