Teams365 Blog - Potentials Realized

#TEAMS365 #2110 – Team Building Tip 257: The Devil's Advocate

10/10/2019

This week’s Team Building Tip gets you to think about the question “What would the devil’s advocate say?”.

The Devil's Advocate view on a team may be in complete opposition to everyone else. It may also be the unpopular voice in the room.

At the same time, the devil’s advocate voice can point to an area which needs to be addressed or changed. This perspective can be very important when change is ongoing.

Rather than vilifying the voice of the devil’s advocate, it could be useful to invite their perspective around issues of importance. This may tease out alternative viewpoints, unforeseen risks, assumptions the team is making, or unpopular views.

How can the voice of the "Devil's Advocate" be useful to you as a team right now?

Many teams feel that they may remote the voice to the dissenter if he or she leaves the team, but note that it's likely that that voice will re-emerge if changes are not made at the deeper level of the team's system (it's culture, roles, how they do things, norms etc).

What is important to note on your team right now about key issues and the Devil’s Advocate view?

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.
For those looking for tips, tools and ideas about remote work and support for your remote teams, be sure to check out these tags and resources.

#TEAMS365 #2100 – Effective Virtual Conversations Tip 113

9/30/2019

It’s Monday at time for our next Effective Virtual Conversations Tip. This is tip 113 in the series. Be sure to check out the weekly Effective Virtual Conversations Tips here. You can find out more about this book and related programming over at EffectiveVirtualConversations.com.

This week’s tip gets you to consider the question “What digital distractions are impacting you?”. From pings to things flashing across the screen, interruptions in the digital space can quickly take us off focus. While Gloria Marks research has shown that it can take upwards of 22 minutes to regain focus, sometimes we don’t have that long.

What are the things we can do to create more focus in the virtual/digital space?

Go on airplane mode or non-wifi for parts of the day when you need deep concentration
Work on different devices – i.e. a smaller laptop for writing projects
Schedule "deeper thinking" work at different parts of the day
Make a point of spending part of a work day outside of the office. For example, I spend 2-3 hours working out of a public library once a week. In addition to being a great research resource, it also is an place where I know I will be able to work without the usual distractions. I usually target to take action on the one project that has been left hanging for that week. It gives me a keen sense of satisfaction as I do to leave after my time spent.

As another resource you may want to check out, I continue to enjoy the writing of Cam Newport in his books – Deep Work and Digital Minimalism. If today’s topic is of interest to you, you may find these books interesting.

Questions to consider:

What are the digital distractions you are most aware of?
When do they happen?
What are 3-5 things you can do RIGHT NOW to create more focus and minimize distractions. DO IT NOW! (Before you get up or click on or reply to the next email). Thank you!

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.
For those looking for tips, tools and ideas about remote work and support for your remote teams, be sure to check out these tags and resources.

#TEAMS365 #2090 – Flashback Friday: Minimize Distractions with Remote Work

9/20/2019

This week’s #FlashbackFriday post takes us back to 2016 and a post I think is still very relevant – minimizing distractions in the remote space.

Let’s revisit Teams365 post 797: Four Ways to Minimize Distractions with Remote Work.

Over the last week we have been focused on remote work. Today's post looks at four ways to minimize distractions when working remote. They are:

1. Clear space for where you are going to work. Whether our workspace is a small table which folds back into the wall when we are done or we have dedicated office space, clearing the clutter can be an important step in creating space to focus and be productive.

Consider where you work - what needs to be cleared? Spend 15 min this week clearing yourself more space.

2. Make sure you have what you need in order to do your work. Small issues can become big issues when working remote. An old laptop which crashes regularly, taking with it your hard work, becomes a liability. Slow internet speeds can also take a toll. While these issues might be minor pain when working remote once a month, if you need to work remote several days a week, the cost adds up. Consider what you might be tolerating in terms of equipment/resources that just aren't cutting it.

What's the cost of replacing them? What's the cost if you don't?

3. Consider when you are at your peak for different types of work. Some of us like the early morning to get out thoughts down on paper, while others like to tackle calls first thing in the morning. Consider your style and preferences in terms of when you would like to get different tasks accomplished, and SCHEDULE IT IN.

4. Sometimes we get distracted because we don't allow ourselves time for a break, or we don't allow ourselves to get into the flow of one activity at a time. While there are many tips to time management that we've covered (check out all our time management tips here), months ago I wrote about the Pomodoro approach where you set a timer for a set amount of time (i.e. 25 minutes) and work until the alarm goes off. Other time management gurus recommend a 10-minute break every 50 minutes. What is going to keep you focused and at your prime in terms of productivity?

