Teams365 Blog - POTENTIALS REALIZED

Teams365 #3161: Month in Review

8/31/2022

It’s the final day of the month, and with that comes the opportunity to undertake a month in review. I hope you will take some time to reflect on these questions:

Here are some questions to consider:
1. As you reflect on August, what have been your successes and accomplishments?
2 What are you most proud of?
3. What successes this month do you want to duplicate? What has been some of your key learnings?
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?

As you look to September, consider these questions:
1. What are your key priorities for September? The fall?
2. What are the key goals?
3. What are the major priorities?
4. What will you need to place attention on?
5. What changes do you want to make in September?
6. What resources do you want to tap into?

Enjoy your reflection!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials

Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk - Virtual, Remote and Hybrid Checklist

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon

Teams365 #3160: The CLAIMS Model to Motivation™

8/30/2022

Today I wanted to dive into the CLAIMS Model to Motivation, which gets us thinking more specifically about WHAT motivates us and how each one of us is a little different in our motivational factors. Lets’ take a look at this model to motivation I first introduced in Reconnecting Workspaces and the 90-Day Guide.

As you think about these factors to motivation, what are your levers? Here is the CLAIMS Model to Motivation:

C—Community. We want to be part of a bigger whole. Some call this belonging. In this work, it’s about relationship development, communication, and strong team culture.

L—Learning. Ongoing learning is critical for success within the remote workspace, particularly as teams today are fluid and ever changing. What are the different ways you want to learn? To contribute?

A—Autonomy. Remote work is not short on autonomy. When clarity exists, remote workers can focus in on what’s important.

I—Impact. What’s the impact you want to make? As remote workers, we often measure our impact through our output (what results we get). Don’t forget that it can also be measured through the influence we have over others, and how we build a sense of community and team.

M—Money. Monetarily, what’s important?

S—Status. What is our role? Learn more about status and think about how it fits in the remote space.

What are the elements that motivate you? What’s important to note? Consider both the internal and external motivating factors

Excerpt: 90-DAY GUIDE FOR SUCCESS, Jennifer Britton (© 2021, Day 19 , page 145. All Rights Reserved.

Enjoy the conversation,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials

Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk - Virtual, Remote and Hybrid Checklist

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon

Teams365 #3159: 90-Day Guide for Success – Day 19 Motivation

8/29/2022

Today we are diving into the topic of motivation. With September just around the corner, it’s often seen as the time of the “second start of the year”.

I wanted to dive today into Day 19 of the 90-Day Guide for Success, my 2021 book which is a guide for onboarding and reboarding in today’s evolving workspace.

Here’s what I wrote:

WHAT?
What elements are going to keep you moving forward with your work? Motivation has several Components —internal and external factors. Ultimately motivation is about:
• What’s going to get you out of bed in the morning?
• What’s going to keep you moving?
• What gets you excited about your work?

Self-motivation can be critical for remote workers, given that we are working in isolation and many issues get magnified.

What inspires you? What helps you go “above and beyond”? When do you know it’s time to stop?

Motivation is an even more important topic for the remote and hybrid workspace, compared to an in-person environment. Our own internal motivation is often our oxygen. It’s what helps us move forward, as well as arrests us. What would you say your motivational factors are?

We often talk about the Big Five in motivation. They are remembered by the acronym OCEAN (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism).

Other motivational frameworks include Daniel Pink’s framework of being motivated by Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose. What things motivate you as a remote professional?

Did You Know?
What makes you feel like you belong or don’t belong?
• Sense of purpose
• Sense of mission
• Sense of connection to others
• Clarity about your work—what you need to do, how you need to do it
• How your work impacts others
• What contribution you are making to others
• How you are learning and growing—as a remote worker, professional, and human being

SO WHAT?
Two layers of motivation around remote and hybrid work include our Why and the How:

Motivation of why we want to work remote. There are many “drivers” or reasons why people want to work remote, including:
• Flexibility, ability to juggle multiple projects or clients
• Wanting to avoid the commute

Take time to identify what your Why factors are. Why do you love remote work? What motivates you in the remote space? Make a list of motivators, as well as de-motivators such as loneliness, less visibility, etc.

