Audio is making a big comeback in a lot of ways, given the popularity and presence of Google Home Minis, Alexa’s and other audio assistants in our kitchens, homes and cars.

Since the Team365 blog began back in 2014, I’ve dedicated Sunday as a day where I’ve been sharing either audios (what you’d find up to about 2016) or videos (most of the new Sunday posts from 2016 onwards).

Given that there’s some great content that’s still relevant (yes, even though the context is changing so much, things do remain the same!) which I thought would be useful to spotlight a couple of times a month in a From the Vault Series where I’ll reach back into our repository and share past posts.

Here are three audios from 2015 that I think you’ll like, aligned with this month’s topic of teamwork:

Ten Questions To Be Asking As  A Team Leader (Teams365 #376 – 22 minutes) 

Three Problem Solving Tools (Teams365 #488 – 9.5 minutes) 

Hosting Effective Virtual Meetings (Teams365 #390 – 10.5 minutes) 

What new audios would you like to see? I’ll be starting to schedule some of our November and December posts in the next few weeks so do let me know what content you’d like to see here at the Teams365 blog for the end of 2018 and start of 2019.

Looking forward to our 3:30 pm call!

Best,
Jennifer

It is Monday and time for Effective Virtual Conversations Tip #65. We are on part two of the three part core essentials for virtual team success, which comes from page 343 of my book, Effective Virtual Conversations.

With virtual teams becoming more the norm, becoming more proficient at the support of a diverse team is critical. Team leaders, and also team members will want to think about the following as it relates to support for each team member.

What is the preference of each team member in these different areas:

• Email, text, phone call, in person communication
• Short and to the point, or long and conversational?
• Big picture thinker or small-details valued?

Also consider:

• What support needs do they have already from the local environment?
• What unique to their context?
• What time of day is going to work best? (especially if you are managing a global team)
• What supports do they need from you? Others?

As you review the posts this month around teamwork, consider how you can be building supports ACROSS the team, from peer to peer. These peer connections are invaluable, formally and informally with virtual and remote working situations.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

​This summer I was committed to tackling the growing pile of books I had purchased earlier this year, but not cracked the spine on. The growing pile actually felt like a weight on me. While I love to read, the volume was dragging me down.
Supported by no TV, and a slower than normal internet connection, I was able to reshift some of my usual screen time (which today is pretty much streaming based) to turning in earlier and reading regularly. It helped me not only “get through” but enjoy reading a number of books this summer. It was a pretty eclectic range but I wanted to share some of them with you:
The 5 Choices: The Path to Extraordinary Productivity  by Kory Kogon, Adam Merrill and Leena Rinne –  I’ve written quite a bit bout the influence of Stephen Covey’s Training on my time management and productivity almost twenty years ago. I had picked up the Covey team’s latest book before hopping on a red eye flight from Vancouver to Toronto in June. Edits for my new book, the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner, superseded reading it then, but I got to it just this last week.
For those looking for a quick, and integrated approach to time, this is a terrific resource. Their approach is grounded in Covey’s Urgent/Important Matrix, but also incorporates today’s focus on values and roles. A great read!
The Fire Starter Sessions – Danielle LaPorte – Loaded with short stories, quotes, the Fire Starter Sessions is a great book to dip into over time, with topics touching on time, money.
The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin – I continue to enjoy Gretchen Rubin’s weekly Podcast – Happier – and almost heard her voice speaking The Four Tendencies. This book takes us into the dynamic, and important, area of styles, and Gretchen’s framework around Questioners, Upholders Obligers, and Rebels. A must-read for team leaders and team members, this book will support you in thinking deeper about how you approach work, decisions and relationships, and what matters for those you work and live with! Check out what she has to say at her own blog post from 2015 here.
Build an A Team – Whitney Johnson – A terrific read for leaders and coaches and anyone who takes a strengths-based approach to work. With chapters focusing in on supporting new hires, as well as “masters” on  your team, this is a great read to get you thinking about what type of support people will benefit from, and how Johnson writes you can “support them up the learning curve”.
And on a lighter note, I also enjoyed the Agatha Christie-ish mystery – Woman in Cabin Ten. Given that this book was sitting for almost a year on my bedside table it was a relief to dip into this quick read – a solid one for anyone who likes mysteries!

What books did you enjoy reading this summer? What is sticking and transforming the way you work, and/or live?

Best wishes,
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: info@potentialsrealized.com
(416)996-8326

In my work as a coach, consultant and trainer I am in regular contact with a wide variety of team leaders. For many it’s a thankless job at times. Often feeling squeezed in the middle of their team and their own bosses, many times they are seen as the flywheel of organizations. In today’s Flashback Friday post I’m reaching back to #Teams365 #1026: #TEams365 #1026: 10 Reasons Why Team Leaders Play a Key Role in Organizational Success

While in the thick of things, team leaders sometimes forget the critical role they play for organizational success. Here's ten ways team leaders contribute to organizational success:
1. They translate the organizational objectives, KPIs and vision down into the tactical team realm;
2. They are the conduit for feedback and information up the leadership and organizational ranks;
3. They play a key role in creating a coaching culture (see above);
4. They are often the eyes and ears of what is really being spoken about in an organization;
5. They are the human face of the organization for team members, especially in larger organizations;
6. They are often the link and relationship with external stakeholders;
7. They often get called into be the voice of the organization for customers or clients when things go wrong;
8. They are able to share best practices quickly across their web of peers;
9. They have direct impact on the morale, culture and spirit of the teams they lead;
10. They play the unique middle role of being a conduit up and down the organization. This role is often overlooked by teams and leaders above them alike.

Based on this, what support are you providing right now for your team leaders? How are you involving them in communication and decision making? What development opportunities are they getting?

If you are a team leader looking for development opportunities, consider joining me at the Teams365 Leadership Lab, a virtual learning space for team leaders, focusing on your own skill and knowledge development. The resource consists of a growing library of learning videos, live calls and resources to share with your own team. We meet twice a month on Fridays from 8:45 -9:30 am ET. Click here to learn more and join me in May for our calls the 2nd and 4th Friday of the month.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

For today's post I am reaching back to Teams365 #376 and a 22 minute audio I recorded on 10 Questions Team Leaders should be asking. One of the themes we have been exploring this week has been communication and questions in the virtual realm. Whether you are leading face-to-face, or virtually, powerful questions provide an important frame to the conversation..

​Take some time to think about the type of questions you are asking your team members.

​Click on over to listen to Teams365 #376 here.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Over the last month I've been focusing on issues related to virtual and remote teams. Today's audio post will be of interest to not only virtual and remote teams but anyone who has partaken in virtual meetings - conference calls, webinars etc. Today's audio picks up on #Teams365 #560 on Creating Powerful Starts and Ends to calls.  Listen into this five minute call to get a reminder of some practical ideas you can use to make your starts and ends more crisp and impactful!

Have a great week,
Jennifer

Since the start of the year our focus on Saturday's has been on different teamwork skills. This weekend I wanted to take us back to an audio post I did a while ago as part of the Teams365 Team Leader Breakfast series on the Six Factors which are essential for teams to thrive.

Click on over to our Team Leader Breakfast Series page and check out this October 2014 post.

As you listen, how are you as a team doing in terms of these six factors? What could use some attention?

Enjoy your long weekend,
Jennifer

On LinkedIn this week I published a refresh of on of our articles from earlier this year - Five Areas for Team Leaders to Focus on in 2017. If you haven't seen the blog post from earlier this year or read the LinkedIn article, be sure to check them out. Reading time - 5 min.

​The focus areas I continue to see in my work with leaders include, virtualization and supporting remote teams. I'll be talking more about this on February 1st at this year's HRPA Annual Conference.

​Also, there is great opportunity for team leaders to continue to leverage strengths. This year I will continue to offer strengths based team and individual coaching programs incorporating some of the best strengths tools like StrengthsFinder 2.0.

​Another key focus area will continue to be the need for regular and ongoing conversation. This is a stretch point for many team leaders yet is essential in today's ever changing context. Earlier this week I did a number of presentations on enhancing your conversations, focusing on some of our core communication skills (listening and questioning) as well as goal setting and accountability.

​My hope is that for many teams this year is the year that there will be a regular focus on team development. Part of the intent behind continuing to offer a daily blog is that it will provide leaders and their teams with questions, content and other resources to spark conversation in your team. What are your plans this year for regular team focused activities to boost connection, trust and focus?
​
​Finally, I believe that continued flexibility and fluidity is going to be needed for success in today's VUCA world - Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity.

What do you see as key focus areas for you and your team this year?

Have a great Sunday,
Jennifer

​

I love the start of a new year and the opportunity to work on what sometimes can be a blank canvas. Of course, our actions are always infused by what's preceded us, which leads me to today's post regarding five focus areas for team leaders to keep an eye on during 2017. The main focus here at the Teams365 blog is around teamwork and leadership issues, helping teams and leaders leverage their abilities.

Looking at some of the 2016 trends, five areas teams and team leaders will want to keep an eye on this year include:

1. Leveraging virtual opportunities. With an increasing number of people wanting to work remote, this may be a defining year for many organizations to strike a better balance of what virtual and remote work arrangements can mean for their organization. We see the range of organizations embracing this - from organizations that are completely virtual with staff spread across regions and the globe, to organizations which have brought people back in house.

Part of leveraging virtual opportunities means making your virtual events more effective. I hope that you will take a look at some of our past posts on virtual facilitation, an area we are increasingly providing support around, building on our decade plus experience.

2. Continuing to leverage strengths: The business case for strengths based leadership is quite clear. Allowing team members to capitalize on their strengths through projects and main pieces of their work can help with productivity and engagement. Take a look at this Gallup research.


3. Continued need for impactful regular conversations. even in our Just-in-time world, and perhaps even moreso, there is need for regular one-on-ones. This holds true for both virtual and in-person teams. These conversations have different names in different organizations - from one-on-ones to huddles, to coaching. Impactful conversations focus on goals, action, awareness and results. Later this year I'll be publishing a new book entitled Effective Virtual Conversations to support those leaders who are leading virtual teams.

4. Regular and ongoing focus on team development - Having been involved in team development for almost three decades now I continue to be amazed at how some organizations feel that the once a year offsite will be the pancea for all team development needs. Teams are living, breathing entities. They need feedback, support and ongoing focus throughout the year. The good news is that this doesn't have to take a lot of time. Here at the Teams365 blog you've got hundreds of ideas you can pull on - from our weekly Thursday team building questions which you are encouraged to bring into your team meetings, to incorporating some of our recent A-Z activities.

Remember, teams that excel usually have both great relationships with each other and also are clear on results. Take a look at this past post which explores Essential Ingredients for High Performing Teams.

5. Flexibility and fluidity to work in today's VUCA world. It is no surprise that organizations are embracing agile approaches. With continued Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity, it is even more important for leaders today to be comfortable with flexibility, and fluidity. The ability to change course midstream, lead in uncertain environments, and empower your team to make decisions has taken on new meaning in many organizations. This also requires a mindset of ongoing learning. What do you see as the areas you'd like to grow in this year? What's essential?

As you consider your context right now, what is important for your team and leadership this year?

Have a great start to 2017,
Jennifer

Earlier this week I was part of a panel discussion on Team and Group Coaching at this week's Columbia University's Coaching Conference. As a coach, when I come into work with teams, team leaders play a key role in creating the conditions for success in building and maintaining a coaching culture. This was a precursor for success in work I undertook last year in developing a coaching culture with The Scarborough Hospital here in the Toronto area. This work just won a PRISM Award for Coaching Excellence from the International Coach Federation Toronto Chapter earlier this week.

While in the thick of things, team leaders sometimes forget the critical role they play for organizational success. Here's ten ways team leaders contribute to organizational success:
1. They translate the organizational objectives, KPIs and vision down into the tactical team realm;
2. They are the conduit for feedback and information up the leadership and organizational ranks;
3. They play a key role in creating a coaching culture (see above);
4. They are often the eyes and ears of what is really being spoken about in an organization;
5. They are the human face of the organization for team members, especially in larger organizations;
6. They are often the link and relationship with external stakeholders;
7. They often get called into be the voice of the organization for customers or clients when things go wrong;
8. They are able to share best practices quickly across their web of peers;
9. They have direct impact on the morale, culture and spirit of the teams they lead;
10. They play the unique middle role of being a conduit up and down the organization. This role is often overlooked by teams and leaders above them alike.

Based on this, what support are you providing right now for your team leaders? How are you involving them in communication and decision making? What development opportunities are they getting.

As you may know here at the TEams365 blog most of our work is geared to supporting teams and team leaders in dong their best work. If  have questions about how coaching skills training, or some of our other leadership development programming could be of support, please reach out and let's set up a time to talk.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Phone: (416)996-8326
Check out our Foundations of Teamwork on-demand course here