This week’s blog posts have explored:

• Saturday’s Weekly Journaling Prompt – What’s another way of looking at this?
• Friday’s Flashback to Teams365 #1577 – Rapid Change
• Thursday’s Team Building Question around What’s Getting in the Way?
• Wednesday’s part 2 post around the 8 Layers of Remote Work
• Tuesday’s part 1 post around the 8 Layers of Remote Work
• Monday’s Effective Virtual Conversations Post

Have a great weekend!
Jennifer

I thought it would be fitting to reach back to a post I had written several years ago about how teams can respond to rapid change, given that this has been the theme for 2020. Here’s what I wrote back in Teams365 1577:

Change is everywhere in many industries and our ability to stay grounded in order to make decisions is key. Today's Thursday team building question get you to think about the question "What is going to help you be successful within a context of rapid change"?

​Teams explore different approaches to rapid change including:
​Embracing ongoing learning - in a context of rapid change ongoing learning becomes critical. Figuring out what "good enough" looks like rather than mastery may be an important mindset shift if this is possible in your work.

​Becoming more curious - When change is ongoing the context may be changing and what we "know to be true" may also be changing. Being curious and open become key skills to foster.

​Shortening cycles - Think about what needs to happen in terms of communication and feedback cycles as things speed up. What about work cycles? If you are now seeing change every quarter, rather than once a year, what implications does that  have for how you share information, provide feedback and change processes.

​Simplify - Process is key in rapid change, AND older ways of working and processes may be cumbersome. Is it time to simplify different processes? Is it time to simplify other components. What does simplify mean for you as a team?

​Empower - Empowering your team and providing them with the responsibility and authority to do certain tasks is likely to be critical. Everyone's eyes and talents may be required. Helping the team bring their best skills and use them is also key to success.

​Create peer sharing opportunities- Going hand in hand with empowerment is making sure that you build in opportunities for peer sharing. Whether it is formal job shadowing and mentoring or peer partners who meet informally throughout the month, part of rapid change often means a reduction of the silos and barriers which can exist in teams and in our work.

​What changes are needed for you as a team in becoming more fluid in light of rapid change?

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Did you have your annual theme earmarked as Pivot back in January? If you had, you would have foreseen what we were to experience. For several months, the number one word I heard was PIVOT. How do we PIVOT the way we work? How do we PIVOT the way our team operates? How do we PIVOT how our busines operates?

This week’s Weekly Journaling Prompt gets you thinking about this week’s prompt – I’ve had to pivot by…
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Enjoy the reflections!
Jennifer

Welcome back to another weekly Team Building Question, which I hope you will bring into your conversations. This week’s question gets you to consider the question “What would the devil’s advocate say?”.

The devil’s advocate is the person who typically goes against the grain, perhaps even to the point of stirring “the pot” around team issues.

This voice can be very unpopular and even vilified in a team context, however, it’s important, especially in times of change and disruption to explore this perspective. There may be some real value and new insights when we slip into this perspective.

What would the Devil’s Advocate say in your team? What learning and insights can that provide to you?

Enjoy!
​Jennifer

In this week’s Flashback Friday post, I am reaching back to one of the earlier posts from January 2020 – Five Focus Areas for Team Leaders. In hindsight, with all that we have moved through in recent months, it’s interesting that I chose these five areas back in January. Take a look at think about what you might want to continue to focus on going forward. Here’s what I wrote in Teams365 blog post Teams365 #2213.

This week I came across a note I had made myself late last year and never got posted. Having worked to support team leaders for a number of years, I often get asked, “what are some of the key conversations they are having with their teams right now”? Here are five areas team leaders today may be in conversation around:

#1 - Focus - With so much occurring in the workplace today – flavors of the month, shiny red objects, interruptions, course changes, external events, etc…helping our team members focus on what is important RIGHT NOW, today, can be an important message to keep reinforcing. Helping team members with prioritization skills and being able to continue to focus on what’s important without adding to the interruptions and divergence is also key. If you are operating in a team context, the impact of one team member slipping may have a domino effect. What are the things that are going to help with focus?

#2 - Connection - What are the things you can do to help people feel connected? Connected to others in the team? Connected to the resources they need? The information they need? What is important about this topic right now for the team?

