Teams365 Blog - POTENTIALS REALIZED

Teams365 #2945 - Virtual Co-Working Sprints 22 For 2022: Day 22 of 22 Days: Unique Hybrid Workstyle

1/22/2022

“When you meet your workmates by the water cooler or photocopier every day, you know instinctively who you can and cannot trust. In a geographically distributed team, trust is measured almost exclusively in terms of reliability.”
- Erin Meyer

The metaphor for teamwork practices and skills is in the following image, depicting how different team members see and experience things differently on a team. This gets even more magnified on a team that is remote or hybrid.

I’ve been fascinated by the topic of teams and work styles for decades now, and this has been at the heart of some of my earlier books including From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching
https://www.amazon.com/Reconnecting-Workspaces-Pathways-Thrive-Virtual/dp/0993791557

This past summer, based on feedback from the coaches and organizations I support in the remote and hybrid world, I created the new Hybrid Work Style Quiz, which will provide you with insights into some of the levers of performance in the remote and hybrid space.

Activity
Take a 2 -3 minutes to complete this fun quiz online at https://bitly.com/hybridworkquiz.
Be sure to share it with your colleagues as well!

Conversation Sparkers
What do you notice about the different styles and needs of different team members?

Understanding our own style, as well as understanding others on the team, is key for success. I’ll be hosting monthly webinars on the topic as well so be sure to sign up for those!

Interested in exploring more? Join us for an upcoming webinar or set up a time to discuss – https://calendly.com/jennbritton.

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 book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

Teams365 #2944 - Virtual Co-Working Sprints 22 For 2022: Day 21 of 22 Days: Track It!

1/21/2022

“To the person who does not know where (S)he wants to go there is no favorable wind” – Seneca

One of the three tenets of PlanDoTrack is Track. As we move into the last tip of the 22 for 22, what are you noticing about the activities you have undertaken in this series?

Trackers can be a great way to get habits ingrained. What are the habits you have created in the last 22 days? Habits are key to success and thriving in the very fluid remote and virtual workspace. Whether we are juggling multiple tasks, or roles (business owner or leader, parent, etc.), habits and those things we consistently become automatic.

They may be so automatic that we don’t even notice what we have accomplished.

If you have been part o the 22 for 22 Booster Pack, you will have seen the daily worksheets, and bonus weekly trackers to support you in NOTICING what you have accomplished.

Tracking is all about taking time to pause, reflect and notice the data.
Some areas readers have been tracking range from:
Personal items – Reading time, time spent with loved ones, journaling
Fitness goals – Time spent walking, at gym, swimming, heart rate, sleep achieved
Business goals - Calls made, revenue in, program design time, product design time
Special project focus – include any part of the design, implementation or delivery

As part of the 22 for 22 Virtual Co-working Sprints, participants are encouraged to note the daily steps they are taking every day. Over time these add up.

Activity
Take a look at your top 3 goals this year, or quarter, and identify and write out what the milestones are.
Get granular with what milestone success will look like.
Mark the items and the milestone checklist in your calendar. What will you do to track them?
Note the trackers that you want to follow around these milestones (it could be called etc.).

Conversation Sparkers
What are the things you want to TRACK?
What do you notice about the data? What patterns have emerged?

A reminder that there are several tracking tools available to you in the PlanDoTrack planner including, Weekly Daily Trackers – with space to track more than 10 areas, consider some of the habits and consistent actions you want to get into this year, or the results you want to track. Share your insights with us over at the Virtual and Remote Visionaries Hub on Facebook or on Mighty Networks at https://Conversation-Sparker.mn.co

Happy Friday!
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 #2943 - Virtual Co-Working Sprints 22 For 2022: Day 20 of 22 Days: Leverage the Perfect Call Formula and 5 Engagement Levers

1/20/2022

“Consider engaging people on calls every 7 – 10 minutes to create one that stands out!” – Jennifer Britton

Throughout the Stand Out Virtually series of programming (Challenges, Courses, and now this blog series), I refer to the Perfect Call Formula and the 5 Engagement Levers. One of the big challenges is that most calls today in the virtual space STAND OUT for the wrong reasons. They are dull, boring, one-way passages of information.

