Teams365 Blog - POTENTIALS REALIZED

TEAMS365 #2517 #FlashBack Friday – 10 Things Before the End of The Year

11/20/2020

It’s hard to believe (sometimes…) that we’re nearing the end of the year.
Today's post gets you to think further about year end activities and possible retreat ideas for your team. While not everyone will be able to take a day away from the office, even spreading some of these activities over a couple of weeks, or the next month or two, gets you thinking about, and in dialogue, about important issues.

Here are ten things to be sparking focus and conversation around with your team:

1. Creating a Year in Summary - Using photos or words, how would you describe the highlights of the last year?
2. Strengths based work using either StrengthsFinder or VIA Strengths
3. Goal setting for the new year - overall goals, quarterly goals, monthly goals. Looking at how individual, team and organizational goals overlap
4. Creating an action plan for the new year
5. Creating a Vision for the new year
6. Vision Modelling - using materials at hand coming up with a model for your vision that you as a team can look at regularly
7. Coming up with a theme for the new year
8. Taking time to acknowledge each other
9. Celebrating your successes from the year - a virtual team building event – escape room or BINGO Round
10. Setting an Intention for the year

What other activities might you undertake to wrap up the year together?

Have a great weekend,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

TEAMS365 #2515 - Celebrating our first season of the Remote Pathways podcast

11/18/2020

Next week signals of our first year of the Remote Pathways podcast. When my co-host Michelle Mullins and I started this journey a year ago of exploring the people, pathways and processes to remote work, we would have had no idea how the year would be placing such an emphasis on remote wok.

We’ve released 24 great episodes exploring the terrain of the remote workspace. From entrepreneurial pursuits to project managers, sales professionals, to virtual facilitators, the landscape of remote work is vast. We have also focused on helping people explore some of the key areas that help people thrive, for example, our episodes with:

Check out some of my other favorite episodes:

We are looking forward to having you join us for season 2!
Enjoy your conversations,

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

TEAMS365 #2510 – Flashback Friday – Effective Virtual Conversations Tip #8

11/13/2020

It's the start of a new week and it's time for Effective Virtual Conversations Tip #8.

In Effective Virtual Conversations I write:
"We don't often pause or take time to go deeper into dialogue. When we fail to do this we lose the opportunity for individuals to explore the rich terrain of assumptions, beliefs and other areas." - pp 71, Effective Virtual Conversations

In many virtual events today - webinars, conference calls - silence and pause points are at a premium, and that's usually what people need. When we are working with virtual, or global teams, taking time to check our assumptions is critical. For example, we may all have a different set of assumptions on what success should look like, or assumptions around quality. Going hand-in-hand with this is the value in exploring, or being aware of, the different beliefs at play.

What is the value of taking more of a pause in your virtual programming?
What will allow you go deeper into dialogue as a team or group?

Different ways you might consider creating a pause point for deeper reflection could be:
- pose a question to the group/team and have dialogue around it during your meeting;
- at the end of your weekly meeting pose a question for team members to reflect on. You can check in around this the next week at the start of your meeting;
- providing each person on the team with a journal to reflect in
- posting a daily/weekly reflection question on your Intranet, shared site or Slack

in order to move into these deeper layers it is important that there is trust on the team. Building trust and connection should be a primary focus for team leaders today. Take a look at what I have written about trust in past Teams365 posts.

What can you do to create more of a pause and opportunity to go into deeper conversation space?

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

TEAMS365 #2475 – #FlashBack Friday – Effective Virtual Conversations Tip #106

10/9/2020

This week I am reaching back to post from August 2019, Reducing Digital Distractions and Creating Focus. What do you notice about your ability to focus in the virtual space?

Take a look at these factors:

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 bcc'ed 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, cc'ing and bcc'ing (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

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

Join us September 17th for the one-day Stand Out Virtually! STtdio Day Masterclass - Learn more about creating exceptional virtual presentations, meetings and programs, and leave the day with your next one sketched out!

