Teams365 Blog - Potentials Realized

TEAMS365 #2162: Welcome to December & Week in Review

12/1/2019

Happy December 1st. Just a few weeks to go before the end of the year and end of the decade. What do you want to focus on in 2020?

This month our focus will be on taking a look back at some of the highlights of the year. I’ll include a focus on Top 10s, Review and Themes of the Year, along with a wrap up of remote items.

Let’s take a look back at this week first:

Yesterday’s Weekly Journaling Prompt 78. Read it here.
Friday’s Flashback Friday, getting projects over the finish line. Read it here.
Thursday’s Team Building Tip with the Remote Work Prompt. Read it here.
Wednesday’s focus on Saying Thanks! Read it here.
Tuesday’s focus on Preparing for your 2020 Vision. Read it here.
Monday’s focus on more tips for designing an engaging virtual conversation. Read it here.

Enjoy your weekend and hopefully time with family and loved ones!

Best wishes,
Jennifer

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

As we step into the end of the year, 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.

TEAMS365 #2160 – Flashback Friday: Bringing Projects to A Close

11/29/2019

We’re just a few days away from the start of December and this is the time of year when EVERYTHING needs to get done. With that in mind, I thought it would be useful to take a look back at last year’s post about Bringing Projects to a close from Teams365 #1794. Here you go:

“At this time of year, the clock is ticking and it may now be GO TIME to get projects across the finish line. Where there was once time and leeway, now things need to get done and completed. What is it going to take to get the project completed before the end of the year?

To bring the project across the finish line consider:

What is it going to take to bring this project to a successful close?
What resources are needed? Do we need to pull new resources?
Are there any lessons learned from other projects that we can incorporate?
Are there any specialized, or talented, human resources we can bring in at this time to move the project quicker? Are there experts or seasoned team members who can complete tasks more quickly than others?
What elements can be completed consecutively? We often think that tasks are sequential (i.e. this has to be done before that), when in fact, we might be able to complete some tasks consecutively.
What does complete look like? Think about quality and scope. Are we still within the original scope of the project, or has there been scope creep?
Do we want to reconfirm project requirements, checking for any assumptions which may not be correct?
What can we do to minimize distractions and focus on what is really important? Are there some tasks which need to be devolved from those on the project team so they can focus 100 % on the task at hand?
What does project close out look like?
How can we capture the learning so we don’t repeat these cycles next time?
What’s going to help your projects move to completion phase quickly?”

Enjoy the conversation,
Jennifer

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

As we step into the end of the year, 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.

#TEAMS365 #2125 – Flashback Friday – Year End Events for Teams

10/25/2019

As we move into the end of October, attention turns quickly to year-end events for teams. To give you some ideas, I thought I would dedicate this week’s Flashback Friday to a post I have shared before.

Here’s what I wrote in:

#Teams365 #1389: #FlashBackFriday: 4 Best Practices for Year-End Team Retreats

Here’s what I wrote as I shared a previous LinkedIn Pulse post entitled "4 Best Practices for Year-End Team Retreats". The post was geared to anyone who is starting to think about what your year-end retreat can look like.

“It’s that time of year for parties, year-end team retreats and other events. Are you maximizing the amount of time and impact of these team events?

Having supported year-end programming for teams and organizations for many years I thought it would be useful to share four focus areas you may want to consider as you start preparing, planning and perhaps facilitating your year-end processes.

Number One — What’s the purpose? If you had to distill down the top two or three takeaways from the retreat process or that off site, what is it? The purpose of our year-end function can impact the structure and activities undertaken in the program.

Is the purpose of your year-end event:

to build connection?
to share important information?
do some goal planning?
to build understanding across the silos, that may exist within your organization?

I’d encourage you to think about the top two or three purposes of the upcoming program and link to consideration #2.

Number Two — What is the connection to the business? Think about what is the connection to the business. It’s still very common in today’s world for people to just go through the motions of a traditional annual year end party and /or event.

Are you really maximizing that investment of bringing people together?

Could you build into that luncheon a half-day session before or after, to do some work with your staff teams to support their development, to help them look at their skills and strengths and styles and also to share with them, you know, and help them connect to the link with your business.

