Team-Building

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2006-05-20T03:28:00.000-07:00

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2006-05-20T03:19:00.000-07:00

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Team Building - Everything Your Parents Did Not Tell You About Trust

2005-10-31T10:19:00.000-08:00

By Markus Eriksson

What does trust really mean? There are more team building trainings than we can count that speak of trust and several of the lets us experience this thing in different forms, for example by improvisational theatre together with my co-workers or by falling backwards into the arms of my waiting (hopefully) colleagues.

I have spent some time think about the concept of trust and this article is a collection of quotes, poems, reading and some other stuff mixed with my own reflections and experiences of this concept. In my work with peoples growth, and lets not forget – my own growth, I perceive myself as constantly bumping into this five letter word. So together lets twist and turn this word around for a bit.

Erik Eriksson who amongst other things is well known for his work with children’s developmental stages, has said that trust is “faith in that the good will return”. Many of us have probably played peek-a-boo with a small child and seen its eyes fill with wonder as Mum (or whoever you may be in the life of this little child) disappear and then return again. Eriksson claims that this is something that the child has to be trained, experiencing how its mother disappears, to then return once again as a representation of the good in life. Faith in that the good will return.

Do we believe that when we have a conflict at work? A fight with our beloved about who should really decide where the furniture should go? Will the good return even if I express my own will, give words to my feelings and reactions that might be perceived as negative by others? Do I trust the people around me? Do I have faith in that the good will return?

”When we feel safe in our environment we also dare to feel trust towards other people. By being available, taking the time to explain things and answering questions, we hope to achieve this”
(The Church School in Sala, Sweden)

A look at K F Söderwalls “Dictionary for the Medieval Swedish Language” tells us that trust is the same as support, help and a person in whom “we confide”. In whom do you confide? One phenomenon that seems be slanted towards the male population and by which the author of this article also feels “infected” by is the big challenge in asking for help. If we have a hard time asking for, and further on receiving, support and help, can we then feel trust? Maybe a trust building day somewhere out in the woods or in a well-conditioned room should be about learning to ask for help and support.

Sometimes maybe we also are apted to believe in that voice that sits on our shoulders and tells us that ”there is nobody who is willing to take the time to help ME” or maybe just as much that ”there is nobody that would care much about receiving my help or my support”.

How about fear and trust? The father of the FIRO-theory that speaks of a groups development over time, Will Schutz, claimed, and still claims as far as I know, that fear is the one big emotion that slows down the maturing and development of a group. The most important task of a leader in this perspective becomes to create the possibilities for decreasing fears. To foster a belief that the good will return…

”Be silent. Have trust. Our being is creation. We are intimately connected with what wants to become and exist. Your deep despair is not empty anxiety, it has a tone of the agony in depths where there is only will..”
(From the collection of poems ”The Seven Deadly Sins” by Karin Boye)

If we feel fear usually our need for control increases. To have control and power over what happens, maybe also over others. If I have a great amount of trust I can let go of some of my need for control. Have you ever double-checked on someone in your surroundings after delegating (or at least after convincing yourself that you have been delegating) an important task and then more or less considerately assured yourself that the task has been done? Maybe you have on some occasion given this task to someone whom you trust greatly and did not feel a need to excerpt control over. If we have too big of a need for control I do not think that we allow an environment of trust to grow strong, but quell it in the belief that we create safety and comfort by exercising power over both ourselves and others.

”The bottom-line is a situation concerning the concepts of power and trust. It is clear that if one wants to expand the networks in a direction towards the employees, it will require knowledge, tolerance, trust and patience.
Trust creates a feeling of safety. It makes people feel assured that it is allowed to cooperate and share experience. This feeling of safety increases with time. A project such as the Internship-project therefore would not have been possible during the first year of the network”.
(University of Halmstad)

Trust is an active effort, an effort that requires a, or lots of, choices. But we could probably also agree that I get the courage to choose if I feel trust and dare to believe (you know what’s coming, don’t you…) that the good will return, even if I “mess up” a bit with my choice.

”Is it possible to do wrong if one acts out of love? Love means respect for the child or the person. Every child has a destiny. If I as a parent have trust and faith in this and a will to carry the destiny of the child, then that gives a unique opportunity to know what is right. Trust gives us the courage to dare to be human and as humans we are constantly faced with choices. Man lives in the tension between good and bad. This is the challenge of life – to choose the “right path”. A choice has consequences and means risks – not to choose is also a choice, though without consciously facing the consequences.”
(Kirsten Nisted, Active Baby Care)

That it is the whole person who should choose to create the foundations for trust, we find if we search for the word “trust” on Microsoft Encarta online edition. What appears is a list of options for the word trust, one being trust as an emotion and then the word “faith” is equalled with trust.

“Faith, an attitude of the entire self, including both will and intellect, directed toward a person, an idea, or—as in the case of religious faith—a divine being.”
(Microsoft Encarta Online, www.microsoft.com)

Trust is also a commonly used law term and in Encyclopaedia Britannica we read that in Anglo-American law it means ”a relationship between people in which one has the power to handle property and the other has the privilege of receiving the benefits that come out of that property”. How much power do I need to let go off for others to receive the benefits? Do I get power by giving and receiving trust? Power can be a negatively charged word, but if we see it as effect and influence it can be used as something very nice, at least in my view of the world. Once again this good use requires an action including both the will and the mind. Motivation and skill.

Nyberg’s Bus Travel is a company that amongst other things arrange trips by bus to a place called Taizé in the south of France, that is every summer the meeting place of thousands and thousands of people, many young, from around the world. They come together to sing and many share a strong religious belief. I have neither travelled with Nyberg’s or actually been to Taizé. Friends of mine describe a trip there as an extra-ordinary experience and on the homepage of Nyberg’s we can read the following lines:

”The word trust is a key word in Taizé. The gatherings that are lead by brothers from around the world lead are a pilgrimages for trust on earth. The word trust is maybe one the most humble, everyday words that exists and at the same time one of most necessary..”
(Nyberg’s Bus Travel)

So, what do you really mean the next time you say to someone “I trust you”? Some clever person once said “without a relation, no communication”. I would like to add “without trust, no relation”, at least not one where we have faith in that the good will return after sometimes disappearing around the corner.

TRUST

When I meet you I am reminded

of all the pain I have had to endure.

I am reminded of all the losses.

All the people who wandered out of my life.

It hurts so much to dare to start over again.

To dare to make a connection.

To relearn.

To have a new relation to people.

Also to you.

(Ylva’s Poem No.6, Ylva Erlingsson)

The author Markus Eriksson, is an international developer of human potential, having worked with organizations, leaders and individuals in Asia, Europe and America for over 10 years. He is a much appreciated meeting facilitator, speaker and multimedia author. You can find him at http://www.advenire.com.

Four Reasons to Set Group Goals Collaboratively

2005-10-31T10:17:00.000-08:00

By Kevin Eikenberry

One of the tasks that come with being a leader is setting goals. Goals for ourselves, to be sure, but often we need set goals for our groups/teams or the larger organization. While we may instinctively know that we should include people in the creation of goals they will be working to achieve, too often the press of time and the lure of expediency leaves leaders setting the goals, and simply sharing them with those charged with achieving them.

The Four Reasons

There are four significant reasons why we need to get others involved in creating of the group’s goals. Any one of these are reason enough to create a conversation about the goals rather than creating a PowerPoint presentation with the goals already formulated.

• To gain Agreement. There are actually two agreements you want to gain.

1. Agreement on what the goal actually is.

2. Agreement that the goal is worthwhile and beneficial.

Once you have these agreements you will increase the clarity of the goal for everyone. Goal clarity in itself has a very positive impact on ultimate goal achievement. With agreement you will increase focus on the goal as well. Take the time to create both of these agreements and you have a stronger chance of achieving the next item . . .

• To create Engagement. Notice I said engagement not buy-in. I know we all talk about wanting people to “buy-in” to our ideas and plans. And, given the choice between having people who are “bought-in” vs. people who didn’t care or disagree, I choose the former. But engagement is more than “buy-in.” When people are engaged in an idea they are committed to it. They feel ownership for it. They have thrown more than their hat into the ring, they have thrown their heart in too. Once people are engaged in the goal you can capture what comes next . . .

• To set Collective Consciousness. Have you ever noticed that after you buy a new car, you see “your” car everywhere? The reason this occurs isn’t because thousands of people followed your lead to buy the same car you did. It happens because of your Reticular Activating System. Our Reticular Activating System works as a filter helps us notice things we are focusing on or are interested in. Once people are fully engaged in a goal their subconscious mind goes to work and the Reticular Activating System helps. People will begin to see things that will be resources, methods or clues to achieving the goal. Sparks will fly between people on the team and progress may be achieved faster than could be logically expected.

• To manifest Synergy. We have people work together because we know that together we can achieve more than we can separately. This is the definition of synergy. If you prepare your goals in a vacuum and present them to the group the chance for you to achieve team synergies is virtually nil. The whole point of a group working towards a goal together is to gain synergy. If you want it, you have to let people help create the specific goals they will be directly involved in achieving.

Getting others involved in the creation of the goals is more than just a good idea. It is more than just the right thing to do. It is the most important step you can take to improve the likelihood that a goal that is set, is reached.

So when you have a goal to be achieved with the help of others, keep these four reasons in mind and make the time to create the massive benefits described here.

That time and effort is the best insurance policy you can buy to improve the chance your goals will be achieved.

Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company. To receive a free Special Report on leadership that includes resources, ideas, and advice go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/leadership.asp or call us at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.

Eight Ways to Generate More Ideas in Groups

2005-10-31T10:12:00.000-08:00

By Kevin Eikenberry

The scene is repeated in meeting rooms around the world every day. A problem has been identified and a group has gathered to solve the problem. When ideas are needed, the group decides to brainstorm. And all too often this exercise leads to a short list of not-that-creative ideas.

We know that if we generate more ideas we have a better chance of finding better ideas. This leads us to the logical conclusion that if we can find techniques to create more ideas, we will find better ones. No one technique however will guarantee the perfect solution. Instead your goals should be to have a variety of approaches to help stimulate idea creation in your repertoire. By doing this you will improve the overall quality of ideas by virtue of having more to choose from.

Whether you are unhappy with the current creativity of your group or are having good success with brainstorming sessions, but would like them to be even better, any of the eight suggestions below can help.

Look at problems in different ways. Get the group to change their perspective on the problem. Once people “lock into” one way of looking at things the idea flow will slow to a tickle. Have people take a new persona. Ask them to look at the issue from the perspective of another group – accounting, HR, or sales for example. Ask them to think about how their Grandmother or an 8 year old would solve the problem. These are simple ways to force people into a new perspective and the new perspectives will generate more ideas.

Make novel combinations. The ideas that land on the flipchart or whiteboard in a brainstorming session are typically considered individually. Have the group look at the initial list and look for ways to combine the ideas into new ones.