TEAMS365 #2472 - Another 5 Day Stand Out Virtually Challenge

10/6/2020

This week I am hosting another 5 Day Stand Out Virtually Challenge, this one focusing on supporting organizational or corporate initiatives.

With many organizations realizing that their training, and team development, is going to need to be extended into the virtual realm for the distant future, being able to serve large groups, teams and even entire organizations in engaging virtual conversations focused on boosting relationships and enhancing results.
There are many options for virtual conversations in the corporate space including:

Virtual Retreats (Yes, organizations and teams moving their retreat process online.)
Team Meetings
Team Building Sessions – From escape room experiences to team development, team building is of great need. Prior to the pandemic about 1 in 4 remote teams had virtual team development. Given that teams are often the engines of business, what’s possible in your organization? Contact us to learn more about our team days.
Strategic Planning Sessions – One of my favorites, strategic planning sessions are a must as we move into Q4. Be sure to leave enough time for discussion and working on the plan.
Micro-learning – Short video-based learning modules which people can fit in
Virtual Round-tables – Time dedicated to bringing people together for discussion and dialogue.

What are the different virtual formats you want to explore? What’s going to help teams and groups work more effectively in the virtual space?

Be sure to return back to read tomorrow’s blog post on “The Different Bells and Whistles of Engagement for Zoom Calls”

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

Join us September 17th for the one-day Stand Out Virtually! STtdio Day Masterclass - Learn more about creating exceptional virtual presentations, meetings and programs, and leave the day with your next one sketched out!

TEAMS365 #2468 - Flashback Friday - #1976 - Teamwork in Uncertainty - Synergy

10/2/2020

Many teams globally are needing to continue to redefine how they operate, and one thing is clear; collaboration is essential. Part of collaboration is learning how to synergize. How to blend skills and fuse them together. How to break things down into different packets and weave them together.

This week, I wanted to reach back to a post I originally shared in 2019 – Teamwork in Uncertainty – Synergy. Let’s take a look at what I wrote then:

When situations are complex and uncertain, it may be difficult to bring all the skills required for success. Therefore, being able to focus in on leveraging the skills that are available to you as a group or team can help maximize your skill base as well as what is available to you.

As I wrote in yesterdays’ post, knowing our strengths is important on the individual and team levels.

In synergy, we are looking at how 1+1 equals more than 2.

If you have completed some strengths-based work, some additional questions to explore as a team are:

What the core strengths we bring as a collective?
What can we harness as a team?
Where might we be over-developed?
What is missing?
Where are the gaps?
When we think about current projects what strengths would benefit them?
Who is best suited to support which project?
What else is important to note?

In situations of uncertainty, it can be important to consider risk, and also contingencies. Given that contexts may be changing rapidly leading from strengths allows us to do things quicker and with less energy expended, freeing up focus and energy for other items.

What is important to note around synergy?

All the best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

Join us September 17th for the one-day Stand Out Virtually! STtdio Day Masterclass - Learn more about creating exceptional virtual presentations, meetings and programs, and leave the day with your next one sketched out!

TEAMS365 #2460 – Team Building Tip 264

9/24/2020

Last winter I published a white paper entitled the “Remote Working Whitepaper”. It’s been downloaded hundreds of times that I can track. You can pick up a copy here.

In it, I share what I term the 7 C’s or Remote Enablers to Work. The first one is expectations – what are the agreements you are creating as a team? This might include:

Quality of work.
Communication – how much, in what channels, how regularly?
How often you meet.
The process and structure of how you meet.
What is applicable and appropriate to raise at meetings, and what should be funneled elsewhere?

Clarity around expectations creates alignment around goals. What are the conversations you want to have?

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

Join us September 17th for the one-day Stand Out Virtually! STtdio Day Masterclass - Learn more about creating exceptional virtual presentations, meetings and programs, and leave the day with your next one sketched out!

