Teams365 Blog - POTENTIALS REALIZED

#TEAMS365 #1646– Questions new virtual team members may have

7/4/2018

This time of year can be a transition for many – with some team members leaving, and others coming on board. How intentional are you with your onboarding of new virtual team members? What do you do? Do you pair people up with a buddy? Do you create a way for people to shadow others virtually, to get a sense of how things are done on the team. Onboarding and orientation can be a hit or miss for many organizations and teams. Often, it is left up to the leader to make sure new members are welcomed and starting their job off on the right foot. In the virtual space, where a team member may start weeks or even months before they have contact with the main office, providing them with a structured process at the start of their involvement with the team is important.

While this list is no means comprehensive, some questions new virtual team members may have, and areas you will want to cover are:

Team Issues:
What is the culture of the team? Remember, how are things done around here.
What are the team priorities?
Who is on the team? What are their strengths?
What could you reach out to them for?
What else should the new team member know about the team and its focus?

The new team members’ role
What are the roles and responsibilities of the new team member’s role?
What key priorities and deadlines are there?
Who will they need to reach out to?
What feedback loops are there?
What is expected in terms of performance?

Relationship between the team leader and new team member:
What are your expectations of me as a team member? Team leader?
How do you like to be communicated with?
What are the issues I should surface directly to you? When?
What are the things I should keep in mind in terms of reporting? Connecting with others on the team?
What issues should I call about? Email about? Use the web about?

Who should I reach out to around:

How to do things?
Technical IT issues

What other issues are important to note?

What have you found useful in terms of onboarding new virtual team members? Do you assign a peer partner from the team? How often do they meet? What works well? Feel free to comment below.

Enjoy!
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: [email protected]
(416)996-8326

#Teams365 #1571: #FLashbackFRiday: The First 90 Days for Leaders

4/20/2018

It's Friday and time for another FlashbackFriday. Today I am reaching back to a 2014 post on the first 90 days for team leaders, inspired by a series of different conversations I have had this week with leaders assuming new posts. Whether you are team leader, a VP or other.

The first 90 days of any role is critical, especially as a team leader. We often say that the first step up into leadership is the greatest.

During these first three months of your new role a number of elements will require your attention:

1. Getting to know your team. Who are they? What are their roles? How are they connected? what are the priorities for the team? What are the team's strengths - collectively and individually? What is the team known for? What is the greatest untapped advantage for this team.
As the team leader your team is critical. Make sure you spend time getting to know them and learn from them.

2. Getting to know your boss - Developing relationships with your boss is also important. What are their expectations of you? Of the team? What do they see key priorities for the team? For you? What is their perspective on strategic issues facing the team? What are their priorities? How does your work, and the team's work, support their success? How does your leader want to be communicated to? What information is most important for them to have, and WHEN?

3. Developing relationships with your other stakeholders - Developing relationships with other key stakeholders internally and externally is also critical during the first 90 days. Who are these players? What can you learn from them about the team's past successes and history, and what's important as you move forward?

4. Understanding your role and developing skills - As in most transitions there will be some time required to understand your role as well as develop new skills and knowledge - these may be around budgeting, reporting or other technical areas. Make a list as you go around the short term, medium term and long term learning needs you forsee.

5. Identifying a mentor - Mentoring can play a key role in your overall career and leadership success. You may benefit from a formal mentoring program, or this may be the nudge to reach out and establish a mentoring relationship from someone who knows the ropes. Mentors play a key role in understanding how organizations operate, and how things do get done.

What do you see as critical issues in your first 90 days?

Enjoy your conversations,
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
Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team Authorized Partner
Everything DiSC® Authorized Partner
Contact us and let us know how we can support you in helping your team reach its' full potential: (416)996-TEAM (8326)

#Teams365 #1410: #FlashbackFRiday: Teams365 #923: Team LEader Foundation

11/10/2017

It's time for another #FlashbackFriday and this week I am reaching back to one of the many new team leader tips I wrote about last summer. Whether we are new to role, or experienced, or a virtual team member, equipping ourselves with these skills is important.

One of our focus areas this week was on goals, and here's what I wrote in TEams365 #945 around Creating Shared Goals:

"Today's New Team Leader tip gets you thinking about having a plan and creating clear and shared goals with your team. As a team leader we need to always remember that we work through our team, so creating SHARED goals with team members are key.

Questions to consider and have dialogue with the team:
1. What are the top goals for this quarter for the team in general? For the team as individuals?
2. How do goals fit together? Intersect and align across the team?
3. Do team members understand how their efforts impact others on the team?
4. How do current efforts support goals of the department or the organization?
5. What's at risk/stake if these goals aren't completed?
6. How do smaller goals fit into the bigger picture?
7. What does each goal look like at the 30,000 foot view vs what it looks like from the shoreline?
8. What else is important to have dialogue around goals?"

