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Daily tips, tools and blog posts for leaders and their teams. Daily posts since January 2014. The Teams365 blog is brought to you by Jennifer Britton, founder of Potentials Realized, and author of Effective Group Coaching and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching.

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#TEAMS365 #1851 – Team Building Tip 220

1/24/2019

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This week’s team building tip gets you to explore the question “One change which is needed….”

Not every team may be comfortable asking this question as it might surface things that are “out of focus”.

By not asking questions like this we may erode trust and loyalty in the team. How is that you ask?

The skill of “constructive interaction” or debating alternative view points, has been found to be a critical skill for teams today.
​
Author of Teaming – Amy Edmonston – calls it “speaking up”. The ability to question and instill provocative conversation is key for strong relationships and also problem solving for teams (and individuals) in today’s business context.

In building a culture where questioning is fostered, it may necessitate a change in the way a team operates, and the level of comfort the team leader has. It may also involve the creation of shared agreements of how debate and discourse will operate, how it may or will feed into any changes and/or what next steps are from any discussion (i.e. will it feed into decision making, or will it influence decisions?
What’s needed on your team in order to have constructive dialogue?
 
This is #220 in the series which started back in 2014. You are invited to check out the new digital licensing option to bring 52 of the first series of tips into your current team meetings. You can purchase a set of 52 of the first of the 2015 series of cards in digital format over at our Potentials Realized Store. Once purchased, you’ll receive a link to access each of the weekly question in JPG format.  You can incorporate these into your slide deck (as is) for your weekly team meeting or send it out as a “conversation sparker” for the team throughout the week.

Over the years I have had teams use the questions in many different ways. Check out the series of 52 questions here. You can purchase a digital license for $35 US -that’s just a little more than 50c a question.

The backstory to this product takes me back to my former role as a virtual team leader. While it would be great to have the time and creativity to do this on my own, I was always looking for great questions to prompt conversation. Unfortunately, I did not find many. When I started my own performance improvement business in 2004, many of my clients started commenting that they really liked having a focusing question of the week. Flash forward to 2014, when I started to “systematize” these through the weekly Teams365 Team Building Tip. Check out series one (which incorporates 52 tips from the 2014/2015 season). We’ll be adding additional ones throughout the year!

Best,
​Jennifer
Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized 
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), Coaching Business Builder (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​
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#TEAMS365 #1773 Five things to get on the calendar for 2019 right now!

11/7/2018

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As we step into November the wave of year-end activities, celebrations and push may be rearing it’s head. Today’s post is a reminder of five key things to get in your team calendar for 2019 right now. As we’ve explored here at the Teams365 blog over the last 5 years, certain skills are critical for success – teamwork skills, coaching, difficult conversations, team development and reflection time.
Five different things you may want to get into your calendars right now for the next year are:
 
Team meetings – Whether the entire team, or some of the team, attends, spending time on a regular basis to plan, and update, is key for alignment, communication and noticing what’s working and what’s not. Even if the team is remote, team meetings do need to happen on a regular basis.
For further ideas on team meetings, check out the post on 8 Questions to be asking before any team meeting.
 
Team development – Regular team development meetings are critical – not just for
 
Feedback conversations – Once a year performance reviews are being replaced in many organizations with ongoing feedback conversations. With this shift, it’s common for organizations to be experiencing:

1. A sense on the part of the leader that coaching and feedback conversations are happening more frequently than they really are. Block in time to your schedule for these key 1-1s, being clear on whether you are coaching or providing feedback.

2. Feedback and coaching are often getting blended together under the same umbrella. These are actually two separate activities and the danger of them being lumped together is that the staff member may not know what type of conversation they are part of.  Regardless off whether performance is good or not, it’s key to indicate when a performance conversation is a performance conversation. If changes are needed, this should be clear and non-negotiable.

