What makes a team special?

Backstory: I am one of millions of civil servants who work for the government of the United States of America. Over the past many weeks, entire agencies, offices, and divisions have been cut or targeted for cuts. In some cases, these roles are unique to the federal government. In others, cuts are also hitting segments of the private sector that do similar work. In all cases, having entire teams en masse means people with very similar skills will be hitting the job market at the same time.

As we brace for mass layoffs at my agency, I've been providing resume coaching for colleagues. In one session, we discussed the challenge of mass layoffs and the likelihood that this person would end up competing with her peers for a vanishingly small number of opportunities. As we spoke, a game concept popped into my head. What if, while we're still in limbo, teams could help each other out by identifying each other's unique strengths? Every person would be better-prepared for the job search, and -- perhaps -- head off in different directions than they might have.

So here it is. Despite the sad backstory, I believe this is a great team-building exercise for any group that knows each other well -- families, study groups, and yes, long-standing work teams. Tell me how you end up playing it!

(And yes, this game is kind of an inversion of the party game Just One.)

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