Team Building Question #196 asks you to consider the questions “What’s the culture you have evolved as a team? Is that what’s going to take it to the next level?”.
Culture is something that evolves over time. It’s how we do things. It’s shaped by our stories, our icons, or experiences. What’s the culture that you have evolved as a team over the years?
As you consider where you are heading, how can the culture support you in taking things to the next level.
What values can help to support you?
Which ones do you want to focus on?
What are the specific way you do things which can help?
What are the past experiences you can leverage or springboard off of?
What do you know is your core strength?
What is your “super power” as a team?

If you haven’t had a chance to explore the topic of team culture before, here’s an opportunity to start the discussion. How do you uniquely do things? What makes you unique as a team.
 
Enjoy the conversation,
Jennifer

​Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Effective Virtual Conversations |  Coaching Team Leaders  
We provide team and leadership development support through coaching, consulting and training services
Author of Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) 
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com
(416)996-8326

In the next few weeks and month, many of us are getting back to our regular work routines. Whether our children are back to school, or our team at work is back to running at full speed, August and September often signal a “new working year”.

Earlier this month I launched a new business workbook and planner – the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner. While it’s geared for coaches, I am working on another edition for virtual and remote professionals in addition to leaders which should be out later this year.

As you step into your new routine this September there are five areas you may want to consider:

1. What are the key activities you need to direct attention around?

What are the core initiatives you need to keep your eyes on? Steven Covey made famous the phrase “big rocks” years ago. The notion is, if you fit these in first, there's more space to do what we now term "work in the margins". What are your "big rocks" this fall?

2. Keeping the home fires rolling.

Having stepped away from city life for a few months this past summer and working out of a much smaller cottage, I recognize the cost and time invested in some of the more mundane, but essential tasks, it requires to keep an almost 3,000 square foot home in order. From groceries, to meal prep, to home maintenance, what are the tasks that are needed to keep things rolling at home while you work at full-tilt? From online grocery ordering, to meals in a box, or one of our favorite – family meal prep at Supperworks – keeping the home fires burning is essential to many of us.

What are the core elements which are important to you?
 
3. Scheduling in time for your own self-care.

Whether it’s working out, or building in time to renew, we only have one body, and keeping it in top condition is essential. What are the key activities you want to leave time for this year?

4. Clearing the clutter.

While some say that a disheveled office is often seen as part of a creative mind, clearing the clutter can be essential for high performance. Can you take some time before September rolls around to do a purge of items, or clearing of an area which has been growing in size?
 
5. Reviewing, or making your plan, for the fall.

Earlier this week I hosted the first of a series of "back to fall" virtual planning workshops, in a condensed 45 minute hack format. i brought in several of the resources and planning tools from my latest book, Coaching Business Builder: Workbook and Planner.

An older project management adage asserts that 10 minutes of planning can save 20 minutes of unfocused effort. What are your plans for fall? Each month? Each week? Are you taking 5-10 minutes daily, or on a regular basis, to make a list of all the important items?

Best wishes,
Jennifer

It’s mid-way through August which is always an interesting month. For some, it’s the last gasp of summer and families are hitting the road, and offices are half open. In some other areas, it’s back to work.

I thought it would be fitting to dedicate today’s blog post to a mid-month systems check. These are all things you might consider doing, and also sharing, with your team.

This includes:

• One-on-ones and coaching conversations – when was the last time you checked in with each team member?
• Team meetings – when was the last time you held a team meeting? What’s scheduled? What’s working with team meetings? What changes are needed?
• Financials - Are all expenses and invoices complete? If budget season is around the corner, what do you want to note, or pull together?
• Reporting - What is the status of reporting? What’s due? What’s over-due? What do you need to review?
• Projects - Where are projects in terms of completion? Resourcing? Impact? Results? Stakeholder engagement?
• Communication -  What items need to be communicated?
• Peer relationships – when was the last time you spent time with your peers? What do you want to schedule?
• Relationships with your boss – when did you last spend time meeting, and updating, your boss? Are you in alignment around projects and priorities for the rest of the year? What do they need from you? What do you need from them? What does the team need?
• Administrative – What administrative systems are working? What’s not? What needs attention?
• Personal Productivity and time management – What do you need to DO? DEFER? DELEGATE? DUMP?
  

What other systems, or areas, could use attention?

Enjoy this mid-month stock-taking!
Jennifer

It’s Monday and time for another Effective Virtual Conversations tip - #57 in the series! This week we are at number four of the five virtual facilitation faux-pas – not rotating meeting times. When teams are stretched across time zones ensuring that you rotate meeting times can be an important step in building trust and connection. If one team member is always the one who has to call in late at night or early in the morning, it can have an impact on trust and connection.

Within reason, what can you do to ensure meeting times have a variable impact on the team, and that it’s not always the “one team member” who is adversely impacted?

​Be sure to check out other effective virtual conversations tips here, published every Monday.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Let’s take a look back at some past videos which relate to our topics of getting ready for the back to work, renewal and other topics.

​Here’s one of last year’s videos – Creating Healthy Back To Work Routines which focuses on 5 different areas you will want to keep an eye on: Check it out here.