What opportunities do you have already formalized for bringing people together at year-end? What changes or additions do you want to make?

Number Three — Do you want to do it all alone? Many organizations today have a committee and amongst that committee membership, there may be some members who would be very comfortable in facilitating your year-end team or organizational process.

So, think about who might be best equipped to do the work? Is it you, members of that committee or maybe you are interested in bringing in an external facilitator?

One of the things we do, is either we come in and facilitate or develop activities which you can facilitate yourself.

Think about how you might be able to leverage the resources you have and or bring in some special guest speakers or external resources to contribute to the environment that you want to create.

Number Four — How are you going to take this forward? One of the biggest challenges that we see in learning and development today is this continued lack of transferability to the work place.

This was what drew me to focus more on the area of Coaching which places an ongoing emphasis on accountability and transferability to the workplace.

One the things I like to encourage organizations that I partner with to always thinking about is – How will you sustain the conversation? How will you take this forward into your work?

Hopefully any year-end retreat process or year-end meeting will have an action step and a very formalized action planning stage. Remember to build in time in the new year to revisit your commitments and accountabilities.

Here’s a quick recap:
Number One - Think about the purpose. What are the top three or four reasons or things that you want people to take away?
Number Two - What’s the link of the year-end program to the business? Is it just to have fun or something else?
Number Three - As your approaching your year-end processes, is this something you want to do or do you want to bring in a facilitator? A third option perhaps is to have something designed for you, so you can facilitate it yourself.
And finally, Number Four. What are the takeaways? How will people sustain the conversation? When will you check in on your actions and commitments?”

Have a great 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.
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 #2089 – TEAM BUILDING TIP 254

9/19/2019

This week’s Thursday Team Building Tip gets you to consider the question “What needs to be collapsed?”. Just like this photo there are sometimes things that need to be demolished or face implosion before they are ready.

An alternative view on this is what needs to be condensed or abbreviated?

Think about current projects and initiatives as you consider these two questions.

A reminder of this month's Effective Virtual Conversations call which focused on creating more impactful meetings. Time spent does not always equal impact. Check out this month's 20 minute call for more tips on meeting management.

Enjoy your conversation,
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 #2033 - Team Building Tip 246

7/25/2019

This week’s Team Building Tip gets you to consider the question “Where would it be useful to sprint?”. Many current business and team practices are experimenting with more rapid iterations and cycles, where things that used to be allocated weeks, are now being allocated hours.

What are the things that would benefit from a sprint in shorter cycles?

Over the last three years I have been experimenting with using sprints and hacks in a couple of program formats including program design and some business planning. While the initial sprint may not lead to the full-blown end product, it often leads to some new, quicker ideas being ready for testing and launch. With today’s business cycle being quicker and faster, getting programs out faster can be of benefit.

What are the areas you and your team might find it useful to sprint?

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 #2031 - Creativity in the Workplace: Six Questions to Reflect On

7/23/2019

As part of the summer series this month, today’s blog post shifts to a focus on creativity. As we unwind from the busy pace of the rest of the year, we may find that our creative juices start to flow. It’s often said that we need space and time to get our creative spirit awakened.

Creativity can take many forms and it can also be incorporated to our every day experience. Today’s post is an invitation for you to consider what creativity means for you, when it occurs and what it can look like more fully in your work.
There are some really good articles which give us a better understanding of creativity. Check out these articles:

7 Surprising Facts About Creativity According to Science from Fast Company

Jillian Groening’s article: 52 Science-Based Facts About the Creative Mind

Here are a number of questions for you to consider as you think about creativity in your work:

What does creativity mean for me?
I’d like to ____ in order to bring more creativity into my work.
My favorite creative outlet as a younger person was….
The time of day I find I am most creative is…./the places I am most creative are….
The ingredients I need in order to be creative is…
I’d like to ___ in order to be more creative.

A few weeks ago I published a 30 minute call as part of my 2018 Coaching Business Builder workbook series entitled “Summer Projects for Coaches”. Even if you are not a coach, you may find that this resource is of interest to you.

Check it out at my YouTube channel.

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 #2022 Sunday Review

7/14/2019

Given that it’s Sunday, let’s take a look back at this week’s posts.