TEAMS365 #2459 - Collaborating Virtually

9/23/2020

Virtual Collaboration is a core topic for all types of remote professionals. Whether we have to build something within our team, or expand our network, it’s key to build capacity to collaborate across distance and time. I address this topic in Chapter 12 of Effective Virtual Conversations. In a very practical way, you will want to consider the following areas for exploration:

#1 – Why are we collaborating? Many writers assert that it’s important not to collaborate just to collaborate. In fact, it’s key that we are clear on why we are collaborating. Is it because our skills are better when we fuse them together? It is because we bring a different insight into a core topic? Be clear on why you are collaborating.

#2 – What’s your core stance and common ground around the topic? What is the common stance you hold around the topic? Perhaps you are both passionate about educating around a topic. Perhaps you want to create a new approach to looking at an issue. Being clear on where you both align, and where you are different, is important.

#3 – What’s different between your work? Consider where your work is not only the same, but complimentary. Partnerships can get weakened if both partners are too similar. Consider exploring not only what’s the same, but also what’s different.

#4 – Consider what your end result is. Results in the remote space need to be specific? Clear? Focused? What are your end results? What are you looking to achieve?

#5 – Provide feedback. Feedback is critical to any partnership and collaborative experience. Be clear on what’s working. What’s not. What changes are needed and how things can proceed.

How often are you meeting? What type of feedback are you both providing and receiving?

Collaboration will continue to be a “pain point” for many professionals. What’s going to help your partnerships flourish in the remote space?

Enjoy the conversation!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

TEAMS365 #2425 – Team Building Tip 259

8/20/2020

This week’s Team Building Tip asks the question – What would create more safety?

For team members to engage, or individuals to engage virtually, we need to ensure that there is safety. This is an essential ingredient for learning, results, relationships and performance.

Safety is created through many things –

From being clear on what people can expect
From being clear on outcomes
By inviting all voices into the room
By being clear what the boundaries are around the outcome
By clarifying roles

Safety is an important part of what I term “the triad of virtual calls”. This includes TRUST, SAFETY and CONNECTION. Be sure to check out other posts on this topic here.

As you surface this conversation, what do you notice?

Enjoy your conversations,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

TEAMS365 #2419 – Flashback Friday: 10 Key Roles Team Leaders Play in Organizational Success…and think about it now virtually

8/14/2020

This week I wanted to reach back to a post I wrote in 2016, and get you thinking about how it translates to the type of support you are providing your team leaders in the virtual space.

Here’s what I wrote in Teams365 #1026

Earlier this week I was part of a panel discussion on Team and Group Coaching at this week's Columbia University's Coaching Conference. As a coach, when I come into work with teams, team leaders play a key role in creating the conditions for success in building and maintaining a coaching culture. This was a precursor for success in work I undertook last year in developing a coaching culture with The Scarborough Hospital here in the Toronto area. This work just won a PRISM Award for Coaching Excellence from the International Coach Federation Toronto Chapter earlier this week.

While in the thick of things, team leaders sometimes forget the critical role they play for organizational success. Here's ten ways team leaders contribute to organizational success:
1. They translate the organizational objectives, KPIs and vision down into the tactical team realm;
2. They are the conduit for feedback and information up the leadership and organizational ranks;
3. They play a key role in creating a coaching culture (see above);
4. They are often the eyes and ears of what is really being spoken about in an organization;
5. They are the human face of the organization for team members, especially in larger organizations;
6. They are often the link and relationship with external stakeholders;
7. They often get called into be the voice of the organization for customers or clients when things go wrong;
8. They are able to share best practices quickly across their web of peers;
9. They have direct impact on the morale, culture and spirit of the teams they lead;
10. They play the unique middle role of being a conduit up and down the organization. This role is often overlooked by teams and leaders above them alike.

Based on this, what support are you providing right now for your team leaders? How are you involving them in communication and decision making? What development opportunities are they getting.

As you may know here at the Teams365 blog most of our work is geared to supporting teams and team leaders in doing their best work. If have questions about how coaching skills training, or some of our other leadership development programming could be of support, please reach out and let's set up a time to talk.

As many of you know virtual programming has been our preferred way of operating since opening our doors in 2004. What can we do to support your virtual and remote teams and/or organization in doing your best work?

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326