Here we are at post 1900 of the Teams365 blog. I had no idea more than 5 years ago that I would be continuing to blog this long at the Teams365 blog. What started out as an experiment, has become an important part of my writing process. The Teams365 blog has also become a valuable resource for teams and leaders of all kinds. If you have enjoyed and benefited from past posts, share in the comments which have been your favorites. Also be sure to let others know about the resource!
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If you have been following along my Thursday series, you’d know that today is a Team Building Tip day. I started these as a series of questions for team leaders to bring into their weekly team meetings. Since starting the series, the questions and images have become more sophisticated! Check out the first post here!
 

This week’s TBT gets you thinking ahead. In today’s VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous context) world, we know that having a clear vision which can guide you through the choppy waters of more granular details can be useful. I hope that you will consider using this week’s question of “A year from now, at the start of 2020, we will have ________” as a valuable conversation sparker, and potentially a sign post to guide your efforts towards over the next 3 quarters!

Best wishes,
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. Learn more and enroll here.

This week’s FlashbackFriday takes a look back at a post from 2017 on Five Signs it’s Time for a Team Tune- up: Teams365 #1183. View it here.

I have found that I have referred to this post regularly in my work with teams. I hope that you too will find it useful:

"Like individuals, teams don't magically get better. Improvement takes work. What are the signals that it's time for a team tune-up?

Some of the signs you might notice are:
* Lots of duplication of effort, or competition This can signal that it's time to do more sharing amongst the team and look at where there is overlap and gaps. While this may not necessitate a full blown team development process, practical planning can be added to any team development offsite or ongoing work.

* Water cooler talk - Water cooler time may not necessarily be gossip related, but it may signal that there are issues not being surfaced in regular channels. This can also be a signal that there may be a vacuum of lack of information, or a missing communication channel that the team is trying to fill.

* A new leader or many new members - Teams are usually not static. Waiting for "all the team" to be available can become a fallacy as team composition is often changing in today's world of what Amy Edmonston calls "teaming". What is the team process you can put into place this quarter, to get discussions going and skills developed to help the team in its' entirety, regardless of what it is going to look like six months from now.

* Lack of focus or direction. This can be a signal that the team is missing a common vision, or is not being updated on key priorities, goals and initiatives. It may also be a signal of communication breakdowns across the team, of from leadership to team members. When was the last time you focused on creating a shared vision for the team?

A fifth signal that it's time for a team tune-up is I can't remember when we last did one. Definitely a signal that it's time to come together to build relationships, learn a little more about each other and get the conversation flowing on key priorities and actions for the next 3, 6, 9 or 12 months.

Team development processes can be both fun and full of impact. Keeping a focus on building connection across the team, as well as focusing on goals, vision and results, makes for a robust and useful program, laying the foundation for the team to continue the conversations.

What are the signals you are seeing which indicate that it's time for a team tune up? Contact us to learn more about the different team tune up options we provide - from virtual events, to in person programs, we work with teams to help them boost their relationships and results.
 
What are the signals you are seeing on your team right now which might signal it ‘s time for some focus?"

Best wishes,
​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.
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​Last month I hosted a call on five virtual team builders as part of my monthly Effective Virtual Conversations community call. As part of this month’s focus on virtual team development, I am going to share segments of that call so you too can benefit. Before jumping into actual tools and activities (which are coming your way!), let’s start with a quick highlight of three practical things to make your virtual calls of all types more effective.

First, I think we all want to avoid what I term “death by conference call”.
If you spend any time working virtually, you know this. Rushing back to back with conference calls or streaming meetings where people are speaking “at you”.  This leads to the speaker sounding like a voice on TV (Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah). No surprise, you've got a thousand to do's and you turn to checking your email or reading through “that other document”.

We want to avoid that at all costs. If we have to meet, let’s make it effective and engaging! This can be dependent on the platform and groups that you're working with. There is still a lot of variety happening in the virtual learning environment. We may be doing Zoom calls, we may be doing WebEx calls. We may still be on the phone.

Second, in the virtual space, we need to consider the pace which typically is quicker than face-to-face contexts. We want to use more interaction and be intentional in bringing people's voices on to the line.
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For example, I had a new group launch this morning. It's a group of 10. We use chat, we use breakouts. We used annotation several times through the 75 minutes of the call. We used chat to create our ground rules and ways of working, and breakouts to deepen connection across the group.
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In a virtual space we want to be intentional in creating multiple ways to engage. We want to create multiple opportunities to boost connection and trust. If people don't feel safe or connected with others in the group, they're not going to engage.
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One quick factor we can use is to leverage streaming so people see each other – so using video on Zoom, or Skype, or WebEx.

