Teams365 Blog - POTENTIALS REALIZED

#Teams365 #546: Month End and Mid-year Review

6/30/2015

Today marks the end of June and mid-year. It's a great time to take stock of where you are at. Take 5 minutes today to ask yourself:

1. What have been your successes and accomplishment - in June? So far this year?
2 What are you most proud of?
3. What are your key priorities for July? The rest of the year?
4. What key relationships have helped you so far this year? Which ones need more attention?
5 What has helped your successes? What has hindered?
6. What does your team need to be acknowledged for?

What other things do you want to take note of ? What conversations are important to have?

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized
Coaching Leadership Teamwork
(416)996-8326

#Teams365 #455: Team Leader Team Building - Creating Connection

6/29/2015

Team Development Tips for Leaders

As team leaders it is very important to focus on the development of your team and to have a variety of tools at your disposal to pull from. This week’s Teams365 blog posts will focus on Team Development tips and strategies for team leaders. Also be sure to check out the past Teams365 blog posts on Team Development as well as the Thursday Teams365 Team Building Tips.

A quick reminder that team effectiveness research continues to illustrate that exceptional teams have a clear and shared vision, an understanding of shared performance measures, shared norms as well as commitment to each other’s success. What we also know is that relationships are also essential for creating high performing teams. Creating a shared sense of connection is very important for both in person and virtual teams

Today’s post focuses on two quick activities you may want to undertake as a connection activity:

Coins warm up (this one came to me from colleague Jason Rudick): Ask team members to search pockets for a coin (or bring a set of change with you in case your team is more digitally inclined). Ask each team member to pick a coin and then share one thing that happened to them during that year – it could be personal, or professional. You get to frame it.

2 Mapping – Consider one of the most important goals your team is facing this quarter. Place this topic in a circle in the middle of a white board. Ask team members to draw a location of where they are around the topic and to share with others what their connection is.

What is one of your favorite activities for creating connection as a team? Please feel free to share below!

Have a great Monday,

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton

Potentials Realized

Today’s post focuses on

#Teams365 #544: Sunday Audio - Telecommuting

6/28/2015

Wrapping up this week today's audio post looks at some of the core areas I covered around telecommuting. What's been your experience with telecommuting - what's made it work? Gotten in the way?

I hope that you will listen into this weeks 5.5 minute audio. You can listen in here:

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time(TM)
Contact us to discuss coaching or performance support you or your team

#Teams365 #543: 6 #Leadership Questions a Day - Telecommuting

6/27/2015

Today's post includes 6 #Leadership Questions to ask around telecommuting

1. How ready is my team for telecommuting?
2. Which tasks would be easy to complete in a telecommuting format?
3. If we telecommute, what is essential for us to maintain in terms of face to face touchpoints - i.e. hours we are all in, etc?
4. What type of support does each team member need in order to be successful? Consider physical infrastructure support, information access, connection with others etc?
5. What are the best systems to allow us to stay connected and share information as a team? For example, regular virtual huddles, some physical face to face time each month?
6. What is our greatest opportunity around telecommuting?

Have a great weekend,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time(TM)
Contact us to discuss coaching or performance support you or your team

#TeamS365 #542: #Leadership Toolbox - Telecommuting

6/26/2015

Today's Leadership Toolkit looks at this week's focus around Telecommuting. Here are five resource locations for leaders supporting telecommuting:

Telecommuting360 – an organization dedicated to telecommuting
HR Guide.com’s resources around telecommuting which you can access at http://www.hr-guide.com/HR/Telework_telecommuting_Resources.htm
Gil Gordon’s Resource list of How To Resources – http://www.gilgordon.com/.resources/howto.htm\
A telecommuting checklist sample provided by the University of Arizona which may be of interest to those looking for sample templates for their own organizational programs.View this resource at www.hr.arizona.edu/files/TeleResourcesChecklist.pdf.

Finally, great research compiled by Global Workforce Analytics on Telecommuting which you can access at http://globalworkplaceanalytics.com/resources/costs-benefits.

What other resources would you recommend to others around telecommuting? As always, please feel free to comment below.

Best wishes,
Jennifer
Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time(TM)
Contact us to discuss coaching or performance support you or your team

#Teams #541: TEam Building Tip #42: What's Your Legacy?

6/25/2015

As leaders we leave legacies like footprints. Whether we know we are going to be in a position for several months or years, each one of our actions has the potential to leave an impact. This is an area we can influence.

This week take some time to reflect on what the legacy is that you want to leave in your current role? What is it that you want people to remember you by?

Ask the team a similar question. What do they want as their legacy? How do they want to be remembered as a team a decade from now? What qualities? Characteristics?

We can all think of leaders and teams who have become the stuff of stories and history of an organization. How do you want to leave your mark?

Have a great week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time(TM)
Contact us to discuss coaching or learning support for your most pressing team or leadership issue
(416)996-8326

#Teams365 #540: The Benefits and Downsides of Telecommuting

6/24/2015

As I mentioned earlier this week, the City of Toronto will be hosting the Pan Am games next month. Concern for traffic grid lock and disruption from the games has led to a wide variety of organizations exploring and encouraging telecommuting for the length of the games this summer.

Today's blog post explores some of the benefits, and downsides, of telecommuting to both employees and employers.

Three benefits to employees:

Less time and energy spent on commuting. In some areas where people may commute an hour to work each way, that adds up to 10 hours a week. Imagine being able to step down the hall, open a door and log on within minutes, instead of hours.

More self-direction and autonomy – This is appealing to those who may be more self-directed in their work and like the freedom to work at their own page.

