Teams365 Blog - POTENTIALS REALIZED

TEAMS365 #2287 – Journaling Prompt 93

4/4/2020

Recent weeks have found a majority of the population in one place – their homes. For most it’s been a renaissance of found time to get things done that we haven’t done around the house for a while – get things fixed/in order, catching up on book reading, spending time connecting with friends we have not talked to in a while.

I’ve been using what extra time I have to continue learning. No surprize as “LEARNER” is one of my strengths. It was my ongoing learning as a young leader in South America that anchored me in earlier days when the context I operated within was turbulent. Today, I have found solace again in the simple art of learning. Of reading. Of hearing someone else speak.

From podcasts to on-demand courses, learning can take many forms. I can see by the metrics that our Remote Pathways podcast downloads have gone up. I can see that web visits are up. I can see that more people are completing on-demand courses over at the Learning Lab and Design Studio as well as over at the Teams365 portal.

This week’s prompt is “I want to learn about….”. What do you want to learn about? What is important to explore right now?

I hope you will enjoy this week’s Weekly Journaling Prompt!

Have a great Saturday,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Everything DiSC
Phone (416)996-8326

Get your Q2 planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder
Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon, or join me for the Virtual Facilitation Essentials program
Contact us to discuss how we can support you and your teams and organization with remote work.
Check out upcoming virtual programs on our calendar

TEAMS365 #2284 – Celebrating 16 Years Here at Potentials Realized

4/1/2020

Happy April Fools Day! I always love April 1st as it marks the day I came back to live and re-establish myself in Canada. Back in 2004, I made the transition from my former world of global work with the United Nations and the international humanitarian sector and came back home. Six days later on April 7th, I registered my new business, Potentials Realized, and haven’t looked back.

A lot of people often ask me what led me to start this company. There were a number of factors which led me to establish Potentials Realized.

First, I had spent several years prior being asked by my employers to take on special projects and/or take on internal consulting roles. It validated at into the second decade of my career I was building a series of skills and areas of expertise that could be useful outside of my regular role.

A second major factor for me had also been the impact to my vision due to an eye infection I had sustained in 2003. That led to an effect on one of my eyes which still exists today. It’s one of the reasons why I established Potentials Realized as a virtual business – so I wouldn’t have to travel like I used to. Today so many of us are having to live and work virtually, especially with social isolation measures in place. I hope that you have been seeing some of the more creative ways we can continue to work and meet in the virtual space.

A final factor in terms of moving to being an entrepreneur was the belief that it was time to go out on my own and create the programming I had dreamed about. During the years I was flying around the world leading organizational retreats for groups large and small, I hoped that I would be able to create something similar under my own umbrella. One of the greatest things I have enjoyed is not having had to do the travel I used to – of how I can bring dozens of people together for great conversation and work in the remote space.

What is your beginning story?

As we step into the new month, what are your goals? What’s important to be focusing on?

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Everything DiSC
Phone (416)996-8326

Get your Q2 planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder
Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon, or join me for the Virtual Facilitation Essentials program
Contact us to discuss how we can support you and your teams and organization with remote work.
Check out upcoming virtual programs on our calendar

TEAMS365 #2280 – Weekly Journaling Prompt 92 – 6 Words to Describe My Life

3/28/2020

We are continuing with the focus on the six words series. This week’s post gets you to consider the question – “How would you describe your life?”

Additional questions you may want to consider are:

What are the things that have defined you?
What else is important to note?
What are you known for?
What moments have defined who you are?
What is important to note about focus?

Enjoy your reflections!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Everything DiSC
Phone (416)996-8326

Get your planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder
Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon.
Contact us to discuss how we can support you and your teams and organization with remote work.
Check out upcoming programs on our calendar!

TEAMS365 #2278 – Team Building Tip 280 – What does each team member need?

3/26/2020

This week’s team building tip gets you to have a discussion (virtually) about what does each team member need. This is even more important at this time when teams are likely not seeing each other. Our personalities and our styles are likely to get magnified in the remote space, making it even more important to focus in on some discussion around what each team member needs.

Have discussion today around:

What does each team member need? Consider – focus, motivation, feedback, communication
What can others expect from each team member?
What are teams able to do in terms of focus?

