Teams365 Blog - POTENTIALS REALIZED

TEAMS365 #2454 – Flashback Friday #1577 – Rapid Change and Teams

9/18/2020

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

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

TEAMS365 #2427 – Weekly Journaling Prompt 113

8/22/2020

Welcome back to another Weekly Journaling Prompt. This week the prompt for you to journal around is “Resilience Means”.

What has resilience meant for you?

What has it meant for you in recent months?

What has helped you be more resilient?

What have you learned along the way?

My hope is that you will take some time today to reflect on the topic of resilience and consider how it can inform your future actions.

Enjoy the pause!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

TEAMS365 #2420 – Weekly Journaling Prompt 112

8/15/2020

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…

Enjoy the reflections!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

TEAMS365 #2378 – Weekly Journaling Prompt 107

7/4/2020

This week’s Saturday Journaling Prompt is “the road less traveled”. Consider what is important for you right now. What are the pathways you are taking? How are they traveled? Are they less traveled?

Consider what are the ways your journey is going? What have been some of the highlights of the year? What have you been surprized by? What have you been WOWed by?

Consider the road less traveled.

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out our Digital Resources to support you in your work and conversations

TEAMS365 #2318 – Meeting Etiquette for Both In-Person & Virtual Meetings

5/5/2020

Poor meeting etiquette may have gotten magnified in the remote space in the last few months of Stay in Place and Quarantine. I recently attended a conference for remote workers and one large tech firm had surveyed several thousand employees, asking “What is the biggest challenge right now”?

The response – Meetings!

As I have shared for years – things get “amplified” or “magnified” in the remote space. This includes the good, the bad, and the disengaged.

Whether your meetings are back to face-to-face (with distance) or are virtual, what are the practices we want to focus on?

Here are six things you’ll want to keep in mind around meeting etiquette:

Start and end on time – It’s likely that people are moving from meeting to meeting over the course of the day – so start on time and be very clear with agreements around.
Have a clear agenda and success measures of what you want to leave the meeting with.
Be on time. Note that some “virtual meeting rooms” will lock after a certain amount of time.
Be present and be prepared. Take a few minutes the night before to review what meetings you have upcoming and ensure that you have done all the pre-work needed before you get on the line.
Pause regularly to note key agreements, main points and action steps. Leave time (60 seconds, 90 seconds) for people to write things down and schedule it in.
Wrap up the meeting on time, or even a few minutes early so people can get to their next meeting.

And as a bonus – Track accountabilities and make it memorable!!

Enjoy your next meeting!
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.

TEAMS365 #2313 –Team Building Tip 242

4/30/2020

The last month has been full of disruption for most of us around the world. It may be at moments like this that we need to activate our metaphorical “jet fuel” to move us to the next place.

It’s been commonplace for organizations, teams and businesses to be stuck, shut and simply out of gas this month. Coronavirus has impacted everyone.

Next steps for many after this passes may look very different than what you expected and had envisioned earlier this year. Is it time to revisit your vision and think about what you want to create? What if you had some "jet fuel" to move you into the next stratosphere? What if…?

If you are interested in making a shift, today’s question of “What could jettison you forward?” might be of interest to explore and consider.

Enjoy your conversation,
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.

TEAMS365 #2216 – Flashback Friday: The Dip

1/24/2020

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.

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

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

Check out upcoming programs on our calendar!

As we step into the start of the year, get your 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.

Winter 2019 programs start this week including the Coaching Biz Growth Lab (an annual focus on coaching business development), GroupCoachingEssentials (8.75 CCEs), the Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum (10 CCEs) and the Virtual Facilitation Essentials program (8.5 CCEs) - geared to support you in creating more exceptional virtual conversations. Finally the Mentor Coaching Group for Winter 2020 will begin - aimed at coaches who are working towards their ACC, PCC or renewing.

TEAMS365 #2187 – Team Building Tip 268

12/26/2019

It’s Boxing Day here in Canada which used to be THE busiest day of shopping of the year, before Black Friday entered the scene here about a decade ago (we celebrate Thanksgiving in mid-October with the harvest, but most have widely embraced Black Friday!)

This week’s Team Building Tip gets you to think about:

WHAT you want to celebrate

And…

HOW you want to celebrate.

We don’t always slow down and take a moment to STOP and PAUSE and think about all the good things that we (individually and collectively) have accomplished.

While a pause doesn’t have to be for a long period, it can be useful to mark major milestones so that we see where our journeys are taking us.

Here’s an invitation for you today - I hope that you will take a few minutes today to mark down your key accomplishments this year and take a few minutes to share them with someone else. What’s possible for you now? If it’s hard to bring anything to mind, think about where you were a year ago. What’s different today? What’s shifted for you?

Enjoy!
Jennifer

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

As we step into the end of the year, get your 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.