Third - another factor in making it work is really helping people have visual anchors. This might include a photograph shown at the start of the call, which creates focus OR having people write something on a screen as they start into a call. Making it interactive AND keep it simple is key in virtual work.

In the next couple of Tuesday and Wednesday posts here at the Teams365 blog I will share with you five main activities you can consider using when you work with virtual teams.

If you have a copy of my book, Effective Virtual Conversations, many of these posts touch on chapters related to part three of effective virtual conversations (pages 300 to about 444).

Enjoy!
 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.
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Welcome back to week 12 of the PlanDoTrack Video montage. Since September I have focused on posting a daily prompt or question related to business and/or team development over at the Coaching Biz Builder Instagram Feed.

Taken together, these can be focused on individually or over the course of a week.
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Enjoy!
Jennifer

​Today’s post is around Virtual Team Tools. In January I hosted a call for the Effective Virtual Conversations book on 5 Virtual Team Builders. What are the things you are doing to build your virtual team? What are the things you want to focus on as a team? Be sure to take some time focusing on virtual team development.

As I wrote in yesterday’s post – Teams365 #1884 -having an intentional focus on virtual team development can be important for virtual and remote teams who are less apt to have a focus on team development.

Some examples of virtual team practices are:

• Weekly coffee breaks which the entire team attend. You could incorporate one of the weekly Thursday Team Building Tip Questions I share to spark dialogue across the team. View them here.
• Virtual Co-working times – for example, quarterly I host a Virtual Get Things Done afternoon. People are invited to bring their list of things to do and join us for a 4-hour co-working block. We meet at the top of every hour to check in. Benefiting from peer accountability and a focused support, hourly check ins also serve to keep the focus and push people through work which might not be as focused.
• Structured team meetings to build connection and focus on work.

What other types of virtual team practices will support the team in maintaining and building relationships, keeping the team moving, and getting things done?

Best,
​Jennifer

The business context today is increasingly calling for collaboration – many times across time, distance and culture. What can get in the way of great collaboration? I thought it would be interesting to go back to Teams365 #1135 to explore six factors that can get in the way of collaboration. Let’s take a look at what I wrote back in this 2017 post. 


"Politeness is the poison of collaboration." - Edwin Land

“Let’s collaborate more” is commonly heard in organizations, and it may be easier said than done. As part of our February posts around collaboration, today’s post explores six barriers to collaboration, along with some possible ways to address these topics:

The six barriers we are going to explore in today’s blog post are:

1. Ego
2. Power
3. Lack of Candor
4. Inability to work across differences
5. Different End Goals
6. Lack of Trust

 
Barrier #1 – Ego – One of the biggest barriers which can get in the way of collaboration is our ego. In collaboration it is important to “park our ego” as much as possible so that we can truly be listening and hearing for what is needed to really synergize. Another commonly used term for parking our ego is “becoming unattached”. When we become too attached to our end result we may not hear or see possibilities which will actually end with a greater end result.

Barrier #2 -  Power – When power differentials are too different it can be very difficult to collaborate. In those instances where one group/person may have more “power”  whether due to resourcing, or information, it is important to design the boundaries of collaboration and be clear with intent.

Barrier #3 – Lack of candor – Candor is defined as “the quality of being open and honest in expression; frankness” in the Oxford Dictionary. Candor is a critical ingredient for collaboration. Without it there will be  a lot of wasted effort, and the true essence of collaboration will not be possible. Being able to share ideas without concern for judgement, the ability to be frank and open with feedback are all essential ingredients for collaboration

Barrier #4 – Inability to work across differences. In collaboration synergies, and differences, are usually harnessed. The ability to work across differences, making changes with one’s own style, is another essential ingredient for collaboration.

Barrier #5 – Different End Goals – When end goals are too different it can be very difficult to have collaboration. For example, if one member is aiming for an end result that is about quality and the other solely on speed, it may be more challenging to find the middle ground amongst the two. In these instances the end result needs to become an AND rather than an OR. So A AND B, rather than A OR B.

Barrier #6 – Lack of Trust. The one essential which will usually arrest collaboration before it starts is lack of trust. When trust is low, or non-existent, it is difficult to collaborate. Collaboration requires honesty, feedback, listening, candor, and bringing your best work to the table, in service to something greater. When trust is low or non-existent, these skills are usually not present.
As you consider your upcoming collaboration, how are you doing with these ingredients?

Best wishes,
Jennifer

o There are many, many different types of conversations we can be having in the virtual space today – from virtual team meetings, to mentoring conversations, to coaching conversations.
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In Effective Virtual Conversations I introduce 9 different parts of the virtual eco-system. These include:

• Educational Events - Instructor/Facilitator led synchronous or asynchronous training through webinars, e-learning, webcasts
• Peer to Peer Learning – Masterminds, Breakouts
• Goal Setting
• Informal Learning: Coaching/Training/Facilitating/Mentoring
• Micro-Learning
• Virtual Team Development
• Video-Based Learning

Check out chapter 4 of Effective Virtual Conversations for more information about each of these different modalities.