Given that you are likely to be meeting virtually, spend time going around and hearing from each person about what they can focus on, and then what they can provide to others.

Teams are as strong as their connection. What’s important for to you strengthen?

Wishing you the best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Everything DiSC
Phone (416)996-8326

Get your planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder
Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon.
Contact us to discuss how we can support you and your teams and organization with remote work.
Check out upcoming programs on our calendar!

TEAMS365 #2277 – Projects to Keep Us Moving in the Remote Space

3/25/2020

Today’s blog post is all about projects to keep us moving in the remote space. What are the projects you want to work on in your space? What’s going to help you keep focused and motivated? What are those projects which you have always wanted to work on?

Beyond the immediate need, what else is important for you to be focusing on?

Depending on your work, you might consider:

Catching up with colleagues and taking time to reach out for a virtual conversation/1-1
Updating records and projects
Clearing out items which no longer serve a purpose
Revisiting your vision – what’s important right now? What is important to keep an eye on in the big picture?
Spending time focusing on what is important and connected to your vision
Reviewing the focus of work and impacts you have had
Catching up on paperwork/administrative tasks
Getting your finances in order
Taking time to ensure that you are focusing on family projects and routines
Carving out time to get through the pile of books/podcasts/blogs you have said you always wanted to focus on
Starting a memoir

What are the projects which are going to fill you up? What are the projects that are going to help you focus in on what’s important for you right now?

Enjoy your projects!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Everything DiSC
Phone (416)996-8326

Get your planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder
Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon.
Contact us to discuss how we can support you and your teams and organization with remote work.
Check out upcoming programs on our calendar!

TEAMS365 #2273 – Weekly Journaling Prompt 91

3/21/2020

This week’s Weekly Journaling Prompt gets you to consider the prompt of “6 words to describe my home:”. What are the six words you would use to describe your home?

Spacious? Cozy? Homey? Showcase?

Our homes are our sanctuary as well as a purposeful place. How would you describe your home? What’s important to note about your home?

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Everything DiSC
Phone (416)996-8326

Get your planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder
Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon.
Contact us to discuss how we can support you and your teams and organization with remote work.
Check out upcoming programs on our calendar!

TEAMS365 #2272 – Flashback Friday: Plan A Virtual Co-Working Session #1729

3/20/2020

Given that a number of professionals are needing to move to the remote space I thought that it would be appropriate to return back to past post on planning for a virtual co-working session. Remote work can feel isolating, so what if you met up for a block of remote work together?

Here’s what I shared last year in a post around Planning a Virtual Co-working session:

From leaders who manage teams which work remote most of the month, to project teams which span the globe, from remotepreneurs leading virtual businesses, remote work is on the rise.

We’ll be following many of these trends and taking a deeper dive into the adventures of the Digital Dozen™, twelve different types of remote professionals. I hope that you’ll join us and will follow along at the new website here.

With so many professionals jumping into the remote workspace, I am hoping that the years of writing on remote work, and virtual teams here at the Teams365 blog will be of service.

With that in mind, I wanted to highlight an earlier blog post - Teams365 #1729: Plan a Virtual Co-working Session

As we move into fall, it can be very useful for teams to continue to put attention around getting things done WHILE connecting. A favorite activity I continue to facilitate is GET IT DONE afternoons, which really become Virtual Co-Working Sessions. They are a derivative of the virtual retreats I have been offering for teams, business owners and leaders since 2007.

Virtual co-working sessions may range from one-hour sprints, to four-hour blocks, to full day sessions.

Three considerations to making a virtual co-working session work include the following:

1. A platform where you can all meet, see each other and converse for periods of time.

Streaming is often best; however, others may appreciate the ability to take their work on the road and call in at time.

2. Focus – collectively and individually. Consider these questions:

What’s bringing you together today?
What’s the focus – is it to do something collectively or individually?
What outcomes do you want?
How do you want to break it down – meeting every hour for check-ins? Meeting more frequently?