TEAMS365 #2178 - Digital Transformation

12/17/2019

As an author and consultant, I often work with organizations and teams around the topic of digital transformation. As someone who has usually worked as an early adopter with technology, sometimes out of geographic necessity, digital transformation is an extension of the work I’ve been doing for several decades now.

You can hear more about the various pathways that bring us into remote and digital work at the new podcast I am hosting with colleague Michelle Mullins. Together we are exploring the people, pathways and processes that make up the remote workspace.

Digital transformation has been one part of this equation. From large banks, to healthcare, to education, the way we are connecting, conversing and doing our work is essential.

Many rural areas now have access to medical advisors that would not have been possible years ago. I remember vividly being part of some epiphany moments and paradigm shifters in 1998 (yes, that’s 1998) with a community deep in the interior of South America. A funding grant from the Canadian International Development Agency helped to fund solar panels, a satellite connection and special laptops to link that community with educational materials. When I arrived at the community to meet with my team who had been based there doing related work in primary health and infrastructure rehab, I was struck (as was often the case) with the very limited resources available for students. One notebook each, a small pencil and bare bookshelves. This pilot project was a bit of a game changer for that community, opening up the doorways to education for those children.

While not every project like this is a success, they radically change the paradigm of how we work, what’s available and then what’s possible.

This is also what’s happening in the era of digital transformation.

While we may not be comfortable in letting go of “how we’ve always done things” it’s important that we also look at the questions of:

What can we do now?
What’s now possible?
What new connections are there?

VUCA, digital transformation, and AI (all 3 separate things) are showing up in some workplaces at the same time. IT can be overwhelming for some and spark creativity for others.

Providing a space for people to connect and share their insights in a way where they can be heard.

As a team, over time, be sure to build in time to explore additional questions around:

What changes do we need?
What can be evolved? Repurposed?
What new things do we need to create?
What do we need to stop doing?
What conversations are important for you to have as a team? What space and time do you need to earmark so these conversations are taking place?

Best wishes,
Jennifer

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

As we step into the end of the year, get your 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.

TEAMS365 #2174 – Flashback Friday – Navigating Disruption

12/13/2019

2019 has been a year of disruption on many fronts. Professionals of all kinds are no longer being buffeted by their leaders from the winds of change. Learning how to navigate disruption has become an imperative for all professionals.

I thought it would be fitting to reach back to a post from this past June on Navigating Disruption to help you think about the focus you want to take in continuing to cultivate these skills and mindsets in your work – here we go with a revisit of Teams365 #2003.

Here’s what I wrote in that blog post from June 2019 – Key Trends: Navigating Disruption

Disruption is part of the landscape of many industries and workplaces today. Whether things are changing dramatically due to technology or geopolitical impacts, change is pervasive for many.

While we can’t change the pace of change, we can adjust our approaches to it.

What do we do to continue to be effective and positive in times of change?

Three practical things we can do are:

Cultivate curiosity – While many leaders would assert “easier said than done”, cultivating curiosity is important for today’s business landscape. Cultivating curiosity can be an important skill to develop in team members AND embed in the culture of an organization.

For more on cultivating curiosity, check out this earlier Teams365 blog post I wrote on Cultivating Curiosity Teams365 #1955 and what the research says Teams365 1961 – Encouraging Curiosity.

Be clear on the big picture goals – Adopting a 30,000 foot view on work, life and context can also be a valuable strategy for buffeting against the shocks of change. While the meta-view (big picture view) is not one that everyone adopts easily, seeing the big picture helps with the micro-shocks we can feel on a regular basis when things change. This is why it’s really important to continue communicating and meeting during times of change. Helping share the big picture so people don’t find themselves in the “Weeds”, cut off from what’s happening in the bigger picture is critical.

Become comfortable with knowing when things are “good enough” to let go, and that learning may always be needed. The embracement of “growth mindset” on the part of organizations in support of their staff is encouraging. When we come from what Carol Dweck has coined “growth mindset” it gives permission for experimentation, learning, and not quite being ready “yet”.

Disruption may mean that reverse mentoring (junior to more senior professionals) is just as important as traditional mentoring (senior to more junior professionals). It also provides us with an opportunity to pause and see how we are adjusting to change. Are we as “good at change” as we thought we were?

A reminder that last month I focused on Teamwork in Uncertainty:

Teams365 #1955- Teamwork in Uncertainty: Cultivating Curiosity. View it here.

Teams365 #1954 – Managing Uncertainty – Building Trust and Connection on Your Team Virtually. All workplaces can benefit from this topic – it is one of the #1 questions we receive here at Potentials Realized. Check out the post here.

Teams365 #1962: Teamwork in Uncertainty: Empowering your Team with the Space to Experiment. Read it here.

Teams365 #1968: Teamwork in Uncertainty: Pivot . Read it here.

Teams365 #1969: Teamwork in Uncertainty: Comfort with the Unknown: Read it here.

Enjoy!
Jennifer

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

As we step into the end of the year, get your 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.