Team work isn’t an offsite exercise or a bullet point on a performance review - it’s the cumulative effect of the little things we choose to do, or not do, each day.
At Town Close, we’re exploring a new way to make those little things matter.
Inspired by a post from Seth Godin and brought to life by Suzan Issa’s idea during a recent team exchange, we’re trialling a practical (and slightly playful) commitment exercise. Each team member will pick one of a set of “teamwork behaviours” from a hat at our meetings - anonymously, spontaneously, no prep and aim to embody it before the next session. Then we share how it went.
Here’s a taste of what might come out of the hat:
- Show your work
- Share your fears
- Support the people you believe in with honest enthusiasm
- Relentlessly seek better
- Talk about people only when they’re in the room
- Don’t hide in meetings (especially the ones you call)
None of this is about perfection. It’s about making effort visible. And it's not just personal growth - it’s cultural momentum.
This complements the personal commitments our team already makes (our “Suzan’s Corner” at meetings) and gives us a simple way to hold each other to values we talk about often but don’t always surface in the day-to-day.
Why It Matters for Clients
Clients may never hear these phrases directly but they’ll feel them in how we show up. When we “don’t hoard information” or “say back what we heard,” it’s not just internal protocol it’s how we ensure clarity, accountability and care in our advice.
When we act like a team, we think better together. And that means better outcomes for the people who trust us.
Why It Matters for the Team
These commitments aren’t rules - they’re habits in formation. They remind us that a strong culture isn’t something you declare; it’s something you do, one moment at a time. This new practice lets us keep those moments alive and evolving.
We’re calling it The Hat. And it’s already proving bigger than the sum of its parts.
Money, made human - inside and out.