Let us know which tips you try out and what you find useful!

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.
For those looking for tips, tools and ideas about remote work and support for your remote teams, be sure to check out these tags and resources. 

#TEAMS365 #2067 – Remote Work: Setting Yourself Up for Success

8/28/2019

In yesterday’s Teams365 post (#2066) I shared several tips around organizations setting themselves up for remote work success. In today’s post, I explore it from the employee’s perspective and what employees who want to work remote can do to be successful in their role.

Have clear shared expectations with your leader and organization around what is expected in terms of work – not only hours, but output and what success looks like. When we work remote, it’s key that we know what’s expected as OUTPUT. Because we cannot be seen in terms of how we work, it’s the end product, and the way we collaborate which often boosts trust and provides security that remote work arrangements are working.
Have dedicated space to work – If you work from home (WFH) or Work From Anywhere (WFA), having what you need, in a secure way, is key to work success. While this may only mean a laptop and small bag for some, for others working remote will mean a dedicated space for files, work and focus. Make a list of all the things you might require to work effectively. And stay tuned for a post next month on the same topic
Minimize distractions – From kids coming into your home office, to trying to work on the road, distractions are a constant for remote workers. What can you do to minimize these, whether it’s changing your work hours, or work location, or adjusting HOW you work. Identify the top 3-5 distractions that could take you off course this month and work to minimize them.
Be clear with boundaries – Boundaries take many forms - from official working hours, to negotiating around when and where you are available for meetings. Given that things are not as visible in the remote space, it’s likely that those you support may not understand if you are being pulled from one task to another. The skills of negotiation and influence are key in the remote work space. What are the boundaries which are going to allow you to collaborate AND get work done?

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 #2057 – The Week In Reflection

8/18/2019

This week’s posts had us explore the terrain of meetings, appreciations and also what you are putting your attention around.

Be sure to check out this week’s blog posts, if you have not done so:

2051 – Monday August 12 – Effective Virtual Conversations 106: Minimizing Digital Distractions and Creating More Focus
2052 – Tuesday August 13: Teamwork Foundations – Alignment
2053 – Wednesday August 14: Teamwork Foundations - Meetings and Other Team Practices
2054 – Thursday August 15: Team Building Tip 249: What are you putting your attention around?
2055 - Friday August 16: Flashback Friday: Focus, Distraction
2056 – Saturday August 17: Weekly Journaling Prompt 63

Enjoy the rest of your weekend,
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 #2055 – Flashback Friday: Focus, Distraction

8/16/2019

One of this week’s focuses has been about creating more focus in today’s digitally distracted world. For our Friday Flashback, I thought it would be interesting to reach back to a post from earlier this year where I highlighted Digital Distractions. Take a look at it here:

From open office spaces to a focus on collaboration, there can also be a pendulum swing in organizations where sometimes things go too far.

As I mentioned over the weekend, there are a number of studies exploring this topic of distraction including Udemy In Depth’s 2018 Workplace Distraction Survey. You can read it here.

The report asserts that distractions have an impact on productivity. Some of the distractions noted in that study are talkative co-workers, email and others.
Many of the distractions I hear of in the work of my clients are:
Unscheduled meetings
Co-workers dropping by to chat
Email
Social media which takes you “down the rabbit hole”
Materials and information which are not readily accessible and have not been stored in the locations you thought they would be in

What are you doing to minimize the distractions? What do you find distracting?

What conversations are important to have?

Here are some other articles of interest:

Check out this article from Financial Times – “Digital Distractions are Making Us Dumb and Twitchy” which also includes some great tips from Professor Cal Newport.

Suresh Subamdam’s article on Is Your Work's Communication Channel Turning Your Team Into a Bunch of 'Slack'-ers?

Take a look at Digital Responsibility’s website and ideas on Digital Distraction.

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 #2051 – Effective Virtual Conversations 106: Minimizing Digital Distractions and Creating More Focus

8/12/2019

This week’s Effective Virtual Conversations post takes me to one of the areas I hear about the most from professionals of all kinds today – “How can I minimize my digital distractions and create more focus in the virtual space?”
Digital distractions are created by a variety of things. Consider:

The bing of your email
An “urgent” email which isn’t an urgent email as you are bcced in
An instant message that comes through via Slack
Having to toggle back and forth through different screens instead of being able to lay things out in one way
Having different people on your team using different frameworks/platforms for reporting

The cost of digital distractions is multi-fold:

Work doesn’t get done
Projects are not completed
People are frustrated because they are not able to finish tasks
Motivation suffers in the short term
Engagement levels drop
Turnover occurs much more quickly

There are significant human and business costs for both.