Force relationships. Once a group is finished with their initial list, provide them with words, pictures or objects. The objects can be random items, the words can come from a randomly generated list (email wordlist@KevinEikenberry.com and we’ll send you such a list), or from pictures in magazines or newspapers. When people have their random word, picture or item, have them create connections between the problem and their item. Use questions like, “How could this item solve our problem?” What attributes of this item could help us solve our problem?”

Make their thoughts visible. Have people draw! Too often the brainstorming session has everyone sitting except the person capturing the ideas. Let people doodle and draw and you never know what ideas may be spurred.

Think in opposites. Rather than asking your direct problem question, ask the opposite. “How could we ensure no one bought this new product?” could be one example. Capturing the ideas on “the opposite,” will illuminate ideas for solving the actual problem.

Think metaphorically. This approach is similar to forcing relationships (and is another way to use your words, pictures or items). Pick a random idea/item and ask the group, “How is this item like our problem?” Metaphors can be a very powerful way to create new ideas where none existed before.

Prepare. Too often people are asked to brainstorm a problem with no previous thinking time. If people have time to think about a topic, and let their brains work on it for awhile, they will create more and better ideas. Allow people to be better prepared mentally by sharing the challenges you will be brainstorming some time before the meeting whenever possible.

Set a Goal. Research shows and my experience definitely confirms that the simple act of giving people a quantity goal before starting the brainstorming session will lead to a longer list of ideas to consider. Set your goal at least a little higher than you think you can get – and higher than this group typically achieves. Set the goal and watch the group reach it!

While these suggestions have all been written from the perspective of a group generating ideas, they all work very well for individuals too. The next time you need to solve a problem by yourself, use these techniques and you will be astounded by the quantity of ideas you will generate!

Employee Motivation - The 5 Factors That Drive Performance

2005-10-31T10:11:00.000-08:00

By JP Maroney

Employee motivation is a mystery for many managers. But, it doesn't have to be. Instead, understanding how motivation impacts employee performance, and understanding how to use motivation to improve performance can be reduced to five master keys. Organizations desiring to improve employee motivation need a system in place that consistently rewards employee achievements. I'm always surprised how few organizations have such a system.

However, not all employees respond to the same motivations. Each person has his or her own likes and dislikes, passions, interests and desires. The role of the successful manager is to learn how to identify what motivates each employee, and learn how to leverage those motives to simultaneously fulfill the goals of the organization, as well as the goals of each employee.

The five key employee motivation factors include: satisfaction, appreciation, recognition, inspiration and compensation.

1. Employee Motivation By Building Satisfaction

In their book "The Service Profit Chain," James Heskett, W. Earl Sasser, and Leonard Schlesinger make a compelling case that regardless your business, the only way to generate sustained profits is to build a work environment that attracts, focuses, and keeps talented employees. In other words, they have to be motivated to show up, get committed and perform at a level of excellence.

Employee motivation as it relates to employees satisfaction is vitally important. And, it goes way beyond just a "happier workforce." Why?

Because there is an undeniable link between satisfied, motivated employees, and satisfied customers. In other words, focus on creating satisfied employees, focus on employee motivation, and those motivated, satisfied employees will take care of your customers.

2. Employee Motivation Through Genuine Appreciation

At times, managers unknowingly sabotage employee motivation by failing to recognize the positive behaviors and achievements of their employees. As a result, employees don't know whether or not they are doing a good job.

I recently had an employee of an organization tell me, "The only time we ever hear anything from management is when we do something wrong!"

Fortunately, savvy managers can improve employee motivation by rewarding employees with personal attention. This can include a pat on the back, a hand-written note, or a quick comment in the hall.

When showing appreciation, be specific. Instead of just saying, "We really are grateful for the good job you do around here," the approach might be, "I really appreciate how you handled the Franklin Industries account last week when we had to get their rush order out late Friday afternoon. Your effort really made a difference."

By being specific, the employer comes across as much more sincere, and the employee realizes their actions are truly being watched. And, a highly level of employee motivation is the natural result.

3. Employee Motivation Through Recognition

Many people will do for recognition what they will not do for money. And, this is the manager's secret weapon for employee motivation. Some people are motivated by the opportunity to get their name on the wall, receive a trophy at an annual banquet, or see their name in the company newsletter. It gives them an "emotional payoff" for their actions.

Look for ways to increase employee motivation by recognizing excellence in the workplace. Ring a bell every time an individual or team hits the production target. Put up posters with the photographs of team members who have had the most days without accidents. Give out awards for attendance records. Just do something. It is so inexpensive, yet highly effective in your efforts of employee motivation.

4. Employee Motivation Through Inspiration

Inspiration comes from leadership. This form of employee motivation includes the company's mission, purpose and goals. People want to be part of an organization that is going somewhere, that stands for something, and that provides a meaningful service to the marketplace.

If you want to lead an inspired, mission-guided organization, follow these steps and watch employee motivation improve dramatically.

Have a clear mission - in other words, know where you are going.
Be excited and passionate about your mission. After all, if you don't get excited, they won't either.

Be able to communicate the mission, it's value to the marketplace. In other words, why it's worthwhile.

Make sure everyone in the organization understands and can communicate the mission.

Be sure employees understand how they fit into the process of fulfilling the organization's mission.

Make the connection between the mission and the individual values and goals of your employees.

Keep your mission in front of everyone in the organization.

5. Employee Motivation Through Compensation

Some employees are motivated by money. In fact, most are motivated by money; at least for their basic needs. Employee motivation through compensation can come in the form of raises, performance bonuses, commissions, profit sharing, or any number of "extra benefits" like, automobiles, vacations, or other tangible items purchased and used as rewards.

I noticed an interesting program in a hotel where I recently stayed. They have a sophisticated system for rewarding employees based on customer feedback. Throughout the hotel, they have placed customer feedback forms and boxes for depositing the forms. When customers comment on the performance of a hotel employee, the employee accumulates points that can be used to purchase rewards like trips, gifts, and other incentives.

Taking Action On Employee Motivation

Whatever the chosen method, it is important to have a system in place that builds employee motivation. Not every person is motivated by the same factor, or combination of factors. Offering all five - satisfaction, appreciation, recognition, inspiration and compensation insures that the organization has something to contribute to the motivation of each employee.

JP Maroney a.k.a. “The Pitbull of Business Development” is a business growth strategist, best-selling author and award-winning speaker. Receive his FREE “Strategic Briefing” e-newsletter by visiting http://www.JPMaroney.com or calling 1-800-304-5758.

Understanding Group Dynamics - Stages of Team Growth

2005-10-31T10:06:00.000-08:00

By Andrew Gowans

Before we actually look at what is commonly regarded as the 4 stages of team growth, it's worth spending some time understanding the team dynamics when, for example

The team gets together for the first time

Someone leaves and someone joins an established team

The team leader is replaced by an "outsider"

The team leader is replaced by a current team member

Why Does The Team Exist?

Fairly obvious I suppose - to achieve a task, or set of goals that cannot be achieved by one individual - football team, task-force, quality improvement team, new department.

I can see huge similarities between, for example, a sports person playing for their club side and their national team and a member of a department who is also seconded to an organizational quality improvement team. Think of it in the sense of the pushes and pulls in belonging to two teams especially when priorities are perceived to be different.

I believe the same dynamics, the same issues, the same concerns can exist and if not managed carefully, will greatly inhibit the success or progress of any team.

Unfortunately, in the cut and thrust of running a business, managing a department, coaching a team, these undercurrent issues are rarely talked through and yet everyone is surprised when the team doesn't achieve as everyone expected.

The Undercurrents

Team Member Identity

Am I an insider or outsider?

Do I belong in this team?

Do I fit in, can I fit in?

Who has influence, will I have any influence?

Will I be allowed to participate, will I want to?

How can I build relationships with other members?

Will we become a cohesive, successful team?

Team Relationships

Will this be a friendly team?

Will it be strictly task oriented?

Will we get along, will we like each other?

Will position or rank get in the way of progress

Will we build trust and be open or totally guarded?

Will we grow to be successful or become dysfunctional?

Organizational Conflict

Where will my loyalties lie?

Where will my loyalties be perceived to lie?

Will there be conflicts between my department and the team?

How will my department co-workers react?

Will the team suffer because of my departmental objectives?

Can I influence others to minimize this risk?

As I mentioned, rarely discussed but just imagine if you have just set up a quality improvement team with members from six different departments and they are all asking these same questions but nobody is listening!

Once the team comes together and starts to work together on what is, hopefully, a common goal or purpose, individual team members usually begin to deal with these issues. It is this act of beginning to work together, manage any conflicts (internal and external)and growing that has led to the commonly regarded 4 Stages of Team Growth

4 Stages of Team Growth

1. FORMING

During this crucial stage it is normal that little progress will be made towards achieving the goal that brought the team together in the first place. I repeat this is normal.

Moreover, individual team members will be looking towards the team leader for direction and guidance so it is paramount that he or she recognizes this as normal.

What To Recognize

Eagerness to impress

Feeling good about being chosen as team member

Feeling of belonging not quite there

Nervousness, maybe even fear of what needs to be done

Continued concern over roles and contribution

Trying to define the objectives

Trying to define roles

Digression

Trying to solve the group's problems

Blaming others outside the team for lack of progress

Blaming the organization for lack of conflict resolution

Surprised that little progress is made?

2. STORMING

This is the most aptly named stage. Individuals become increasingly impatient due to lack of progress and can be fearful of the organization and management. Co-operation can take second place to team members trying to push forward individually trusting more in their own skills and attributes.

What To Recognize

Significant swings in attitude

Lack of individual contribution

Some members may seem to panic

Arguments and internal conflict ensues

Dominant members seem to take control

Team may even begin to split

Disrespect for other team members or team leader

Placing the blame on other team members

Doubting the validity of the team's purpose and goals

As team leader, the key, massive point here is that as tough as this stage is, it is still normal that little real progress is being made. However, also recognize that underneath it all team members are beginning to come together. Now the good bits...

3. NORMING

This is the turning point, competition becomes co-operation, team members begin to value contribution of others, personal conflicts are minimized, ground rules are established and agreed to, roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and agreed to.

What To Recognize

A huge sense of relief

Growing belief in the team and its purpose

Individuals begin to believe in their worth

Constructive criticism

Less suspicion of others, more confidence

A 'Team' sense of purpose

Willingness to resolve problems and issues

As team leader it's a time to celebrate but not relax!

The team's ground rules must be maintained, continue to support the team as real progress is made, continue to keep this 'cohesiveness' and sense of belonging, communicate significant achievements. Above all continue to help members work out any issues they may still have so that the team as a whole move to the fourth stage.

4. PERFORMING

Now it's happening!

The team is acting as one, working as one, individuals and their contributions are valued, objectives are clear, members fully understand their individual roles and the roles of others, problems are being solved and actions implemented.

