Monday, August 25, 2008

All For One

There is no doubt that the All For One And One For All concept has been worked to the bone. Though this might be the case, let’s also not ignore the fact that it still remains true more than 150 years since it was first coined by Alexandre Dumas – the author of The Three Musketeers.

I’m one of the fortunate few who get to experience this on a daily basis at work and one such experience was when we recently painted an orphanage. After arriving, at the home, we were assigned specific walls and parts of the house to be painted. And as I stepped back later to take a breather, I realized something. That while we may be perfectly capable of climbing a ladder, we still need someone to hold it still.

There were also the hard to reach corners that were easy to do, but after 30 minutes, it did get tiring and there was someone else to take over. Because we realized that this was a team effort, what would have taken a full day to complete was done in time to break for lunch. In a work place environment, if you think you prefer working alone, remember that you are only developing yourself or denying your team of the skills you have to offer. No man is an island as the saying goes – and this is true because when you realize the beauty in coming together as a team, the results are magnified 10 times over.

Monday, August 18, 2008

When Being A Know-All Costs Your Team

During the many team building sessions we’ve conducted, I’ve come across a myriad of characters all with their individual kinks. Recently however, I met someone who was in a different league altogether – who for want of a better word, inspired this blog. I’d like to call her Ms. L.

Now Ms. L has been working in her company for over 20 years – and I’d actually liked her initially because being at an age close to retirement, she possessed the energy and spirit of someone half her age which was very motivating and refreshing. But the good impression she made earlier went awry when she showed her true colors by attempting to be a know-it-all.

I observed that even in a team, she wanted all the attention to be on her – and there was an insistence that she be listened to. And listened to she was by her team, but I also noticed that they listened to her with a fair amount of disdain. She constantly interrupted me during instruction time and claimed that the activity introduced was something she was very familiar with and had done many times before.

Since this was the case, I invited her to be the first player – and almost immediately after this she made a mistake. So much for being familiar with it. Still insistent that she was familiar, Ms. L continued to dominate her team – and because she refused to give in, made repeated mistakes that cost her team a win.

When you work in a team, activity or not, you always have to be open to feedback and not be a show-off. Trying to prove you’re better doesn’t make you a more effective leader – it just makes you a smart aleck, nothing more. So the next time you get together with your team, listen to them more and don’t try to dominate them. A good leader never dominates but makes a team thrive by allowing them to find their own voices to express opinions and perhaps even some great ideas that might just result a win for everyone.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Team Rules

Observe closely enough and you’ll find that the members of every team and work group develop particular ways of interacting with each other over time. Effective interpersonal communication among members and successful communication with managers and employees external to the team are critical components of team functioning.

How a team makes decisions, assigns work, and holds members accountable determines team success. With the potential power of the impact of these interactions on team success, why leave team member interaction to chance? Form team relationship guidelines or team norms early to ensure team success.

Team members as coworkers: all team members are equal; every team member's opinion will be thoughtfully considered; each team member will keep all commitments by the agreed upon due date; each team member agrees to constantly assess whether team members are honoring their commitment to the team norms.

Team member communication: team members will speak respectfully to each other; will not talk down to each other; will positively recognize and thank each other for team contributions.

Team member interaction in meetings: team members will listen without interrupting; hold no side or competing conversations; follow the rules for effective meetings; attend the meeting on time; always work from an agenda; minutes will be recorded at each meeting; end meetings on time.

Team organization and function: leadership will rotate monthly; the team management sponsor will attend the meeting, at least, monthly.

Team communication with other employees including managers: team members will make certain they have agreement on what and when to communicate; complaints about team members will be addressed first in the team.

Team problem solving, conflict resolution, and decision making: team members will make decisions by consensus, but majority will rule if timely consensus is not reached; conflicts will be resolved directly with the persons in conflict.

With effective team norms in place, your team will be able to focus on its business purpose. The team was undoubtedly founded to help the company continuously improve and achieve its strategic goals. Don't let ineffective relationships and interactions sabotage the team's work.

You can look at this as Team Rules, but either way you see it, being a part of something rocks big time and Teams Rule!

Monday, August 4, 2008

A Distinction between Leaders, Managers, Coaches & Mentors

There is an obvious distinction between “manage” and “lead”. Managers maintain, leaders progress. Do we want our society to stay where it’s at, or do we want it to grow? Then why do we call some of our business men and women “managers?” Why not call them “leaders!”

A manager may do things right. That is, he or she will maintain the status quo because they will do what has always been done. Leaders, on the other hand, do the right things. That is, they have a sense of a greater purpose and mission to extend beyond their current abilities. Doing the right things may involve more risk, but it will also yield a higher return.

Managers are usually efficient. They’ve learned to streamline processes to get the job done as quickly as possible. Leaders, however, are more concerned with being effective. They have a bigger dream and vision in their minds than managers see. If leaders have to slow things down temporarily in order to speed things up in the long run, they will.

A coach is usually an outsider who is not involved in the activities that his trainees are involved in. This can be a great benefit. The coach is able to see things that the players will not be able to see. The coach can share this information with the players, and by sharing some distinctions that only he can see from the outside, cause the players to win.

You may have already known the differences between a manager and a leader. But, if you own a business, or if you are working for a company, how different do you think you would feel with leaders instead of managers? You don’t have to go around to every employee in the company and explain the distinction. The distinction can present itself subconsciously once the vocabulary is changed. That’s the magic of words.

In a smaller group, you need to decide to become a mentor. A mentor is a leader who has a specific person he or she wishes to train as they move forward. A mentor creates a personal relationship with somebody and allows that connection and intimacy to give confidence to them and raise their self-esteem.

The magic a mentor can provide is that intimacy is “into-me-see”. By allowing others to truly see his or her heart and soul up-close and personal, they will be inclined to trust. From that trust, they can move forward, get outside of their comfort zone and eventually become a mentor themselves.

Mentors are essential. Everybody needs mentors to help them improve their own lives. We’ll also find that mentors themselves have mentors. Having a mentor is an indication of future success.