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#TEAMS365 #1907 – Team Building Tip 228

3/21/2019

Welcome back to another Thursday Team Building Tip. This week’s question invites you as a team to articulate your response to the question “This year our focus has been _____”.

Consider what you have been exploring and looking at as a team and as individuals. What are the things which are helping you? What are the major projects you have completed? What have you been saying YES to, rather than NO to? How has this been helping you?

The weekly Thursday Team Building Tips are geared to get you thinking about your team’s work and focus.

Check out other past Team Building Tips here.

You might also be interested in exploring yesterday’s topic of different ways to work with virtual teams around creating their team culture.

Wishing you the best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2018) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Now available – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner - Order a copy today on Amazon
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development).
Check out the new 19 Tips for Productivity On-Demand Course. If this is your year to get things moving, check it out now. Join Jenn for bi-weekly live group calls until July. $129 US. Learn more and enroll here.

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#TEAMS365 #1906 – Creative ways to articulate your virtual team culture

3/20/2019

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Yesterday’s Teams365 post #1905 focused on virtual team culture. Be sure to check it out if you haven't done so.

Today I wanted to explore three different ways you might support your team in identifying their own virtual team culture.

As a reminder, team culture usually points to three things - who we are, how do we do things and what is important to us.

Here’s a quick listing of different activities you might consider incorporating:

Who we are:
Virtual teams which excel know each other. They have strong relationships across the team, which allows them to call on others, and “have each others’ backs”. To strengthen your connection, consider these activities:

Have the team create a list of words/adjectives which describe who you are. Shape these into a word cloud which can be visible to the team.
Discuss the question “Who are we when we are at our best?”. Again, use the words to create a graphic about who you are.

At your next team meeting, have each person share one thing others may not know about them.

At your next team meeting, have each person share something that is unique to their location (this works especially well if you have a global team).

In your next meeting, share your screen which includes a variety of photos or icons. Have each person select the photo or icon which represents what they bring to the team.

How we do things:
Each team will have its own unique practices and ways of doing things. This will vary from team to team. Spending time discussing how you do things, and what the expectations are, creates clarity and builds trust, boosting both performance and results.

To explore this topic further consider:
Discussing “how we do things” (communicate, make decisions, work across differences, address conflict) can be a series of different discussions and activities. It might include a Rules of the Road which everyone has signed off on.

What makes you unique and distinct in terms of how you do things?

Another tool is to look at the IS/IS NOT table. This can include it is, it is not…

What is important to us:
Clarity around priorities and goals for the entire team helps with alignment, prioritization and decision making. Spending time on a regular basis discussing what is important to us may also involve:

A list visible to the entire team (ie. Think Intranet or other post on)

Top 5 Goals for the month
Top 5 Priorities for the week
Top 5 Priorities for the quarter
Enshrining your Team Agreements or Ways of Working into something that is visible. Some teams have enshrined this into a plaque, a screen saver or other.

For more on these topics, and a demonstration of what some of these can look like (photos), take a look at my January 2019 Virtual Team Builders call which I did as part of the Effective Virtual Conversations series. You can check it out here.

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2018) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Now available – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner - Order a copy today on Amazon
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development).

Looking for training or coaching support for your virtual or remote team? Contact Jennifer to discuss how we can support you.

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#TEAMS365 #1905 - Exploring Your Virtual Team Culture

3/19/2019

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As we continue our journey through this month’s exploration on virtual teams, I couldn’t not talk about team culture which forms the bedrock of any team, especially one that is virtual. Our team culture points to:

who are we, how do we do things and what is important to us.

Being clear about what our team culture is as a virtual team is critical, given that many, or all of our members may be members of multiple teams. Let’s look at how we can explore these three elements as a virtual team:

Who are we – What do we do? Why do we exist? Virtual teams excel when they have a clear identity about who they are. This helps to differentiate how they do things on one team versus another. Virtual team members may be members of multiple teams. Spending time as a team to connect, and "get to know each other" - who we are, what are roles are, what we do -is critical for virtual team success.
How do we do things - What are our agreements around communication? Task completion? Follow-through? Flagging issues? Communicating with each other?

