Teams365 Blog - POTENTIALS REALIZED

#Teams365 #517: Month End Reflection Questions

5/31/2015

As we wrap up the month of May and look to the month ahead, take 10-15 minutes to write down your reflections and plans around these questions

What were my major achievments this month?
What do I want to celebrate?
As I consider my goals (and resolutions) I made at the start of the year, how am I doing with these on a scale of 1-10? Which ones are becoming new habits or something I can check off?
Which ones need to be let go of?
As a leader, what have I noticed about my team this month?
As a leader, what notes should I make about performance issues (if I haven't done it already!)
The thing that has helped me be most productive this month has been ______
The thing that has helped me be most successful this month has been ______
The thing that has helped me be happiest this month has been ________
The thing that has helped me be most healthy has been _______

Looking ahead to June.....
My priorities are:
My goals are
I want to......
I'll be really happy at the end of the June when I.....

This past month we explored topics including Emotional Intelligence and Conflict Management. Click to read more about these key topics for leades.
Have a wonderful Sunday!

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Read more about our Coaching Skills Training for Leaders
Set up a conversation about how we can support you and your team best
(416)996-8326

TeamS355 #515: 6 #Leadership Questions a day - Conflict Management

5/30/2015

This Saturday's 6 #Leadership Questions focus on Navigating Conflict. In a team environment the ability to work across differences and resolve conflict is critical. Six key questions we can be asking our team are
1. What are the main perspectives around this issue?
2. What does each perspective have to offer in terms of insights and value
3. What are the pros and cons of each perspectives?
4. Where is there common ground?
5. What is at stake if this issue is not resolved?
6. What is most important around this issue - result or outcome ( a reminder that that may help us determine what approach we want to take - avoid, compete, collaborate etc)
Finally, what is it going to take to resolve this issue?

Have a great weekend,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, PCC
Potentials Realized
Supporting Team Leaders to do their best work, one conversation at a time
Coaching Skills Training | Teamwork | Leadership
Author of From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2013)
(416)996-TEAM (8326)

#Teams365 #514: Essential Leadership Read #25: Coaching for Performance

5/29/2015

I haven't spotlighted an Essential Leadership Read in a while, and this week I felt drawn to point to John Whitmore's Seminal book on coaching, Coaching for Performance.

I first read this almost 15 years ago when I worked as a Program Manager and team leader within the UN system. As I added coaching skills to my toolbox and becmae a Certified Professional Coach, i continued to refer to this in the work I did with my team and others. For the last eleven years I've pointed to Whitmore's book in my training programs for coaches as leaders, and in the mentor coaching I do with coaches.

Whitmore's GROW model is a quick and easy model to focus any coaching conversation whether you are meeting for 10 minutes or 6. Starting off with the person being coached around the specific goal they have in mind, the focus cn then shift to an exploration of their reality, where they are now, and where they want to go. Exploration of options help to identify and weigh what it is going to take to move from a - b, and in the wrap up phase of any coaching conversation it's important to confirm what the person is going to do, by when and how you will link back.

I spent part of this week working with a great group of leaders around coaching and mentoring skills training. I am wrapping the week up with a lot of energy having seen them refine their skills over the last few days.

What do you notice about your own coaching skills? What's working? what could use a tweak? Check out Whitmore's book for some great reminders of having a more focused, intentional conversation.

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Read more about our Coaching Skills Training for Leaders
Set up a conversation about how we can support you and your team best
(416)996-8326

#Teams365 #513:

5/28/2015

We are at the 38th Team Building Tip today which gets you to think about your reputation as a team.

If you were to describe your reputation in 3 words or adjectives what would they be?
How do internally partners describe your reputation? What would they point to as your successes? Your challenges?
Now consider the external partners or audience you work with. How would they describe your reputation? What would they point to as your successes? Your challenges?

Finally, as you look at the overall picture, what's aligned or similar? What's not? What's significant about this?

Going forward, what needs attention?

Have a great Thursday,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, PCC
Potentials Realized
Supporting Team Leaders to do their best work, one conversation at a time
Coaching Skills Training | Teamwork | Leadership
Author of From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2013)
(416)996-TEAM (8326)

#TEams365 #512: Relationship Destroyers - the Duality of Trust Teams365 CArtoon (#14)

5/27/2015

Today's blog post is a "repeat" of the Teams365 Cartoon #14 called the duality of trust. Nothing erodes relationships faster than a lack of trust.
This cartoon highlights activities which can build trust such as:

Walk my talk
Regular, open communication
Recognition that is real
Follow-through
Trusts Others
Clear Expectations

On the flip side activities which erode trust include

No follow through
Little or no feedback
Team Favorites
Lack of transparency
Gossip
Doesn't listen

What activities are trust builders and trust destroyers on your team right now? What impact are they having?

This is a topic we explore in the Teams365 Conflict Management and Coaching Skills Training programs. Contact us to learn about our upcoming virtual and on-demand offerings of these programs, as well as customized coaching skills training for your organization.

Best
Jennifer

Jennifer
Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Supporting Team Leaders One Conversation at a Time(TM)

(416) 996-8326

#Teams365 #511: Four Keys to Navigating Conflict

5/26/2015

Yesterday I focused on different approaches to conflict – accommodation, compromise, collaboration, avoiding and n completion when faced with conflict, What else is possible? Today's post focuses on four things you can do every day when thinking and working around conflict.