The perfect call formula, with the acronym of PERC, gets you to think about how you focus on:

P – PROCESS

E – Engagement – What are you doing to activate the 5 Engagement Levers™ so that people are active conversationalists and not just passive participants. The 5 Engagement Levers™ are:
Breakouts
Annotation
Chat
Polls
And Whiteboards

R – Results – As I wrote earlier in the series, always start with the end in mind. What are the results you are aiming for? Are you asking people at the start of the program or process to identify “What success will look like at the end of their work with you?”

C – Connection. In today’s socially isolated world (at least of 2020 and hopefully only part of 2021) connection is key. We want to connect on these layers –
Connection to you as the host
Connection to others
Connection to the content
Connection to the platform
Connection to their Why and what’s important

Activity

Consider what you are doing to embed the Perfect Call Formula in your upcoming virtual conversations -
Ask yourself:
What focus am I putting on process?
What am I doing to embed the Five Engagement Levers?
What results are we aiming for?
What am I doing to help people connect on these five levels?

Conversation Sparkers
What is important to you about STANDING OUT VIRTUALLY?
What changes do you want to make?

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.

Teams365 #2942 - Virtual Co-Working Sprints 22 For 2022: Day 19 of 22 Days: Get the Important Stuff Out of the Way

1/19/2022

“A river cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence.”— Jim Watkins

It is likely that even with the best planning, finding time to execute and get things done can be a challenge. Today’s business context of ongoing change and disruption means that things can change on a regular basis, requiring ongoing learning and iteration.

Against this backdrop, it can also be important to focus on items that are moving you, and the business, forward.

With this in mind, what are the windows you have available (or can create) to get the important things out of the way? This might mean starting your day early, or working late into the night, to focus on projects that require quiet workspaces.

Activity
Review your monthly or quarterly goals.
Review your Top 3 or 5 Goals.
What activities are not getting completed in a regular way?
What needs to be focused on more?
When will you schedule this? For example, is this the first thing you want to do every day? Is it worth arriving at work 30 minutes earlier to make sure it gets completed? Could certain activities be delegated to someone else?
Break larger tasks down to smaller chunks if you have not done so already. Consider what smaller milestones exist and put these in your schedule.
What are the regular action steps you will undertake to make it happen? Work backward noting additional mini-milestones.

Conversation Sparkers
What are the most important tasks that are going to move your work or business forward?
When are you scheduling in these?
What habits are going to help you get the most important things done?

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 book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

Teams365 #2941 - Virtual Co-Working Sprints 22 For 2022: Day 18 of 22 Days: Create a Dialogue- Lean Into Community

1/18/2022

“It’s all about the conversation.” – Jennifer Britton

This year as part of the 22 for 22 kickoff I wanted to bring in the element of community. For several years now, each January, as part of the annual kick-off

I’ve hosted a series of blog posts. Take a look back at:

18 for 18 Kickstart
19 or 19 Productivity

What’s been different this year in terms of seeing the impact of this work, is the community that has been created and which has been meeting live each day (usually from 12 – 1240 pm ET). While we are winding down in a few days, don’t worry – more challenges as on their way.

A large part of my work has been about creating dialogue in my work. This is still something that helps to differentiate professionals in the virtual space. What are you doing to bring people together for a conversation (not just an individualized learning experience)?

Whether we are having a one-off conversation or leaning into the community in areas such as the Conversation Sparker Zone (join us at https://conversation-sparker.mn.co), what are the dialogues you want to create?

Activity

Consider work you want to bring into the world. What role does dialogue play? What forums are you creating for people to come together and be in the discussion?

Ask yourself:
What are the topics people want to come together around?
What platform is best to house this conversation on (consider Facebook, Mighty Networks, or ….)
What’s important about creating the space for a conversation?

Conversation Sparkers
How do tasks expand to the amount of time I give them?
Where could I be more aggressive or lenient with my scheduling?

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

Teams365 #2940 - Virtual Co-Working Sprints 22 For 2022: Day 17 of 22 Days: Boundaries and Parkinson's Rule

1/17/2022

“To the person who does not know where (S)he wants to go there is no favorable wind” – Seneca

Boundaries are key to success and thriving in the very fluid remote and virtual workspace. Whether we are juggling multiple tasks, or roles (business owner or leader, parent, etc.), being clear on boundaries can mean the difference between getting by and thriving.