All of these elements can vary dramatically from one team to another.
Taking time to discuss how we do things is an important part of identifying and focusing in on who we are as a team.

3. What is important to us? All members of the team should be well versed with what’s important at multiple levels. This can entail:

What’s important to us this week?
This month?
This quarter?

Ensuring that everyone is clear on what’s important helps with decision making. It also helps with negotiating where focus goes, especially if you are members of multiple matrix team.

Having discussion is one way of working with team culture. There are also some other creative ways which we’ll explore in tomorrow’s post. I hope you'll join me tomorrow

Stay tuned!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2019) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Now available – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner - Order a copy today on Amazon
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development).
Check out the new 19 Tips for Productivity On-Demand Course. If this is your year to get things moving, check it out now. Join Jenn for bi-weekly live group calls until July. $129 US. Learn more and enroll here.

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#TEAMS365 #1904 – Effective Virtual Conversations Tip 86

3/18/2019

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Today’s Effective Virtual Conversations prompt is “Who is driving the bus?”. Some of the most common questions I receive from virtual leaders are “Am I coaching? Am I training? Am I facilitating?”.

While the focus on this question for the people we are hosting the call for is usually “it doesn't matter as long as I am learning”, it can be important for the person who is leading the call to be aware of what they are doing - training, coaching or facilitating. A key question the “facilitator” can be asking to dig a little deeper is - “Who is driving the bus?” Who is the one that is shaping the direction, and content of the call?"

While this may be overly simplistic, a great starting point for understanding the “director” of the call is to consider who is “driving” and shaping the conversation.

In coaching, a fundamental premise is that the person being coached should create with the coach (and others) the direction of the call, and their content knowledge should form the foundation of the conversation. The coach is not there to share a lot of content, but rather use any content to “Spark” the conversation. Coaches focus deeply on Goal Setting, and supporting the deepened awareness around “things below the waterline”, things like values, beliefs, assumptions, perspectives. Coaching is rarely a one-off conversation, and usually has multiple touch points.

In training, or a webinar in the virtual space, we lean into the content we bring. We are measured on this, and while we want to poll our group members for what they want to learn, the content may also be shaped by the organization. Training is typically content-rich, and in that respect the trainer may be driving the bus a majority of the time, handing off the “wheel” as new skills are acquired, so that bus members get practice.

Facilitation comes from the Latin word “facilis”. It means “to become easy”. Part of the facilitator’s role virtually is to help people clarify the focus of the conversation, and how they want to move from a to b. A facilitation may be more apt to be a one-off conversation, and usually uses process to help engage the conversation, especially with bigger groups.

Who is driving the bus in your virtual conversations? Are there any changes you want to make to this?

For more on these distinctions between coaching, training and facilitating, check out any of my first three books – Effective Group Coaching (2010), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) or From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013).

Enjoy your conversations,
Jennifer

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#TEAMS365 #1903 – Weekly Video Montage 14

3/17/2019

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Welcome back to this week’s Video Montage for the PlanDoTrack series. If you are on Instagram, be sure to follow-along at the Coaching Biz Builder.

This series is geared for professionals of all kinds to grab a micro-pause each day. To note what’s important about their work and/or business, and then to take action on ONE Step A Day. As I write in both PlanDoTrack and Coaching Business Builder – One Step a Day + Consistent Action = Momentum.

Momentum is key for generating new ideas, getting started on new projects, or sustaining old ones. Be sure to check out this week’s Video Montage and take a look at past ones here.

Enjoy!
Jennifer

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#TEAMS365 #1902 – Weekly Journaling prompt #41

3/16/2019

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This weeks’ weekly journaling prompt invites you to consider the question “My note to self is…..”

This may be an opportunity to:

Capture key learning
Identify things you “don’t want to forget”
Create a bucket list of things you’d love to complete by _____
Reflect on recent successes and lessons learned
Signal key life lessons

As with anything in journaling, part of the joy can be simply seeing where your pen leads you without too much censure.

I hope that you have found these Saturday Journaling prompts valuable in providing a starting place for your writing.

