Teams365 Blog - POTENTIALS REALIZED

TEAMS365 #2150 – The Last Mile of the Year

11/19/2019

We’re about six weeks away from the end of the year, a time which I like to frame as the LAST MILE of the year. It’s at this point where we start getting really clear on what needs to get done, what needs to get carried forward and what needs to get delegated.

Today’s post is an encouragement to think about what you want to accomplish in the last six weeks of the month. As we consider the last mile there may be many areas we want to consider including:

Projects:

What are the projects which still need attention?
What are the projects which need more resources to wrap up?
What has moved out of scope and needs to be readjusted?

One-on-one time with your team:

When was the last time you held 1-1's with your team?
What are conversations which need to happen before year end?

Team Events:

What team events need to happen before year end?
What supports do they need individually? Collectively?

Planning and Performance Events:

Have you already prepared your 2020 plans – at the organizational, team and individual levels?
When did you last hold a performance conversation with each team member? Ask for feedback yourself?

Stakeholder Events:

What stakeholders do you want to reach out to?
What conversations and/or collaborations are important to have?
What updates are important to provide?
Who do you want to set meetings up with before year end, or at the start of the year?

Communication and Reporting

What reports need to be completed?
What information needs to be shred with others?
What reports need an update?
What tasks have you been putting off? What needs an update?

Other Items:

What other items need to be wrapped up?
What do you need to put in hold or closed off on?
What are you going to do to capture lessons learned and lessons to carry forward?

The last couple of weeks of the year can feel like a whirlwind, and sometimes the important tasks get set aside and missed, including time set aside for the team. In one of my newsletters this month I included 8 different ways to wrap the year up with groups and teams – link to newsletter here.

What daily steps do you want to take going forward to get important items focused on?

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 #1983 - Mid-year Systems Check

6/5/2019

Mid-year also beckons for a mid-year systems check. Are things working the way you would like them to?

If you are an entrepreneur, consider exploring the following:

Client data
Financial info – accounts receivable, cash flow projections, invoicing, accounts payable
Marketing
Strategy
Reporting

If you are a team member consider these things:

Reporting
Successes
Technology
1-1's
Budget requests
Peer meetings
Meetings with mentors
Meetings with partners

If you are a team leader, consider these things:

Feedback conversations
1-1 coaching conversations
Reporting
Team successes
Meeting with you boss
Meetings with your mentors

What are the activities you want to make sure you schedule?

Enjoy the conversations,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2019) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder

Pick up a copy of Volume 1 of the Weekly Journaling Prompts in a digital format. Print it out and take it with you for some inspiration and writing on the go! Available at the Potentials Realized Store. It's a great mid-year activity!

#TEAMS365 #1974 – Effective Virtual Conversations Tip 95: Integrate Annotation

5/27/2019

This week’s Effective Virtual Conversations tip gets you thinking about creating more interactivity in your next virtual program. This week’s EVC tip gets you thinking about using the tools of annotation.

Most virtual platforms will have the option of enabling annotation, where people can write on the screen.

Annotation might involve getting people to:

Circle things they are in agreement around
Check things off on a list
Write things on a blank white screen/PowerPoint
Create a logo which represents what people are bringing to the call

Annotation is a great supplement to using chat, and it will also provide more hands-on interaction. When requested to write something on the screen or circle something we are less likely to multi-task or be doing something completely different.

This week consider how you could incorporate more annotation and interaction into your virtual conversations.

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2019) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development.
Pick up a copy of Volume 1 of the Weekly Journaling Prompts in a digital format. Print it out and take it with you for some inspiration and writing on the go! Available at the Potentials Realized Store.

#TEAMS365 #1940 – Team Springboard – Virtual Co-working sessions

4/23/2019

This week’s Team Springboard gets you thinking about the value and practice of virtual co-working sessions. For those that are remote workers, a virtual co-working session might connect people on zoom or Skype for a one -hour or half-day session where team workers work live throughout the session, or meet at the top of the hour, checking in on progress.

These virtual co-working sessions can provide many benefits including:

A focused time to get things done – when was the last time you scheduled a block of time that was “meeting free” to get things done?
Making a list of things that just need to get checked off
Using the power of peer accountability in ensuring that you do what you say you are going to do in short bursts
Connecting with others – the isolation effect of remote work can wear on many remote workers. This isolation may lead to a lack of focus, prioritizing “house” items over work items etc.

Questions to consider:

What would be the benefit of scheduling a virtual co-working session?
When could you put a 1-4-hour block in the calendar with one or more colleagues?
What would you put on your “To Do” list?

Schedule it now and send out your invite! You’ll be happy you did!

Enjoy your week and your productivity,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2018) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Now available – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner - Order a copy today on Amazon
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development).
Check out the new 19 Tips for Productivity On-Demand Course. If this is your year to get things moving, check it out now. Join Jenn for bi-weekly live group calls until July. $129 US. Learn more and enroll here.