There’s an old project management adage, known as Parkinson’s Rule, which asserts that tasks expand to the amount of time we give them. In other words, if we set a deadline of getting something done by end of the day tomorrow, we’ll get it done. Conversely, we could have fixed another deadline of early next week, and the task might have stretched out to then as well.

Parkinson’s Rule may be something you have seen at play in the 21 for 21 Virtual Co-working series. Day after day I am hearing about how people find they do get what they had set out to do in the 21 minutes complete. For many, this is a surprise and several have noted that it would have taken more time to do on their own without the 21-minute time window boundary.

At a macro-business level, considering our start and end dates is critical in juggling multiple projects. From program and product design to administration and finances, to actually coaching, there are a lot of varied tasks which make up a successful coaching business.

What are the tasks and activities which could benefit from a more fixed start and end date?

Related to this concept is that of time estimation.

Activity
Consider the major activities, tasks, and projects which are a priority this month. Where are they scheduled?

Ask yourself:
What is the start date for this project or task?
What is the end date I have set?
Could the end date be a bit more aggressive so that the task could be completed in a more condensed manner? If not, why not?
What is important to notice about start and end dates? How my tasks are expanding to the time I give them?
What’s currently not getting done, which I wish it was?
If it’s not about changing time windows, WHO can help me get it done? WHAT other resources do I need to allocate?
What changes would I like to make?

Conversation Sparkers
How do tasks expand to the amount of time I give them?
Where could I be more aggressive or lenient with my scheduling?

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
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 #2939 - Virtual Co-Working Sprints 22 For 2022: Day 16 of 22 Days: Anticipate Frequently Asked Questions

1/16/2022

“Life would certainly be easier if we all came equipped with our own personal FAQ lists. When we meet someone, we could pass them a business card with the list on the back, and then step back and let them read before we tried to talk." -Jeff Lindsay
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/jeff_lindsay_525871

People like to ask questions. It’s also a signal that things may not be as clear as they could be. In the virtual and remote world, helping team members know where to go is key. Likewise, customers or other stakeholders may have questions.

As a virtual professional, it’s likely that you are anticipating certain questions to come up. Or, perhaps you are hearing certain questions already.

Over time we want to develop a series of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). For example, an FAQ about your services, how to register, what’s included. his could be posted on our website, blog, and/or be available as a download.

Some of the more common areas addressed in Frequently Asked Questions are the following:
What do you offer?
How do you offer your services and products (in-person, virtual, on-demand, live…)
What are the benefits of what you offer?
Where can people go for more information or access what they need?
Where to find….
How to locate….
How to do (insert your top 10)…

What do you regularly get questions about?

Activity

Make a list of the common questions you receive.
Draft out your Frequently Asked Questions page
What will it include?
What format do you want to provide it in? (Download on the website, postcard, rack card)
Where will it be available?
What else is important to communicate?

Run your FAQ by current clients to get their feedback. What connects with them? What else would they include?

Conversation Sparkers
What is important to communicate to people who are just meeting you for the first time?
What do you regularly get questions about?
What else is important to note

Enjoy your weekend!
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 #2938 - Virtual Co-Working Sprints 22 For 2022: Day 15 of 22 Days: Schedule It. What Doesn't Get Scheduled Doesn't Get Done

1/15/2022

“The whole point of getting things done is knowing what to leave undone.”- Oswald Chambers. Scheduling and tracking are key parts of business productivity. Time management in a virtual business includes:

Discernment – Knowing what is, and what is not important. In the big picture, in the immediate. For you. For the business.

Prioritizing – Being clear on your Top 3-5 activities. Today, this month, this quarter.

Scheduling It- Making sure the big tasks and smaller tasks are scheduled in, particularly those things which are important to you and the business (review time, planning time, renewal time, maintenance, systems, etc.). Some research has also started pointing to the need for significant enough blocks of time being required to help you focus. For some this may be 90 minutes, others 3 hours.

Saying NO - tactfully! Given that we are usually operating in isolation, negotiation skills are key. Being able to say “I can help you with this, however, that may not be feasible…”, being able to delegate, defer or even say no, are all key skills. It’s not surprising that the training I deliver on Communicating and Negotiating for Impact is popular!

Be ruthless with your time. Time is non-renewable. How do you choose to spend it?

Activity
Consider the questions listed above. What do you notice about Discernment? Priorities, Scheduling, saying no, being ruthless with time. What is important for you in staying the course?

