Teams365 Blog - Potentials Realized

#TEAMS365 #1675: #THROWBACKTHURSDAY - Team Building Tip #194

8/2/2018

It’s Thursday and time for another Team Building Tip. This one is #194. It gets you to consider the question “What does the team really know how to do? What can you do to leverage that or make it more of a habit?”.

Teams which excel are clear on what they are good at, and find ways to mitigate against the things they are not so good at. In order to do this they may bring in additional team members, delegate tasks to others, or redirect work to others who can do it better. It’s hard to do all things well and while it may take some time to helps teams realign with what they are good at, and how all the work can be covered, take note of what your team does exceptionally well.

Enjoy your 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

#TEAMS365 #1671 - Videos in Review

7/29/2018

This month I’ve been doing a review of some of the most popular posts here at the Teams365 blog. For many Sunday’s this year I’ve shared a new video which you are invited to also pass on to your team.

Here are a few you may want to check out:

Project Check Points – Teams365 #553

Delegation – Teams365 #335

Summer Planning and Quarterly Reflection – Teams365 #1629

Teamwork in Complexity – Teams365 #1611

These are several of the topics we are exploring here at the Teams365 blog. Please feel free to share these with your colleagues and your team.

Enjoy and have a great weekend,
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 #1587: [Teams365video] Delegation

5/6/2018

This week's Teams365 video addresses the topic of delegation. In today's world of "doing more with less" leaders and team members can benefit from the skill of delegation. What do you want to delegate? What will make it successful?

Today's post brings to life the 2015 Teams365 post #391 on Delegation.

Be sure to check out other Teams365 videos at our YouTube Channel.

Enjoy!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
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#Teams365 #1576: Productivity Tool - Is/Is Not

4/25/2018

Doing more with less is critical for any team today, and the more we can support our teams with tools they can use and apply right away in their work the better.

There are dozens of different productivity tools which can help to facilitate focus, and action, on the part of team members. One that is really simple in sharing, and is likely to have immediate use in helping people get even more focused, is the IS/IS NOT tool. Straightforward in its' structure (which usually is the sign of a great productivity tool), this asks us to consider the question what is it and what is it not?

First, think about a current task or project you have this quarter. Maybe you are responsible for designing a new presentation or report for stakeholders. On one side of your page write out everything this presentation is, or is aiming to be. That might include, "the presentation is:
Aimed for fellow team members
Focused on the 5 things to....
Geared to get listeners up to speed with the project
Intended to create alignment
ETC.

On the next side of the page, list out "the presentation/report IS NOT..."
Longer than 10 minutes
A replacement for the other resources people need to review
Meant as a comprehensive briefing on the topic
ETC

This productivity tool is really useful when we delegate and hold a 1-1 to talk about the task, in terms of creating clear and shared expectations. It's also an invaluable tool for virtual team members or project members who are working through their own thinking on a project. Finally, this can be a great coaching tool, helping people work through/think through what the initiative IS and IS NOT to gain clarity, focus and alignment.

Let us know how you use the IS/IS NOT framework by sharing comments below.

Warm regards
Jennifer

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

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#Teams365 #1564: FlashBAckFriday: DeLegation

4/13/2018

Today's #FlashbackFriday takes us to two posts on delegation, an area team members and team leaders regularly ask for support in. You might wonder, how can a team member ask for support? Well, with today's shift to more agile, and empowered teams work often flows up, down and across.

Today's FlashbackFriday posts merges two past posts together - First Teams365 #391: Delegation - the Dreaded D Word. Here' what I wrote:
"One area both new and experienced team leaders struggle with is in the area of Delegation. How do you find delegation as a skill set and practice yourself?

If you are one of the many leaders who struggle with this area then this week's focus on delegation is for you. You may already find yourself with way too many things on your plate, and not enough time to do it.

To get a handle on what might be "delegation material" schedule the following 10-15 minute activity:

1. Pull out your current to do list, along with your accountabilities for the next quarter.
2. With these in mind, take a look at the current key priorities. These may be shaped by KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), Team Goals or any other Organizational Goals which are priority this quarter (or year).
3. What are the tasks that only you can accomplish?
4. What are the tasks that you need to be involved with, but can be supported by others?
5. What are the tasks that you really need support from others to accomplish (i.e specialized skills may be needed, due to complexity etc)?
6. What are the tasks on your list that really need to be completely handed off - who can do them? What support and direction do they need?
7. With these items off your plate, how much more time will you have?

Once you have gotten a line of sight on the tasks which need to be handed off, we can then start exploring how to do this. We'll be looking at tips for that this week, and you may also want to refer back to other posts I've written on delegation namely
Teams365 #90 - Delegation Tips which you can read here OR
Teams365 #315: Leadership a - z - D is for delegation which you can read here"

Once you have figured out the big picture you may want to do a check with these questions from Teams365 #393: 8 Questions to ask yourself about delegation in which I wrote:

"At the core of delegation is planning, and the ability to have a good conversation. Conversations are started with great questions. Today's post prompts you with some of questions to consider.

8 Questions to be asking yourself as you think about delegation include:
1. What is important for me to focus on right now? With that in mind, what can I delegate on?

2. Who would benefit, and be able, to take on each task?

3. What support will they need to the successful?

4. What will success look like for each project? How will they know that they are on the mark?

5. How will we check in around the task?

6. What authority and responsibility do I need to provide to them to be successful with the task?

7. What are the lessons learned from taking on the task?

8. With what I have delegated, what space does that free up?

What other questions will you want to keep in mind as you think about delegation?

