Teams365 Blog - POTENTIALS REALIZED

#TEAMS365 #1963 – Team Building Tip 236

5/16/2019

This week’s Team Building question gets you to consider the question:

“What addition would benefit the team?”

What are the things you could add that would help the team be more successful, do things quicker, or innovate more?

Consider these items in terms of additions:

New Team Member
New Role
A New Process – As an example, you might consider changing things up with your meetings. As I’ve written in past posts, team members may be spending 40% of their time or more in meetings- definitely an area for exploration! A new process could include hosting team meetings on a platform like WebEx or Zoom where the call could be recorded (and potentially transcribed) so that responsibilities and accountabilities are noted and followed up on.
Additional Resourcing – This might be physical or technical resourcing, a new piece of software or app.
New Learning – Given the rapid pace of learning change needed in today’s workplace, what is the new learning that someone could benefit from?

What else might benefit the team?

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2018) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Now available – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner - Order a copy today on Amazon
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development).
Check out the new 19 Tips for Productivity On-Demand Course. If this is your year to get things moving, check it out now. Join Jenn for bi-weekly live group calls until July. $129 US. Learn more and enroll here.

#TEAMS365 #1943 – Friday April 26: Flashback Friday – Roles in the team

4/26/2019

This week’s Flashback Friday brings us back to the topic of roles in a team. One area that doesn’t always get explored but can create a number of challenges is team roles.

Here’s what I wrote about Team Roles in Teams365 #1527:

“An important part of the team building process is exploring and clarifying team roles. There are several great frameworks by researchers around the different roles team members play. For example, you may want to explore the writings and frameworks of Belbin.

In my work as a team coach I like to build on the knowledge of the team itself, getting them to generate their own framework, and naming the different roles they play in their team. It’s common to hear terms like: Project Coordinator, Social Conveyor, Initiator, Implementer, Fact Checker, Devil’s Advocate. Each role serves a valuable purpose.

What are the roles which exist in your team?

Why is this topic important?

Exploring team roles is important for a variety of reasons. First, conflict often emerges when teams do not have clarity on their roles as a team.

Next, role overlap may lead to duplication, and role division may lead to huge gaps that exist.

Another layer which is extremely important as a team is to ensure that others understand what roles you inhabit, and what is enjoyable or not. It’s also important to remember that members of a group can get into “role fatigue” when they have to inhabit that role for a long time. The writing of Marita Fridjohn and Ann Rod explores this topic, along with other many useful team topics.

Here are some questions to prompt a discussion you can undertake as a team:

What are the roles which exist within the team?
Who inhabits the different roles?
What is the greatest value that role serves for this team?
How might that role get over-magnified or over-inhabited?
What roles need to be clarified for the team?
What roles are missing? What’s needed?
Which roles are overlapping? What impact does this have?"

I hope that you will spend some time this week exploring these questions as a team, along with the questions of:

What role fatigue is happening?
What roles are no longer serving others?

Enjoy your conversations,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2018) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Now available – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner - Order a copy today on Amazon
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development).
Check out the new 19 Tips for Productivity On-Demand Course. If this is your year to get things moving, check it out now. Join Jenn for bi-weekly live group calls until July. $129 US. Learn more and enroll here.

#TEAMS365 #1934 – Team Springboard: 20 Things that Help Teams

4/17/2019

This month’s focus is on Team Springboards, things that help teams. Let’s take a look at a laundry list of things that help teams excel. Individually they are quite straightforward, collectively they are powerful. As you review this list you might consider giving yourself a rating on a 1-10, with 1 being low and 10 being high.

Clarity around goals
Strong team culture
Knowledge of each other
Connection with other team members
Understanding what people do on the team
Knowing who to go to for _____________ (insert issue)
Clarity around roles on the team
Clarity about how to surface issues
Confidence that issues raised will be heard
Confidence that issues raised will be addressed/considered/responded to
Clarity around how performance is measured
Resources needed to do the work
Mechanisms to flag resources needed
Feedback channels
Acknowledgement for work well done
A clear vision of what the team is aiming for in terms of this year’s/quarter’s goals
Effective Team Meetings on a regular basis
Clear channels for communication
Opportunities for development
Opportunities to have fun and connect with others

What else?