Be proactive and address conflict early on – While easier said than done, many view navigating conflict as very challenging, in part because issues may have escalated even more than at the start.
Find the common ground – Finding similar vantage points or even “slivers” where you can see “eye to eye” is a starting point in navigating conflict. These mini-windows are opportunities to open dialogue and mutual problem solving, rather than raising walls.
Recognize that conflict can be a healthy thing when we have the tools to navigate it. Where cultures do not recognize that conflict is a normal and natural part of human relationships, it may be minimized and swept under the rug, or it can be seen as “abnormal” and “vilified” where something is wrong. What is the culture at your workplace around conflict.
Invest in your skills in navigating conflict. Conflict management is not always well modelled in our work places and families. If this has been your case it can be useful to invest in some professional development and/or mentoring so you have more phrases and even a model or process to follow. Where is conflict management well modelled? What tools and resources are people using?

Navigating differences is an important skill set for today’s global environment. What actions do you want to take towards building your skills and capacity?

Have a great day,
Jennifer
Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Supporting Team Leaders One Conversation at a Time(TM)

#Teams365 #510: Conflict - How important is the relationship? The Result?

5/25/2015

Our ability to work through differences and conflict is a key skill for leaders and team members. What we know from research is that complimentary skill sets often make a team strong. In saying this, it may mean that we have different styles which exist, which means that what we value and how we interrelate with the world is different.

What is your natural style in navigating conflict? Different conflict models may have different names for these but we may demonstrate one of many styles including:

Accommodate - often when the relationship is important but the results are not we will accommodate to enable the other party to have their preferred outcome. In accommodation the other party wins, at our loss.

Compromise – compromise may be importnat when the outcome is important for both of us, as is the relationship. In compromise, I win some and you win some, but neither party really win.

Avoid – There are instances where it makes sense to avoid conflict and sweep things under the rug. The challenge and danger with this over time is that the issue can fester, and the small minuscule issue can grow into an elephant. Where is may be appropriate to avoid conflict is when the issue is not important and the relationship is not important. IN avoiding I lose and you lose.

Collaboration - Collaboration takes time and may be the preferred solution when relationships and results are both important. Not every situation warrants collaboration, and as Morten Hanson writes in his books, Don’t collaborate just for collaboration’s sake. While collaboration often takes more time, it can be the best outcome. In collaboration I win and you win.

Compete – We may choose to compete to achieve an important outcome when the results are key and the relationship is not as important. When competing we need to be aware of when it becomes too aggressive. In competition I win and you lose

As you consider these five different styles, what are examples of each one and how you and others would benefit from adopting that approach? When might the approach be beneficial?

For those interested in learning about their own style or supporting team members in this area, one interesting online resource I found was Conflict 911.com/resources

Have a great start to your week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | CoachingTeamLeaders.com
(416)996-8326

#Teams365 #508: Sunday Audios - Catching Up

5/24/2015

With many readers celebrating Memorial Day in the US it's a great weekend to slow down the pace when we can. In that spirit, I wanted to provide some links to past Sunday Audios you may find interesting:

Teams 365 #488: Three Problem Solving Tools. Click here to read.

Teams365 #390; Hosting Effective Virtual Meetings. Click here to read and listen in.

Teams365 #383 Mentoring An Important Part of Your Leadership Development. Click here to listen in.

Teams365 #404: Trust: The Glue that binds Teams Together. Click here to listen in.

Teams365 #418: Three Facilitation Tools. Click here to listen in.

Have a great Sunday!

Ideas for topics you'd like to see covered in future Sunday audios? Email me here - I'd love to hear from you.

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, PCC
Potentials Realized: Coaching | Teamwork | Leadership
Supporting Team Leaders to do their best work, one conversation at a time
Author of From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching(Jossey-Bass, 2013)
Authorized Partner of Everything DiSC and the Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team

#Teams365 #508: 6 #Leadership Questions a Day: Collaboration and Partnering

5/23/2015

This week part of our focus has been on collaboration and partnering so I thought it would be apropos to have Partnering and Collaboration be the weekly focus with our 6 #Leadership Questions a Day.

If you have not listened to it, check out last week's Sunday Audio on Building Stronger Partnerships here.

Six questions for you to consider as you enter into any new partnership discussion

1. What do we both bring to the table as strengths? How are they complimentary? Similar?
2. What is important for us individually? How do these values align? How are they similar? How are they different? How do we define these values? Where are they illustrated?
3.. What is our shared vision for our work together?
4. What can we count on from each other?
5. What will we do if things go off the rails?
6. When and how will we check in around our progress? Provide feedback to each other?

What other questions are important for you to consider in this new partnership?

Have a great weekend,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, PCC
Potentials Realized
Supporting Team Leaders to do their best work, one conversation at a time
Coaching Skills Training | Teamwork | Leadership
Author of From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching(Jossey-Bass, 2013)
(416)996-TEAM (8326)

#Teams365 #507; Check It off Tip: ParKinson's Rule

5/22/2015

Today's Check it off tip is a reminder of what Tim Ferriss calls the Partkinson's Rule. In his book The Four Day Workweek, he posits that tasks can expand to the amount of time we give them. Consider some of your recent rpojects. How did the time allotted expand, or bleed out, into other areas if you were not careful.

As you look ahead to the rest of this month, or the month of June, what time do you want to give to each project. How can you work to contain this?

Consider how the Parkinson's Rule might really affect you in your work.

Here's an article by Joey Falconer: How to Use Parkinson's Law To Your Advantage

Joel Runyon's Article : A Beginner's Guide to Parkinson's Law

Have a great weekend,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPT
Potentials Realized - Leadership and Team Development, Coaching, Retreats
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2013)
Email us to find out how we can support you and your team
(416)996-TEAM (8326)
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