What To Recognize

Sense of achievement

Sense of belonging

Individual growth through contribution

Proactive approach to solving team problems

Structured problem solving and decision making

Members also recognize they have gone through these stages

Strengths AND Weaknesses accepted

Real results

Now, the team is performing, the work is being done, goals achieved by one cohesive unit with a common sense of purpose.

As team leader, celebrate with the team and communicate success.

Andrew has over 20 years experience providing personal and business coaching specialising in strategic planning, continuous improvement,personal development and lifelong learning.

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How Does Personal Development Help in Business?

2005-10-05T10:38:00.000-07:00

By George Lockett

Teams run most businesses and teams work best if each member is aligned with the whole group and works in a happy friendly way. Team building has been very popular over the last ten years or so, but wouldn’t it be so much easier if we naturally lived a life in synchrony with your teammates and your customers.

Businesses in the past has employed people for the purpose of fulfilling a role and paying a wage, were the employee may not really enjoy the job they are doing. As we move into the New Energy and develop our awareness. As New Spirituality develops and Self-love grows and your appreciation for fellow employees naturally changes, we grow in synchrony and Self-realisation.

This shift is happening now; employees and business owners are going through major changes both at work and in their home life. It is getting harder and harder to stay in a job you are not enjoying doing.

Your individual life’s purpose and your job are aligning, it is possible to help this process through your imagination, your vision and your dreams to plan the next step on your life’s journey. The best way to achieve this is to shift your focus from what you don’t want to what you would love to have, be and do.

This shift in vision and what you are being will shift your energy to a more positive life where you are constantly choosing to follow your joy and stepping into happiness, as you take each step in life.

Your job may change during this process, as you become more aligned with your life purpose and your company’s expectation. Companies are living things and they can only grow through change as they evolve and expand.

Employees also like changing and growing both within the company and within their own life. So what can we do to speed up this process of evolution and growth?

Turning the attention back on your self is one of the most useful things that you can do. This can happen as easily as becoming aware of ones own breathing and reaching out with your feelings and adjusting your energies each time you become aware of some tension within the body and relaxing and re-centring.

Following one of the many methods of meditation can do it, the main thing is we look within and just observe what we feel and see. We cannot use our gifts until we become aware of them. By taking a few minutes each day to align our own energies will have a tremendous effect on our co-workers and bring harmony and peace into the work place.

Message channelled by George Lockett (C) Copyright 2005, All Rights Reserved. Read HealerGeorge’s Blog: Journey into the Self
Visit the website for more information and previously published ebooks to read, Guided Meditation CD or MP3 file. Request Absent Healing at:
HealerGeorge Or ask at question at: Ask HealerGeorge

Effective Team Building for Stronger Teams

2005-10-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

By Trevor Bartley

TEAM LEADERS WORKSHOP

Alice asked Cheshire cat “which road should I take?” (Cheshire cat) “Where do you want to go?” (Alice) “I don’t know”
(Cheshire cat) well it doesn’t matter which road you take.

How do you tell a good leader? “By how many people will follow them into battle”

What is Coaching?

A discussion process between members of an organization aimed at exerting a positive influence in the motivation, performance and awareness of areas for improvement and development of another person to help them be as effective as possible

What is transformational Leaders!

A literature search of over 200 books and articles confirmed that successful organisations had more innovative and productive teams and team members who were more loyal and committed. They also had leaders who exhibited characteristics that "transformed a group of individual into a high performance team." Our first research question was: If successful organisations had more innovative and productive team members, and if loyal and committed team members were more productive and innovative....what role does transformational leadership play in creating and sustaining individual team members loyalty, innovation, commitment, and productivity?
Yet there existed no valid instrument for identifying those people who exhibited transformational leadership behaviours. We can identify transformational leaders by the way they exhibited these transformational characteristics;

1. Sharing the vision

2. Building a learning environment

3. Being a positive role model

4. Recognising individual abilities/values

5. Reinforcing self-confidence/independence

6. Supporting their team members

7. Driving out fear

8. Encouraging participation/self-expression

9. Fostering continuous improvement

10.Fostering initiative and responsibility

11.Encouraging persistence

12.Emphasising intrinsic outcomes

13.Advocating shared leadership

Acrostic - Leadership - Team

Lead by

Example

Accelerate,

Duplication,

Encourage

Relationships

Show

Honesty

Interest and

Praise

A great philosopher was once asked what his style or way of leadership was. He said, “There isn’t one style or way of doing things. Success in leadership comes from taking a bit of all the things you have learned from every style and way you have learnt it, and then adapting it to what you need for the environment, time and person you are dealing with.” In other words there is no one-way to do things.

I have chosen to take the good parts of many different leadership styles, and I have created my own blend of mix, so that I can implement what suits the occasion I am in, whenever and wherever it is needed.

The best way I have heard it stated was by John Maxwell when he said, “No matter how much you learn from the past, it will never tell you all you need to know for the present.”

My Ice-burg Leadership Theory

Team - above the water, this is what everyone sees.

Leadership - keeping the team afloat

If what you see above the water is excellence, it’s only due to the capacity of the teamwork and leadership below – this is what makes the team stable.

As we get stronger spiritually we add support, commitment, ownership, passion loyalty, and growth to our team. If you want to be served you need to serve. If you want to be a good leader you need to be the best servant of all. Emulate what you wish to see in others.

Value Verses Idea - What is the value of leadership?

Why are you in leadership?

Is it because the idea of becoming a leader sounds great? When times get tough an idea will not keep you going, if you value nothing your commitment will fluctuate.

What is the value of the things you do? We need to be Consistent. Ask yourself if you are the same at work as you are at home and whether you work because you enjoy it, or you work because you need to. If you work because you need to, you are working for an idea; this type of person will clock on and clock off at the minute.

Seven Leadership Mindsets;

1. Sow to grow not to survive – (don’t just do what you have to, invest in development and growing yourself)

2. No glass ceilings – (seek to exceed, don’t be the best – be better than the best)

3. Don’t compromise – (do unto others as you would like done unto you)

4. Take responsibility for your actions and decisions – (Be they positive or negative, take responsibility face to face with your team)

5. Accept no surprises – (hear everything your team has to say, good and bad)

6. Don’t accept that it “can’t be done” – (can’t, is an acceptable challenge) use cup eg;

7. Build your credibility before, you sell your credibility – (don’t speak before you have achieved, hope is a confidence - but action is substance)

Other books written by Trevor Bartely View his site http://www.sysm.com.au
Ministry of Helps, Leadership & group facilitation, Where have we Robbed God? Basic for Believers, Finance for believers
The Word of God, The Character of God, Supernatural Prayer,
Evangelism, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, Faith
Exposition of Ephesians (focusing on the new creation reality)
Ministry Gifts & Talents
Heroes of the faith ( J A Dowie, E Roberts, K Kuhlman , etc )
The book of Mark, Abundance, Worship, Apologetics, Marriage and family, Thou shall Prosper, Heroes of the faith (David, Esther, Moses, Paul), Chaos of the cults

What's the Secret Ingredient That Turns Groups into Teams?

2005-10-05T10:34:00.000-07:00

By F McDuffee

What’s the Secret Ingredient That Turns Groups into Teams?
Working together building and maintaining long-term team relationships is the key behavior and skill of the most effective people in any organization.

Mutual Trust is the secret ingredient that turns groups into teams. It leads to cooperation, productivity, faster problem solving, loyalty and high morale.

Some of the key elements that create trust:

1. Put the goals of the team first. Place personal goals second.

2. Admit weakness, concerns and fears. People trust those who can admit they are human.

3. Ask for help when necessary. That’s just as important for building team trust as offering help when it’s needed.

4. Be optimistic and encouraging. Never criticize, complain or condemn.

5. Express approval. Your expression of approval towards someone satisfies their need for recognition and show respect for their accomplishments.

6. Offer appreciation. Whenever you thank someone for anything, you raise his or her self-esteem another notch. They feel more valuable and important.

7. Give your focused attention. This pays the team members a great compliment. You make them feel valuable and it helps to cut through any resistance and tension.

8. Compliment worthiness. Whenever you see anything that anyone has done that’s worthy of a compliment, point it out and tell them how much you admire and appreciate them.

9. Practice agreeability and acceptance. People like to be around and deal with other people who accept them for who they are without judgment. You express acceptance and agreeability to others by smiling at them, nodding and agreeing when you can, even in the toughest situations.

What Ingredients Do You Need to Make an Effective Team?.

You can build a trusting team by looking for these kinds of members.

A Facilitator: Start with a person who has a track record of getting things done through others.

A Practical Hardhead: This person brings stability to the team and keeps everyone focused and on target. Be sure that this person is confident enough to speak out clearly, when others seem to be planting their feet firmly in midair.

A Numbers Person: Be sure that someone can keep control of the budget and that dreamers don’t go wild with the company’s or other people’s money.

At Least One Creative Person: This should be someone who will consistently come up with innovative ideas.

A Future-minded Strategist: Every team needs someone who will project from the present into the future and will press for a backup plan.

At Least One Star Performer: This person is someone who always goes beyond the minimum. These types solve problems and get involved in projects without worrying whether an activity is in their job description.

Taking Lessons From The Geese.

When you start to doubt the wisdom of teamwork, heed these lessons from an unlikely source…a flock of geese.

As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird following. By flying in ‘V’ formation, the whole flock adds 71% more to its flying range than if each bird flew alone.

o Lesson: Teammates who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they’re going quicker and easier when they travel on shared power.

When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies at the point position.

o Lesson: It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing the leader’s role.

When in formation, the geese from behind honk to encourage those in front to keep up their speed.

o Lesson: Sometimes team members need to hear a little honking.

Whenever a goose is sick or wounded, two geese drop out of formation to help and protect it. They stay with it until it can fly again or dies.

o Lesson: Stand by one another in times of trouble.

Jealousy and Territoriality in the Workplace

2005-10-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

By Mark Meshulam

There are times in every company when people "butt heads" with each other whether subtly or overtly. These conflicts, if persistent, can become detrimental to the business and should be addressed if possible.

If you are a manager or co-worker of the conflicting parties, you can have a positive effect on tension reduction. If you are an underling of one or both parties, hide under the desk and avoid the crossfire unless you have an exceptionally strong relationship with a "superior".

If you are in a position to help, there are two things to do: gain understanding, then take action.

The understanding part is interesting, especially if you watch National Geographic specials on tv, or on your phone if you are exceptionally wired. Doesn't it seem that the non-alpha males are always butting each other so they can get chummier with the alpha and mate with better gals?

Those head-butts can look quite ferocious, and indeed they should. The young bucks are fighting for nothing less than the optimized survival of their line. It is not a laughing matter for them. They may not die if they lose the conflict, but their progeny will suffer in number and quality.

And of course it goes without saying that the more determined, capable and intelligent of those bucks will win the conflict and over generations, alphas and wannabees will be naturally bred with those traits in spades.

