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“We Need to Be a Better Team!”
Oh, really. What does that mean, exactly? Why do you need to be a better team? Do you mean that you want more cooperation? More internal cohesion? Less conflict? Is this the same as “being a team?” And what difference does this make, anyway?
Let’s begin with two definitions: “team” and “work group”, both of which are adapted from the classic The Wisdom of Teams by Katzenbach and Smith.
Team: A group of people committed to a common purpose, performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.
Work Group: A group of people with no common performance goals for which they are accountable.
TRUE teams have certain advantages:
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While facilitating an Experiential Expertise Train-the-Trainer this week, one of the participants shared an icebreaker/energizer activity that has been an historic (and current!) favorite among both staff and campers called “Ninja.” Fun, no props, no space requirements to speak of, can be played over and over again, no limits on numbers who can play. Play is similar to a step-by-step game of tag; hard to describe, but addictive to play. A real winner!
Goal
To be the last Ninja standing. To strike other players hands before yours are struck. When any person’s hand is struck by someone else, he or she is “out” until the next round of play.
Play
1. As a group, “circle up”
2. Determine who will be the starting “attacker” at step 4.
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Several years ago, a trainer posted a request for suggestions on team building activities that required no more than 60 minutes to complete. One responder wrote back, in part “Sorry to “pop some bubbles,” but THERE ARE NO 30 MINUTE TEAMBUILDING EXERCISES!!! There are no six hour Teambuilding exercises. Anyone who thinks so doesn’t understand anything about what it is to be the member of a “real” team …”
His comment didn’t “pop my bubble,” but it did “get my goat.” True as far as it goes, but in an effort to be the purist, our commentator was side stepping the real question. While activities don’t “make” a team, they can be very useful for terms by uncovering/making explicit hidden dynamics and as “practice grounds” for learning the skills and processes which are necessary for team success.
Exercises can:
1. Provide a starting place for participants to meaningfully discuss what is working (or not), what is needed, etc.
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Someone calls and expresses interest in your work. They would like for you to send them a proposal. How cool is that?
So, what do you do?
If you’re like most consultants, you jump right on the proposal, of course. You include a lot of information about your credentials, clients with whom you have worked and numerous specifics about your planned intervention. You put a price to it, then dash it off – you do know the importance of “getting while the getting’s good” – and wait for the call or the return email.
More often than not, the phone call or email response doesn’t come. You wait a reasonable length of time and then follow up by phone … only to get your prospect’s voice mail. And he or she never responds. You know that you do good work, you’re honest, transparent and responsive.
So what gives?
Begin by recognizing where your prospect “is” when they submit a request like this one, and understand what they are actually asking for.
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Clients typically seek an Executive Coach when one of their senior executives or one of their “high potentials” has untapped potential, ineffective approaches or a personal roadblock; that is, when one or more facets of how they go about their work are impeding their current success and may stand in the way of future promotion. Typically, the person to be coached (known as the “client” hereafter) has received some feedback concerning their ineffective approaches from co-workers or their direct supervisor, but this feedback has been unsuccessful in “turning them around” so that they meet the expected standard. Executive Coaching is a powerful, cost-effective catalyst that enables the client to clearly see their current reality, identify more effective strategies and then successfully modify their behaviors so that they stick long term.
Of course, not everyone has the skill or the disposition to be an effective Coach, but assuming that you’ve found the “right” coach to help you, there are still 8 elements that MUST be built into the coaching process in order to ensure real change and a totally satisfied client. This list, by the way, also applies if you are a coach seeking to set up a successful engagement with one of your clients.
1. Clear objectives and measures
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[Video Text]
Welcome to “Around the Cubicle in 120 Seconds.” This is Rob Benson, back, we’re continuing with our performance coaching tips. Briefly, the five steps are:
Last week, we talked about “Praise Performance.” Let’s look today at the second phase. Once you’ve told them that you appreciate some of the work that they are doing, it’s time for you to identify your area of concern. So, continuing with the example that we did last week, “John, you’re getting your projects in late. How come? What’s going on with that?”
You’ll notice that I asked “open” questions, not “closed” questions because I want the other person to honestly think and give a real answer to what’s going on with them. The only way that I can help him think of a solution later on in the process is if we both understand the reasons why “we’re late” in the first place.
Now, at that point, I need to listen. I need to “tune in” to what they are actually saying to me, and I am probably going to periodically need to refocus the person. Often times, when you say “John, what’s going on with those projects? How come they’re late?” the first response you’re going to get is not real answers to real reasons; it’s going to be “oh, man, I’m sorry, you know …” and it’s going to be a whole lot of defensiveness and [he] just doesn’t want to talk about it. So I need to keep tuning him back – “yeah, I appreciate that, John, thanks so much, and it’s time … you know, tell me really … I really want to know so that we can work this through. John, what’s going on with that?”
So, Ask Open Questions. Get them thinking about it, then you’ll be prepared to help bring them back to your expectations, which we’ll talk about in our next segment. Thanks so much, this has been Rob Benson, with “Around the Cubicle in 120 Seconds.”
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We all make mistakes.
Yes, if you are like me, you’ve made errors in judgement, committed transgressions against your neighbors and, in one way or another, “crossed the line.” When that happens, what do you do?
Again, if you’re like me, you may mumble a half-hearted apology, or really try to make amends only to have that conversation inexplicably dissolve into another argument and make matters worse. Occasionally, you just stew in your own self-righteousness and think about how the other person “made me do it – they deserve what they got!”
Apologizing well isn’t easy …
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We were recently asked what books we would recommend to those in leadership. 2 classics, 2 that you may not expect. I include links to Amazon to ease your finding them (and no, we don’t make anything off of this). Here’s our short list:
Invest in your own leadership development. Read these, and jump ahead of the curve!