#3 - Disruption and Change - Disruption and change is becoming more commonplace across industries. Global events can have local impact. Disruption in a related industry can have a trickle effect. What are you doing to help people understand how they react to change, and also build capability in the areas of strategic thinking and/or contingency planning? Having worked for many decades in the areas of strategic planning, critical thinking and contingency planning, I often take it for granted that people are using these tools. What’s important to explore and have conversation with your team?

#4 - Building Trust - As Stephen Covey wrote - and I paraphrase – “Trust is the currency of business”. What are you doing to build trust, and erode trust? In today’s fast, and sometimes remote, business context, we may only see people in “small windows” of time.  Comments, and reactions, may get magnified. Certain activities or patterns of behaviors might be perceived as the norm. What are you doing to build trust, particularly in terms of creating an environment where people can be heard, and listened to? Where follow through is modeled? Where communication fits the needs of the team? What behaviors are visible?

#5 – What can people on the team do to be able to do their best work? Finally, we know from strengths-based research that when people are able to do their best work and use their strengths, there’s greater productivity, engagement and quality of life. Check out Gallup’s Strengths Center for the latest research on this.

Asking the team what they can do to do their best work, as often as possible can be a great conversation. It may also open up a debate point of “Why can’t I do this all the time?”. While we may not be able to use strengths EVERY DAY and EVERY HOUR on every PROJECT, what can we do to magnify or expand this?

Enjoy the conversations and let us know what you are exploring in your team. 

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Everything DiSC
Phone (416)996-8326

Get your Q2 planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder

Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon, or join me for the Virtual Facilitation Essentials program

Contact us to discuss how we can support you and your teams and organization with remote work.

Check out upcoming virtual programs on our calendar
​
PDF copies of PlanDoTrack now available! Get yours here. ​

If anything, the recent context has underscored the need for ongoing learning and adaptation in all areas of our life. The writing and research of Dr. Carol Dweck is so important at this time around Mindset and the approaches to open and closed mindset. In an open mindset we know that there are likely to be multiple areas for ongoing learning and business development.

As a team it can be useful to regularly ask “What haven’t we mastered yet?”, considering the questions of what areas might need to be focused on, adjusted or amended.

As Heraclitus wrote back in Ancient Greece: “Everything flows and nothing abides, everything gives way and nothing stays fixed."

Mastery is almost impossible in a context which is not static. Even a Master knows that they will need to keep learning.

What’s important to explore individually or collectively this week?

All the best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Everything DiSC
Phone (416)996-8326

Get your Q2 planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder

Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon, or join me for the Virtual Facilitation Essentials program

Contact us to discuss how we can support you and your teams and organization with remote work.

Check out upcoming virtual programs on our calendar
​
PDF copies of PlanDoTrack now available! Get yours here. ​

This weeks Effective Virtual Conversations Tip is all about iteration. As we move into the virtual space, it’s likely that experimentation, and on-going action with adjustment, is the norm. Technology can “happen” and things that worked in the in-person world, may not work the same way in the virtual space.
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What does iteration mean for you?

Here’s a definition from StoryBoardThat.com:  

Iteration in a business is the concept of repeating a process, analyzing the outcomes each time, and modifying for ultimate efficiency in hopes to achieve a certain objective or outcome. Iterate.

As you consider your business goals for the second quarter, what are the things you can do to get things out more quickly, get feedback and iterate? This might be a new program you have been thinking about offering, a new product for your customers or clients, or a new system or process that could benefit from some feedback.

With many of the programs I run, there is an element of iteration. It often includes writing first here at the blog, then incorporating into a program I am running, and then looking at the metrics and feedback from both readers and group members. These two streams of feedback always help to strengthen programming.

Consider what iteration could look like in your work right now.
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With best wishes,
Jennifer

This week brings us to Effective Virtual Conversations Tip #135. In remote meetings it’s easy to get stuck in a rut. One of the ruts we may find ourselves in is always meeting at the same time. If we are all in similar time zones that’s ok, but if we are in the space of remote work, it’s possible that one or a handful of the team is ALWAYS meeting at a time which is not convenient.

Today’s prompt gets you thinking about ROTATING things – whether it’s time, meeting location, or focus so that it’s more equitable.