To enormously simplify a point, your workplace sparring partners may be enacting the essential primal drama of survival. Morphed, twisted and filtered through millennia of the human experience, but underneath it all, a head-butt in the prairie.

Here is what there is to understand:

1. The feelings run deep and strong and for good reason. We're talking nature here.

2. If it is an unequal match and nature takes its course, the little guy will get clobbered and should slink back to his cubicle, licking whatever body part he can reach.

3. If it a pretty equal match, the contestants will need either an open venue for the final battle where a clear winner will be established, or they will need to be separated.

Here is what there is to do:

1. As a manager, understand that a certain amount of competition is good for the herd, uh, company. But beyond that the company can suffer. If the manager perceives that there are more negatives than positives to the competition, he (or she) should remember the alpha role and head-butt the boata dem (Chicago-ese for "both of them") until they remember who is the big boss.

Example: "Guys, your behavior is making it hard for others to do their work and is creating a bad atmosphere around here. Shake hands and get on the same team, or take your problem to another company."

2. As a co-worker, understand that ultimately the herd survives if it cooperates and stays together. As much as competition may advance the individual, true cooperation advances the whole company. Then you can be vocal about these ideas which will encourage the rest of the tribe, I mean the business, to also express them. Eventually it will seep into the thickened sculls of the contestants.

Example: "I am getting very tired of our work being interrupted by the feud between those two. It is taking our minds off of what we really need to be doing. If they keep it up, we are all going down the tubes. We should pull together."

Mark Meshulam, of Northbrook, IL, USA designs business productivity software and authors articles on subjects related to workplace productivity.

Mr. Meshulam holds a Masters Degree in Group Dynamics from the University of Illinois, and owns a prominent construction company in Chicago.

He draws from these experiences in formulating unique software applications which address problems actually found in the workplace.

Visit http://www.poingo.com

Why Team Leading Is Like Riding A Bike

2005-10-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

By Eric Garner

Team leaders have three functions:

• to get the team to perform a given task to the satisfaction of the customer

• to allow for individuals to find job satisfaction and sufficient motivation to want to continue in the team

• to develop the team so that, with the same people and the same resources, a higher performance can be obtained.

The triple concerns of Task, Team and Individuals mean that the team leader is constantly faced with dilemmas and paradoxes: should task come before the team or team before task? Should the leader meet individuals one-to-one or only meet with the team as a whole? These dilemmas mean that effective team leadership is a series of checks and balances rather than a simple question of implementing the rules.

"Teamwork is like riding a bicycle. You can only move forward if you stay in balance."

1. The Task. In the balancing act that is team leadership, the task becomes the team's number one priority whenever the customer's needs are uppermost in their minds. Working on the team's task may mean putting the team's team and individual needs on hold. It may also become necessary to work on the task if the team has spent too much time on its people needs and needs to re-discover a balance.

Some of the features of the task-oriented team leader are:

• she rules with an iron fist

• she talks about how much should be done

• she asks for sacrifices for the good of the whole team

• she sees to it that people are working to their limits

• she stresses being ahead of competing work teams

• she decides in detail what needs to be done

• she emphasises deadlines

• she emphasises quality of work.

2. The Team. In their position of being either slightly outside the team or wholly outside it, team leaders are the best people to see the team objectively as a team. They are able to give the team its shape and reality, making the team more than just a collection of individuals.

They can do this by:

• meeting with the team as a whole, involving the team in discussions and reaching team decisions

• making selections to the team based on what newcomers can add to the team

• removing from the team anyone who unbalances or disrupts the team

• sensing the team's energy and making the necessary interventions to help it move forward

• fostering team spirit

• giving the team its unique identity.

3. The Individual. The route to all effective teamwork lies through managing the individuals in the team. Only through one-to-one contact and management can a team leader develop people who have the skills, motivation and inspiration to fulfil the task needs of the team and develop the team as a unit.

The areas a team leader needs to address in managing the individuals in the team include:

• appointing newcomers to the team

• building up individual skills and realising personal potential through training, coaching, and mentoring

• getting to know individuals well enough to be able to make sensible adjustments to who does what in the team

• individual rewards, pay and conditions

• personal performance appraisal

• dealing with individual performance problems through counselling and discipline.

The team leader's concern for balancing task, team and individuals may be likened to the human functions of hand, heart and head:

• the hand represents the mechanical or technological way a task should be performed.

• the heart represents the inspiration that can unite a team and achieve more than you can measure.

• the head represents the sensible and logical way individuals should be managed.

When hand, heart and head are all properly cared for, not only is there a whole, but also a healthy balance.

"A man who works with his hands is a labourer; a man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his brain and his heart is an artist." (Louis Nizer, 1902-94)

For instant solutions to all your management training needs, visit http://www.managetrainlearn.com and download amazing FREE training software. And while you’re there, make sure you try out our prize quiz, get your surprise bonus gift, and subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter. Go and get the ManageTrainLearn experience now!

Five Simple Strategies for Unifying Project Teams

2005-10-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

By Lonnie Pacelli

Do your project team members show confusion about who is responsible for what aspects of the job? Do their conversations and meetings usually end in heated personal attacks? Or do individual members ever exhibit an "every person for themselves" attitude and refuse to help their teammates? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then you're not alone. Sometimes, a team simply doesn't "gel."

Every experienced project manager has certainly experienced challenges in getting their teams to behave like...well, teams. But with organization and guidance you can help your project teams accomplish more and eliminate many of the setbacks and challenges that make teamwork so difficult. Consider the following five strategies for unifying and organizing your teams:

1. Establish a Project Organization with Clearly Defined Roles

Project organization must go beyond a hierarchy chart. Each person needs to know what function they play on the team, how they fit into the other functions, and what happens if they don't do their job.

Depending on your industry or functional discipline, you may employ standard or customary roles on your project. Start with these standard roles that are typical for your type of projects. But if the particular project need warrants a special role that is outside the standard, then create a special role. And if the project doesn't need a particular standard role, then eliminate it. This may sound easy enough, but many project managers hesitate to deviate from standard roles. At the end of the day, however, results are what matter the most, not how well a team adhered to the standard project role structure.

If the project is unique or the environment doesn't have standard or customary project roles, take a more pragmatic approach to role definition. Identify three to six aspects of the project that are most important or that pose the most risk. Create roles that encompass the concern or risk areas. Then ensure that all major roles are defined correctly by crosschecking the roles with the work that needs to be done.

This type of project organization addresses concerns or areas of risk head-on by defining a role with a singular point of accountability to manage the areas of your project that are most likely to fail. By doing this, you'll sleep better knowing that the most crucial areas are covered.

2. Eliminate Finger Pointing and Public Fights

Every team project will likely involve lively discussions. Often, these discussions lead you one step closer to project completion. But when they get out of control, these discussions lead to finger pointing and fighting. Be deliberate in letting these discussions take place and in letting team members question each other, but put a few rules in place to maintain a level of civility.

Allow team members to challenge and stretch, but when a decision is made everyone must stand behind it as a team. What happens in the room stays in the room; outside of the room the team remains unified. This means no gossiping or badmouthing a team member to outsiders. Also, wrong decisions must be accepted as a team. In other words, no finger pointing allowed. And finally, don't allow problems to become personal. Focus on problems, not on people.

Inevitably some rules will be broken. However, you should still strive to get some ground rules in place to avoid team strife whenever possible.

3. Develop a "Rallying Cry" to Focus the Team

You can look at any major successful campaign and see the messages that embody them. Consider these classic examples: "Where's the beef?" "Got milk?" and "Plop, plop, fizz, fizz." All these unifying messages can be associated with a product. Similarly, when driving a project it helps the team to embody some kind of rallying cry or mantra.

Your team's message should incorporate aspects of the project. For example, say your team needs to be cautious not to over-design a solution to keep costs down. In this case, you might start using a "good enough" rallying cry during the design phase to serve as a continual reminder not to overdo the solution. Aside from helping to keep the project within bounds, the rallying cry will also help unify the team.

4. Hold Team Members Accountable for Delivery

With team projects, each role needs to clearly understand what they need to do, when they need to have it done, and how their work fits into the big picture. Everyone needs to realize that the team isn't only accountable to the project manager, but they are also accountable to each other. After all, if one person fails, the whole team fails. Therefore, each individual team member must know what everyone else is doing.

Each role should be aware of what is happening in other roles to ensure that they know if and how they fit in to those aspects of the project. Each role should also realize that if they fail to meet a deadline or don't perform their job adequately, they are letting down the team as a whole, not just the project manager. Meeting or missing deadlines and deliverables are a team issue and should be exposed to the entire team. The point here is accountability. Each member needs to feel accountable for his or her work and needs to experience the joy of success as well as the discomfort of failure.

5. Celebrate Victories as a Team

Driving through a project is tough work, and people can easily get discouraged when the team faces roadblocks or setbacks. Therefore, celebration of key milestones is important to keep morale up and momentum going. These celebrations don't have to be extravagant; they can be as simple as ordering a pizza or bringing in a cake. Anything that allows the team members to let their hair down and take a bit of a breather will suffice. However, too much celebration can lessen the impact of the success and may actually annoy the team members. So celebrate, but do it in moderation.

Teamwork in the Future

A well-structured project team means each team member understands their role in making the project successful. Each project team member knows what they need to contribute to the project, when they have to perform, what other project team members are doing on the project, and what it takes to be successful. Just as important, each of the team members helps each other to ensure overall project success. When you use these five strategies to unify and organize your teams, you can overcome the common teamwork challenges and make all your future projects more successful.

Lonnie Pacelli has over 20 years' experience with Accenture and Microsoft and is currently president of Leading on the Edge™ International. Lonnie's books include "The Project Management Advisor: 18 Major Project Screw-Ups and How to Cut Them Off at the Pass" and "The Truth About Getting Your Point Across". Get the books, leadership products, other articles, MP3 seminars and a free email mini seminar at http://www.leadingonedge.com

Empowering Teams & Leaders

2005-10-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

By Lee Down

A recent dream spoke to me about leadership. In this dream, I was a member of a good-natured team of life-loving characters. Isn't this typical of most of us in life and how we want to experience our lives? I believe it is. With performance being such an issue to sustain a business and create profit-margins, a great deal of stress is experienced at the supervisory level when performance falls below the line. In efforts to motivate, some supervisors will try a variety of tactics in order to ellicit the support they need from the team to keep up the pace. Are tactics really the answer though?

Leaders, like members of the team, also want to feel connected; a part of the team or community. It's a lonely place as leader. If a supervisor is between upper-management and the workforce, they're in a vulnerable and isolated place if upper-management is less than supportive. It has happened where they are raked over the coals and held accountable for a teams lack of performance. Some managers in my past have been the buffer zone protecting the team from the flak from above. Other managers aren't so kind or more accurately put, as capable. They react out of fear and desperation. They need help.

