Teams365 Blog - POTENTIALS REALIZED

#TEAMS365 #2032 - Fostering Creativity In Your Team

7/24/2019

Following up to yesterday’s post on Creativity, today’s post gets you to consider creativity in your team context. Just as we saw in yesterday’s post, there are many things that boost creativity.

In addition to the articles I pointed to yesterday, let’s take a look at these seven elements mentioned in The Power of Idea’s article.

This article points to creativity being fostered by solitude and being supported by an environment of trying things out.

What are you doing to foster down time for team members and/or experimentation time. Companies like Google, have been pointed to for many years as being generous with the time allocated for employees to take on personal projects, as well as experimental ideas.

Questions you will want to explore as a team around this topic include:

What does creativity mean to us as individuals on the team? As a team as a whole?
What’s important about creativity in our work?
What value does creativity provide, or what does it add to our mission and vision?
If it is important, what can we do to build more creative time into our approaches?

This week as I have been writing these two posts I have found that I mentally have collapsed creativity with innovation. In fact, the posts were spurred by reading a book I had purchased thinking it was about coaching for creativity, when in fact it was about coaching for innovation.

One thing to note is that creativity and innovation are two different things. I was curious what sort of research has been done on the link between creativity and innovation and so I went to look for some research. Here’s a study/meta-analysis done exploring the link between creativity and innovation. Sarooghi, Hessamoddin et al. “Examining the relationship between creativity and innovation: A meta-analysis of organizational, cultural, and environmental factors ☆.” (2015).

Take look at it here.

Wishing you the best,
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 #2031 - Creativity in the Workplace: Six Questions to Reflect On

7/23/2019

As part of the summer series this month, today’s blog post shifts to a focus on creativity. As we unwind from the busy pace of the rest of the year, we may find that our creative juices start to flow. It’s often said that we need space and time to get our creative spirit awakened.

Creativity can take many forms and it can also be incorporated to our every day experience. Today’s post is an invitation for you to consider what creativity means for you, when it occurs and what it can look like more fully in your work.
There are some really good articles which give us a better understanding of creativity. Check out these articles:

7 Surprising Facts About Creativity According to Science from Fast Company

Jillian Groening’s article: 52 Science-Based Facts About the Creative Mind

Here are a number of questions for you to consider as you think about creativity in your work:

What does creativity mean for me?
I’d like to ____ in order to bring more creativity into my work.
My favorite creative outlet as a younger person was….
The time of day I find I am most creative is…./the places I am most creative are….
The ingredients I need in order to be creative is…
I’d like to ___ in order to be more creative.

A few weeks ago I published a 30 minute call as part of my 2018 Coaching Business Builder workbook series entitled “Summer Projects for Coaches”. Even if you are not a coach, you may find that this resource is of interest to you.

Check it out at my YouTube channel.

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 #2018 more Renewal

7/10/2019

This month many people are taking time off. Renewal is an important part of high performance. It is usually not possible to keep moving at full speed. Many professionals aren’t always able to get the holiday time off they want to renew, but here are some additional ways you may be able to renew at work:

Explore summer working hours. Is there a way your workday hours can start a bit earlier or later?
Explore a compressed work week. Is there a way to compress your work hours into 4 days instead of 6, or wrap up early on a Friday by spending an extra hour or so at work Monday through Thursday?
Take advantage of longer days to explore your community
Focus on completing a summer project at work. This may be one that helps you grow into new areas, synthesizes things you have learned, or leaves a legacy for your work.
Make a summer list of things you wish you could do
Schedule one day weekend trips away
Move workouts outdoors into the early morning or evening

Many workplaces do shift to a summer schedule over July and August. Inquire what’s possible and do consider taking advantage of it.

What are the different ways you want to renew?

Best,
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 #2017 Focusing On A Creative Project

7/9/2019

A few weeks ago, I shared a post about potential different summer projects you might want to focus on. This is the one time of the year where we may have a bit more space to focus on projects that are “nice to do” rather than “have to do”. What are the summer projects you have in mind?

In determining a possible summer creative project, you might want to focus on these questions:

What’s the one thing you wish you had done/completed, but never have had time for?

As you consider your career, what is the one area you wish you had more experience in, or knowledge of?
As you consider your next step in your career, what is one thing that would help you expand your skills, or deepen them?
What would be a fun project to work on this summer?
What could be a legacy project to leave at your workplace? One of the projects I worked on in my last year of employment was a training guide for new staff who had to run their own training and onboarding programs for teams. Interestingly enough, it became a baseline for some of the work I have done in the last fifteen years of business. I was able to dedicate a little bit of time every week on that project, which like many things, does add up to something specific, when we are intentional and have a plan (see yesterday’s post around goal setting).