What are the different types of conversations you are having? What makes them different from each other. As I write in EVC there can be a variety of individual versus peer-led conversations, formal approaches versus informal approaches.

It’s important to consider the right type of conversation which will be most impactful for the situation. For example, if someone wants to learn how to do something – i.e. replace a fan belt, a short video-based learning series might be most effective in demonstrating the replacement in action. This may be even more effective than pairing them with a mentor.

In contrast, if a team is looking to boost their connection and strengthen their goals, consider a live virtual facilitated team development session where they are meeting face to face, rather than putting them through a series of micro-learning modules delivered via your Learning Management System.

What are the best vehicles for upcoming conversations you have planned?
Also check out the Community Call I hosted on the different platforms for Effective Virtual Conversations. View it here.

Next week’s EVC tip will explore the related question of What’s the Best Platform for my conversation? Stay Tuned!

​Best,
Jennifer

Happy Groundhog Day!

​This week’s weekly journaling prompt #35 is “The team needs….” As a leader it can be very important to take time to take stock of where you are at – individually as a leader and also as a team.
This week’s Weekly Journaling Prompt gets you thinking about “THE TEAM NEEDS”…
Take some time this weekend to:
Take note of needs around:

• Resourcing
• Information
• Support – from you, from peers, from others, from _______
• Connection
• Collaboration
• Projects
• Elements

What are the things you want to note as a leader or team member?
What’s important to put in place?
What’s important to share?

Best,
​Jennifer

One of the resolutions I commonly hear from Team Leaders is to spend more time working with their team on developing and doing their best work. As a team leader, you may not necessarily bring past experience or a vast repertoire in leading team development initiatives. That was certainly the case for the dozen plus years I led teams. As a writer and coach, team development is a significant area of focus and support for teams.
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With that in mind, I wanted to take us back to a post from January 2017 where I shared a listing of 12 different team development activities which were the part of the Team Development a-z series. Given that we have the weekend coming up, I hope that you might take some time to check out these various options you could bring into your next team meeting.
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Here’s what I wrote in Teams365 #1125 – 26 Team Development Activities Part 1:

Over the past few months a key focus here at the Teams365 has been our posts on different team development activities you can incorporate with your team. Whether you are an intact team, project team or virtual team, these 26 quick activities can support you on a range of topics from boosting connection, to clarifying goals, to leveraging your strengths. If you missed any of the blog posts here are the first 13 of the full 26. I'll create links to the next set in an upcoming blog post this week, or feel free to view the whole series here.

Teams365 #1063 A is for Assumptions. View it here.
Teams365 #1064.  B is for Boundaries - View It Here
Teams365 #1065 C is for Conversation. Read it here.
Teams365 #1067 D is for Delegation. Read it here.
Teams365 #1070 - E is for Exceptional. View it here
Teams365 #1071: - F is for Foil Modelling. Read it here.
Teams365 #1072 - G is for Goals. Read it here
Teams365 #1074 H is for Habits. View it here
Teams365 # 1077 I is for Innovation. Read it here.
Teams365 #1078: J is for Jeopardy - Read it here.
Teams365 #1079:  K is for Knots. Read it here
Teams365 #1080: L  is for Life-cycle of teams and groups . Read and view it here
 
As you consider these options, what is important to foster a focus and conversation around as a team?

Enjoy!
Jennifer

​Last month here at the Teams365 blog I intentionally focused on posts to support you in wrapping up the year. We usually never have enough time at this time of the year, so for today’s FlashbackFriday I want to reconnect you to these five posts. Do make a point of checking at least one of them out!

5 things to get in your calendar for 2019, right now! 
Have you got all 5 of these items in your calendar for 2019? Click on over to the post to explore what I’ve written and linked to around team meetings, team development, feedback, mentoring and skill development.
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Planning for Year End Activities with your Team 

Year end productivity reminders – 4 things to keep in mind
In addition to the 19 Productivity Tips for 2019, you may also want to check out this post which includes 4 key things to keep in mind around productivity (Going back to the basics including  - understanding your Pareto Ratio)

18 Questions for 2018 Year-end one on ones
While I have flagged these questions for year-end one-on-ones, these are just as good for the start of the year conversations. What have you already scheduled for 2019 conversations and 1-1 time with your team?

Bringing projects to a close
Some of you may still be moving to get projects to a close. Check out this post for several tips for bringing projects to a close.

Enjoy!
Jennifer