As a leader, the best you can do is to mentor the staff. Create the team and the incentives. Don't bribe though as this will dig you into a deeper hole. Where there are problem areas, get involved in conversation. Talk to the individual(s) in private, seeking their input, their issues, and ask their advice for how things can be improved. Watch them respond when you create a safe environment for their feedback and solutions to issues that are holding the team back. If you don't have the answers, ask them for the answers.

This reminds me of an engineer I know. Engineers, smart and creative by nature and study, sometimes think they have all the answers and design solutions on paper feeling certain that they've thought of everything. This particular engineer, as a young man, made it a point to venture out onto the shop floor to speak with the skilled labour involved with the practical hands-on. Sharing his ideas with them, seeking their input and suggestions, his solutions proved far more effective, sound, and delivered higher quality than when done independent of any feedback.

It's the same in most workshop situations. Facilitators are the leaders of a workshop. They are the experts; but are they really? As the expert in imparting a particular topic, they will present material and lead the group in education around a theme. Given the diversity, creativity, and intelligence of the group, the Facilitator will encounter excellent questions that they are unable to answer. A Facilitator doesn't seek to answer all the questions though. They turn the question back to the group and ellicit discussion and ideas from the participants.

Powerful synergy is created. Belonging is experienced. Inclusiveness creates greater participation and ownership of outcomes. Whether you're a leader or a team-member, you can contribute through the empowerment you give and create for one another. Give it a try.

Lee Down is a Professional Coach, Trainer/Facilitator, Speaker, & Writer of One Man Can Human Capital Development that focuses on relationships, the key foundation to success in business and life. With more than 15 years professional experience and a thirst for truth and understanding, he focuses on the human spirit and human capacity.

Working with clients, he facilitates the breaking down of beliefs, barriers or obstacles that bring clients forward on their journey of discovery with spirit, energy, abundance, passion and purpose, integrating the mind and body experience. Working with business, he brings visionary leadership and relationship skills to the forefront that witnesses an empowered culture evolve and develop directly impacting the improvement to the bottom-line.

Building High Performance Teams

2005-10-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

By R.G. Srinivasan

Your managerial success is tied to your team. Teams are the most valuable resource of an organization. The times of lone leadership are over with Alexander the Great. These are the times of the team leadership. If you can build a successful team and work as the leader who is just a little more equal than others you may be able to pull off everything you do with great success.

Successful team building requires a lot of focus and effort. Here are a few tips to build teams that are effective and deliver results.

Define the Objectives: Does the team members understand clearly the expectations from them? Have the performance challenges clearly been defined? Do they know what the expected outcomes are? If there is a misunderstanding on the results expected from each member as well as that of the team, you may as well write off the team. Great Team + Challenging Objective = Extraordinary Results.

Define the vision: The teams realize that they may be able to survive only by delivering the bottom line results. However they need something more than the key results defined to them. They need a vision, something higher than profits and results. A higher ideal fires up the team’s creativity and passion.

Empower to Create Ownership: Empower your team to be independent decision makers to accomplish tasks and team objectives while defining their boundaries. Empowered teams and members carry out its objectives faster as they do not need to wait for the leader to decide for them. Empowered teams own up their responsibility.

Train, Train and Train Some More: A leader has a large stake in the success of each team member. Members of teams require different skills and the leader needs to be a trainer rather than a driver. Identify skill gaps in soft as well as areas of expertise and keep training them to produce better results.

Fostering Right Interpersonal Relationships: Make the team understand that there would be differences. Difference in gender, culture, thought process and approach to work symbolizes the dynamic and diverse members who have come together to achieve common goals. Respecting the difference and valuing others experience and thoughts enable the team to function with the right relationships.

Rewards and Compensation: As they say, first share the cash then the compliments. Everyone talks about the value and benefits of team work. However benefits to individuals must be clear along with the benefits to the organization. Set down the right monetary rewards and incentives for so that the achievement and benefits for the individuals and organization are balanced.

Lead by Example: A leader always leads from the front. Set example of discipline, performance orientation putting aside personal ego to the team’s superiority. Give credit to the others even though you may have contributed more. This nurtures the right team atmosphere and spirit of togetherness.

Celebrate Success: Finally don’t forget to celebrate success. It must become a habit to celebrate every achievement though small they may be. Constant celebration boosts the team morale driving it to perform at higher levels and aim for bigger achievements.

Many of the business cultures and managements celebrate the lone hero leadership much more than the team leaderships. In the modern interdependent world it is the teams within the organizations and multiple teams all collaborating and contributing to the common corporate objectives that really differentiate the dynamic growing organizations from the lone cowboy leaderships that may collapse the moment the leader is not available to lead.

R.G. Srinivasan is a Certified Trainer, Writer and Author with more than two decades of managerial experience. He writes a regular blog on management thoughts which you may check out at http://management-thoughts.blogspot.com for interesting articles on management, managerial resources, strategies and experiences.

Discovering the Truth on MLM

2005-08-31T03:42:00.000-07:00

By Rolf Rasmusson

Truth on mlm

Did you know that the truth on mlm can set you free? Well, it definately can and here's why. Basic processes need to take place no matter how many different articles, books and websites are devoted to the subject on network marketing.

Here's the truth on mlm.

You need to recruit and train new distributors into your business. The more of that you do the more success you'll experience in your business. Teaching others while keeping it simple and them helping others is what builds your organization. So in reality you are gradually building the size of your group by multiplying yourself through others, otherwise known as leveraging your time.

So frankly speaking its very easy to. Where things break down of course is in the doing of the work itself and a regular basis until such time as your organization is self perpetuating. Not long ago that task was pretty tuff on most people because of time constraints and lifestyle choices.

Modern technology has come a long way in plugging up the holes in the "doing the work" phase. We've seen electronic systems automate practically the entire process. The cost and investment return is pretty good and deserves service attention and thought. Being able to work from home is a lot of fun and essentially it gets you out of the rat race.

Since we're all so different on an individual level and with our very own constraints, attitudes and habits the time it takes to put together a decent income varies by the nature of the individual building the business.

We've seen very aggressive personalities build high 6 figure incomes in less than 18 months and others took (3) to (5) years. Even then most people drop out because they aren't really ready to own their own business. Talks cheap and whiskey costs money. Boy, should that age me.

Personally, I'm grateful for the business opportunities available to us all. Not being afraid to work with a certain amount of discernment and patience has paid off in a very huge way. So, you really want a better lifestyle and the funs to go with it? Then apply the truth on mlm I've given you. It works!

Rolf's extroadinary success work at home story motivated him to share with you key strategies in avoiding the pitfalls in
mlm and network marketing

How Does Personal Development Help in Business?

2005-08-31T03:39:00.000-07:00

By George Lockett

Employees also like changing and growing both within the company and within their own life. So what can we do to speed up this process of evolution and growth?

The Magic and Mystery of Teams

2005-06-27T02:02:00.000-07:00

By Len McNally

As the world of manufacturing has become increasingly competitive, managers have diligently searched out new and innovative ways to increase productivity, multiply the power of every employee, and better utilize every resource in order to positively impact the bottom line.

For more than a decade one of the most popular "Hot Trend" innovations has been the idea of "Team". We are told that no man is an island, nothing of significance has ever been accomplished by one person alone, the whole is equal to more than the sum of its parts and on and on and on.

One the other hand I recently read about a Canadian government survey that concluded there is no evidence to support the idea that team environments are more productive than non team environments. Some unknown genius said, "If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in the dark with a mosquito."

Bacon and eggs make a great breakfast team whereas mashed turnips and eggs just don't seem to work. When a CEO brings in an advisor, coach or consultant to discuss available options, perhaps the first question to address should be, "Is this a team situation?"

Are there situations where a "Team" approach is not appropriate and if so what is it that separates a "Team" scenario from some other method?

Many years ago my philosophy professor taught me that before you can argue for or against an idea you need to define your axioms.

So what is a "Team"?

Any group of people working together -- right? Wrong!

When is a group not a team?

A basic tenet of "Team" is joint responsibility, joint blame and joint credit. Any situation in which individuals are going to be judged, assessed or rated according to individual achievement is not a team situation. Someone has said, "individuals score points, teams win games."

Salespeople in a car dealership rarely pass on leads to each other or step in to help each other close a deal. In fact they are more likely to steal each other's potential clients. Even when they become friends and a senior salesperson mentors a junior, offering advice on assessing customers, prospecting, closing deals, etc., this is not a team. Many organizations refer to their sales staff as a team, but each salesperson is solely responsible for results in a given area, territory, geographic location or product line. No matter how determined we are to have all sales people deliver the same message, in the same way, if they do not need interaction, co-operation, and support from one another, and if they are not going to be judged primarily by overall results of the group, they are not a team.

Another basic tenet of team is decision making method. In many groups we seek majority agreement, seven for -- five against -- the "for" is carried. Not so with a team. Here we must seek consensus. We must arrive at a decision that everyone can support. We must keep asking what can be modified to get support from those who disagree. (If we delete this, modify that, add something else, would you then be able to go along?) We must have unanimity. The joint responsibility, blame, credit demands it.

If you still like to call your sales staff, "The Sales Team" because you like the sound of it, you believe your customers like the sound of it, or even because the salespeople like the sound of it, go ahead, we don't need to play with semantics. But don't delude yourself into thinking that the attitudes that make your favourite hockey team a champion will work here! Instead seek to develop the attitudes to practice, conditioning and a positive mental attitude that make individual players great.

Similarly a "Management Team" is rarely that, at least not in all aspects of each executive's function. By all means, when managers come together to analyze performance, determine employment standards or create a strategic plan for growth they will likely be operating as a team. A CEO has authority to impose, assign, delegate and hold other managers accountable. When he or she brings subordinates together for a pep talk, sites the shortcomings of individual departments, lays out new policy, directives or goals, this is no team environment. A team has a leader, other groups have a boss! And yes, we still need bosses!

From this I think we can conclude that, when an enterprise demands individual effort and that individual alone must be responsible for results, the idea of "Team" is inappropriate. We must also be aware that in any endeavour where we are putting all of our eggs in an "individual" basket, the selection, training, coaching and mentoring of that individual is crucial to the success of that endeavour.

We may also conclude that when an enterprise is so critical as to demand very tight control, a high degree of expertise or quick, on the spot decision making and action, even if many people are involved we have a committee or a task force, not a team. (Some teams can be called a "Task Force" but more on that later.)

Why is it important to differentiate?

The idea of team is most important to corporate culture. A culture that embraces the idea that everyone is working together co-dependantly toward the accomplishment of a noble objective is masterfully put forward in the little book, "Gung Ho!" By Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles. The idea of everyone accepting individual and joint responsibility for the overall corporate effort and result, sharing the dream and the rewards is seen as the key to achieving corporate goals.

