Awareness helps us notice how we’re showing up. Honesty helps us name what’s true.
And for teams to grow and move forward - especially through change - we also need something else: clear, shared commitments.
Without them, we often fall back on assumptions, unspoken expectations, or ways of working that no longer serve us. This is where even well-intentioned teams can drift - not because people don’t care, but because clarity is missing.
Conscious teams don’t leave alignment to chance. They make it intentional.
From Expectations to Agreements
Most teams run on a mix of spoken and unspoken rules. We assume others see what we see. We expect things to happen a certain way. But when expectations aren’t made explicit, they can quickly lead to confusion, frustration, or disengagement.
Conscious teams pause to ask:
- What are we expecting of each other?
- Have we actually agreed to this - or are we assuming?
- What do we need to feel clear and supported in our work together?
Turning expectations into agreements helps build trust and enable accountability. Not because we’ll get it right every time, but because we’ll have something real to return to when we don’t.
Creating Commitments That Work
Team commitments don’t have to be long or complex. In fact, simple is often best - so long as it’s co-created, clearly understood, and genuinely agreed to.
Strong team commitments are:
- Co-created – Everyone’s voice is heard
- Clear – There’s no second-guessing what we’ve agreed to
- Living – They evolve as the team and the work evolve
- Whole-hearted – As Jim Dethmer puts it, there’s a “full-body yes” to what’s being committed to.
When done well, commitments don’t constrain us - they support us.
They become the scaffolding that allows teams to work with clarity, trust, and shared direction.
Simple Practices for Conscious Teams:
- Name what’s unclear: Where are assumptions quietly shaping your culture?
- Create together: Make space for everyone to shape agreements—not just agree to them.
- Check in regularly: Revisit what’s working and what’s no longer serving.
- Repair with curiosity: When a commitment is missed, get curious before assigning blame.
- Keep it visible: Display your team’s shared commitments where you can return to them often.
- Let them grow: Treat agreements as dynamic—not one-and-done.
The Work of Working Together
Clear commitments help teams feel safe, focused, and aligned. They reduce friction, increase accountability, and create space for people to bring their best - especially when things get hard.
When we know what we’re holding, and that we’re holding it together, we can move with more confidence and more care.
Curious Reflection:
- What agreements—spoken or unspoken—are shaping your team right now?
- Where might more clarity reduce confusion or friction?
- What shared commitments would support your team to show up with more trust and ease?
Bringing It All Together
Conscious teams aren’t built overnight. They’re cultivated—through small moments of awareness, honest conversations, and shared agreements, lived one day at a time.
As conscious teams;
- When we commit to leading from presence, we shift from reaction to responsibility,
- When we choose honesty, we open the door to deeper trust, and
- When we co-create clear agreements, we move from assumption to alignment.
This is the inner work of culture change…
It begins within…
It lives between us….
And it grows each time we choose to come back and connect
Above the line, across the table.
Photos by horserat, 2h media and thisisengineering on unsplash