I hope that you will take a few minutes in the coming weeks to discuss some of these questions with your team members. Read the other New Team Leader Posts here.

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.

#Teams365 #923: New Team Leader Foundations Tip #1

7/11/2016

The start of taking on a role as a new team leader can be fraught with excitement, concern, questions and a lot of changes. In the next month we'll be exploring a variety of tips for new team leaders

Today's tip #1 is an encouragement to get to know your people. spending time getting to know each of your team member. some questions you may want to ask your team members - either in individual 1-1s and/or as a group:

1. What should I know about your work and role?
2. How do you like to be supported?
3. What type of communication do you prefer? (Phone/text/email)
4. What should I know about your learning style (visual/kinesthetic/auditory)?
5. Tell me about your work style? (if your team members have done a DiSC, MBTI or other, get them to talk about this)/4
6. What are your key priorities right now? What support do you need with these?
7. What works well with the team right now?
8. What hasn't worked so well in the past? (be aware of levels of trust and team history when asking this one?)
9. What expectations do you have of me? (And share your expectations of them with them)
10. What would you like this team to be known as?

Of course, there are many other questions which an get asked, and these are a good starting point. What questions would you recommend to other new team leaders?

Have a great start to the week,
Jennifer

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

#Teams365 #530 Sunday Audio - The First 90 Days

6/14/2015

Welcome back to another Teams365 Sunday audio. Today's focus is on the first 90 days and what you can do to support a new team member joining your team, as well as what you can focus on if you are stepping into a new role.

Today's audio is a short 7 min piece and covers at least half a dozen areas for you to consider as you step into a new role, or support others joining your team.

What other tips do you have for others regarding onboarding and the first 90 days?

Have a great start to your week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPT
Potentials Realized | Teams365
Growing Team Leaders One Conversation at a Time(TM)
Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
(416)996-8326

Join us for an upcoming public offering of the Teams365 Team Leader Foundations program - online learning modules geared to sharpen your skills as a team leader.
Also coming up this summer: the 5th Annual Team and Group Coaching Intensive - a two day coaching skiills training program for those working with groups and teams. More info at GroupCoachingIntensive.com

#Teams365 #528: #Leadership Toolkit - the First #90days

6/12/2015

This week's Leadership Toolkit explores fie essential resources for team leaders to be able to top into doing the first 90 days of their post. As we know, the first 90 Days of any post or new role are critical. If you are in your first 90 days of role, you may find these resources useful:

1. The first 90 Days - Michael Watkins book

2. My Teams365 First 90 Days cartoon - click to a link to the blog post from last October and related items you can use over at Google plus here or check out Teams365 #305 post from October 21

3. Smart Leaders, Smarter Teams - Roger Schwartz.

4. New Manager Checklist - Five tips for First-time Managers - Click here to read the Newsweek article

What resources did you find useful as you started your role as a team leader. Please comment below and help others accelerate their new role!

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPT
Potentials Realized | Teams365
Growing Team Leaders One Conversation at a Time(TM)
Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
(416)996-8326

Join us for an upcoming public offering of the Teams365 Team Leader Foundations program - online learning modules geared to sharpen your skills as a team leader.
Also coming up this summer: the 5th Annual Team and Group Coaching Intensive - a two day coaching skiills training program for those working with groups and teams. More info at GroupCoachingIntensive.com

#Teams365 #302: The First 90 Days: The 13th Teams365 Cartoon

10/29/2014

Over the past two weeks we've been exploring six key tips for the first 90 days in the role of a new team leader.

Today's post presents our 13th Teams365 Team Leader post, again from Ravensfeller. Enjoy!

Take a look back at our first 90 days Tips:

Identify a mentor: TEams365 #292: October 22, 2014
Develop Skills and Understand Your Role: Teams365 #302
Get to Know Your Team Preferences: Teams365 #288: October 15, 2014
Get to Know Your Boss; Teams365 #290 - October 20, 2014
Develop Relationships with Stakeholders

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, PCC
Potentials Realized - Leadership | Teamwork | Retreats
Supporting Team Leaders One Conversation at a Time(TM)
Teams365 Series of Programming - Coaching Groups, Training for new and aspiring team leaders - Next public programs start in mid-November 2014
(416)996-8326

TeamS#365 #301: First 90 Days: Understanding Your Role and Developing Key Skills

10/28/2014

Over the past two weeks we have been exploring several key areas for new team leaders to pay attention to during their first three months in post. It is often said that the first 90 days in post are the most critical to a leader. It is no different for team leaders.