In the spirit of mid-month musings – here’s also a highlight of several of the past Saturday posts you’ve seen in the last few months:

Weekly Journaling prompt #37 – Mid-February

Weekly Journaling prompt – Mid-December

Weekly Journaling prompt #31 – Early January

Wishing you the best,
Jennifer

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#TEAMS365 #1901 #FlashBackFriday – From the Vault – Five Ways to Keep Your Meeting on Track

3/15/2019

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It’s March 15th which historically has been known as the Ides of March. My father always has said we can usually expect one more snowfall in Toronto on, or around this date. I’m always happy when it gets to be this time of year as I start seeing that spring is (usually) just around the corner.

For today’s FlashbackFriday I wanted to reach back to a former blog post (in fact one from the precursor blog to Teams365 – the BizToolkit blog), on a topic which I think has major significance today – Meetings!

Meetings can be the “bane” of most employees existence, and aren’t always held effectively. It’s not uncommon for leaders I work with, scheduled into 30 or more hours of meeting a week, leaving them little time for work they need to accomplish, strategic thinking and other discussions.

Here’s what I posted in March of 2014 as Teams365 #86:

Five Ways to Keep Your Meetings on Track
Copyright Jennifer Britton, All Rights Reserved, 2013 : Originally published on the BizToolkit blog, 2013

Meetings are a huge time-consumer in today's workforce. What is the state of your meetings? How efficient are they? Today's blog post includes five ways to keep your meetings on track, so you can avoid what Patrick Lencioni describes as "Death by Meeting" syndrome.

Some key tips to keep in mind are:
1. Assign a meeting facilitator. Facilitation comes from the Latin word "facilis" or to make easy. The facilitators role is to keep an eye on the process. As the facilitator, the focus is on:

starting and ending the meeting on time,
keeping the flow moving,
summarizing and capturing key discussion points,
identifying issues which may need to be shifted to other events (use of a parking lot)
summarizing key action steps

It can be very useful to have a rotational facilitator role if meetings are held regularly with the same group. This supports capacity and skill development, and also recognizes that the facilitator's power is related to that role, not the role people usually inhabit. Who will be the "facilitator" for your next meeting? How will this be rotated?

2. Have an agenda, and assign timelines to it. Does each meeting have an agenda, which has been circulated before the meeting to ensure that nothing else needs to be added? Putting time-frames on each item, and sticking to them, helps to manage time, as well as identify issues which may need to be carried into other venues. What does the agenda for your next meeting look like? How much time will it take?

3. Ensure who you need is at the table. A common challenge in effective meetings is not having who you need at the table. This may be someone who has specific information, background on a topic, or authority to sign off/give approval. Who needs to be at your meeting, based on the agenda?

4. Confirm Action Steps and Responsibilities - A common pitfall is that action steps, and who is responsible for moving things forward, is lost in the dialogue. Key action steps, and those who will take responsibility for making sure they are done, should be summarized at the end of each meeting. What are the major next steps? Who will be responsible for them?

5. Circle Back to Make sure Actions are being Actioned. What is the status of the action steps? How are they being moved forward immediately, and in the longer term. Who needs to know? Who is accountable? Action Plans are only as good as they are tracked and followed. What will support the implementation of decisions, and the reporting out of these actions?

As you consider your upcoming meetings, in which context might you be able to incorporate some of these ideas?

As much as the meeting content may have changed in the last six years, I think a lot of these pointers remain the same. What’s the one tweak you could make to your meetings which would help them become more productive and efficient?

Enjoy your conversations,
Jennifer

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#TEAMS365 #1900 – Milestone and Team Building Tip 227

3/14/2019

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Here we are at post 1900 of the Teams365 blog. I had no idea more than 5 years ago that I would be continuing to blog this long at the Teams365 blog. What started out as an experiment, has become an important part of my writing process. The Teams365 blog has also become a valuable resource for teams and leaders of all kinds. If you have enjoyed and benefited from past posts, share in the comments which have been your favorites. Also be sure to let others know about the resource!

If you have been following along my Thursday series, you’d know that today is a Team Building Tip day. I started these as a series of questions for team leaders to bring into their weekly team meetings. Since starting the series, the questions and images have become more sophisticated! Check out the first post here!

