Teams365 Blog - POTENTIALS REALIZED

Teams365 #2848 - Week in Review

10/17/2021

That’s a wrap for Chapter 7 and our focus on Systems, Processes and Tools. This past week we explored the following:

Saturday’s Wrap-up and Weekly Journaling Prompt (inspired by Halloween)

Friday’s Flashback

Thursday’s Six Leadership Questions

Wednesday’s Systems for Consistency and Connection

Tuesdays’ Brain tip around the Social Brain

Monday’s In Focus- The Urgent/Important Matrix

What else is important to explore right now?

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
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new books, Reconnecting Workspaces and 90-Day Guide for Success: Pathways to Thrive in the Virtual, Remote, and Hybrid World at Amazon.

Teams365 #2847 - Wrap Up and Weekly Journaling Prompt

10/16/2021

And that’s it for the dive into chapter 7 of Reconnecting Workspaces where we focused on all things systems, practices and tools. While it may not be the most exciting part of work, it is and important part of keeping things moving. From leadership systems, to feedback loops, we’ve explored a variety of items which are important.

Keeping aligned with the upcoming Halloween holiday, this week’s Weekly Journaling Prompt is “If you had three wishes to grant, what would they be?”.
Can’t wait to kick off next week and our next chapter with you. Coming up – Chapter 8 of Reconnecting Workspaces!

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
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new books, Reconnecting Workspaces and 90-Day Guide for Success: Pathways to Thrive in the Virtual, Remote, and Hybrid World at Amazon.

Teams365 #2846 - Flashback Friday: Peer Coaching

10/15/2021

For today’s post I thought it would be interesting to reach back to a 2017 focus on Peer Coaching, which is just as relevant as it was when I originally wrote this post. Take a look at Teams #1337, Leadership Practice, here - https://www.potentialsrealized.com/teams-365-blog/teams365-1337-leadership-practice-peer-coaching

Consider the following;
Fostering strong team connections where team members can take turns to lead and offer their expertise to others on the team is essential in today’s VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) environment. Helping team members improve their coaching skills with each other is an important part of creating a more collaborative environment.

Several of the core skills we want to cultivate in moving to a peer coaching environment are:

Questioning – the ability to ask open ended questions which will hep the other person widen their knowledge, explore options, gain clarity or create assumptions. In boosting our questioning skills it is also important to consider Are you leaving enough time for the person to reflect and then respond?

Designing the conversation – helping peers be in dialogue around what they want to purpose and outcome of the conversation to be is important This could include asking questions such as:
What do you want as an outcome for this conversation?
What would be most helpful to you? To brainstorm? Be asked questions? Consider solutions? Other?

Listening – Being able to listen deeply is important. The ability to listen on multiple levels is key to peer coaching. Listening around
One of the biggest stretch areas for peers is learning not to give advice but lead from questioning and listening

A starting point for peers to experiment with their sills is dedicating 20 – 30 minutes a mot to peer coaching conversations. Pair team members and have them bring a current business challenge or opportunity which they want to explore. Give them one to two minutes to outline what that is to their partner and then provide 7 minutes to coach and then one minute to identify specific next action steps. Rotate to the next person.

Peer coaching can be done virtually with virtual teams as well, using breakouts or separate calls between the session. Consider how you could integrate peer coaching into your upcoming conversations and team development.
What role can peer coaching play right now or you as an organization? In what areas is it important to build capability?

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
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

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

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Reconnecting-Workspaces-Pathways-Thrive-Virtual/dp/0993791557

Teams365 #2845 - 6 Questions for Remote Work

10/14/2021

SIX QUESTIONS FOR MORE REMOTE WORK

1. What’s going to help you be more productive?

2. What support do you need to do your best work?

3. How do you want to/need to stay connected to the team?

4. What information/accountability do you need to get your work moving?

5. What feedback loops are needed?

6. What is important to share with others?

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
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new books, Reconnecting Workspaces and 90-Day Guide for Success: Pathways to Thrive in the Virtual, Remote, and Hybrid World at Amazon.

Teams365 #2844 - Systems for Consistency and Connection

10/13/2021

RECONNECTING THE WORKSPACE TIP—SYSTEMS

Right now (and really, when you think about it, at all times), systems can be critical for consistency and connection. Think about your communication systems which help you connect, or your IT which helps you share information. What about the systems and automations which ensure consistency. What’s in place?

Here’s what I wrote about Systems for Consistency and Connection at the end of Chapter 7. Enjoy!

Systems ensure consistency in the hybrid and remote world so that we can be location independent. What systems are going to help people reconnect and collaborate with each other?

Systems bring fluidity regardless of what time or day we are working on it, or where we are engaging on it from. Systems range from customer service to communication, onboarding, administration to marketing. What are the systems which are going to create consistency and connection across your organization?

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
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new books, Reconnecting Workspaces and 90-Day Guide for Success: Pathways to Thrive in the Virtual, Remote, and Hybrid World at Amazon.

Teams365 #2843 - Brain Tip: The Social Brain

10/12/2021

Social Learning Theory was conceptualized many years ago from Arthur Bandura. Since that time there has been a lot of science and research to underpin why social learning is important. Here’s what I share in Chapter 7’s Brain tip of “The Social Brain”. Let’s take a look at what I shared in Reconnecting Workspaces. https://www.amazon.com/Reconnecting-Workspaces-Pathways-Thrive-Virtual/dp/0993791557

“Connection is a critical part of thriving in any workspace. Matthew Lieberman explores this topic in Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect. In addition to having systems and being able to work asychronously, there is value in a social network and connection.