Two areas new team leaders will want to place attention on are:
1. Understanding Your Role
2. Starting to develop foundational skills

Let us take a look at each one of these:

1. Understanding Your Role
As a team leader you wear many hats. Team leader, trouble shooter, the person responsible for the budget, technical ponit person, relationship buider, project manager. What would you put on your list of roles as a team leader?
Understanding your role and the expectations from your different stakeholders - boss, team members, internal and external stakeholders is a critical part of settling in and learning during the first 90 days.

2. Developing Skills
Many team leaders are thrust into the role and many may not bring the entire mix of technical, interpersonal, and leadership skills required. With your boss, and your mentor, identify areas you could benefit from acquiring further skills in, whether it is through a formal training program, job shadowing or informal learning opportunities.

Several of the skills which are foundational to success in a team leaders role are the fabric of the Teams365 Team Leader Foundations program, a series of 10 online learning modules (which can also be delivered in house).

Core skills which may be critical in your work include:
Relationship building skills
Technical skils
Financial management skills
Interpersonal skills including Emotional Intelligence, Communication, Conflict Management
Public Speaking/Presentation skills

What are the three most important skill areas for you to put some focus on. What would developing skills in these areas look like for you?

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPT
Potentials Realized | Teams365
Growing Team Leaders One Conversation at a Time(TM)
Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
(416)996-8326

#Teams365 #295: First 90 Days: Identify A Mentor

10/22/2014

Mentoring can be a critical part of your leadership journey over time. Many organizations today now offer a mentoring program for their employees. Even if there is no formal mentoring program in place, you may want to use this as an opportunity to develop a relationship with a mentor.

Mentors are typically a person separate from your supervisor who is able to provide insights around your role, best practices or industry. Mentors often provide you with an insider's view to how things get done, skills you really need and also the political navigation of an organization or industry. They may play a role of sounding board, story teller, connector or ad visor.

It can be useful to identify a mentor early on in your role. Questions to consider:
1. Who might bring a similar experience to what I need with this team leadership role?
2. What are my expectations around mentoring?
3. What role do I want my mentor to play?
4. What are my overall expectations around mentoring?

I recently wrote an article on Essential Elements for Mentoring, which is posted over at MentorRoadmap.com, mentor training services I offer with partner Susan Combs. You can read the article here.

For the last six or seven years I have worked with a variety of organizations and associations to either develop their mentoring programs, and/or train their mentors or mentees. This has included an industry award winning mentor training program I developed within the financial services.

Susan and I are offering mentoring skills training to a cross-section of organizations throughout Canada and the US. Our Mentor Roadmap Toolkit, a booklet filled with tools and ideas for the mentoring conversation, has become a favorite in the mentoring training we have rolled out in recent months. Click here to contact me to discuss how your organization could benefit from support around mentoring.

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPT
Potentials Realized | Teams365
Growing Team Leaders One Conversation at a Time(TM)
Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
(416)996-8326

Interested in developing a mentor program at your organization? Along with partner Susan Combs in Michigan, we've developed the Mentor RoadMap(TM) training, booklets and other supports for organizations who want their own mentoring programs. We offer turnkey training to organizations for your mentors and proteges, support throughout the program, and a rich toolkit to support your conversations. Contact us to discuss how we can support your mentoring program.

#Teams365 #294: First 90 Days: Get To Know Your Key STakeholders

10/21/2014

It's our fourth post on important things for new team leaders to do during their first 90 days. We've taken a look already at getting to know your team, and your boss. There are also other internal and external stakeholders who will play a critical role in your team's success, and in getting things accomplished. Creating connections with these internal and external stakeholders can be an important focus area as well during your first few months in post.

If you have the chance to meet with your predecessor, ask them about who they found were critical partners and relationships. Your boss also will have some ideas about key stakeholders and relationships you need to create. Team members as well may have additional insights as to other key players who support the work you do.

It can be useful to schedule time for these meetings early on to before things get too busy. If things are already busy when you start, it is important to schedule time to start building these relationships. As we know, business is done through relationships.

Questions to consider and be in dialogue around:
Who are the various internal stakeholders I will interface with? What are their priorities? How do we interface? What's worked int he past? What's important to them?
Who are the external stakeholders I should get to know? What are their priorities? What's important to them? Who do we interface? What type of relationship has there been historically? Who else would they recommend i connect with?

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPT
Potentials Realized | Teams365
Growing Team Leaders One Conversation at a Time(TM)
Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
(416)996-8326

Looking to equip your team members with enhanced facilitation skills, or your own? Consider joining me on November 25-26 for a two day online learning adventure - the Virtual Facilitation Skills Intensive. A two day train the trainer delivered online. Visit http://bit.ly/virtualttt for more info.