This week’s TBT gets you thinking ahead. In today’s VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous context) world, we know that having a clear vision which can guide you through the choppy waters of more granular details can be useful. I hope that you will consider using this week’s question of “A year from now, at the start of 2020, we will have ________” as a valuable conversation sparker, and potentially a sign post to guide your efforts towards over the next 3 quarters!

Best wishes,
Jennifer

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#TEAMS365 #1899 – Virtual Team Builder – Using Icons to Explore Topics

3/13/2019

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This month I am highlighting different virtual team builders. These are all things I use regularly with different teams I work with. From health care, to social services, public service to IT. Yesterday I spotlighted a quick energizer/warm up called COINS, and today I wanted to talk a little about using ICONS to explore different topics.

Here’s what I wrote about incorporating icons into a virtual team session:

“Another exercise I use regularly in helping teams get to know each other, and stat to build trust is sharing a slide which has a variety of icons on it. You will see an example below. While I show this on the screen I have select an icon which represents what they are bringing to the group/team that day or what they are thinking about around the topic we are exploring.

This exercise has the advantage of providing a springboard for some interesting themes to emerge in the conversation.

Here's an example of a recent icons slide I shared. I purchased the original graphic over at Adobe Stock.

I’ve used iterations of ICON activities for different teams I’ve worked with. Sometimes we are exploring the topic of feedback, other times, difficult conversations, goals for the year, or sometimes goals for the year. The benefit of using ICONS is that it can provide new layers to a conversation. When people are working in different languages, or even the same language, it can provide some new nuances to a conversation, energizing it in different ways.

How might you incorporate more around icons in your work?

For more on creating engaging virtual conversations, and virtual team development, check out my 2017 book, Effective Virtual Conversations.

Best,
Jennifer

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#TEAMS365 #1898 – Virtual Team Builder – COINS

3/12/2019

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As I wrote in my most recent Effective Virtual Conversations newsletter, one of my favorite “ad-hoc” virtual team builder activity is one called COINS. I picked this up from a colleague several years ago who uses it regularly for in-person programs. I’ve found it to be just as effective in virtual programs.

Here’s how I described it in this month’s newsletter:

Exercise #1 - COINS
This exercise involves team members selecting some change/coins that they have available at their desk (or maybe in their pocket or their briefcase or purse).

First they need to select a coin and then notice what is the year on that coin.

The invitation is to share one thing about your work, your life, or what you were doing in the world during that year.

Perhaps I picked 2004. That was the year Potentials Realized, my company was started. Maybe I pick a coin that was 2009, which was the first year one of my books was published - Effective Group Coaching, or maybe I picked 2017 and I decided to talk a little bit about releasing Effective Virtual Conversations.

So coins is a lower risk exercise. Hopefully people have materials on hand.

This exercise can be a real conversation starter especially if you are working with a global team. It is interesting for people to show their national coinage. It also gives people a chance to talk a little bit more about how coins operate or how currency operates in their own context.”

How might you incorporate an activity/conversation starter like COINS in your next activity?

For more on creating engaging virtual conversations, and virtual team development, check out my 2017 book, Effective Virtual Conversations.

Enjoy the conversation!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), Coaching Business Builder (2018) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Now available – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner - Order a copy today on Amazon
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where we explore topics related to productivity, teamwork, coaching, business development and leadership.

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Teams365 Blog

#TEAMS365 #1907 – Team Building Tip 228

#TEAMS365 #1906 – Creative ways to articulate your virtual team culture

#TEAMS365 #1905 - Exploring Your Virtual Team Culture

#TEAMS365 #1904 – Effective Virtual Conversations Tip 86

#TEAMS365 #1903 – Weekly Video Montage 14

#TEAMS365 #1902 – Weekly Journaling prompt #41

#TEAMS365 #1901 #FlashBackFriday – From the Vault – Five Ways to Keep Your Meeting on Track

#TEAMS365 #1900 – Milestone and Team Building Tip 227

#TEAMS365 #1899 – Virtual Team Builder – Using Icons to Explore Topics

#TEAMS365 #1898 – Virtual Team Builder – COINS

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