Teams365 Blog - Potentials Realized

#TEAMS365 #2117 - Team Building Tip 258

10/17/2019

Each Thursday I provide a question for you as a team to explore and have a short conversation around. Typically, these are questions which may provoke new discussions you are not having or prompt a sharing of information that is not naturally available.

This week’s team building question might fall into the category of “provocative” for some teams.

The question is “What is not being spoken about?”.

We know from research that teams which excel are teams which are able to surface difficult issues for exploration, without fear of retribution. This is not easy and requires high levels of TRUST and connection with other group members.

When we don’t surface issues, or address issues which need to be raised, it’s likely that they will grow in magnitude and possibly FESTER, creating more toxicity for the team. Rather than being an issue which could be addressed quickly it may become an issue that gets charged with emotional and resentment.

When we are surrounded by an elephant in the room it can be refreshing to finally name it, even if we can’t address it right away.

As a team this week, how might it be useful to surface the issues which are not being spoken about? What do you want to do to capture these and address them in the medium- to long-term? When we open what might be perceived as a Pandora’s Box it can be useful to have shared clarity around what will happen with these issues. Are you looking to spark conversation and problem solving or provide a “release valve” on issues which need to be surfaced but may not change? Consider how you want to set this question up as a team.

Enjoy your conversations!
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 #2110 – Team Building Tip 257: The Devil's Advocate

10/10/2019

This week’s Team Building Tip gets you to think about the question “What would the devil’s advocate say?”.

The Devil's Advocate view on a team may be in complete opposition to everyone else. It may also be the unpopular voice in the room.

At the same time, the devil’s advocate voice can point to an area which needs to be addressed or changed. This perspective can be very important when change is ongoing.

Rather than vilifying the voice of the devil’s advocate, it could be useful to invite their perspective around issues of importance. This may tease out alternative viewpoints, unforeseen risks, assumptions the team is making, or unpopular views.

How can the voice of the "Devil's Advocate" be useful to you as a team right now?

Many teams feel that they may remote the voice to the dissenter if he or she leaves the team, but note that it's likely that that voice will re-emerge if changes are not made at the deeper level of the team's system (it's culture, roles, how they do things, norms etc).

What is important to note on your team right now about key issues and the Devil’s Advocate view?

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.
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 #2103 – Team Building Tip 256: Grounding

10/3/2019

This week’s Team Building Tip gets you to think about the question “Where do you want to get more grounded?”. In today’s volatile, ever-changing environment, it can be very important to be grounded. Grounding ourselves helps us feel anchored, even if things are ever-changing. Our foundation usually consists of our values, beliefs and ways of working.

These foundations help us with decision making, prioritizing, and communicating what’s important, even if everything else is changing.

In PlanDoTrack, I provide several exercises for professionals to explore their values and belief systems. If you have a copy of the book, be sure to check out Section’s 1 and 4 exercises including the Iceberg, Values Ecosystem and some of the Values check list.

When we are able to work and lead from our values things become aligned, and usually flow more freely.

What are you noticing about your foundations and grounding?

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.
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 #2096 – Team Building Tip 255

9/26/2019

This week’s Team Building Tip gets you to discuss the question “What do you want to say NO TO?”. Discernment is critical in today’s business context. Take a look at this past post. If you work within a matrix environment, it can be very easy to get overloaded with new work and responsibilities. Taking a big picture of what’s going on and being clear on competing priorities can be essential. Saying NO or NOT RIGHT NOW as much as YES can be critical for productivity.

Saying NO needs to be done in a tactful way. In the remote space this may involve:

Helping people understand the context of your work. This might involve things like having everyone share a status update or adding a “priorities section” to your team meetings.
Problem solving together with the person you are having to say “no” to. Language might be along the lines of “If I focus on this task right now, then that task may not be completed until next week? What would you prefer me to focus on?” or “Is there anyone else who might be able to take on this task?”

Saying “no” is important so you can FOCUS in on what’s most important.

What are the things you want to be focusing on this month? This quarter?

All the 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.
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 #2082 – Team Building Tip 253: Discernment

9/12/2019

This week’s Thursday Team Building Tip gets you as a team to consider the question “What needs more discernment?”. One of the challenges in today’s workspace is running fast but being able to focus in on what’s important.

What are the things that need to be looked at more closely? What needs more discernment?

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.
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 #2075 – Team Building Tip 252

9/5/2019

Each Thursday I share a question for prompt for you and your team to consider and explore together. They are questions you might bring into your team meetings to create a quick new focus OR they might get circulated in a weekly email. Feel free to share, while attributing this blog as the source.

This week’s question - #252 in the series – gets you to consider the question “What needs to go under the microscope?”.

When we put things under the microscope a number of things happen:

We can adjust resolution
We can zoom into new parts
We can get curious about detail

My undergraduate degree is in science and I spent a lot of time peering through microscopes in my first few years at McGill. The process always fascinated me and has left its mark around the different perspectives and insights microscopes provide.

What issues do you want to put under a metaphorical microscope?

What could benefit from a zoom in or looking at more detail?

Enjoy the conversation and the exploration!
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 (season 2 of the 90 days series has just started)
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 #2068 – Team Building Tip 251

8/29/2019

This weeks’ Team Building Tip gets you to consider the question: Where could you enhance your range? As professionals, mentors, leaders, business owners and coaches, we all have the opportunity to expand our range. Whether it’s via experiences, or challenge, expanding our abilities to grown and stretch, allows us to bring more to the people we are working with.

Expanding our range may also mean “getting out of our ruts”. Whether it’s due to always doing the same thing one way OR shaking things up or doing things in reverse order, it can be useful to do things differently. This may provide a new perspective OR create new energy around projects and tasks.

Our range can also be expanded by exposure to new ideas or new possibilities.
Consider these questions:

What are the things you could do to enhance your range?
What projects need a fresh injection of something?
Where could your work benefit from a new or wider perspective?

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 #2061 - Team Building Tip 250

8/22/2019

This week’s Weekly Team Building Tip brings us to the question of “What could use more percolation time?”

Like coffee, creative, new and innovative ideas sometimes need more time to percolate and simmer before they are ready, or complete.

As you consider your work right now ask yourself:

What could benefit from you stepping away for a short while?
What needs more time to simmer?
What needs more time before it is ready?
What might be pre-mature in your thinking or actions right now?

Consider what is going to benefit from a little more time BEFORE it’s ready!

It might be a creative project, a final report, or even a new idea you want to float by your boss.

Enjoy the reflection and space created by a bit more percolation!
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 #2054 – Team Building Tip 249: What are you putting your attention around?

8/15/2019

This week’s Team Building Tip gets you to think about what you are putting your attention around. What we measure gets done. What we focus on, may improve.

Creating intentional focus is critical for success in a disrupted business context. It’s often the consistent action that gets things going.

In contrast to the question you, as a team, will want to consider – what are you NOT putting attention around? What does need some attention?

As we step into the early part of September, it’s likely that things are going to ramp up again. Having a discussion this week with your team who is in the office around what you are and are not focusing on, and changes you want to make, can help set you up for success this fall.

Enjoy your conversations!
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.