The Team

In examining organizations where teams have proven to be successful we see some obvious differences from non team environments. The word "Team" seems to be constantly on the tip of every tongue. We hear references to "the management team", "the sales team", "the safety team", the productivity team". We here that "George, Sally and Roberta teamed up to...", "the Tom and Bob team produces..." and so on. There is an apparently constant awareness of and focus on the "Idea of team." We, them, and us are heard much more often than I, she, you and him.

There are some basics that determine the success of any team effort. Number of members, purpose, goals, required and available skills, approach or methodology, accountability and results measurement. In almost every instance where a team fails to meet its objectives a deficiency in one or more of these is the prime cause.

A dozen members is generally believed to be the maximum for effectiveness. More than this becomes cumbersome and unwieldy with too little opportunity for individual contribution.

Everyone must understand what is the object of the exercise, what the group is expected to accomplish that can't be done by individual effort. Each person should also know why he or she is a part of the team.

Goals must be clearly defined both for the team and for the contribution of each individual member and everyone must buy in. The group must share a vision of the team as a powerful force.

A TEAM DOESN'T HAVE TO KNOW ITS A TEAM

I worked for many years as a sales representative in a true team setting. The company (management) thought they had a sales team consisting of nine inside salesmen, nine outside salesmen, in inside supervisor and a sales manager. This of course was not a team at all, there was no common goal or objective (accept to sell more), no co-operation between territories, and no joint accountability.

What this company did not understand was that each inside / outside pair was a definite team of two. The outside person was the team leader and the inside supervisor and sales manager were coaches and mentors. Each team was jointly and collectively responsible to set its sales objectives within their clearly defined geographic territory and to create a strategy to achieve them, and they were jointly accountable for results. The process created natural teams that in most cases were powerful, dynamic, competitive and successful, especially when we acquired a sales manager who became a true coach and mentor.

REQUIREMENTS

In any team, skills must be honed in goal setting, communication, listening, relationship building, presentation, information gathering, analysis, personal management, time management, delegation, conflict resolution, problem solving, project management and team building. Whew!

The approach to the task must be logical, simple and thorough to make sure that all aspects are understood, all necessary actions taken and all unnecessary actions eliminated.

The group must understand the criteria by which they will be measured and except the dynamics of group accountability. No one person must be allowed to except the blame for error or failure. No one person can be allowed to grab the glory. The team is accountable for all and to all.

Much research indicates that focus on becoming a team rarely works. The focus must be on accomplishing the objective, and working together utilizing the diverse experience and skills of other people, is merely a logical way of multiplying the effectiveness of each person. With focus on the goal, the team comes into being as a natural by-product. It has even been suggested that a team should not be told it is a team.

TEAM POWER

John C. Maxwell's book, "The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork" stresses the importance of recognizing that nothing worthwhile has ever been accomplished by one person alone. Every baseball pitcher has a pitching coach, every batter a hitting coach. Every great golfer works with a coach or teacher. Every inventor is the product of educators and the research of others. Every politician, every business person, every military commander, every pastor becomes effective only with a great deal of input and help from others. Everyone must understand how much more power is unleashed when each person becomes a dedicated part of a group effort.

The team is not a substitute for hierarchy within an organization and is in fact an extension of it, a great way to integrate otherwise competitive units or functions. Teams achieve a balance between short term performance objectives and long term organizational building goals by turning long term goals into definable performance criteria and development of the skills necessary to accomplish them.

EXPERIENCE CAN BE A PROBLEM

Most people have been trained to think and act as individuals. They are most often evaluated on individual performance, individual effort and individual accomplishment. Learning to contribute to a joint effort, to become subservient to the needs of the group, to accept a share of failure that may be due to another's shortcomings and to willingly share the glory of accomplishment with others whose contribution in a specific instance may be questionable, is a new, unsettling and often frightening experience.

The process of building a team begins with helping the members to create a vision of what they want to accomplish, to believe in the inevitability of the results and to dedicate themselves to accomplishment of the goals. After the death of Walt Disney, his widow was asked to participate in the opening of Walt Disney World in Florida, the product of a huge team effort. When the person introducing her said, "I wish Walt could have seen this", she replied, "He did". The power of vision is awesome.

A fundamental requirement for success in a team environment is trust, by each member, in each member and in the group. Its development requires time and a sincere effort. Trust is one of those things that must be given before it can be gotten. In "The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, Stephen Covey talks of making deposits now so you can make withdrawals later. When a person considers that his or her career is at stake in granting trust, it is not granted readily but people can learn to do so. Time and positive results will provide reinforcement.

TYPE OF TEAM DEFINED BY ROLE

There are three distinct types of teams. Teams that make or do things, teams that run things and teams that recommend things. (The Wisdom of Teams – Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith) In the first two it is relatively easy to define roles, observe skills and recognize contribution.

In the case of the team that recommends things, a task force, roles are often blurred, skills are fuzzy and contribution is not always obvious. One member may not be aware that her great idea grew out of a comment by another member several weeks ago or that her own input has had a profound impact on the thinking of someone else. Recommendation is after all the end result of thinking through options.

Initially, task force members may try to upstage each other, a natural reaction in the often territorial workplace. Direction and guidance is required to prevent resentment and self defence from becoming the norm. Katzenbach and Smith have concluded that the success of teams is the result of "the disciplined pursuit of performance". The emphasis is on discipline.

THE COACH

In every type of team the role of the team coach is crucial. Rarely will a group come together and begin to function as a team without this close up guidance. The coach helps members to develop the required skills through subtle suggestion, open ended questions, pointing out options, not necessarily in regard to the task being performed but in approach to the task and in analysis of potential results. The coach is also a builder of confidence, a reminder of goals, an enhancer of vision, a sounding board for ideas, an attitude adjuster when required, a mentor individually and collectively and a champion for the team in relations with management and other outsiders.

PATIENCE, PATIENCE AND MORE PATIENCE

Rome wasn't built in a day and teams do not happen overnight. Even when teams work together for a full eight hours every day it often takes weeks or even months before they begin to function effectively. In the case of a task force that meets weekly or monthly it is of great importance to provide guidance and direction. If for example, a person's bruised ego or hurt feelings are allowed to fester for a week or a month between meetings, that person's contribution and value to the group is likely ended. The coach must pick up on such things and address them one on one outside of the group or arrange a meeting of two members who are at odds with each other to resolve an issue.

THE TEAM LEADER

The team must have a leader, usually selected by the team, to guide the process on which they are engaged. The leader is neither a supervisor nor a boss but someone to insure that each member has an appropriate role and has the skills and tools required to perform it. The leader helps the team to arrive at consensus, maintains direction and focus and presides over meetings. The leader does not make unilateral decisions but does participate the same as any other member, does his or her fair share of the work, encourages everyone to participate and arbitrates disputes. The team leader is also responsible for the mix on the team, to insure that all necessary skills and experience are available. Since the coach is not with the team full time the team leader must assume some of the coach's role on a day to day basis. The team leader must juggle control and guidance, keeping the team on track without being in charge. In short the leader must accept the responsibility to do whatever it takes to make the team successful.

Especially in task force teams (teams that recommend things) the role of team leader may change with each project under study or consideration. When there is a team member with a high degree of experience or knowledge in a particular area, that person may assume the team leader role for that project.

In teams that make things or do things the team leader is more likely to remain constant and may often be appointed by management. This sometimes becomes a huge role change for a former supervisor who may need a good deal of coaching to make the transition.

TOUGH ON MANAGEMENT

Teams that run things particularly at a very senior level often have an appointed leader. This can be a very difficult situation to manage. Strong leaders who have devoted a lifetime in the pursuit and acquisition of power are often reluctant to give up even the appearance of being in charge.

Management must be willing to stay out of the way, to allow the team to function, to back up its decisions and to insure that all necessary resources are made available, including co-operation from managers, other departments, and where appropriate, access to information, suppliers and often customers. This does not mean that the team (or team members) is allowed to ignore hierarchy or behave insubordinately. All requests and submissions must go through appropriate channels.

For many managers, this can be a tough pill. I remember when working as a career counselor, the consternation of a client returning from a job interview. He had gone to great lengths to point out to the CEO interviewing him that he was a highly skilled, 'hands on' manager. The CEO had asked, "Yes, but do you think you can learn to be a 'hands off' manager?" As sales people know, often you have to give up control to maintain control.

I worked for a short period of time as a sales rep for a company that knew nothing of teams. We got a new branch manager for whom I had a great deal of respect as an able competitor when I had worked for another company. He assembled the sales force, told us he was proud of the team, and then spent more than two hours instructing us on how to make sales calls and represent the company. There was no input sought and no questions asked until he finished with, "Any questions or comments?" At the time I was the star of the sales force so after several moments of silence I finally responded, "Well Bruce, I've always believed that if you have five people in a room and only one opinion, you have four more people than you need." A week later I handed him my resignation and accepted what was probably the best job I ever had.

Unless managers can learn to be visionaries and mentors, the teams they create will inevitably fail. The old maxim, "Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve" certainly applies to team, and simultaneously, if management does not see and believe, the team doesn't have a chance. If coaching resources are not available internally, or if time and workload constraints do not allow their utilization, then outside help must be found. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson once said, "We should not only use all the brains we have, but all that we can borrow." Team-building consultants are not a dime a dozen but they are available.

Perhaps the first question to a consultant should be, "Is this a team scenario?"

Len McNally is President and founder (in 1996) of The Leadership Centre, dedicated to leadership development, management team building and change management through executive and corporate coaching - from the top floor to the shop floor. With more than thirty years experience in sales, marketing and business development Len has for many years been an avid student of psychology, behavior and motivation. He still reads three to four books a month and has writen several book reviews for Amazon.com. He can be reached at (519) 759-1127 or email: the.leadership.centre@sympatico.ca. Other articles may be seen at:
http://www.tlc-leadership.com

The Top 7 Things Entrepreneurs Need to Know About Employees

2005-06-24T23:40:00.000-07:00

By Guy Harris

As I work with clients to strengthen their teams and to make their businesses more profitable, I often encounter some serious misunderstandings of human nature. These misunderstandings usually lead business leaders in the wrong direction when they attempt to inspire their employees to perform at a higher level. Fortunately, you can avoid these pitfalls if you understand a few key points about the people you lead.

1) They are not motivated by money alone

In numerous studies conducted over the last fifty or sixty years, researchers have concluded money is not the prime motivator for most people. Yes, people work for money -- but it is not their biggest motivator.

One famous model of behavior – Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – yields a clue as to why this is true. In summary, Maslow’s hierarchy says that all of us have five basic needs (physiological, safety & security, social, esteem, and self-actualization). According to Maslow, “a need once met no longer serves to motivate.” If you have your physiological needs met (food, shelter, & clothing), more of the same will not inspire you to work harder.

Employers help people meet their physiological needs with money. More money will not necessarily get people to work harder.

It is true that some people work harder for more money, but many will not. If you want to inspire high-level performance, you’ve got to dig deeper. You must work to understand what motivates each person on your team.