3. Scheduled Checkpoints

A way to share and keep the momentum going throughout the day. I have found that virtual group and team sessions have been the seeds for some amazing new ideas and cross-pollination. Be sure to build in blocks where people are not only checking in around what they are doing, but also consider the value of building in some time for sharing of learning or insights.

Looking for inspiration on what you might do in a virtual co-working session? Consider these ideas – they are all real programs I have facilitated over the years:

One-hour virtual sprints for planning on the team or individual level
30-minute brainstorming/innovation sessions geared to create new product and or service ideas
Four-hour GET IT DONE sessions where groups of solopreneurs connect virtually to take focused action once a month on things on their list. Check-ins are once an hour.
Four to eight-hour Virtual Retreats, where each hour has a dedicated focus and theme to explore and/take action on. For example, an hour dedicated to creating a business plan, an hour to marketing approaches, an hour for project work).

Looking for a facilitator to host your next virtual co-working session? Contact me to learn more about this service I offer.

What could a co-working event look like for you?

Enjoy!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Everything DiSC
Phone (416)996-8326

Get your planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder
Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon.
Contact us to discuss how we can support you and your teams and organization with remote work.
Check out upcoming programs on our calendar!

TEAMS365 #2267 – The Week in Review

3/15/2020

Welcome back to another Sunday. This week we’re taking a look at the past week‘s posts around remote work and other topics. Check out:

Saturday’s post about 6 words to describe you…– and how you may be 1 in a 33.4 Million (at least according to Gallup). Read it here.
Friday’s Flashback Friday post on Remote Team Toolbox – Connection and Focus
Thursday’s post on Team Building Tip – A Reminder of The Six Factors for High Performing Teams
Wednesday’s post on Keeping Motivated in the Remote Space
Tuesday’s post on Virtual Collaboration – Collaboration in the Remote Space
Monday’s Effective Virtual Conversations Tip: Rotate – Who is Getting Short Changed

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Everything DiSC
Phone (416)996-8326

Get your planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder
Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon.
Contact us to discuss how we can support you and your teams and organization with remote work.
Check out upcoming programs on our calendar!

TEAMS365 #2266 – Weekly Journaling Prompt 90

3/14/2020

Who are you? How do people see you?

This week’s Weekly Journaling Prompt gets you to think in terms of how you are unique.

What are the six words you would use to describe yourself? What’s important about who you are?

One of the assessments I like to use in my work as a coach is the StrengthsFinder from Gallup. As they indicate, the chances of two people having the same Top 5 strengths is one in 33.4 million. Read this article about this from Gallup.

In a world in which things can seem commoditized, AND people are worried about Artificial Intelligence, we might take heart to recognize that we are all unique.

This weekend I hope you will enjoy reflecting on the question – "6 Words to Describe Me Are…"

Maybe you outreach to others and also ask them what they think.

Enjoy the reflection!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Everything DiSC
Phone (416)996-8326

Get your planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder
Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon.
Contact us to discuss how we can support you and your teams and organization with remote work.
Check out upcoming programs on our calendar!

TEAMS365 #2263 – Keeping Motivated in the Remote Space

3/11/2020

Whether we are working out of choice or requirement in the remote space, keeping motivated is a critical factor. It may feel like we are isolated and on our own. It’s also up to us to keep going. With this in mind, keeping motivated is critical for medium- and longer-term success.

First, consider your drivers, or what gets you motivated. For some it’s all about results, for others it’s about creating relationships. For some it may be achievement, while others it’s legacy.

Our motivation and focus may also vary across the day.

Consider these questions:

What is important to you – in the short term? In the big picture?
What do you get motivated by - Deep dives around topics? Getting things checked off your list?
When are you at your peak?
What tasks need to get done right away so they are off the list?
What elements might need a focus later on?

What to do if motivation is flagging:

Consider reaching out to your network. What do they do to keep on task? What tips do they have?
Consider making a change to routine or location of work.
Reach out to your mentor and have a discussion around motivation.
Take a break to renew. High performance is often as much about creating a renewal break, as it is keeping on high performance.

What’s going to fill up your well again?

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Everything DiSC
Phone (416)996-8326

Get your planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder
Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon.
Contact us to discuss how we can support you and your teams and organization with remote work.
Check out upcoming programs on our calendar!