Motivation for how to do work. Knowing the latter helps us when our well runs dry and we need to find ways to get ourselves out of a slump. According to the approaches identified in a 2017 study by Grenny and Maxfield of more than 1,100 remote workers, the following elements were found to provide more support for remote workers. This included:
• More frequent 1-1 time
• Explicit expectations
• More face-to-face or voice-to-voice time
• Prioritizing relationships
• Being available

Motivation and goals. Motivation is a key issue for remote workers. It also links back to the topic of SMARTE Goals we explored in Day 8. In my writing, I talk about the importance of creating SMARTE Goals; in addition to SMART goals, we want to make sure our goals are exciting (the “-E” part). If they are not exciting, it’s unlikely that we are going to follow through and work on them.
What can we do to make sure our goals are exciting?
• Go to the big picture—a year from now, how can this help move your career forward?
• Think about how it will help you learn, grow, change.
• Consider what is important in terms of the bigger picture, our legacy or our impact.

Red flags around motivation. Note when these things are happening. They may be a signal that something is afoot:
• Procrastination
• Lack of focus
• Missing deadlines
• Not getting all the details/requirements around a project
• Withdrawal and changes to your schedule

Motivational issues are critical to address and/or discuss with your leader and/or mentor. It is important to do so as early as possible, given the self-directed nature of the remote worker’s world.

WHAT’S YOUR LEGACY?

Excerpt: 90-DAY GUIDE FOR SUCCESS, Jennifer Britton (© 2021, Day 19 , page 145. All Rights Reserved.

Enjoy the reflection!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials

Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk - Virtual, Remote and Hybrid Checklist

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon

Teams365 #3158: Week In Review

8/28/2022

This week we took a look at a number of core activities you will want to consider investing in, including some team time. Take a look at this week’s post to get you set up for fall:

Monday – 90-Day Guide for Success #2 – Empathy and Connection

Tuesday – 6 Things to Schedule for your Team this Fall

Wednesday – 90-Day Guide for Success #3 – Getting Organized – How are you doing in all of these key areas?

Thursday - Getting Back to Fall Routines

Friday – Flashback Friday – Team Agreements

Saturday – Weekly Journaling Prompt: What’s Going to Set Us/Me Up for Success

Have a great end of your week and start to the new one!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials

Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk - Virtual, Remote and Hybrid Checklist

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon

Teams365 #3157: Weekly Journaling Prompt – What’s Going to Set Me/Us Up for Success

8/27/2022

This week we’ve been exploring a number of posts geared to help you get geared up for fall. This week and next are often slower before the onslaught of the business of fall after Labor Day.

Today’s Weekly Journaling Prompt gets you to consider the question “What’s Going to Set ME/Us Up for Fall?”.

I hope that you find the prompt valuable in creating a flow and focus for your work!

Enjoy,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials

Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk - Virtual, Remote and Hybrid Checklist

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon

Teams365 #3156: Flashback Friday: Team Agreements

8/26/2022

For decades high-performing teams have created shared agreements which provide a framework, and support for high performance. This time of year is a perfect opportunity to create, or revisit your team agreements. I’ll share a little more about developing Team Charters next week as well. For today, to get you thinking about this, let’s take a look back at an earlier post on Team Agreements. Let’s look at Teams365 #202.

One of the things that I hear from teams and leaders that I work with, that has the biggest impact, both short term and longer term, is the work that we do around creating shared team agreements. You will recall back in January, that shared behavioral norms are one of the six factors of high performing teams. Great teams have co-defined what behaviors are acceptable and what are not. When unacceptable behaviors emerge, we move into the terrain of Toxicity, as illustrated in some of this year’s Teams365 Cartoons.

In creating team agreements you may lead from the question “What are the behaviors that are going to support us to do our best work?”

Which of these are ones we can all agree to - through thick and thin? 24/7?

As you identify what the behaviors are - trust, respect - have people further define what the behaviors look like. These are more accurate, and measurable, than the larger catchments.

Each team agreement set will look different. How can you keep these visible?

One hospital team I worked with created a large poster which they hung in the hallway en route to their office. It was a reminder for them everyday, as well as a conversation starter for others who came to visit them. Over time, this team became one of the key leaders at their site. Many of them attributed their success to these common team agreements which helped them re-calibrate when they got off the mark, and helped them run together in alignment.

What do you want to do to create, or revisit your Team Agreements?

Best wishes!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials

Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk - Virtual, Remote and Hybrid Checklist

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon

Teams365 #3155: Getting Back to Fall Routines

8/25/2022

As we step into the swing of fall “back to work” for so many in a few weeks, it’s time to think a little bit about routines, and habits.

