I thought that it would be interesting to reach back to what I had written five years ago here at the Teams365 blog – here’s the post from that day – Five Key Relationships – still as relevant (and maybe even more so in today’s virtual context”.
​
Whether you are back to work or starting a new role, relationships are key in today's business context. As team leaders, we navigate a wide network for relationships, which you may need to call on at any given time. Five key relationships for team leaders to be aware of are:
​
1. Your team - What is the strength of these relationships right now? What conversations are important to have? What does your team rely on you for? What do you need from them? What preferences to do they have in terms of support, communication, connection etc.?

2. Your boss - When was your last quality meeting with your boss? What support do they need from you? What support do you need from them? What are their priorities this month/quarter? How can you help them be even more successful?

3. Your customers, client’s other key stakeholders are also key players in your network. What conversations and touch points do you have planned or want to have?

4, Key project relationships - Consider other key relationships you have. What requires attention? Where can you lean into for support?

5. Your peers - As team leaders we also benefit tremendously from fostering a network of peers around us. Is it time to connect with some specific people within your network? What could you share about your current successes that would help others? What do you need from them?

To wrap up with one of my favorite business authors on the topic of relationships, here's what Keith Ferrazzi says:

“Connecting. It’s a constant process of giving and receiving—of asking for and offering help. By putting people in contact with one another, by giving your time and expertise and sharing them freely, the pie gets bigger for everyone. This karma-tinged vision of how things work may sound naïve to those who have grown cynical of the business world. But while the power of generosity is not yet fully appreciated, or applied, in the halls of corporate America, its value in the world of networks is proven.”
― Keith Ferrazzi, Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time

Enjoy your weekend!
Jennifer

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

I thought it would be fitting to reach back to a post I had written several years ago about how teams can respond to rapid change, given that this has been the theme for 2020. Here’s what I wrote back in Teams365 1577:

Change is everywhere in many industries and our ability to stay grounded in order to make decisions is key. Today's Thursday team building question get you to think about the question "What is going to help you be successful within a context of rapid change"?

​Teams explore different approaches to rapid change including:
​Embracing ongoing learning - in a context of rapid change ongoing learning becomes critical. Figuring out what "good enough" looks like rather than mastery may be an important mindset shift if this is possible in your work.

​Becoming more curious - When change is ongoing the context may be changing and what we "know to be true" may also be changing. Being curious and open become key skills to foster.

​Shortening cycles - Think about what needs to happen in terms of communication and feedback cycles as things speed up. What about work cycles? If you are now seeing change every quarter, rather than once a year, what implications does that  have for how you share information, provide feedback and change processes.

​Simplify - Process is key in rapid change, AND older ways of working and processes may be cumbersome. Is it time to simplify different processes? Is it time to simplify other components. What does simplify mean for you as a team?

​Empower - Empowering your team and providing them with the responsibility and authority to do certain tasks is likely to be critical. Everyone's eyes and talents may be required. Helping the team bring their best skills and use them is also key to success.

​Create peer sharing opportunities- Going hand in hand with empowerment is making sure that you build in opportunities for peer sharing. Whether it is formal job shadowing and mentoring or peer partners who meet informally throughout the month, part of rapid change often means a reduction of the silos and barriers which can exist in teams and in our work.

​What changes are needed for you as a team in becoming more fluid in light of rapid change?

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Happy Saturday! This week’s Weekly Journaling Prompt is “Collaboration Means”. As you get back to a fall routine (sort of…), what does collaboration mean for you? In fact, in the virtual space, collaboration is even more important and can be trickier. As I share in Chapter 12 of Effective Virtual Conversations,

“Knowing when to collaborate and when not to is an art form.”

• What does collaboration mean for you?
• Where will collaboration lead to a result where 1 + 1 does equal more than 2?
• What skill sets are important to add on to what you can provide?
• Where is partnering (another type of collaboration) key in your work?

Take a look at these past blog posts for more information:

• Audio – Five Ingredients for more Successful Collaboration 
• Six Barriers to Collaboration – Teams365 1165

Enjoy the conversation!
Jennifer

Earlier this week I did a post on the importance of collaboration. That got me to thinking, what other posts I have shared around collaboration. It took me back to some posts I had written back in 2017 when I had focused on Collaboration for the month of February. Here are some of the posts you may want to check out.
 