On the other hand, coaching is voluntary initiative. The person being coached is the one “at choice” in terms of what they want to do. Coaching is about encouraging change. If a leader wants to prescribe change for the employee, coaching is not the right modality. That’s telling!

​Like other activities, it is important to get key 1-1 time and conversations into your calendar. What have you noticed about what’s worked in terms of time, availability and openness to these types of activities? Block out some time right now.

3. Mentoring – Mentoring is beneficial to us at all stages of our development. Having a variety of formal and informal mentoring relationships is key to ongoing career progression. Whether we are mentoring or being mentored, it’s common for both parties to benefit from a balanced mentoring relationship. Have you scheduled mentoring into your calendar for 2019?

4. Team development – Beyond team meetings, we all benefit from formal and informal team development opportunities. Some research, including the 2016 Culture Wizard Survey, found that only 22% of virtual and remote teams benefited from team development. What are the activities you have scheduled for 2019?  

5. Skill Development and ongoing learning – Whether we are a leader, or a team member, ongoing learning and skill development opportunities are key to keeping us equipped for the ongoing landscape of work. As I explored in Effective Virtual Conversations, the Virtual Learning Ecosystem today is vast. From attending MOOCS (Massive Online Open Courses) at Universities for Credit, to micro-learning modules, from webinars, to virtual team development, skills development and ongoing learning can take many forms.  
​
As a team have you discussed what skill development and ongoing learning each team member wants to undertake in the next year?
What doesn’t get scheduled, doesn’t get done. Be sure to block dedicated time in your calendar for these five activities during 2019.
​
Best wishes,
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 several books including the 2018 Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner & Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) 
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com
(416)996-8326
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#TEAMS365 #1700 – Celebrating  a MileStone and Effective Virtual Conversations Tip #59

8/27/2018

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​It’s time to mark another watershed in the Teams365 blog history – 1700 posts. When I started this project of blogging daily on January 1, 2014 I didn't know what was in store!  From goal setting, to difficult conversations, coaching to performance management, virtual team building tips, to work-life issues, I've covered a wide range of topics relevant to today's teams.

I've been encouraged by the many emails I have received and discussion with team leaders who are not only reading these posts, but also sharing them with their team members. That's what I had envisioned.

As a writer, the regular habit of planning, writing and researching these posts have made the writing of my latest two books - Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), and the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner (2018) flow more easily. Stay tuned for a couple of new 2019 resources for team leaders and team members, which will also grow out of what I've created here at the TEams365 blog.

Over the last 100 posts I’ve explored our most recent gearing-up for fall, along with the focus on team development approaches. These posts have joined some of the more regular weekly columns:
Monday’s Effective Virtual  Conversations Tips
Thursday’s Team Building Questions
Friday’s FlashbackFriday posts which take a look back at past Teams365 pots
Saturday’s Weekly Journaling Prompts – questions to get you thinking and writing each week
Sunday’s Videos which bring to life many of the hundreds of posts here at the Teams365 blog.
Looking ahead, I’ll be continuing daily posts throughout 2018, with upcoming focus areas on:
  • Personal Productivity for the Remote Professional
  • Remote Work tips and Hacks
  • Planning for 2019
  • More on team development
I hope that you will continue to join us for these posts!
 
And now, onto Monday’s Effective Virtual Conversations tip #59:
In Effective Virtual Conversations I wrote “The first few minutes sets the tone. What do you want to create?”.
In conversations of all kinds – team meetings, performance conversations, one-on-ones, difficult conversations, the first few minutes are critical. Are you considering:
  • The environment you are hosting your conversation in?
  • What end result you would like to achieve?
  • What’s important for the other person?
  • What’s important for you to create?
  • What’s going to help the conversation be successful?
  • What expectations do you have?
  • What expectations do they have?


Which posts have you enjoyed the most here at the Teams365 blog - let us know by commenting below! Please also take a moment today to share this blog resource with someone you know who would benefit.
 