2) They don’t want their worth determined by the number of hours they are at work

I once heard a business owner say, “An entrepreneur is someone who will work 80 hours a week for themselves so that they don’t have to work 40 hours a week for someone else.” I have found this statement to be very accurate.

Many people believe that what motivates them also motivates others. When it doesn’t, they often get frustrated and confused.

Remember that your business is your dream, not your employees’ dream. They probably want to do a good job, but they don't want you to evaluate them based on the number of hours they spend in your business. Reward them based on the quality and/or quantity of work they produce. Reward them for the service they provide to customers. Don’t use “face time” as a measure of their worth.

3) They want to feel like part of a team

Most people want to be part of something great. Create an environment where people feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves, and they will respond favorably. Reward individual performance, but build the team. Avoid competition within your team at all costs. You want your team competing together to win your business competition. You don’t want them fighting each other.

4) They want you to respect them

I’ve seen many entrepreneurs start a business to avoid an organization or a person who treats them with disrespect. Funny -- I often see these same people treat their employees with disrespect when they become the boss. What happened?

5) They want you to value their opinions

The studies that show money is not a prime motivator also find that people want their supervisor to show appreciation for their contribution at work. Show your appreciation and value their input. Your employees will truly be your greatest asset.

6) They want to make a difference

People like to do things that matter. People need to feel like their contribution helped the team. Show your people how their work made a difference to team results, and you’ll likely tap into their internal motivators.

7) They want your business to succeed

Most people realize that they are unemployed if your business fails. They don’t want that any more than you do. Listen to them. Learn from their insights. They may not have your monetary investment in the business, but they do have a big stake in your success.

There you have it. Seven things you need to know about employees. As I look back over the article, I see that it begs the question “What about people who don’t want to be part of a team?” or “What about the employee who doesn’t want to make a difference?” I know they’re out there, but I don’t believe they represent a majority of the population. If you have an employee who doesn’t care, why are they still your employee? Don’t waste your time on people who really don’t want to contribute. Find someone who does and apply these seven tips to working with them.

Copyright 2005, Guy Harris

You may use this article for electronic distribution if you will include all contact information with live links back to the author. Notification of use is not required, but I would appreciate it. Please contact the author prior to use in printed media.

About the Author:

Guy Harris is the Chief Relationship Officer with Principle Driven Consulting. He helps entrepreneurs, business managers, and other organizational leaders build trust, reduce conflict, and improve team performance. Learn more at http://www.principledriven.com
Guy co-authored "The Behavior Bucks System TM" to help parents reduce stress and conflict with their children. Learn more about this book at http://www.behaviorbucks.com

Motivation - The Benefits of Spending Time with Your Team

2005-06-22T22:21:00.000-07:00

By Alan Fairweather

Benefit 1 - You get to understand them better

Almost everyone wants to know that their manager is genuinely and positively interested in them. They may not always give that impression by their demeanour but trust me - they want to know you care; they want acceptance from you.

If they know you care about them, then your relationship will be much more productive.

Benefit 2 - You find out how they're handling the job

As well as getting to know your team from a human or personal basis you need to get to know them on a business basis. How are they getting along with the job? And it's not a matter of asking - "How's the job going?" If you ask that then you may get a list of complaints or you may just get - "It's all going fine."

Benefit 3 - It helps you deal with problems

One of the main benefits of spending time with your team is that it lets them know you're there to help with problems. Of course, you're not there necessarily to solve their problems but to coach them to solve their problems.

Benefit 4 - They get to know you

Your team will want to know about you at both a personal and business level. Again, that doesn't mean sharing your intimate thoughts but it's similar to the things you want to know about them.

Even although team members don't ask you about yourself - tell them. Reveal bits and pieces about yourself over a period of time.

What you're really saying is - "I'm human, I'm like you and I experience the same situations."

Benefit 5 - You have the opportunity to give them feedback and coach them

This is one of the most important things the successful manager can do. This is your opportunity to tell them the things that you do like about their performance and also the things you don't like. Too often managers leave feedback until a performance review and often these are only once or twice a year.

Benefit 6 - They have the opportunity to give you feedback

Now this may make you feel a bit nervous and it certainly can be scary when you're not used to it but it is very motivational. If you create a healthy open environment in your team then they should feel comfortable giving feedback to you. It may not always be what you want to hear but it can certainly improve your relationship with them.

Benefit 7 - It encourages opinions and ideas to flow from them

It's often the case that members of your team have positive suggestions that will benefit the team, the business and you. However, they may not always be willing to seek you out and tell you about them. Perhaps they may feel foolish or embarrassed in front of their colleagues.

If you're spending time with them - then this is the ideal opportunity for them to give you their thoughts. Of course, you sometimes have to dig this out and encourage it.

Benefit 8 - It allows you to explain the company's mission and the team's role in this.

When you spend time with each individual it gives you the opportunity to explain how the business is going and how the team is performing. This is often done at a team brief and that's okay. However in a one to one situation you can discuss in more depth and encourage ideas and feedback from them as described above.

Discover how you can generate more business by motivating your team! Alan Fairweather is the author of "How to get More Sales by Motivating Your Team" This book is packed with practical things you can do to get the best out of your people. Visit http://www.howtogetmoresales.com

Motivating Teams

2005-06-20T01:29:00.000-07:00

By Manik Thapar

Introduction:

Working with teams, whether as leader of a single team or manager of several, is an essential part of a manager's remit. Teamwork is rapidly becoming the preferred practice in many organizations as traditional corporate hierarchies give way to flat, multi-skilled working methods. This section is an indispensable and practical guide to leading teams with expertise, covering subjects such as defining the skills required to complete a project, establishing trust between individuals within a team, and maximizing the performance of that team. The section is vital reading for any one involved in teamwork, whether as a novice or as an experienced team leader.

This month we will discuss:

1) Understanding How teams work

Understanding How Teams Work

Teamwork is the foundation of all successful management. Managing teams well is a major and stimulating challenge to any manager, form novice to experienced hand.

1) What Makes A Good Team?

A true team is a living, constantly changing, dynamic force in which a number of people come together to work. Team members discuss their objectives, assess ideas, make decisions, and work towards their targets together.

A) Working Together

All successful teams demonstrate the same fundamental features: strong and effective leadership; the establishment of precise objectives; making informed decisions; the ability to act quickly upon these decision; communicating freely; mastering the requisite skills and techniques to fulfill the project in hand; providing clear targets for the team to work towards; and - above all - finding the right balance of people to work together for the common good of the team.

B) Analyzing Team Tasks

Successful teams can be formed by 2 to 25 or more people, but much more important than size is shape - the pattern of working into which team member settle to perform their given tasks. There are three basic methods of performing a task:

Repetitive task and familiar work require each team member to have a fixed role, which is fulfilled independently, as on assembly lines;

Projects that require some creative input require team members to have fixed roles and working procedures, but also work in unison, as when generating new products;

Work that demands constant creative input and personal contributions requires people to work very closely as partners. This style of working is prevalent among senior management.

Working Well Together

A team of manager's discuses a new plan that has been put forward by a member of the team. All of the team members are free to join the discussion. Later, the team leader will assess the contribution.

C) Achieving Potential

There is no limit to the potential of a good team. Given an "impossible" task, team members will reinforce each other's confidence as they seek to turn the "impossible" into reality. The collective ability to innovate is stronger than that of individuals because the combined brainpower of a team, however small in number, exceeds that of any one person. By harnessing this power, a team can go beyond simple, useful improvements to achieve real breakthrough. For example, in one company an engineering team was asked to double machine reliability. They thought it impossible, but went on to produce a plan that pebbled performance.

Working Towards Understanding Encouraging open communication and the free flow of information within a team ensures that each member is fully aware of the talents and experience available within the group.

Note:

Remember that team members must support each other Break long-term aims into short term projects.

D) Knowing Team Goals

Once a team has been formed, the next major step is to establish its goals. There is little point in having a team that is raring to go if its members are all pursuing disparate aims. Goal may very well change over a team’s existence: for example if a new product is being launched on the market, the first priority will be for the team to concentrate on research into its competition. If the aim is to improve customer satisfaction, the first goal will be to find ways to provide a higher standard of service.

According to the circumstance, teamwork goals might include:

Increasing the rate of productivity in a manufacturing company;

Improving the quality of production;

involving all employees in decision making process to increase job satisfaction;

Looking at working systems and practices to reduce time wastage;

Working together with customers to build closer relationships so that the need of the market can be better understood.

Improving Performance

In a survey of 230 personnel executives, the American society of training and development found that teamwork led to a substantial rise in performance in key areas.

Cultural Differences

Cross-functional, multi-disciplinary, interdepartmental teams are spreading fast in the west, having been established in Japan for many years. In some British companies, managers already spend half their time working in such teams; and the democratic attitude of many North American's has helped them to adapt well to this way of working. Continental Europeans still tend to be more comfortable with traditional hierarchical systems, but increasing competitive pressure and the need for speed-your-market are now forcing change on mangers in many industries.

Note: Allocate a clear deadline for each of your projects.

www.careerpath.cc

Manik Thapar (MBA)

Motivate People with Feedback

2005-06-14T23:39:00.000-07:00

By Alan Fairweather

Someone once said - "Feedback is the breakfast of champions." Personally, I think that pancakes, crispy bacon and maple syrup are the breakfast of champions. However there's no doubt that giving people feedback is absolutely vital to ensure a motivated team who'll deliver results.

One of the top three factors that motivate people at work is - feedback.

The majority of people want to know how they're doing at work. They want to know when they're doing well and they want to know when they could be doing better. There are a small minority of people who don't want feedback at all; but let's face it; you don't want these people on your team anyway.

Okay, so I'll accept the fact that many people don't want to hear bad things about their job performance, however it depends on how they hear the bad news that'll effect their motivation at work. I'm sure that you'd want to know whether you were doing your job okay - I'm sure I would.

Like many people, I can be very sensitive to negative feedback. At the end of any seminar or workshop I scan the feedback forms looking for any comment that would dare to suggest that I hadn't done a good job.

It's easy for me to look at negative feedback on the forms and say - "You can't please all the people all the time" or "Who cares" or "What do they know anyway?" I try to keep an open mind and think about what's being said in the feedback. Is it something I should do something about - if this person didn't like something that I said, maybe there were others who felt the same way but didn't make any comment? All I want to do in my job is be the best that I can be, so it's important to listen to what my "customers" have to say.

We all feel different about feedback because we are all different. Some people love it, others are okay with it and others just hate it. I'm sure that you have people on your team who always want to know "how they're doing." They come and speak to you and show what they're doing. "Is this okay boss, am I doing this right?" They're constantly looking for reassurance that they're doing the right thing. Then you'll have others on your team who never come and speak to you and get most uncomfortable whether you're giving them the good news or the bad.