Friday, I shared a link to Delegation – The Dreaded D Word.
Thursday, we explored the Is/Is Not framework.
Wednesday, we focused on Renewal.
Tuesday, we focused on possible creative summer projects.
Monday’s Effective Virtual Conversations post focused on Goal Setting.

If you are interested in personal productivity issues, take a look over at the PlanDoTrack blog and take a look at the Weekly Planning Hack. I’ve done more than 20 in the series, which cover short things you can focus on to move the needle with your productivity. Past Weekly Planning Hacks have covered topics including Time Tracking, different apps you may want to use, and more.

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 #2020 Flashback Friday #391 – The Dreaded D Word – Delegation

7/12/2019

This week I reach back to the topic of Delegation. One area which is critical for focus is being able to identify tasks to delegate, and when delegating how to support the process.

For this week’s Flashback Friday, we explore Teams365 #391 which has links to other areas.

Here’s what I wrote:

One area both new and experienced team leaders struggle with is in the area of Delegation. How do you find delegation as a skill set and practice yourself?

If you are one of the many leaders who struggle with this area then this week's focus on delegation is for you. You may already find yourself with way too many things on your plate, and not enough time to do it.

To get a handle on what might be "delegation material" schedule the following 10-15 minute activity:

1. Pull out your current to do list, along with your accountabilities for the next quarter.
2. With these in mind, take a look at the current key priorities. These may be shaped by KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), Team Goals or any other Organizational Goals which are priority this quarter (or year).
3. What are the tasks that only you can accomplish?
4. What are the tasks that you need to be involved with, but can be supported by others?
5. What are the tasks that you really need support from others to accomplish (i.e specialized skills may be needed, due to complexity etc)?
6. What are the tasks on your list that really need to be completely handed off - who can do them? What support and direction do they need?
7. With these items off your plate, how much more time will you have?

Once you have gotten a line of sight on the tasks which need to be handed off, we can then start exploring how to do this. We'll be looking at tips for that this week, and you may also want to refer back to other posts I've written on delegation namely
Teams365 #90 - Delegation Tips which you can read here OR
Teams365 #315: Leadership a - z - D is for delegation which you can read here

What are the tasks which you need to delegate this year?

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 #2017 Focusing On A Creative Project

7/9/2019

A few weeks ago, I shared a post about potential different summer projects you might want to focus on. This is the one time of the year where we may have a bit more space to focus on projects that are “nice to do” rather than “have to do”. What are the summer projects you have in mind?

In determining a possible summer creative project, you might want to focus on these questions:

What’s the one thing you wish you had done/completed, but never have had time for?

As you consider your career, what is the one area you wish you had more experience in, or knowledge of?
As you consider your next step in your career, what is one thing that would help you expand your skills, or deepen them?
What would be a fun project to work on this summer?
What could be a legacy project to leave at your workplace? One of the projects I worked on in my last year of employment was a training guide for new staff who had to run their own training and onboarding programs for teams. Interestingly enough, it became a baseline for some of the work I have done in the last fifteen years of business. I was able to dedicate a little bit of time every week on that project, which like many things, does add up to something specific, when we are intentional and have a plan (see yesterday’s post around goal setting).

I hope that these questions will be useful as you start to consider what possible projects you could undertake.

The beauty of summer projects is that you likely have 7-8 weeks of work time to complete it. These are rarely projects that can be done in one sitting but are completed over time.

After identifying possible options, take some time breaking it down into more concrete milestones that you can aim for in shorter cycles. Be sure to schedule time in your calendar to work on this. As is commonly asserted “What doesn’t get scheduled, doesn’t get done”. Enjoy!

Enjoy the creative process,
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 #1997: Summer Project Ideas

6/19/2019

For those that are in the northern hemisphere, we are just about to the longest days of the year. It’s also the time that we start to take down the pace a bit. With team members going on holidays in the next few months, it can be an opportune time to engage in some of those projects you haven’t had time for.

Instead of typing today’s post, I thought it would be fun to record a short video for you to watch. Listen in as I zoom into 8 key areas you will want to explore this summer, when (and if) the pace slows down. The video runs for 8 minutes. Please comment below and let us know what areas you aim to focus on:
INSERT Video

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.