I hope that these questions will be useful as you start to consider what possible projects you could undertake.

The beauty of summer projects is that you likely have 7-8 weeks of work time to complete it. These are rarely projects that can be done in one sitting but are completed over time.

After identifying possible options, take some time breaking it down into more concrete milestones that you can aim for in shorter cycles. Be sure to schedule time in your calendar to work on this. As is commonly asserted “What doesn’t get scheduled, doesn’t get done”. Enjoy!

Enjoy the creative process,
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 #2010 - Renewal

7/2/2019

Welcome to the month of July! This month is about simplification, and reconnecting to renewal and well being. As we know from high performance research, great teams and leaders need renewal in order to go hard.

With this in mind, this month’s posts are going to focus on items such as:

Digital Detox
Work-life
Focus
Simplification
Habits
Creativity

This month I work from my northern office. I crave these six or seven weeks a year where I get to work really remote. I practice many of the topics we are going to touch on today – from simplification, to digital detox. While I work most days, I’m off the line by 1 or 2 in the afternoon, creating space and a pause to reconnect with my creative passions, and renewing after a busy year. The digital detox is the part I enjoy the most - checking email strategically throughout the week. The most challenging part of it is managing other's expectations. I've found that clearly communicating to clients my "offline" summer availability has made it a realistic way of working - and many of them opt to pick up the phone rather than shoot off multiple emails.

What do you do at this time of year to renew?

Enjoy!
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 #1986 - Weekly Journaling Prompt #53

6/8/2019

It’s hard to believe but this weekly Saturday series on Weekly Journaling prompts started a year ago. This week invites you to take a moment to pause and take stock of what you notice about your journaling. Whether you have been following the Teams365 Weekly Jounraling Prompts since June of 2018, or this is the first one, take a few minutes today to review any journaling or writing you’ve done.. It’s not often that we stop for a few minutes to pause and see how things are going.

As you flip through what you have created, notice:

What are the highlights?
What key themes are included in your journal?
What are the patterns you notice?
What key accomplishments stand out?
What hasn’t been captured in your journaling?
What surprises you?
What do you want to make sure you lock in to your memory?

I hope that you’ve enjoyed the first year of these posts. A quick reminder that you can pick up a self-guided journaling printable notebook at the Potentials Realized store. I’ve pulled together the first 12 weeks of the WJP into one downloadable booklet for $7. Click on over to the Potentials Realized store and pick up a copy. Volume 2 of Weeks 13 – 24 will be released soon and will also be available at the Potentials Realized store.

Have a great Saturday!
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 #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 #1972 – Weekly Journaling Prompt 51

5/25/2019

This week’s Weekly Journaling Prompt gets you thinking about the question “Something I won’t forget….”

Our memories can easily fade and transmute with time. Writing things out provides us with a clearer indication of what did happen.

As you consider the events from the last few months, what are the things you want to remember? What are the things you don’t want to forget next time….?

A quick reminder that I have pulled the Weekly Journaling Prompts together in a quarterly format. You can pick up and download the first 12 weeks of the series in a new downloadable booklet format at the Potentials Realized store. Here are a few shots of Volume 1 – the first 12 weeks in action.

Enjoy!
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 #1970 – Team Building Tip 237

5/23/2019

This week’s Team Building Tip gets you thinking “outside of the box”. Challenges and opportunities exist all the time. What are the solutions which could be activated around your most pressing business challenge?

One of the frameworks I like to share with teams I work with is the Six Thinking Hats from DeBono. Read more about this topic here.

With the Six Thinking Hats we are encouraged to look at issues from a variety of perspectives –

what’s possible,
what new ideas can we generate,
what are the benefits of the approaches,
what caution do we need to heed,
what are the facts and
what might get in the way.

If you are not familiar with De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats model, take a look at his work and writing.

Wishing you all the best,
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 #1963 – Team Building Tip 236

5/16/2019

This week’s Team Building question gets you to consider the question:

“What addition would benefit the team?”

What are the things you could add that would help the team be more successful, do things quicker, or innovate more?

Consider these items in terms of additions:

New Team Member
New Role
A New Process – As an example, you might consider changing things up with your meetings. As I’ve written in past posts, team members may be spending 40% of their time or more in meetings- definitely an area for exploration! A new process could include hosting team meetings on a platform like WebEx or Zoom where the call could be recorded (and potentially transcribed) so that responsibilities and accountabilities are noted and followed up on.
Additional Resourcing – This might be physical or technical resourcing, a new piece of software or app.
New Learning – Given the rapid pace of learning change needed in today’s workplace, what is the new learning that someone could benefit from?

What else might benefit the team?

Best,
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.