But let's think about you for a moment about you. You might be the kind of person who's comfortable with lots of feedback or maybe you'd prefer it in much smaller doses.

The important point is - the way you feel about receiving feedback could affect the way you give it to your team.

Managers who are happy to receive feedback are usually happy to give it to their team members because they believe their entire team feel the same as they do. And of course if you look at it the other way round - managers less comfortable with feedback tend to believe that their team feel the same way. This is often the biggest danger because many managers don't receive feedback from their manager and subconsciously feel - "Why should I give feedback to my guys when I don't get it?"

Whether you receive feedback or not; whether you feel uncomfortable giving it or not - you still need to do it for your people. Just be aware that they're all different individuals and they might react in different ways. Almost everyone wants feedback - how much, is just a matter of degree.

Discover how you can generate more business by motivating your team! Alan Fairweather is the author of "How to get More Sales by Motivating Your Team" This book is packed with practical things you can do to get the best out of your people. Click here now http://www.howtogetmoresales.com
http://www.alanfairweather.com

Leadership – Do The Simple But Important Things

2005-06-09T05:09:00.000-07:00

By Bill Robb

Why do we human beings complicate things? Is it that we don’t believe that simple things work. From years of working with leaders at all levels and many different sectors here are the simple yet powerful steps you must take if you want to be a brilliant leader.

* Know your people – not just as cogs in a machine - but also as people. The more you know the more you can do to assist them do even better.

* Keep asking people how things are going – what needs improving – what we can do better?

* Decide today to delegate twice as much as you’re currently doing. You’ll see in this workshop that you DO have people to delegate to even though it may not seem like it.

* Check people’s understanding of your instructions by asking them to tell you what they have to do. Don’t just ask, “Do you understand?” They may say “yes” even if they don’t!

* Always get clear in your own mind what you want from projects, meetings, presentations, and appointments. A leader knows what he/she wants and this keeps everyone focused.

* Make the effort to genuinely praise people privately – and even better - in public.

* Keep people regularly informed – about as much as possible. You’ll see why in more detail during this workshop. Communication can be short and to the point but people want to know.

* Consult as much as possible. Ask people how they’d do things and whether or not they’ve better ideas on how to do what you want.

* Set direction and decide. Make clear what the purpose of the company, department, and project is. Set out some short-term targets and some medium term visions then decide.

* When people are not performing well strive not to insult or belittle. Be hard on the problem not on people. If you have to fire someone do it with as much dignity and respect as possible.

Yes we should read more and attend more workshops to keep improving. But what more do you need? Go and do it now!

You can be an even better leader - all success!

Bill has gained his knowledge from the school of hard knocks and in working with thouirands of managers in his face-to-face workshops. He likes to get to the heart of the matter and give people simple but powerful technqiues that can help them do even better. He has now put all of his fifteen workshops online so people can do them anywhere, anytime. http://www.brilliantwebworkshops.com

Business Innovation – Group Creativity

2005-06-09T05:07:00.000-07:00

By Kal Bishop

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.

There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.

There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. Whilst there is no sure fire route to commercial success, these processes improve the probability that good ideas will be generated and selected and that investment in developing and commercialising those ideas will not be wasted.

Group Creativity

Effective group creativity results from managing a number of different elements, some of which are:

a) Group structure. Large and small groups, individual and pair combinations produce variations of creative output.

b) Motivation. Impacts the idea pool.

c) Task structure. Sets start and end points, establishes boundaries. Impacts creative output.

d) Tacit knowledge. Making tacit knowledge explicit and therefore tangible, useable and measurable.

e) Creative and critical thinking. Producing and then editing.

f) Idea valuation. Effective idea selection allows resources to be concentrated on development and commercialisation.

g) Network management. Tapping into knowledge, overcoming competency traps, bridging.

h) Culture. Creating a fostering environment.

i) Depth versus breadth. Which is more productive, to master the literature of the field or to frame break into other fields?

j) Process. Qualitative research shows that people who regularly generate lots of ideas follow a similar process, whether they know it or not.

These and other topics are covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased (along with a Creativity and Innovation DIY Audit, Good Idea Generator Software and Power Point Presentation) from http://www.managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop MBA, is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached on http://www.managing-creativity.com/

Business Innovation – Effective Team Structures

2005-06-09T05:04:00.000-07:00

By Kal Bishop

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.

There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.

There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. Whilst there is no sure fire route to commercial success, these processes improve the probability that good ideas will be generated and selected and that investment in developing and commercialising those ideas will not be wasted.

Effective Team Structures

The fact that the sum of ideas produced by individuals working alone is greater than the number of ideas produced by those individuals working in a group, is an indicator that team and groups structures are important considerations:

a) Large teams benefit from intellectual cross-pollination, but factors such as groupthink, core and peripheral information channels, status interactions, social loafing and individual shut downs reduce overall performance.

b) Pairs reduce intellectual cross pollination but some of the above inhibitors are also reduced. However, pairs are very successful – many comedy partnerships and creative teams in advertising working pairs.

c) Individuals are prone to path dependency, parochialism and competency traps. But many well known creations have been developed by individuals alone.

So what is the most effective team structure?

These and other topics are covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased (along with a Creativity and Innovation DIY Audit, Good Idea Generator Software and Power Point Presentation) from http://www.managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

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You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached on http://www.managing-creativity.com/

Motivation - The Benefits of Spending Time with Your Team

2005-06-09T04:58:00.000-07:00

High Performing Teams: 10 Things You Want To Know About Building A High Performing Team

2005-06-09T04:56:00.000-07:00

By Sharon Miller

“Conflict becomes politics, commitment becomes ‘Only if it’s in my best interest’, accountability becomes ‘Only when it serves me,’ and results just fall by the wayside.” - Patrick Lencioni, author of “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team”, speaking about dysfunctional teams

Based on my experience as a manager, a member of many teams, an HR professional, and a coach, below are 10 things you want to know about high performing teams. Don’t try to do everything at once. Choose up to 3 things that will give you the biggest lift in results.

Building a high performing team is not just about shared experiences. Yes, attendance at workshops, experiential and adventure kinds of activities, bowling, etc. often create an increased sense of closeness. You get to know others on a more personal, even human level and that helps foster a willingness to work together. Hopefully, you’ll be more disposed to having conversations. But this doesn’t mean you’ll be much more effective back at the office.

High performing teams are not about high performing people just getting on with it.

Getting things done through teams is a strategic choice. Like any strategy, “getting on with it” actually requires some up front and on-going investment in building clarity, trust, relationships, accountability, commitment, and process.

If not, call yourself a working group not a team. A working group is a bunch of individual contributors who focus on their own piece, based on shared information, rather than getting things done that serve the whole. Be clear about what you’re choosing.

High performing teams have high performing sponsors and leaders. High performing sponsors champion the work of the team and have the authority to make the work happen, including authority over the people who will implement the results and control over other required resources.

High performing leaders take the time to set context, create commitment, and engage the team. They define specifically what is expected from the team, including bottom line, process and behavioural goals and measures. They are attentive to patterns in their own behaviour that encourage what is happening or not happening on the team.

High performing teams have a clear sense of purpose and a vision that excites them to action and creates commitment. Otherwise it can just feel like more work, more stuff, added to an already overloaded calendar.

High performing teams are clear and follow through on accountabilities and authorities, within and outside the team.

High performing teams ensure team members have the authority to act and make it clear what others outside the team are accountable to deliver. So people are not left to waste time using influence skills, including bullying, cajoling, and complaining, nor are they left wondering when and if someone is going to deliver on their requests. They are also specific about how members will be held to account and the rewards and consequences for doing or not doing so. They manage performance within the team.

High performing teams focus on process and relationships as well as bottom line results and set measurable goals for each.

If you look at something like Outward Bound, which I attended, the group quickly focuses on goal setting and process – what is the end game, what is important to the group (i.e. values), what decisions need to be made, how will we make them, who is in charge, who is best suited to do what kind of work, how will we work together, etc. It is this awareness that needs to be transferred back to the work setting.

Usually, goals are focussed on the achievement of financial, customer or task based results. Process is about how the work of the team gets done. Relationships speak to how people collaborate to accomplish process and bottom line results. Explicit objectives should be set for such factors as how the team will work together and behave with each other, how decisions will be made, speaking outside one’s discipline, how conflict will be managed, and the giving and receiving of feedback.

High performing teams manage behaviours that have been linked to bottom line results.

What’s the point of agreeing to team values and ground rules if people are not held to account for acting in accordance with them? High performing teams constantly monitor the “health” of the group and challenge values conflicts and habitual patterns of behaviour that impede high performance. The team is in charge of noticing what is working and isn’t working from an internal operating perspective. What’s going on? What needs to be done about it? Who is going to do it?

High performing teams have courageous conversations.

Work is done through people and relationships. High performing teams have conversations that lead to action, including the tough ones that are about passionate debate, arguments, and conflict. Assumptions are surfaced and conflict moves to creativity and results.

Otherwise, people hold back and won’t commit, the issue pops later, or dissention surfaces in the hallways. Allow people to put their issues on the table. If they are heard, they are more likely to remain engaged, even if they are disagreed with.

High performing teams manage meetings effectively.

It’s not the meeting that’s the problem but the lack of process associated with calling and running them. Stop complaining about them. Do what is required to make them work.

High performing teams don’t get together to just share status reports. Information sharing can be a colossal waste of time. It’s what needs to be done with the information that counts. If all you want to do is share information, use voice mail or e-mail. Use the team to ask questions, seek clarity, make decisions, get creative, and figure out what to do about obstacles, including what’s not working well in the team.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

• Think back about the teams you have been a part of. How many of them could truly be described as high performing? What was missing? What was present in those that were?

• What kind of assembly do you honestly lead – a true high performing team or a working group? Under what circumstances does it really matter?

• How often do you neglect the up-front work required to create a true high performing team? To what extent do you allow yourself and your team to avoid accountability for the actions required of a high performing team?

“When the leader is morally weak and his discipline not strict, when his instructions and guidance are not enlightened, when there are no consistent rules, neighbouring rules will take advantage of this.” - Sun Tzu, Philosopher

Copyright CoachingWorks2005

This article may be reprinted in its entirety with express written permission from Sharon A. Miller. The reprint must include the section “About the Author”.

About the Author
Sharon Miller has worked in and with large corporations since 1978. She has distinguished herself in 3 different careers – Investment Trading & Sales, Strategic Human Resources, and Coaching. She was noted as one of the top 3 salespeople in Canada in money market securities. She’s been a high potential, exceptional performer, partnering with individuals as senior as Vice-Chairman, and has managed teams in both line and staff functions. She is professionally certified as coach through The Coaches Training Institute and has built a successful home based business on her terms.

Sharon helps high achievers have more impact with less struggle. Sign up for her FREE monthly e-zine, More With Less, which practically explores business, team, and individual challenges to high performance and high enjoyment. Sign up at http://www.sharonamiller.com