A quiet spin to settle it

We were stuck on who would take the lead for the next client demo. The conversation was starting to loop, and I could feel the energy in the room dip. I suggested we just spin the wheel we use for our retro action items. It felt like a way out.

The moment the debate stopped

There was a palpable shift when I pulled the wheel up on the screen. The tension, that subtle push-pull of politeness and preference, just evaporated. We quickly added the names of the three most qualified people to the slots.No one argued about the options. It was a simple list of capable teammates. The focus moved from defending a choice to accepting a process.

An unexpected kind of fairness

When the pointer slowed and settled, there was a brief silence, then a few quiet laughs. The person it landed on gave a small shrug and a smile. There were no side conversations, no ‘but what about’ follow-ups.It wasn’t about the wheel being magically right. It was about it being perfectly neutral. The outcome felt separate from any individual’s opinion, which made it easier for everyone to align behind.We moved on to the next agenda item in under a minute. The decision was made, and it was clean.

What was on the wheel

We kept it simple with just the names.