Have a great week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, PCC
Potentials Realized
Author of From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2013) and Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
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Contact us and let us know how we can support you in helping your team reach its' full potential: (416)996-TEAM (8326)

#Teams365 #1288: Leadership Practice: Delegation

7/11/2017

One of the biggest challenges for most leaders today is the ability to delegate. In our shift from being an individual contributor to leader, many of us have been tapped for our ability to get results, get things done and our technical expertise. In stepping into a leadership role it is important to be able to delegate work tasks to free up time for more strategic, planning initiatives.

Delegation is not only about thinking about what you want to hand off to others, it is also about what you can hand off to others. In delegating think about the following:
What are the tasks that can be done by others?
What are the tasks that only you can do yourself?
What does success or completion look like for each task?
What are the steps for task completion?
What are the milestones towards completion?
When and how will you check in long the way?
Who has the skills to complete the job?
Who would enjoy or final valuable the task?
As you go to delegate have you clearly communicated why this task is important to complete?

For more posts on delegation, check out these other Teams365 posts:
Teams365 #392 :Five Resources to Support you with Delegaton Read it at http://www.potentialsrealized.com/teams-365-blog/teams365-392-five-resources-to-support-you-with-delegation
Teams365 #942 - Delegation Article : Your Keys to Success: Read it at http://www.potentialsrealized.com/teams-365-blog/teams365-942-delegation-article-your-keys-to-success-effective-delegation
Teams365 #90 – Delegation Tips: Read it at http://www.potentialsrealized.com/teams-365-blog/teams-365-90-delegation-tips

What is important for you to consider as you think about delegation and your current tasks at hand?

Have a great Tuesday,
Jennifer

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

Connect with us to be the first to know more about launch events around my newest book - Effective Virtual Conversations - coming out later this month.

#Teams365 #971: Sunday Quote on Delegation

8/28/2016

As I mention in some of my training, " Delegation doesn't mean getting something off your plate. It should provide an opportunity for learning and growth for the person being delegated to".

Delegation is an art form and a necessity for getting more done in today's environment. We want to make sure that we are setting up those who are being delegated to for success.

I posted a quick LinkedIn article on Delegation a few weeks ago - if you haven't read it, please check it out here.

Have a great Sunday,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Check out our newest on-demand course: Teams365 Teamwork Foundations
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Looking for more tips and ideas to support you in your work as a leader? Sign up for our monthly newsletter, full of tips, resources and hacks for leaders and team members looking to realize their potential. Sign up at http://bit.ly/teams365news

#Teams365 #942: Delegation Article: Your Keys to Success: Effective Delegation

7/30/2016

To further reach out to more leaders, I'm just starting to post some articles on LinkedIn Pulse. The first one posted earlier this week was entitled Your Key to Success: Effective Delegation. You can read it here.

Questions to consider:
What are the items you need to, or want to, delegate?
What will this free you up to focus on?
What will ensure that this delegated task is successful?

Have a great weekend,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Check out our newest on-demand course: Teams365 Teamwork Foundations
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Looking for more tips and ideas to support you in your work as a leader? Sign up for our monthly newsletter, full of tips, resources and hacks for leaders and team members looking to realize their potential. Sign up at http://bit.ly/teams365news
Phone: (416)996-8326

#TEams365 #937: New Team Leader Tip #10

7/25/2016

We are at New Team Leader Tip #10 today. Tip #10 gets you to think about what you want to, and can, delegate. Delegation is an area both new and experienced team leaders struggle with. Matching the task to the team member, being clear on what success will look like, and making sure that you both check in around progress are three areas which are critical for successful delegation.

Questions to ask yourself right now include:
What are the tasks I can delegate?
What are the tasks that I can only do?
Looking at my list of things to be delegated, what's a priority?
Who would benefit from doing this?
What support would they need in order to complete it?
What resources do they need?
What authority or responsibility do they need?
What do I need to share about how it fits into the bigger picture?
What do I need to share about how it is important and what happens if it is not completed successfully?
What are the key milestones?
When will I check in?

I'll be putting up a new Pulse post on Linked In around Delegation this week. I hope that you will enjoy it!

Have a great start to your week,
Jennifer
Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Check out our newest on-demand course: Teams365 Teamwork Foundations
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Looking for more tips and ideas to support you in your work as a leader? Sign up for our monthly newsletter, full of tips, resources and hacks for leaders and team members looking to realize their potential. Sign up at http://bit.ly/teams365news
Phone: (416)996-8326

#Teams365 #739: Leadership Reads: Delegation

1/9/2016

In keeping with yesterday's focus on Delegation, I wanted to share with you five resources you might find useful around delegation. As I wrote yesterday, delegation is an area many team leadership struggle with, experienced or new to role. Whether they are concerned in "letting things go" or not having sufficient trust in their teams abilities, the inability to delegate can cause serious challenges in the long term.

Several resources you may want to further follow up on in this area are:\

Turn the Ship Around - Turning Followers into Leaders - David Marquet
The Busy Manager's Guide to Delegation - Luecke and McIntosh

MindTools article on Delegation

Martin Zwilling's article on " How to Delegate More Effectively in your business" at Forbes. Read it here.

and a long time favorite of mine - Stever Robbins - The Get It Done Guy who has lots of tips on personal productivity and other topics

What resources would you recommend around delegation?

Have a great weekend,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Join us in January for a Teams365 Coaching Group
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Phone: (416)996-8326