Four Planning Areas for Team Retreats - watch it here . Looking to plan a fall retreat? Get a head start and consider how you might incorporate some of these areas.

Fall Planning and Reflection: Check it out here. Take a look at this to get a head start on your fall planning.

As I wrote last week, I hope that you will consider how you can integrate one of these short videos (usually 2 minutes each) into your upcoming team conversations. Videos spark discussion and ideas in ways written word does not.

Enjoy!
Jennifer

​Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Effective Virtual Conversations |  Coaching Team Leaders  
We provide team and leadership development support through coaching, consulting and training services
Author of Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) 
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com
(416)996-8326

​This week’s weekly journaling prompt explores the question “If there were no limits”. I hope that you will find a few minutes this week to blog about this question.

After you have blogged about it, ask yourself:

• What’s stopping you from this, right now?
• What steps could you take towards making this a reality?
• What would it take for you to do this?

Enjoy your writing and reflection!
Jennifer

It’s Friday and a great day to get things done! Here’s what I wrote a few years ago now on Tips for Conquering Procrastination in Teams365 489: Read it here.

“It is the start of a new work week and chances are, there may be one or two tasks on your list that you really, really don't want to do. Procrastination is a challenge for many professionals along the way. Today's post points you to some useful resources if you find yourself in the spot of procrastinating around an important task."

Here are a couple of different articles and other posts to refer to:
Business Town.com's Five Reasons We Procrastinate
Jim Selman's Huffington Post article on Why Do We Procrastinate?
And finally a really interesting article from the App developers of Unstuck. You can read their 9 tips for how to stop procrastinating here.

Consider these strategies:
Set a timer for 15 minutes and just get going - It is sometimes hard to get in the flow with tasks and just like in moving through writers block setting a timer and getting into action for 15 minutes may be  the start of creating some momentum and movement around a task.

Create accountability partners: When we publicly commit to task completion with another person, it can up the ante on getting things done. Mastermind groups are often popular for this reason.

Chunk things down- sometimes we put off tasks when they feel too big or overwhelming. Chunking things down in to smaller pieces can help to make things feel more manageable.

Tackle it first in the day or when you are at your best: Many of us have times of day when we are more productive, clearer and more focused. It can be useful to consider tacking those tasks at the times when you are at your best.

What other tips do you have for getting things done when you are procrastinating?

Best wishes,
​Jennifer

This week’s Team Building Question is also aligned with our topic of the month around renewal, time and structure. The question is “What time has been structured for the team to focus on their most important goals”.

Some writers in the realm of time management and personal productivity assert that it is as important to say “no” to certain things as it is to say “yes”. I think back to one of my roles more than a decade ago where as an entire office we had to cultivate this skill in order to become more effective with an evolving focus.

Questions to consider:

What time have you dedicated this fall for the team to be working on their most important goals?

To clear space for this work, what are you doing to help create more time?

What needs to be said no to?

What additional interruptions can be managed?

For more on time management and personal productivity, take a look at these past Teams365 posts.

Enjoy and have a great Thursday,
Jennifer

​Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Effective Virtual Conversations |  Coaching Team Leaders  
We provide team and leadership development support through coaching, consulting and training services
Author of Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) 
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com
(416)996-8326

​Taking time in this last full month of summer for renewal and mindfulness can go a long way. Whether you have an extended long weekend or a full week off, renewal and mindfulness are important.

What renewal opportunities have you taken this summer? Is there an opportunity to fit in one more renewal burst?

The topic of renewal means many different things to different people. In my work as a coach, this is typically an area we explore together. For some clients it might mean – digitally detoxing – intentionally taking time offline to renew. For others it may mean getting out of the city and spending time in the country or more rural areas. For yet others it can include taking time to purge their own resources.

In today’s hyper-connected world, there may be some initial backlash and discomfort from slowing down…until you get a chance to ease into it. This is what I call the “Decompression” phase, something I experience every summer as I shift my office, and work, from Toronto to the beauty, and more laid-back pace, of Muskoka. This year I’ve been very conscious of the layers of decompression which have occurred. Sometimes uncomfortable, I have found myself more focused, relaxed and productive than I have been for years.

What does renewal mean for you?

Best wishes,
​Jennifer

​Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Effective Virtual Conversations |  Coaching Team Leaders  
We provide team and leadership development support through coaching, consulting and training services
Author of Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) 
Coaches - check out my new Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner. Now available.
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com
(416)996-8326

Over the past month I’ve been taking a look back at some of the A-Z of Leadership and Teamwork series I’ve done here at the Teams365 blog. Today we are at our last 3 letter – X, Y and Z. Let’s take a look back:
 
X stands for X-cel, read more here.

Six Leadership Questions around X: Read here. 
 
As we look to Y, what do you want to say yes to?

Y – Six Leadership Questions a Day: Read here.

Leadership Myth - You Always have to say Yes! - Read here.
 
Finally, as we get to z:

Z is for Zoom: Read here.

Leadership Myth – What’s the Value of Zooming in: Read more here.

Tomorrow I’ll be shifting the focus to renewal and getting ready for the post-Labor Day back to work. Enjoy!
 
Jennifer