Back in the 1970s, Arthur Bandura created Social Learning Theory, grounded in four main areas:

• Observation (environmental)—observing and learning from the context in which we operate.
• Retention (cognitive)—how do I remember this?
• Reproduction (cognitive)—how do I reproduce this? Use this?
• Motivation (both cognitive and environmental)—noticing what is motivational and what is not

In order for learning to occur, we need to create opportunities for learning on all four layers. What are you doing in your organization to focus on these four areas?”

End of Excerpt: Reconnecting Workspaces, © 2021 Jennifer Britton

Consider these four areas – observation, retention, reproduction and motivation. What’s important about this for you?

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
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new books, Reconnecting Workspaces and 90-Day Guide for Success: Pathways to Thrive in the Virtual, Remote, and Hybrid World at Amazon.

Teams365 #2842 - In Focus: The Urgent/Important Matrix

10/11/2021

Time management and personal productivity is a key issue for many in the workspace, right now. Take a look at this IN FOCUS from Chapter 7 of Reconnecting Workspaces. This is a tool I have used for many years in my own work. How might it support you?

“One of the most important tools all team members can use regularly is the Urgent/Important Matrix. As you think about your work this month, what tasks are urgent? These are the tasks that have to get done, at least from the perspective of yourself, your boss, customers, or other key stakeholders. These are often known as the fires.

Which of your tasks are important? Important tasks are key to longer-term business sustainability, customer, and team satisfaction and growth. Consider which of these important tasks are urgent and which ones aren’t. Tasks which are important and urgent may be key meetings for you to attend for your boss, crises/accidents/incidents, and things that really do need attention and can’t wait, at least without a significant business impact.

Stephen Covey asserts we should spend our time in Quadrant Two, or those areas which are important and are not urgent. Important and not urgent issues are things like building relationships, planning, and team development time. Over time these fundamental important and not urgent issues build our base.

If we spend our time always working on important and urgent issues (the fires) we may find that we burn out or, even worse, will not be addressing important issues.

You can read more about Covey’s Urgent/Important Matrix online. As an activity, you and/or your team may want to consider all activities in the Urgent/Important Matrix.”

I hope you will take some time to use the Urgent/Important Matrix download here to support you in your planning.

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
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new books, Reconnecting Workspaces and 90-Day Guide for Success: Pathways to Thrive in the Virtual, Remote, and Hybrid World at Amazon.

Teams365 #2841 - Week in Review

10/10/2021

It’s been a full week, and we’ve covered a lot of ground, particularly as it relates to the new 90-day Guide for Success which is now available as a self-coaching guide for those working remotely or hybrid at https://bitly.com/90dayguide

This week we covered the following:

Saturday – Weekly Journaling Prompt
Friday – Flashback to Teams365 #1406 – Effective Virtual Conversations Tip #20
Thursday – The CLAIMS Model™ to Remote Work Motivation
Wednesday – Six Teamwork Questions – Systems
Tuesday – Daily Steps + Consistent Action really do create momentum! Connecting PlanDoTrack, Reconnecting Workspaces, and the 90-Day Guide for Success
Monday – Introducing the 90-Day Guide for Success

I hope that you will join us for the week day 730 am ET calls!
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
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

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

Teams365 #2840 - Weekly Journaling Prompt 169: What Needs to be Reviewed?

10/9/2021

Welcome back to another Weekly Journaling Prompt. This week’s prompt is “What needs to be reviewed?”

Enjoy the conversation!
Jennifer

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
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

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

Teams365 #2839 - Flashback to Onboarding Needs – In light of the 90-Day Guide Release

10/8/2021

In this week’s Friday Flashback, I wanted to reach back to Teams365 blog post #1406 – Effective Virtual Conversations Tip #20 - https://www.potentialsrealized.com/teams-365-blog/teams365-1406-effective-virtual-conversation-tip-20-capacity-development–

Here’s what I wrote,

Today's tip comes from my new book, Effective Virtual Conversations, page 331 where I write "In virtual teams, it is also imperative that we build capability in the skills of new team members".

While capacity development is critical in many teams today, it can be absolutely essential to high performance in virtual teams, given that people are working independently in many instances.

As a team leader, consider how you can be building capability within your team around:
Goal Setting
Reporting
Coaching Skills - particularly peer coaching skills
Feedback
Business Acumen (as appropriate to the work you do)
Difficult Conversations
Relationship Building
Emotional Intelligence
Conflict Management
Influence

For many remote team members they are having to utilize these skills each and every day.

Just as onboarding of new team leaders is important, the onboarding of new team members can be just as critical. Some of the areas you will want to focus on in the onboarding process for new team members are:

Team culture - who you are
Who to Go to - Key resource people - other members of the team, internal resources, external stakeholders
Reporting requirements - budget, resources, status updates
Team meetings
Understanding your role
Key Goals, KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and Corporate Priorities
Goal Setting (whether you use a one-page plan or other)
Feedback and Performance Management issues
Expectations around:
- Surfacing important issues
- Availability (when you are on and when you are off)
- Quality and completion of tasks
- Navigating Conflict
- Work-life (again boundaries around when you are on and off)
- Reporting
- Collaboration with others on the team
- Meeting focus

What other issues are important for you to brief new team members on? How do you want to undertake your onboarding. Do you spend a day together onsite and/or virtually? Do you spend a few hours together several times during the first week or month?
End of Excerpt

While I wrote this years ago, this is still critical today. Today we may be responsible for re-boarding our experienced team members from a work-from-home situation to a back at work. Or, vice versa.
At the same time, each quarter it can be an opportunity to revisit HOW we operate. This is where the 90-Day Guide for Success can become a valuable asset, whether you are following along as a team, or using is as a self-coaching guide. What do you notice about what’s important for your team right now?
What do you notice about what’s important about onboarding, or re-boarding, from you team?

Be sure to pick up a copy of the book for you, and your team members! You will find the 90-Day Guide for Success here - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0993791573

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
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

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