Teams365 Blog - POTENTIALS REALIZED

#Teams365 #932: New Team Leader Tip #7:

7/20/2016

We're back tracking today to New Team Leader Foundations tip #7 - Take stock of your skills and knowledge. What else do you need to learn right now. Earlier this week I talked about the importance of the role of a mentor. He or she can also provide valuable insights around what skills are needed.

The shift to team leadership from team member or individual contributor is often seen as the largest shift in leadership given that for many it is the first leadership role they have undertaken.

Much of the training work, and coaching work, we do at Potentials Realized supports new and experienced leaders in the realm of leadership development. Some of the key skill areas for leaders are:

Self-leadership skills - knowledge of self, presence, self-management

Relationship building skills including influence, working with others, relationship building, managing up etc

Technical leadership skills -these are the areas many of us are already good with

Team Leadership Skills - Communication, Delegation, Motivation, Coaching etc.

If you've been following the Teams365 blog for a while, chances are you've developed an affinity for some of our series covering many of these skills. Please check the tags listing on the right.

What are the skills you want to be focusing on developing the rest of this year?

Best
Jennifer
Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Looking for more tips and ideas to support you in your work as a leader? Sign up for our monthly newsletter, full of tips, resources and hacks for leaders and team members looking to realize their potential. Sign up at http://bit.ly/teams365news
Phone: (416)996-8326

#Teams365 #885: Fostering Accountability

6/3/2016

Accountability in today’s environment means many things. In some organizational cultures the word is shunned, whereas in others it is held up on a pedestal as something to aspire to.

Accountability can be influenced by many things including the culture of the organization, how it is modelled at all levels, and how organizations hold the space for accountability.

What does accountability mean in your organization? How is it modelled? When you think of it being modelled positively, what comes to mind?
Accountability within teams occurs at several levels, the individual, team, department and organizational. It is possible to have a team with a strong accountability culture within a weak organizational accountability environment.

There are a number of things we can do in fostering greater accountability including:

Having it modelled at all levels of the organization, especially at senior leadership levels. Accountability involves demonstrating respect, follow through and ownership for things that are going well, and not going well.
Encouraging feedback – genuinely. If a feedback loop is not encouraged/modelled it is difficult to grow a culture of accountability. When everything is “fine” and no one is addressing the elephant in the room, it’s hard to start building a culture of accountability.
Being responsible, and taking responsibility – How often is the “passing the buck” behavior happening? If a culture of this sort has developed, how do you break the habit?
Walking your talk – if you say you are going to follow up, do it! Otherwise, it just becomes lip-service.
Making sure that performance measures and goals are clear. If people don’t know what is expected, performance is not going to measure up.
Be clear on roles and connectivity. Who is responsible for what? If person A does not get something done, what is the impact? What is appropriate for person B to do if person A does not complete?

Over the next few days I’ll be looking at accountability as a follow on to the Foundations of Goals we just wrapped up.

Have a great Friday,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Author of From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2013)
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Join us this summer for a Teams365 Coaching Group
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365

#Teams365 #754: Essential Reads: Performance Conversations

1/24/2016

Feeling confident and skilled at holding performance conversations is key for both new and experienced Team Leaders. Yesterday's Six Leadership Questions post went into detail around several questions you might consider bringing into your one-on-ones and other performance conversations. Check out #TEams365 #753.

Today I wanted to share some great resources -web and book based - which you might want to tap into in preparation for your next performance conversation. Check these out:
2600 Phrases for Effective Performance Reviews - Paul Falcone - check it out at Amazon here.

Five Conversations - How to Transform Trust, Engagement and Performance at Work - Nigel Purse and Nick Cowley and Lynn Allison - check it out at Amazon

The Essential Performance Review Book - Sharon Armstrong - check it out at Amazon

Crucial Conversations - Kerry Patterson - Check it out at Amazon

Fierce Conversations - Susan Scott - Check it out at Amazon

Have a great Sunday! Don't forget to take a moment if you haven't done so to let us know your thoughts regarding topic areas you are interested in reading at the blog and other learning and development needs you have as a team leader this year. Click here to access our First Annual Teams365 Team Leader Survey. It will take five minutes of your time. Thanks!

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

#Teams365 #743: Virtual Meeting - Pre Meeting Checklist

1/13/2016

There are a number of things you can do prior to holding a virtual meeting or training that will set yourself up for success Today's post covers these in a checklist approach, which you can download a complimentary copy of here

Six things you will want to do prior to the meeting are:
1 Get to know the participants - what are their needs, learning agendas, where are they based,. The more you know about your group the better able you are to serve their needs. With longer term ritual learning events I schedule a quick 15 minute pre call to meet each person. As I have written in the past, this is an essential part of building trust and connection with participants, and also gives me a sense of who is going to be in the 'room" (even if its virtual!.

2 Create an agenda - Virtual facilitators play a key role in holding a strong focus on process. Creating an agenda that meets the needs and purpose of the session is critical. Consider what input meeting participants or learners want/need and how you will facilitate this.