That month some of the most popular posts were:

• Teams365 #1152: Five Ingredients for Successful Collaboration - Listen into this audio post here.
• Teams365 #1149: Leveraging Peer Conversations for Better Collaboration - Click here to read the post
• Teams365 #1135: Six Barriers to Collaboration. Click here to read the post.
• Teams365 #1137: Flashback Friday - Skills for Collaboration. Click here to visit this post.

 
What post is your favourite?
 
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
​
PDF copies of PlanDoTrack now available! Get yours here. ​

One of the current challenges and stretch points for many teams right now is how do we collaborate better? With not all workplaces returning to normal and remaining in a virtual workspace, collaboration has become an increasingly important skill set.
 
Who do you need to collaborate with?
 
Some of the core components which are needed to make collaboration successful are:​

• Trust
• Connection
• Communication
• Candor
• Finding common ground and leverage points

Let’s look at each one off these in turn.
 
For several years now I have delivered a 90 minute keynote on Collaboration: The Sum Is Greater Than Its Parts to many organizations, associations and groups in person and virtually. I often poll the audience and ask them “What are the skills you need in order make your collaborations really work?" #1 on the list is often TRUST, quickly followed by the rest. In the past six months I had noticed that CANDOR was starting to make it’s way up the list pretty close to trust.
 
Candor is an important topic to explore and if you have read the writing of Kim Scott in Radical Candor, you would know that it involves being both KIND and FIRM or as she says Caring Personally, and Challenging Directly.

What are you doing as a team to have the important conversations of the moment? Are these moments of candor happening, or are they being “swept under the rug”? Tomorrow’s post is going to link into this with a focus on conflict.
 
Connection and finding common ground is critical for success in the virtual and remote space. While our differences may appear to be vast, we need to make a concerted effort in discovering and leveraging our common elements. This takes time and needs to be intentional. Regular touchpoints are important as well – characterized by quality and frequency not length of time.
 
Going hand in hand with connection is communication. What are you doing to use the different communication channels available? What do you know about different team member’s preferences? What are you doing to communicate changes, adjustments, successes and challenges regularly?
 
Collaboration is an art form as well as a structured process. In most of my books it shows up as a significant theme.
 
If you have a copy of PlanDoTrack check out pages 54-56 as well as sections on strengths.
 
If you have a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations check out Chapter 12 – Partnering and Collaboration.
 
If you have a copy of From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching check out Chapter 11.
 
You’ll note in EVC a focus on structured questions to consider as you move through the different stages of the partnering phase.
 
Enjoy the conversations and hope you’ll check back tomorrow with the focus on conflict in the remote space.

All 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 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
​
PDF copies of PlanDoTrack now available! Get yours here. ​

Whether we are part of a team, collaborating with others or even building a community, there is an art form to bringing people together in the remote space. Today’s topic both curates some of my favorite past posts I’ve done on remote team builders, as well as focuses on some of the areas groups may be hungry for…

#1 - A little bit of grounding: This is where a quick meditation might come in handy.

#2 - A bit of context: Share one thing that’s on your desk right now!

#3 - A little bit of laughter: I recently heard Les Brown share in a presentation that a minute of laughter boosts your immune system for 24 hours. What can you to do create a bit of humor?

#4 - A little stress relief! Check out these 20 stress reduction activities from Sophaya.

#5 - Thinking about things in a different perspective: Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats tool is always a great go-to to explore issues from multiple perspectives.

#6 - Leveraging strengths: Check out this earlier blog post on Leveraging Strengths for remote teams.

#7 - Creating connection: One of my favorite exercises to do at the start of the call (even before stay-at-home became a reality for many of us) was a quick exercise of What’s Outside Your Window?  Check it out in action in the April 15th Community Call I co-hosted for the Remote Pathways podcast.

Here’s a great list on the A – Z of building a remote team from Trello’s blog – you can find it here. 

You may also want to go back to the A-Z series I did back in 2017 as well.

Download a copy 20 Different Remote Team activities you can take your team through at the Potentials Realized store for $27.50 US - (immediate download).
 