Take 15 minutes to make sure your schedule is up to date and includes time for the important activities in the short, medium, and long term.

Add an additional 10% of the time to projects or tasks which are not yet visible but need to get done.

Consider what your line in the sand is around tasks and new requests. Are you operating at 100%? If you had a new request come in, what would you do? How could you defer other tasks?

What your successes have been?
Where your focus has been?
What products or services have you been focusing on offering?

Schedule it. If you have not left space now, it’s unlikely it will emerge on its own!

Conversation Sparkers
What projects, tasks, or activities are important to schedule this month?
What is your line in the sand around what more you can take on?

What are the Top 3-5 priorities for you today? This week? This month? This quarter?

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 book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

Teams365 #2937 - Virtual Co-Working Sprints 22 For 2022: Day 14 of 22 Days: Get Into Action

1/14/2022

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” – Neal Donald Walsch

The pace of change today is faster than ever before. Getting comfortable with taking focused action, without all the details is a part of success in the virtual space.

When starting, or launching, new initiatives it can be valuable to just get into action. It’s easy and can be alluring, to spend time doing more research. I continue to meet a lot of coaches who fail to move into the execution stage because they are just not “sure”. They need to do a “bit more research”. The more data we have, the easier it may be to slip into “analysis/paralysis”. This can be a place of overwhelm or “STUCK” for many business owners. There usually is a place where you have “enough” information and can get started.

The tagline for the Coaching Business Builder, and PlanDoTrack, is
“Consistent Action + Daily Steps = Momentum” Key to business success is to Get into Action!

As Nike says, “Just do it”.

Consistent action is key for building business in today’s ever-changing world. We often do not know what’s going to have an impact until we get it out into the world. This is even more true in the virtual space. It’s through trying things out, and getting feedback, that we start to get the feedback required as to if we are on the mark, or not.

Even in creating group coaching processes, it’s key to get things into action, rather than fall into the analysis-paralysis trap. We don’t need to know everything or even anything. We need to trust our clients. Things will change right up to the moment we meet our clients.

So, how much mental energy are you spending in trying to figure out what your clients really want? Holding ideas and thoughts in our heads takes up a lot of space. How much mental energy are you spending just thinking about things, considering best and worst-case scenarios without getting into action?

Activity
Think about the most important priorities for your business. What needs to get done?
What are you doing to create opportunities for action and feedback with your ideal clients? What events can you host to start the dialogue with them?
What are the regular action steps which will help you get things done?

Conversation Sparkers
What is the consistent action you want to take daily in your business?
Who can support you in determining when “enough is enough” and you need action?

Happy Friday!
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 #2935 - Virtual Co-Working Sprints 22 For 2022: Day 12 of 22 Days: Circadian Rhythm: When Are You At Your Best?

1/12/2022

“Perhaps the main conclusion to be drawn from studies on the effects of time of day on performance is that the best time to perform a particular task depends on the nature of that task”.
– Simon Folkard quoted in Daniel Pink’s When, 2018, pp 22.

Are you a night owl or a morning bird? As a schoolgirl in the 1970s, I remember teachers getting us to think about when we were at our best. Flash forward to the late 1980s and early 1990s and discussion around circadian rhythm.

Daniel Pink’s most recent book When further delves into the research. He writes,

“Our moods and performance oscillate during the day. For most of us, our mood follows a common pattern: a peak, a trough, and rebound. That helps shape a dual pattern of performance. In the mornings, during the peak…. most of us excel at …analytic work that requires sharpness, vigilance, and focus. Later in the day, during the recovery, most of us do better on…insight work that requires less inhibition and resolve.” – Pink, 2018, pp 26

Activity
Questions to Consider:
When are you at your best? Check out the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire to learn more
When are you able to focus the most?
When are you able to get the most work done?

Take a look at your schedule and think about the major tasks that could be rescheduled to better meet your energy needs.

Make the change now.

** Pink notes that “people born in the fall and winter are more likely to be a lark; people born in the spring and summer are more likely to be owls.” – p 29

“Moods are an internal state, but they have an external impact. Try as we might conceal our emotions, they inevitably leak –that shapes how others respond to our words and actions”. – Daniel Pink, When

Conversation Sparkers
What is important to note about the ebbs and flows of your day, your tasks, and your energy?
What tasks could benefit from being scheduled in the times when you are most productive? When you are not as focused?

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 book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.