3. Be clear on how much time the meeting is really going to take. Estimating time comes from experience, AND in a virtual meeting sloppy time management can quickly derail meetings. Add time to your agenda and let group members know how much time there is for each section so they can prepare their input.

4. Consider who needs to be at the table - there is noting worse in a meeting than not having the right people at the table , or having the materials nee

5. Ensure that you have all the materials needed - what will you need during the meeting? Do these need to be sent out to others prior to the meeting.

6. Send out links and materials well enough in advance - I usually like to aim for 1 week if possible, or at least at the start of the week for a meeting later in the week. Keep in mind people's travel schedules and timezones.

As a bonus - check your technology. double check that you have sent out the right bridge line with access codes and/or that your meeting links work and are set for the right time!

Keeping in mind these best practices will help you be successful with your next virtual meeting.

Download a copy of these virtual meeting tips here. we'll be covering this and more info on the upcoming Virtual facilitation Skills intensive 'Virtual Train-the-trainer" from February 4 - March 4 (Thursdays 12 -3 pm Eastern by phone, skype and other virtual platforms). Click here to learn more.

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Join us in January for a Teams365 Coaching Group
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Phone: (416)996-8326l

#Teams365 #742: Virtual Facilitation Faux-Pas

1/12/2016

Back in 2014 I did a post on Meeting Management Faux Pas. you can read it here. Today I thought I would focus on five virtual meeting faux - pas:. Keeping these five points in mind can move your meeting from one characterised by "Death by conference call" to one that is engaging.

Five faux pas to watch for include:
1. Not having an agenda and sticking to it - as I wrote in yesterday's post, it is important to have a plan which you share with others (so they can input into it before the meeting), and one that you refer to throughout the call so people know where you are and where you are going.

2. Not starting and ending meetings on time. This is critical in the realm of virtual meetings, particularly as it is common that people will be at different parts of their day.

3. Not calling on people you haven't heard from - Virtual Meetings, particularly when you can't see each other - are a ripe opportunity to multi-task and sign out. Let people know what's expected so when you do call on people it's part of the norm and not being seen as "being picked on". Engagement approaches will be another topic addressed in the next week or two here at the blog

4. Not rotating meeting times - when you do lead a global team it can be important to rotate meeting times so it's not always the team members in Asia or somewhere else who are calling in at odd hours. Be aware of time of day considerations when scheduling virtual meetings. Where feasible rotate this.

5. Not being clear on what's been agreed and who is accountable - Make sure you remind people throughout a virtual meeting about agreements,, key points and also where you are going to next. It's easy to say a lot of "yeses" and then forget or not be clear on what was agreed upon.

What other virtual meeting faux pas do you see?

I'll be going more into detail around all of these, as well into strategies and best practices to avoid them during the Virtual Facilitation Skills Intensive starting February 4th. this five week Virtual train-the-trainer provides you with information on best practices and practice in virtual facilitation. Leaders who are responsible for leading virtual meetings, or leading webinars and other virtual learning events will find this course useful. Click here to learn more.

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Join us in January for a Teams365 Coaching Group
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Phone: (416)996-8326

#Teams365 #741: Four Core Skills In Virtual facilitation

1/11/2016

This week we are going to start to take a look at the essentials of virtual facilitation. As more and more professionals start to operate in the virtual domain it is important to develop not only skills but also confidence in building connection with remote staff, facilitating meetings, and transitioning most activities.

Four core skills in virtual facilitation include:
Reading the environment - Even though you may not be physically present in a room, great virtual leaders and facilitators, are able to read the environment. There is a much to be said through the way people are speaking - their pace and how fast they are speaking; the pitch or level at which they speak.
Part of reading the environment is also noticing the overall energy of the call. I think we can all recollect times when meeting energy was very low (what I often call the "Death By Conference Call") Or when meeting energy was very high.
Next time you are in a virtual meeting, think about how you would describe the energy of the call.

Listening - In virtual environments listening is critical. We want to be listening for the speech patterns, but also what is being said and not being said. Notice the flow of conversation, who is dominating and who his holding back.

Managing the process - In virtual facilitation a strong hand on process can go far. Given that we often don't have the same cues as in the face to face environment, it's important for the leader or facilitator to take a strong hand with process - time allocated, agenda items, making sure you are starting and ending on time, clarifying decisions and where you are going to next.

Engagement - Virtual Meetings can feel never ending. It's important to engage people throughout the call. Design with the group what engagement can look like (for example, an expectation that you will hear from everyone) etc. In a future post I'll explore different engagement techniques for virtual meetings.

If you are interested in learning more, and getting more experience with virtual facilitation, I'll be hosting the Virtual facilitation Skills intensive, an online train-the-trainer, on Thursdays from 12 - 3 pm ET for five weeks from February 4 - March 4th. I hope that you will consider joining me for this immersive online program. We'll be exploring facilitation on many different platforms - from bridgelines, to skype, to zoom and webinars. More information about the program here. Register with a colleague and save 15% on your registrations.