Thanks,
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 several books including the 2018 Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner & Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) 
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com
(416)996-8326
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#TEAMS365 #1638 – Tuesday June 26: Articles on Feedback and Performance Conversations

6/26/2018

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As we go to wrap up the month with our focus on feedback and performance conversations, I thought it would be useful to explore several additional resources.

This is an interesting article - Five Steps for Giving Productive Feedback by Scott Halford at Entrepreneur.com - click here. Note Scott’s point of the need for safety in any feedback or performance conversation

MindTools article on Giving Feedback : Boosting Your People’s Confidence and Ability. Click here. 

Aaron Levy’s Forbes article on Three Conversations Every Manager Should be Having – Read the article here. 

How to Get Started with Continuous Performance Management. Read it here from TLNT. 

Mary Cruze’s HDI article “Difficult Performance Convertions: The 5 Ws for Success – Read it here​.

What resources would you recommend to others on this topic?

Best wishes,
​Jennifer
​Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders 
Looking to spark more conversation with your team? Consider the Conversation Sparker(TM) Cards
Set up a conversation about how we can support you and your team best
(416)996-8326
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#TEams365 #1394: 20 Activities for Virtual and Remote Teams #10: Difficult Conversations

10/25/2017

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Many teams struggle with their ability to have difficult conversations. We may call them candid conversations or courageous conversations. Part of the challenge for virtual teams is that fact that team members may not have enough connection with each other,  or may not feel that they have high enough levels of trust to have these important conversations.
Key to having difficult conversations is making sure that you:
  • Specify that it’s an important conversation and clarify what the intent of the conversation is – it is to resolve an issue, flag an issue
  • Make sure that the conversation is being had at the right time – is it free from distractions
  • Identify what common ground you both have
  • Discuss what’s important about the issue
  • Understand what the other person values (is it having discussions be detailed or quick, pre-planned)
It’s important to take time to prepare for the conversation. There are a number of different approaches and techniques we can use in having the difficult conversations. Key to having courageous conversations is practicing having these conversations so that you can see for yourself what is easy, and what is challenging. It can be beneficial to practice with people who you do usually work with. In practicing having a difficult conversation it may not be the “difficult issue of the moment”, however,  going through the movements of having the conversation can provide valuable learning in terms of the other person’s style and what they find important.
​It's also important to take time to have the conversation. What's going to create a positive environment to have the conversation?


 
Here’s a short exercise to start working around difficult conversations:
Preparation needed: Create a slide with a range of photos or icons people can select from.
​Time needed: 20 - 45 minutes (depending on team size)


Show the slide with icons/images people can select from (see example)
Round #1 - Ask people to share one at a time:
Which photo or icon did they select? What does that represent for them around difficult or courageous conversations?
After you have heard from everyone, ask “what have you learned about others in hearing about their selection. Note this down for yourself. Invite people to share if they would like.
Round #2 – Ask people to select another icon which represents the stance/approach they would like to take going forward. Again have them share, which icon they selected, and have them share one thing they will practically do/have conversation around.
This is a high trust exercise and takes time to have the conversation. Ensure that you build in enough time and invite people to share at the level they feel comfortable.
 As you consider courageous conversations in your team – what are they? What does the team need to have these more regularly? What frameworks are you using as a team to create a common language and approach?

Have a great Wednesday,
​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. You can also purchase a copy direct from our site, signed by me! Chapter 7 goes into many more activities for you to undertake with virtual and remote teams.
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    Jennifer Britton - Known for her writing and work in the areas of teamwork, leadership, team and group coaching, Jenn is the founder of Potentials Realized, and a former team leader with global organizations including the UN. She is passionate about helping teams and organizations to do their best work. Potentials Realized is a performance improvement company providing training, coaching and facilitation services.

    Visit our on-demand courses for team leaders and team members here.

    All blog posts are Copyright 2014-2019.  Jennifer Britton, All Rights Reserved.


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