So, what are some ways to reduce digital distractions? Consider these items AS a TEAM. They need to be team based so everyone is doing them.

Be intentional as a team (and possibly as an organization) as to what the expectations are in terms of being “on” and when people can be off. It’s not uncommon for some organizations to have a block of global working hours where everyone needs to be available and meetings can be called.

Experiment with “offline” blocks of hours where people can engage in their deeper work projects. Deeper work projects might include proposals, new projects, addressing strategic issues, working on systems to ensure process and people flow.
Turn off the technology or close it off at certain times of the day (this will need to be discussed as a team/organization in terms of what is realistic and appropriate.)
Think twice with subject lines, ccing and bccing (which really shouldn’t be used widely, if at all).
Consider when having an analog copy of paper/hard copy might make a task move faster or be completed at a greater depth of synthesis. Deeper thinking of work cannot be completed with just cut and paste.
Provide workspaces and/or flex arrangements so people can work with less distraction.
Consider the best platform for the work.

What can you do as an organization or team to create more focus in the digital space?

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 #2046 – Teamwork Fundamentals: Minimizing Distractions

8/7/2019

One of the biggest challenges facing teams today are the distractions. From digital distractions of the ping of an email taking our focus off deeper work like writing, or an Instant Message and request pulling us off our task at hand, distractions have an impact in the digital space.

In the physical space, distractions can include co-workers dropping by our desk to chat, and meetings. Its often said that meeting length should be multiplied by three. It’s not just the time it takes to attend, but the time to prepare and the time to follow up.

Research by Gloria Marks has found that distractions can take upwards of 22 minutes to regain focus.

What implications does this have for us as professionals and team members?

We may not be getting the more strategic, proactive, thinking work completed (i.e. reports, planning, decision making).
Tasks are not getting completed in the time frame needed.
Lack of fulfillment on the part of team members, leading to lower levels of engagement.
Lower productivity and results.

What might we do to minimize distractions, especially if it is having an impact?

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 #2024 – Simplification

7/16/2019

This week’s theme is emerging to be “simplification”. In yesterday’s post I shared several strategies to simplify your virtual conversations.

Simplification is also a useful strategy in a context where disruption, change and distraction is prevalent. The cost of these things on productivity, and cognitive load is high.

Simplification in work can look like a number of things. Consider the work of Jane a project manager. To her simplification might include:

Dedicating blocks of the day (i.e. the first few hours of each day or all day Tuesday) to certain projects and/or tasks
Delegating tasks that are not essential during critical phases of the project
Creating a series of templates for reporting and/or tasks which need reporting regularly
Batching other “unlike” tasks to certain times of the day when she can move quickly from task to task, without feeling like it is getting in the way of deeper work

Other team members might include these items on their list of simplification:

Unsubscribing from lists that are not of interest anymore
Dedicating certain blocks of time to social media
Dedicating a certain day of the week to a focus on certain tasks – i.e. professional development or networking

During times of change, consistency also plays an important role. This can include consistency of message, consistency of touchpoints, and consistency of focus.

Consistency of message can include reinforcing key messages in several channels - so sharing something in a team meeting, then following up a day or two later with an email, and also reinforcing in a 1-1 conversation.

Consistency of touchpoints can involve letting people know that each month you’ll be scheduling a 1-1 with them for 30 minutes. This can help to get people into the regular routine of meeting and noting their key issues of discussion.

Consistency of focus is not always easy to achieve. This might involve helping the team focus in on certain key tasks, while minimizing others until the bigger projects are completed. It could also involve dedicating certain team members to certain projects, and having other team members focus on a different, unrelated task.

What are that things you can do to create more simplification and consistency in your work?

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 #2003: Key Trends – Navigating Disruption

6/25/2019

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, it 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 (link to tag of 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. Link to: (not a live link yet)

Teams365 #1968: Teamwork in Uncertainty: Pivot

Teams365 #1969: Teamwork in Uncertainty: Comfort with the Unknown: link here

Enjoy the conversation,
Jennifer

You may also want to check out the following blog posts as well:

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.