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 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
​
PDF copies of PlanDoTrack now available! Get yours here. ​

One of the legacies of March and April 2020 may be learning how to effectively collaborate in the remote space. This is important whether we are collaborating with our peers, our leader, another team or even stakeholders. Today’s blog post explores four tenets of collaborating in the remote space:

# 1 - Create a clear end result and vision of success for this project. What are you wanting to create together? Why are you doing this? (Note: lack of clarity on this can create a lot of divergence as you go.) How will you know that you will have been successful with this?

#2 - Be proactive and don’t assume. In the remote space, at the best of times, we see each person’s world in a small box. This may not be representative of everything that is on the go.

#3 - Plan it. Take time as a partnership to ask yourselves, what’ important about this? What are you wanting to achieve?

What are your strengths? What are the gaps between the strengths of your partnership?

Find common ground as well as differences. What are the areas we foresee might be challenges? What can we do to mitigate against those?

#4 - Be proactive with communication and ensure you do this on a regular basis. Shift your mindset to one of “of course” to “What should I communicate?” Given that it’s likely we are under-communicating rather than over-communicating.

What’s going to help your collaboration work better?

For more on this topic check out other posts I have done on collaboration.

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 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
​
PDF copies of PlanDoTrack now available! Get yours here. ​

Metaphorically, what do you want to pass on? What pearls of wisdom do you want to share with someone else? What do you want to give to someone so they can benefit from it? Mentoring is an important modality at any time, especially at this time, when people can benefit from the lessons learned from those who come before us.

Our most recent Remote Pathways podcast #10 focused in on Virtual Mentoring. You’ll find the episode here.

One of my business partners, Susan Combs, of the Mentor Roadmap shared the experience of developing internal mentoring programs and supporting mentor pairs in many industries and with many organizations including Fortune 500s.

Mentoring can take many forms, and virtual mentoring is alive and well. Check out Teams365 #2107 – Effective Virtual Conversation Tip 114. Read it here.

This week in your journaling, you are invited to think about what you want to pass on? What is important to capture? What is important to communicate? What is important to mentor someone else around?

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 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
​

It’s Friday which means that it’s time for a Flashback Friday. Here’s a look back at a post from February 2018 – 4 Essentials Ingredients for Collaboration.

With relationships and collaboration being an essential skill set for leaders and team members of all types, I thought it fitting to make our Valentine’s Day post this year all about collaboration. Whether you are collaborating across your own team, or with others, collaboration allows us to tap into resources we do not have available, harnessing the talents of our network. Collaboration may be discrete for a fixed project, or longer for ongoing initiatives.

In today’s post I wanted to cover four essential ingredients for collaboration:
​1. Be clear on why you are collaborating
2. Consciously design your partnership: What do you bring to the table? What is important for you both?
3. Regularly check in and adjust
4. Consider what end result you are looking for
 
Let us look at each one of these in turn:

1. Be clear on why you are collaborating
​Collaborating for collaboration's sake does not equal success! Why is this collaboration occurring? What is possible due to the fusion of your skills and abilities? What outcomes are you looking for?

​Partnerships and collaboration are not always a straight road. It's important to be clear on:

• why you are collaborating
• ​what you hope to gain from the partnership
• ​what you want to gain
• and what your expectations are

​Spend some time as a partnership exploring this and coming back to it throughout your work together.

2. Consciously design your partnership.
​Take time to intentionally, or consciously, design your partnership. Building in time for focusing on the relationship can be as important as creating or doing the work together. In a recent newsletter article  I shared several of the partnership planning questions I have written about over the years.

​In my writing I talk about at least four stages where you will want to focus conversation - pre-program/partnership, at the start, during the work and at the end of major projects. Refer to chapters 12 of Effective Virtual Conversations or Chapter 11 of From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching.

3. Regularly check in and adjust.
Regular check ins will look different for each project. Ask yourselves regular questions such as:

• What’s working well?
• What progress have we made with this project?
• What are we learning and need to make sure we do? We stop doing?
• What changes are important going forward?

​4. Consider what end result you have in mind.
As Steven Covey wrote years ago "Start with the end in mind". Our end result shapes our action. As you engage in every conversation think about the end result you are aiming for. How does this influence your partnership? What roles you play? What attention you have? 

​These four factors - clarity, conscious design, check in, and end in mind - support partnering and collaboration to be a flexible, fluid process. What is important for you to consider in your own work?

Best wishes,
Jennifer