#TEAMS365 #1934 – Team Springboard: 20 Things that Help Teams

4/17/2019

This month’s focus is on Team Springboards, things that help teams. Let’s take a look at a laundry list of things that help teams excel. Individually they are quite straightforward, collectively they are powerful. As you review this list you might consider giving yourself a rating on a 1-10, with 1 being low and 10 being high.

Clarity around goals
Strong team culture
Knowledge of each other
Connection with other team members
Understanding what people do on the team
Knowing who to go to for _____________ (insert issue)
Clarity around roles on the team
Clarity about how to surface issues
Confidence that issues raised will be heard
Confidence that issues raised will be addressed/considered/responded to
Clarity around how performance is measured
Resources needed to do the work
Mechanisms to flag resources needed
Feedback channels
Acknowledgement for work well done
A clear vision of what the team is aiming for in terms of this year’s/quarter’s goals
Effective Team Meetings on a regular basis
Clear channels for communication
Opportunities for development
Opportunities to have fun and connect with others

What else?

Enjoy the conversation!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2018) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Now available – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner - Order a copy today on Amazon
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development).
Check out the new 19 Tips for Productivity On-Demand Course. If this is your year to get things moving, check it out now. Join Jenn for bi-weekly live group calls until July. $129 US. Learn more and enroll here.

#TEAMS365 #1919 Quarter 2 Checkpoint for Your Team – 10 Things to Explore

4/2/2019

As we step into Quarter 2 it can be useful to do a bit of a review – on the individual level, and also with our teams.

For some individual reflection, take a look at the recent Quarterly Reflection Worksheet I created for the PlanDoTrack series of programming I offer around Planning, Productivity and Remote/Virtual Teams. Take a few minutes to complete that before you get too far into the month.

At the same time, it can be useful to do a checkpoint around these items:

How are we going in our progress to our most important goals? Rate this on a 1-10 and get input across the team? What will help you move the #s upward?
Have we had a recent feedback conversation “both ways” – between leader and team member? What’s going well? What’s not? Be sure to provide positive and constructive feedback.
What issues need to be addressed, or have the potential to derail us?
What team practices are working well? Consider meetings, social events, peer mentoring, 1-1 meetings etc.
What systems are helping with information flow and knowledge sharing?
Projects – Where are projects at? What is the status of communication? What project issues require attention? How are they doing according to the spotlight (Red, Yellow, Green)? –Check out this spotlight blog post for more!
Matrix relationships
Reporting
Finances
Other Systems which need attention..

And ANYTHING ELSE?

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2018) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Now available – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner - Order a copy today on Amazon
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development).
Check out the new 19 Tips for Productivity On-Demand Course. If this is your year to get things moving, check it out now. Join Jenn for bi-weekly live group calls until July. $129 US. Learn more and enroll here.

#TEAMS365 #1687: Systems Check - mid -August

8/14/2018

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

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

#TEams365 #1434: Effective Virtual Conversations Tip #23: Preparation

12/4/2017

Today's Effective Virtual Conversation Tip is about preparation pre-virtual calls or conversations. "Winging it" is not advisable with the many "bells and whistles" you need to manage in the virtual space - from slides, to breakouts, to ensuring everyone can get on the line, to recording, you'll want to prepare and possibly practice, based on your skill and confidence level in facilitating webinars, teleclasses and other virtual events.

A few weeks ago, I hosted an Effective Virtual Conversation call (next one is today at 11 am ET) which was dedicated to "Preparing for Blast Off", the title of chapter 6 in my book, Effective Virtual Conversations.

In any call there is logistical preparation, preparation of our selves and tactical preparation.

It's good practice to get in the habit of doing things consistently when you are leading virtual sessions, which might entail running through a series of checklists to make sure you have all the bases covered. Throughout Effective Virtual Conversations I provide you with multiple checklists, worksheets and templates, so you don't have to reinvent the wheel.

Here's a list of 10 things you'll want to do each and every time you are on tha call (modify for the platforms you are using) - Excerpt - Effective Virtual Conversations, page 219):

Have a list of your participants’ names (and contact details – phone and/or email).
Send out a reminder email about the call.
Know your material inside and out.
Have a back-up bridge line or system.
Make sure the recording is on.
Make sure you are on the line a few minutes early to troubleshoot with participants.
Make sure you start and end on time.
Review what you just did.
Ask group members to consider and/or share the main points of their learning and the takeaway/end result from the session.
Send out a follow-up email.

I hope that you'll take 5 -10 minutes today to note what you want to, or need to, have in place prior to your next session.

Enjoy!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats.
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Phone: (416)996-8326

Looking to enhance your virtual conversations - Conference calls? Webinars? Virtual coaching work? Pick up a copy of my new book, Effective Virtual Conversations, at Amazon.