Whether you are back to the office, working remotely or hybrid, routines and habits create an opportunity for flow and ease.

More and more attention has been placed on the notion of habits and routines. Some of my favorite books on these topics include

The Power of Habit – Charles Duhigg
Tiny Habits – BJ Fogg
Atomic Habits – James Clear

The workspace today can be demanding, which often requires we become more intentional with what we want to create. Boundary issues, (or lack thereof) has led to overwork, burnout, and even compassion fatigue. What boundaries are important to create around your work and life this fall?

In order to create the automaticity of flow, it can be valuable to start establishing routines at a key point. Whether you choose the day after Labor Day (or some other), it can serve as a reset.

Consider these reset opportunities to working differently:

Getting into, and out of the office, at an established time of day. Boundaries in work times can provide an opportunity for more focus.

Getting more exercise --- with fall comes new work locations and new activities. What would you like to establish as a workout routine. Is it getting to the gym at lunch, or before work? Is it dusting off the treadmill or running shoes you have and getting out?

Intentionally building in time to re-establish relationships – Many professional associations are back to regular in-person programming this fall. What time have you earmarked to meet, and reconnect, with others inside and outside of your organization?

Time with family or the people that matter most – It is easy to have work take center stage. What are you doing to build in time to connect with family and/or those that matter most? As the old age says, “What doesn’t get scheduled, doesn’t get done”. Who is important to spend time with this fall? What time won’t you get back?

What else is important to consider as you think about your back to fall routines?

Enjoy,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials

Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk - Virtual, Remote and Hybrid Checklist

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon

Teams365 #3154: 90-Day Guide for Success #3 – Getting Organized

8/24/2022

This week may have been very, very quiet at the office. It’s likely been an opportunity to get on top of some of your tasks and organizational elements.
I thought it would be valuable today to head into another excerpt from the 90-Day Guide for Success – this one around organizing. Here’s what I share in Day 38 under the title ORGANIZING:

Today I wanted to cover five areas you might want to consider as they relate to getting and keeping organized:

1. File management—from our paper-based files to electronic ways we file and access information, keeping files in check is critical.

2. Version control—when working with other team members in collaborative documents, being able to access and work on the most up-to-date documents is key.

3. Building in time for planning—planning often falls to the bottom of the list for remote work. When boundaries are fluid as we work odd hours with our stakeholders across the world, the ability to build in time for planning sometimes “goes by the wayside.” When are you building in formal moments to plan—virtually and otherwise?

4. Batching considerations—remote workers are often pulled from task to task, especially if we become reactive around key tasks coming in via email. A challenge for the remote team today is to ensure that we do make headway on all the different tasks involved, including the more focused, deeper work required for tasks.

5. Keeping on top of rote tasks—reporting, finances, filing, etc. Regularly dedicating 15 minutes to more rote tasks can help to keep the clutter (physical and mental) at bay. Physically also filing things in an orderly fashion—e.g., a box for receipts—can also help to diminish the mental clutter created by the open loop of invoices which have not been entered.

One final thing to keep in mind in terms of getting more organized is systems. In PlanDoTrack , I point to the importance of five main areas of systems for entrepreneurs and other remote workers.

Consider these areas:

1. Financial systems—invoicing, accounts payable, cash flow, accounts receivable, etc.

2. Client and stakeholder systems—connecting with and sharing information with others—this might include such things as email templates, contact lists, meeting notes, or past reports on collaboration.

3. Marketing—websites, social media feeds, frequently asked questions.

4. Content—do you know what you have created? Do you have an accessible listing of what there is?

5. Project management—from Waterfall to Agile project management, it’s key to have a strong series of systems to keep your projects moving and communication happening around them.

What systems are going to help you streamline and keep on top of your work?

(Excerpt: 90-Day Guide for Success, Day 38, page 248, © Britton, 2021)

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials

Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk - Virtual, Remote and Hybrid Checklist

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon

Teams365 #3153: Six Team Focus Areas to Explore This Fall

8/23/2022

This week is often seen as a bit of a ramp up week before things really get started. It’s a great opportunity to also think about getting some of those hanging projects complete (or open loops closed), as well as looking at scheduling core activities as a team. Part of helping teams excel is exploring key themes and focus areas, like boundaries, strategic issues and priorities. Let’s take a look back at some of the many writings here at the Teams365 blog.