Consider who might be getting shortchanged with your meetings or learning.
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Enjoy!
Jennifer

This week’s Team Building Tip reminds you that small changes add up. It’s often the incremental changes which are cumulative over time. What are the changes you have been making as a team over this last six months? Year? How are they adding up?

One of the things that happens with incremental change is that we don’t see it when the shifts are small. This is where taking time to pause so you can note the changes becomes important.

When our teams are small, or when we are a solopreneur, or working remote, it can be very important to explore how these small changes add up. Unlike instances where we may have a huge amount of resources, being able to see the impact of the small shifts we are able to make is key to motivation.

What type of change is important for you right now? Here’s an interesting blog post from the Green Book Blog to explore the distinctions between incremental change and disruptive change. 

What’s important for you as a team to explore?

A reminder that I will be hosting the month end review session for January tomorrow, Friday January 31st, from 3- 4 pm ET. During this time, you’ll have the opportunity to pause and take stock of your January accomplishments, while doing some planning for the month of February. You can learn more about this program and register here. Cost $49 US.

Best wishes, 
​Jennifer

Around this time of year people start abandoning their new years resolutions in volume! Just as in any change process, building new habits not only takes time, but it also takes energy. Change can be difficult.
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Throughout the change process, there’s also a place we can find ourselves as the “glow of the new year or honeymoon” wears off. It’s often referred to as THE DIP and I reference this in a couple of my books. We’ve also just covered this topic in the 60 Day Coaching Business Builder Accelerator program, a course I launched on January 1st. Part on demand, part live, it’s been interesting to see the momentum which gets created when we focus on taking action around our key goals and actions for an extended time. A new group will be starting up the first day of every quarter during 2020 so if you are a coach, or simply want ongoing support around some of your key goals as a business owner, leader or team member, consider joining us. More info here.

I thought it would be interesting to reach back to Teams365 #765 which focused on the topic of THE DIP, particularly as it relates to mentoring conversations, where we may be intentionally focusing on supporting someone’s development. This post will likely be of interest if you’ve found yourself abandoning new years resolutions or other things you wanted to change. Perhaps reflecting on the questions included towards the end of the post will spur you on to re-frame and refocus on your goals!

Here’s what I wrote in THE DIP:

“The first decade plus of my career was spent primarily working for Canadian and British humanitarian organizations and the United Nations. It was typical that mentoring was a key part of our team's development, as well as our own leadership development. Whether involved in passing on our skills to other staff happened formally or informally it was part of everyday work, given that you might only be in a role for six months or three years.

Today, I continue to see how mentoring is transforming organizations. In the last twelve years I've been able to support organizations in financial services, insurance, health care and safety create, and launch their own mentoring programs. It changes conversations, it changes leadership and it changes the culture!

What we often don't talk about in mentoring is the "DIP". Just as in any change process, such as cross-cultural integration when you move locations for work, or change through a coaching process, it's typical to start off with great gusto in what's commonly known as the "honeymoon" phase. At this point, mentor and protege are raring to go - they can't wait to get started and into dialogue with each other. Goals are clear as is usually the way forward.

As the meetings progress, some partnerships find an ever-evolving spiral of conversation and goal touchpoints, whereas others drop down into the “dip”. The “dip” is a place which sometimes feels like you are spinning your wheels, or not getting traction. Proteges and mentors may feel like mentoring is a waste of time.

In fact, the “dip” is natural! It's part of the change process. What you can see in today's photo is a sketch of the cycle of adaptation. It's actually from a recent conversation I had with a leader who was going to work globally and wanted to think about what to expect. I've seen the “dip” throughout my own international assignments, and I've seen it mirrored not in the hundreds, but over more than two decades of work in the intercultural sector, mirrored in the thousands.

The “dip” can, and does, happen in the mentoring process. What to do if you see it? Here are a few things to consider:
Revisit the goals of the protege?
What have they accomplished?
What do they want to aim for next?
Where might they need recharging?
What will "shake" things up a bit?

Tomorrow, we're moving on to look at five activities you might want to weave into your mentoring conversations. Some, or all of, these five could be a great addition to "shaking things up".

You might have noticed there were several other places where we can see the “dip” - in coaching, global assignments, and any change process. Where have you experienced the “dip”? What did you do?”
 
I hope that you will take some time to focus in on these questions and will revisit your most important goals (even if you recently put the journey towards them on hold!).

Enjoy,
Jennifer
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