Enjoy the conversation!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2018) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Now available – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner - Order a copy today on Amazon
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development).
Check out the new 19 Tips for Productivity On-Demand Course. If this is your year to get things moving, check it out now. Join Jenn for bi-weekly live group calls until July. $129 US. Learn more and enroll here.

#TEAMS365 #1920: Team Development: Revisiting the Six Factors

4/3/2019

This month's theme here at the Teams365 blog is Team Springboards. Where do you start the conversation about how the team is doing?

One of the frameworks I continue to share with teams is what I call the Six Factors of High Performing Teams. These are six things that teams need in order to excel. The ingredients come from the research of professionals including: Katzenbach and Smith (The Wisdom of Teams), Hackman and Wageman (A Theory of Team Coaching) and others.

As you step into the new month, as a team you’ll take the pulse of where you are on a scale of 1- 10 in each of these six areas:

1. Shared purpose or mission (Your WHY)
What is your purpose? Your mission? Why do you exist? Does everyone hold the same understanding? What does this mean practically for your work? What priorities does your purpose or mission naturally create?

2. Shared behavioral norms
How do you do things? What is acceptable and unacceptable on the team? What behaviors and habits exist? Which ones are supportive of exceptional performance? Which ones aren't?

3. Shared commitment
What are team members committed to? What will you get done, no matter what? Is there anything that needs to be dropped off the list?

4. Shared performance goals
What are key goals for the team this year? What are key individual goals? How do your goals align? Overlap? What does success look like for each member? For the entire team? Does everyone have an understanding of the key goals of others on the team and how they feed into them?

5. Shared team practices
Teams that work together effectively share common practices such as a Monday morning huddle, a Thursday night out or some other regular event. What practices support your relationships?

6. Clear Roles
How do our roles overlap, align and connect? What changes, if any, are needed this year around your roles giving your priorities?
___________________________________________________
If you are interested in learning more or sharing different resources with your team, check out this past Team Leader Café Call I did on the topic of the six factors.

Check out this short video about the six factors.

If you have a copy of my book, Effective Virtual Conversations, check out chapter 11 (Virtual Team Development).

Enjoy!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2018) 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)

#TEAMS365 #1901 #FlashBackFriday – From the Vault – Five Ways to Keep Your Meeting on Track

3/15/2019

It’s March 15th which historically has been known as the Ides of March. My father always has said we can usually expect one more snowfall in Toronto on, or around this date. I’m always happy when it gets to be this time of year as I start seeing that spring is (usually) just around the corner.

For today’s FlashbackFriday I wanted to reach back to a former blog post (in fact one from the precursor blog to Teams365 – the BizToolkit blog), on a topic which I think has major significance today – Meetings!

Meetings can be the “bane” of most employees existence, and aren’t always held effectively. It’s not uncommon for leaders I work with, scheduled into 30 or more hours of meeting a week, leaving them little time for work they need to accomplish, strategic thinking and other discussions.

Here’s what I posted in March of 2014 as Teams365 #86:

Five Ways to Keep Your Meetings on Track
Copyright Jennifer Britton, All Rights Reserved, 2013 : Originally published on the BizToolkit blog, 2013

Meetings are a huge time-consumer in today's workforce. What is the state of your meetings? How efficient are they? Today's blog post includes five ways to keep your meetings on track, so you can avoid what Patrick Lencioni describes as "Death by Meeting" syndrome.

Some key tips to keep in mind are:
1. Assign a meeting facilitator. Facilitation comes from the Latin word "facilis" or to make easy. The facilitators role is to keep an eye on the process. As the facilitator, the focus is on:

starting and ending the meeting on time,
keeping the flow moving,
summarizing and capturing key discussion points,
identifying issues which may need to be shifted to other events (use of a parking lot)
summarizing key action steps

It can be very useful to have a rotational facilitator role if meetings are held regularly with the same group. This supports capacity and skill development, and also recognizes that the facilitator's power is related to that role, not the role people usually inhabit. Who will be the "facilitator" for your next meeting? How will this be rotated?

2. Have an agenda, and assign timelines to it. Does each meeting have an agenda, which has been circulated before the meeting to ensure that nothing else needs to be added? Putting time-frames on each item, and sticking to them, helps to manage time, as well as identify issues which may need to be carried into other venues. What does the agenda for your next meeting look like? How much time will it take?