Have you considered exploring these five team focus areas yet?

#1 - Strategic Issues Mapping – Strategic issues and strategic thinking is key in an era of ongoing change. What is really important to get a handle on? What are the factors and forces which are influencing your work? Is it time to revisit your strategic context by exploring a SWOT, or maybe doing a PESTLE process? Going way back to year 1 of our daily blog posts, check out #Teams365 #85 on bringing strategic issues mapping into your work.

#2 - Working with Priorities – Once you’ve got your strategic focus, have you as a team identified what your priorities really are. Take a look at #Teams365 #981 to explore different ways to work with your team around priorities.

#3 – Getting better at problem solving. Problems are becoming more complex and bigger. Check out this 2015 Sunday audio post on three problem solving tools you could bring into your upcoming team work.

Teams365 #705: Creative Problem Solving - What' you'll need are some index cards, sharpie markers and a problem which needs solving. Click here to read.

#4 – Project Close Outs: Teams365 #554: Team Building - Project Close Out - Click here to read five key areas you will want to explore in undertake an end of project close out.

#5 - Getting Clear on Boundaries – Too fluid a workspace and work routine has been pointed to as one of the main challenges of the last few years. Teams365 #1064: Team Development Activity A - Z - B is for boundaries. Click here to review a quick activity to support the team in identifying what they want to, and need to focus on, and boundaries they want to create in their work. Click here to read more.

#6 – Team Development in General. Teams don’t just become amazing. They become better when they work together. Many of the teams we’ve had the privilege to work with have indicated that their most impactful use of their team time has been in partaking with our Team Days. These days incorporate either Clifton Strengths Finder or the Hybrid Work Styles Quiz, helping teams understand their unique tapestry and the practical things they can do to become their best. These Team Days can be as short as 4 hours and as long as two days. Contact us to learn more – (https://calendly.com/jennbritton)

What’s going to help you do your best work this fall?

Enjoy the reflection,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials

Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk - Virtual, Remote and Hybrid Checklist

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon

Teams365 #3152: 90-Day Guide for Success #2: Empathy and Connection

8/22/2022

This week we are going to explore routines and practices teams may want to lean into this fall. Given that the period after Labor Day (early September) often serves as a reset for a new year and new routine, one skill area you may want to be focusing on is that of empathy.

In this week’s excerpt from the 90-Day Guide for Success (which is a guide for onboarding or reboarding in today’s evolving workspace) I wanted to dig into the skill of empathy which is a critical skill or all team members. Empathy helps us feel connected and valued. So how do we demonstrate it?

Here’s what I share in Day of the 90-Day Guide for Success:

Here are five ways we as virtual teams can build our skills in empathy while building connection:

1. Provide opportunities for team members to get to know each other—online and offline. While some virtual teams will never meet, building in time for “getting to know” each other is critical. This could entail dedicating some time to sharing two of my favorite warmups:

“What’s outside your window?” or “What’s on your desk?”

2. Create formal learning partnerships with others on the team. Many virtual teams benefit from having peer partners to meet with on a regular basis. This helps us to learn more about each other and what projects we are working on. As we listen and learn, more trust, connection, and understanding are created.

3. Be present and listen. We continue to see how important the ability to focus on virtual conversations is. Nothing will destroy trust and connection faster than hearing other person on the end of the phone or streaming typing away doing an email while you are speaking together. What will it take to be present, focus, and deeply listen in your virtual conversations?

4. Listen for the deeper layers. Typically, in listening, we may be staying at the surface, hearing with one ear and thinking about what we are going to say back to the other person. In the deeper listening needed by virtual teams today, listen to what the person is saying. Notice the pace, pitch of the conversation. Notice the emotion behind the words. What is being said?

5. Take time to share more about your world, your work, your priorities. An important part of empathy is understanding. It’s a two-way street—being open to share and being receptive to listening. How much are you sharing about your world, your work, and your priorities?

There are multiple ways we can be focusing on the skills of empathy as we build connection on teams.

What are some approaches you as a team want to focus on?

(Excerpt: 90-Day Guide for Success: Day 47, page 285, © Jennifer Britton, 2021)

Enjoy the reflection,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials

Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk - Virtual, Remote and Hybrid Checklist

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon