Team briefing: The unsexy but utterly essential tool you’ve probably forgotten

Every time I read about charity staff revolting – striking, grumbling, or just generally waving pitchforks at “management” – I find myself a bit baffled. What’s gone wrong? Why is everyone so cross?

Because at DSC, when we make difficult, even horrible decisions (and trust me, we’ve made a few), our staff don’t storm the castle. They get it. Not because they’re saints (though they’re lovely), but because they understand why the decision’s been made. So why isn’t that the case everywhere?

Well, I had a lightbulb moment recently while chatting to a beleaguered CEO whose team were, frankly, on the warpath. And as we talked it through, it became apparent: the charity had no regular, formalised Team Briefing process. Zip. Nada. Nothing. Just the odd announcement from on high when something big (and usually bad) was happening.

I was gobsmacked. Back in the 1980s and 90s, Team Briefing was all the rage. I spent an inordinate amount of time training managers to do it properly – one of my favourite gigs being with the Met Police’s mechanics division (yes, really – the people who fixed helicopters, cars, boats and motorbikes; not your average day at the office!!) It was so embedded, I just assumed it was standard practice everywhere.

Turns out it’s not. Turns out that somewhere along the line, we forgot that telling people stuff – regularly, honestly, and at the right level – really matters.

So why do Team Briefing? Simple.

Because it keeps everyone aligned. Because it douses gossip before it becomes wildfire. Because it helps folk understand how their work fits into the bigger picture. It helps to break down silo thinking. It builds relationships and – here’s the kicker – it builds trust. When people hear the truth regularly, from someone they know, they’re much more likely to believe it. And much less likely to start planning a coup.

If you’re not doing it, here’s the basic rulebook:

1.  It’s monthly. Same time, same day. Put it in the diary a year ahead and don’t muck about with it.

2. It’s delivered by line managers. Not the CEO. Not the Head of Grand Strategy. The person they actually work with day-to-day.

3. It covers:

• A core message: What’s the one thing you want everyone to remember?
• Wins and progress: Celebrate the good stuff – big or small.
• Finances: Yes, the truth. All of it. Even the ugly bits.
• Challenges ahead: Because pretending everything’s fine is not leadership.
• Key projects and updates: What’s happening and why it matters.
• Policy changes: Yes, policies, especially organisational ones. (At DSC, we rebrief a couple each month so people know they’re not just digital wallpaper.)
• Staff changes: Who’s coming, going, or moving up or on a more personal level having a birthday, expanding their family (babies always go down well!) or other personal news they’re happy for you to share.
• Calls to action: What do you want people to do?

Now, fair warning: the first few sessions might be met with eye-rolling and a touch of cynicism. That’s normal. But give it a couple of months, and I promise – once people realise they’re being treated like grown-ups, with actual information – they’ll come to rely on it. Remove it later at your peril.

So please, dust off this unglamorous but powerful old tool. It works. And if you’re serious about being a good leader and getting your charitable work done without an internal revolution, then formal Team Briefing isn’t optional. It’s essential.

Need help setting it up? Contact our in-house team at [email protected]. And for heaven’s sake – brief your teams before they brief each other in the pub!