3. Ensure who you need is at the table. A common challenge in effective meetings is not having who you need at the table. This may be someone who has specific information, background on a topic, or authority to sign off/give approval. Who needs to be at your meeting, based on the agenda?

4. Confirm Action Steps and Responsibilities - A common pitfall is that action steps, and who is responsible for moving things forward, is lost in the dialogue. Key action steps, and those who will take responsibility for making sure they are done, should be summarized at the end of each meeting. What are the major next steps? Who will be responsible for them?

5. Circle Back to Make sure Actions are being Actioned. What is the status of the action steps? How are they being moved forward immediately, and in the longer term. Who needs to know? Who is accountable? Action Plans are only as good as they are tracked and followed. What will support the implementation of decisions, and the reporting out of these actions?

As you consider your upcoming meetings, in which context might you be able to incorporate some of these ideas?

As much as the meeting content may have changed in the last six years, I think a lot of these pointers remain the same. What’s the one tweak you could make to your meetings which would help them become more productive and efficient?

Enjoy your conversations,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2018) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Now available – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner - Order a copy today on Amazon
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development).
Check out the new 19 Tips for Productivity On-Demand Course. If this is your year to get things moving, check it out now. Join Jenn for bi-weekly live group calls until July. $129 US. Learn more and enroll here.

#TEAMS365 #1880 – FlashbackFriday – Four Keys to Building Stronger Relationships at Work

2/22/2019

This month our focus is on relationships and team work. What are the things we can do to help build relationships? Here’s what I shared in the 2016 post entitled “Four Keys to Building Stronger Relationships at Work” in Teams365 #771.

In light of this week's focus on relationships, today's post focuses on Four Keys to Building Stronger Relationships at Work. Even if we work virtually it is key to have a strong network of people around us, to collaborate with, and who have our back.

Four keys to building stronger relationships at work include:

1. Put a focus on it - In today's busy world what doesn't get focused on, often doesn't get done. It is important to put a focus on relationship building and dedicate time towards it. What does building relationships mean for you right now? Getting to know your team members better? Widening your network? Getting to know a person's role you are collaborating with?
Consider what your goal is in building stronger relationships at work and focus on it - schedule in some time this week around it.

2. Consider what is the win-win - Many of us don't just build relationships for relationships sake. Consider how your work/roles connect and how a stronger relationship can boost BOTH of your work. What is the common ground of your worlds of work? What would a win-win look like for both of you? Really get to understand how your roles align, overlap and how you can support each other.

3. Be Genuine - Building stronger relationships should not be seen as another "to do" on your list. Be genuine in fostering connection. Be interested in who the other person is. I think we can all think of people who build relationships without being genuine....

4. Consider how the sum is greater than the whole of the parts - In true collaboration and synergy today the sum is greater than the whole of the parts. Key to collaboration is knowing when to collaborate and when you are better doing things yourselves. Get clear on each of your relationships and when it is important to lean into them, and when it's important to go alone. What can you create/accomplish in collaboration? How is this greater than when you go it alone? When is important to go it alone?

What other tips do you have for others around building relationships?

If you prefer, take a look at the short video I created around the same topic in Teams365 #1503 here.

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), Coaching Business Builder (2018) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Now available – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner - Order a copy today on Amazon

#TEAMS365 #1731 – Team Building Tip #202

9/27/2018

It is Thursday and time for another Team Building Tip. Today we are at Team Building Tip #202. This week’s question gets you to consider the question “What are the different roles team members are playing?”.

In a team roles are critical in helping the team excel and get results. Different team members may also be better suited to fulfil different roles, based on their strengths and natural talents. Consider these issues:

What are the different roles needed for the team to excel? Consider project initiator, social coordinator, Devils Advocate, Get it Done Person.
One of the better know role frameworks as it relates to team development is Belbin’s Team Roles. Read more about their nine team roles here.

Issues to consider with roles:

What are the roles different people are inhabiting?
How are the different roles helping the team?
What is needed by the team right now?
Is anyone getting entrenched in the roles they are filling?
Are roles creating more silos than connection?
As you look ahead to future work, what roles are going to be required?

Take a look at other posts related to Roles by exploring these posts here.