Fewer interruptions to manage at the office - Consider how much of your time is spent managing interruptions. While you will still have to connect in for meetings, the immediate interruptions may diminish.

The downside:

Segmenting real life with work – Creating barriers between work and life is a very common challenge I hear when supporting virtual workers as their coach. The allure of popping in some laundry or just checking on a task, can lead to a number of distractions

Not having the resources or information as easily at your fingertips - Setting up an office for effective telecommuting may take time and experimentation. Knowing how and when to get information from key stakeholders may also provide a new learning curve as well.

Needing more social connection - Virtual work can be lonely at times, and it can be important to stay connected physically to your office and others. This is particularly true for those who may be telecommuting for longer periods of time.

What other downsides do you see to telecommuting?

Three benefits to organizations:

More productive employees when supported well and distractions are lowered. Employees may also find that they work when they are at their peak, not when commuting hours dictate.

Less need for dedicated office space. If teams rotate in there can be significant savings on office space needed especially if you provide pods for those "visiting".

Some research also points to increased employee satisfaction, morale and engagement. Happier employees are generally more efficient employees ad get more done. For a summary of some key figures around telecommuting, refer to this article on Telecommuting from Global Workforce Analytics here.

Downsides of Telecommuting to Organizations

There are a couple of downsides which organizations may find including making sure employees do feel supported and have technology that will allow them to excel. Team leaders who can provide clear direction and create connections with others

What advantages and downsides do you see to telecommuting? As always, please feel free to comment below.

Have a great Wednesday,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time(TM)
Contact us to discuss coaching or learning support for your most pressing team or leadership issue

#Teams365 #539: Four Ways to Enhance Your Telecommuting Experience

6/23/2015

This week's focus is on telecommuting, in light of the upcoming Pan Am games here in Toronto. Four ways to make telecommuting work for you as a worker include:

Focus -Create a dedicated or clear space to be able to work effectively. What you’ll need – a good computer system, connection o the internet, and possibily a printer and good phone line. Consider investing in a standing desk which can double as a piece of furniture, and also a head set which can help you move around.

Minimize Distractions and create structures which work for you – just as in the workplace, you want to minimize distractions and manage interruptions. Give yourself an official start and end time to the day, and practice things such as structured breaks and meals.

Identify was to connect in regularly with your team and the organization. Be proactive in reaching out when, and as needed with requests, updates and needs. Don't assume your timeframe will work for every one

Leverage virtual technologies such as Skype or other (Facetime) to stay connected with each other. Even though you may be miles apart technology like Skype today helps to connect you. You might even find that meetings become more efficient!

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time(TM)
Contact us to discuss coaching or learning support for your most pressing team or leadership issue

#TEams365 #538: Supporting a Virtual Team of TElecommuters

6/22/2015

Here in the city of Toronto over the next few weeks telecommuting will be widely embraced as the Pan Am games are rolled in. Concern for gridlock and extending an already long commute, makes for a very appealing case for telecommuting – at least for a few weeks this summer. As someone who has worked primarily virtually for the last eleven years, I hope that this experiment borne out of necessity may open the eyes of some organizations realizing the potential and benefits in the longer term. Supporting a virtual team of telecommuters will draw on your regular skill sets as a leader, along with some additional resources.

As a leader, things to consider when supporting those who are working virtually or remote:

What are their preferences for connecting with you and the team – Ask your self, what type of communication will people prefer? Text? Email? Phone call? Face time or skype?
Make sure you hold regular one-on-ones with the entire team perhaps on a more frequent basis. This touch point, even a five minute phone call, helps to support connection and also productivity.
In those one on ones “Micro-monitor, don’t micro-manage”. This was a favorite phras3e of a former colleague and collaborator of mine Doug McLaren. A long-time team leader, Doug and I co-facilitated several leadership training modules for almost four years. As I’ll elaborate in the next point, knowing what is going on and what type of support each team member will need is critical.
Be focused in your one on one time. In supporting a team of telecommuters, knowing what everyone is working on, what the status is, and where they might need support from you, is imperative.
Be strategic with team meetings – place an emphasis on team connection during meetings and outside of these. For teams that are telecommuting for a short period, and usually work together, consider how they can virtualize some of your regular practices. For teams that are usually virtual, consider how you can physically get together at least once a year.

Questions to consider:

What one tip around telecommuting do you want to focus on this week or month ?

What will make telecommuting successful for your team?

What type of support do they need from you – individually? Collectively?

Have a great start to your week!
With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time(TM)
Contact us to discuss coaching or learning support for your most pressing team or leadership issue

#Teams365 #537: 13 Ways to #Recognize Your Staff

6/21/2015

We often overlook positive appreciation and acknowledgement, focusing only on constructive feedback. Rewards and recognition is just as important, especially as it relates to employee engagement.

Today’s post includes a bakers dozen ways to recognize and reward your staff. As you read through the list, think about how each staff would like to be recognized and rewarded. Consider their preferences – whether they like to be in the spotlight or other:

Special staff lunch

Write up in company newsletter

Handwritten note

Public acknowledgement in next staff meeting
Gift card
BBQ
Time off in lieu
Plaque or certificate
Employee of the day
Recognition wall in your office area
Pinterest recognition wall
Team recognition trinket – i.e. phone cover, t-shirt, hat etc.

And of course, don’t forget a simple thank you!

In determining how and what you want to do for rewards and recognition, just like feedback make sure that is is specific, meaningful, real- time and appropriate. Click here to read a past article on feedback from the Teams365 blog

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time(TM)
Contact us to discuss coaching or learning support for your most pressing team or leadership issue
(416)996-8326