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 several books including the 2018 Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner & Effective Virtual Conversations (2017)
Email: [email protected]
(416)996-8326

#TEams365 #1527: Exploring Team Roles

3/7/2018

An important part of the team building process is exploring and clarifying team roles. There are several great frameworks by researchers around the different roles team members play. For example, you may want to explore the writings and frameworks of Belbin, (insert link tohttp://www.belbin.com/about/belbin-team-roles/).
In my work as a team coach I like to build on the knowledge of the team itself, getting them to generate their own framework, and naming the different roles they play in their team. It’s common to hear terms like: Project coordinator, social convenor, initiator, implementer, fact checker, Devil’s Advocate. Each role serves a valuable purpose.
What are the roles which exist in your team?
Why is this topic important?
Exploring team roles is important for a variety of reasons. First, conflict often emerges when teams do not have clarity on their roles as a team. Next, role overlap may lead to duplication, and role division may lead to huge gaps that exist. Another layer which is extremely important as a team is to ensure that others understand what roles you inhabit, and what is enjoyable or not. It’s also important to remember that members of a group can get into “role fatigue” when they have to inhabit that role for a long time. The writing of Marita Fridjohn and Ann Rod explores this topic, along with other many useful team topics, .
Here’s a discussion you can undertake as a team:

What are the roles which exist within the team?
Who inhabits the different roles?
What is the greatest value that role serves for this team?
How might that role get over-magnified or over-inhabited?
What roles need to be clarified for the team?
What roles are missing? What’s needed?
Which roles are overlapping? What impact does this have?

Enjoy your conversation,
Jennifer

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

Looking for practical things to do with your virtual team? Refer to chapters 7, 10, 11 and 12 of my newest book. Pick up a copy of my new book, Effective Virtual Conversations, at Amazon.

#Teams365 #1379: Virtual and Remote team Activities #5: Team Roles - Matrix

10/10/2017

Within any team exists a series of roles. Roles can be both formal and informal in a team. For example, in projects you may have the project lead who is responsible for coordinating and leading the different functions. Clarity around the other team members’ roles is also critical, to avoid overlap, duplication and gaps in the project.
In high performing teams, we know that team roles help with not only execution (getting things done) but also maintaining teams. This holds true in virtual teams. If we focus only on getting things done, while short changing relationships, things may become unbalanced. In the virtual domain, team roles and clarity around this becomes even more pronounced with the importance of matrix relationships.
Matrix relationships occur when a virtual team member may report to two or more leaders. It could be that one person is working locally, and the other globally, or it might be the case where the team member is supported by the project lead as well as a technical expert.
Facilitating discussion around team roles and matrix relationships is an important part of team building. Without clarity, it is likely that many issues will recirculate.
In working through matrix relationship roles it can be important to ask the following questions:
What roles exist within the team and this matrix relationship?
What issues need to get communicated, and when?
What happens if directions are in conflict or contrast with the other?
What values underpin this work?
When will all three parties need to sit down and meet (virtually or in person)? Quarterly? Semi-annually?
How are disagreements handled?
In Teams365 #599 http://www.potentialsrealized.com/teams-365-blog/teams365-599-6-leadership-questions-matrix-management I also included these 6 questions to consider:

1. What are your current priorities in each team?
2. What overlap is there for you?
3. What roles do you play in both teams?
4. What responsibilities, opportunities and constraints should we as team be aware of?
5. What could be made more clear for you?
6. I need the following support ----- from ------ to be successful
You may also be interested in looking at this post as well:
Teams365 #594: Matrix Management: 4 Keys to Making it Work"
http://www.potentialsrealized.com/teams-365-blog/teams365-594-matrix-management-4-keys-to-making-it-work
What are the discussions you want to, and need to have, around team roles and matrix leadership?
There are entire bodies of work around team roles including the work of Belbin. A topic for future posts, perhaps!

Have a great Tuesday,
Jennifer

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. You can also purchase a copy direct from our site, signed by me!

#TEams365 #1261: More ONe on One Questions - Team Roles

6/14/2017

Clarity around team roles is a critical part of team effectiveness. In today's post I am going to share with you seven questions you might want to be asking your team to answer. What needs some attention?

1.       What are the roles which exist on our team?
2.       How do they overlap?
3.       Where are there gaps?
4.       How do the roles leverage our strengths?
5.       How do the roles support our styles?
6.       What changes would we make to roles going forward?
7.       What do we definitely want to keep the same?

What do you notice about the responses to these questions?

Have a great Wednesday,
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)996-8326