Have a great start to your week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Supporting Team Leaders to do their best work, one conversation at a time
Coaching Skills Training | Teamwork | Leadership
Join us in January for a Teams365 Coaching Group
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Phone: (416)996-8326
The Teams365 Team Leader Cards are now available - put some jazz in your 201 meetings with better questions

#Teams365 #563: Encore Teams365 Essential Leadership Skills Cartoon

7/17/2015

Today we are revisiting one of the Teams365 Cartoons, this one which focuses on several of the core skills for team leaders. These skills have been a primary focus at the blog.

Take a look at the skills mentioned - influence, collaboration, relationship building, emotional intelligence, building trust and respect.

Identify which ones are your strengths. Ask yourself:

Which ones could benefit from some attention?
What actions could you take to increase those that need attention?
If you chose one area to place attention around to "move the needle", what would it be?

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time(TM)
Contact us to discuss coaching or performance support you or your team

#Teams365 #368: Five Key Team Leadership Competencies for 2015

1/3/2015

Last year here at the Teams365 blog I focused on both teamwork competencies and team leader competencies. Today’s post highlights some of the most important team leadership competencies for 2015:

Delegation - Delegation is still an area many team leaders struggle with. Key to leadership and empowering our team is letting go and handing off tasks and projects (as appropriate) to those on our team.
As you think about what's on "your list" for January, what are the tasks you can delegate? Who could benefit by taking on this activity?
Read my 5 W post on Delegation from last year for more tips and ideas about delegation (Read past Teams365 posts on delegation here)

Facilitation Skills - Virtual and In Person Business today continues to suffer from what Patrick Lencioni termed "Death by Meeting". What I find commonplace today is "Death by Conference Call" . Leading in a virtual environment requires a firm hand on process, and relationship building skills. It also helps to have some key facilitation skills under your own belt so you can run effective meetings, strategic planning sessions and involve or engage all those around the table.

This year I will be continuing to offer two programs which support leaders and professionals in this domain - the Virtual Facilitation Skills Intensive (for those leading virtual meetings and training) and the Facilitation Skills Intensive (for those leading in person meetings, strategic sessions and training). These skills can be a make it or break it for our team. Consider joining me later this month and next to bolster your skills.

Feedback and Difficult Conversations - Providing both positive and constructive feedback also continues to be a challenge for many team leaders. Regular one-on-ones are key to providing feedback regularly and building a performance culture. Likewise, providing all team members with a framework and ability to hold difficult conversations is also key.

Coaching and Mentoring Skills - Going hand in hand with these other skills are coaching and mentoring skills. Our ability as leaders to coach our team members to do their best, and providing mentoring to those that follow are key to organizational capacity development.
Operating in a business context which is likely to continue to increase in complexity, it is even more urgent for us to build bench strength every way possible! Read my summer 2014 series on coaching and mentoring skills. Given that this is one of my areas of expertise, contact me to discuss how we can support you in building these skills in your organization.

Relationship management skills - Finally our relationship management skills are also critical for success in 2015. As team leaders relationships upwards and downwards create success. The ability to influence (when you may not have the final decision), understand and navigate the political context of your organization or industry, and build connections virtually are all key relationship management skills for 2015.

I look forward to continuing to address these topics throughout our daily posts for the year.

As you consider your core skills, which of these are your strength. Which one will be the greatest stretch for you in 2015?

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, PCC
Potentials Realized
Supporting Team Leaders to do their best work, one conversation at a time
Coaching | Teamwork | Leadership
Author of From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2013)
(416)996-TEAM (8326)
Looking to create your plan for 2015? Participate in the on-demand Inner Biz Leader(TM) Virtual Retreat Program - 7 hours of structured activities to support you in developing your vision and one page plan for the next year!

#Teams365 #336: Leadership A-Z: L is for....

12/2/2014

We are at "L" in the leadership a-z today with words including loyalty, leverage, leadership, listening, letting go.

Leverage is critical for today's teams. Leveraging, or capitalizing, on the best each team members brings is essential in a context where team members may be changing frequently, and decisions and actions need to be made in a "less than perfect" environment. Given ongoing change things may never be perfect. Leverage is a scientific term which makes us think of a lever and the amount of force needed to tip it. With leverage you may not require as much force.

For the past 336 days, we've been exploring different facets, skills and foundations of team leadership. Areas such as skills needed for coaching your team, mentoring, teamwork skills, providing feedback, setting goals. One area we have not explored is leadership styles. There has already been so much written on this, and several wonderful models created such as Blanchard's Situational Leadership Model which asserts that our style as leader needs to change according to the level of confidence and competence our team members bring to each task at hand.

Another area we explored throughout the year was listening. Trust drops when people do not feel that they have been listened to.

Letting go is sometimes just as important as adding on or prioritizing. In today's business context the ability to know what to say no to is just as important as saying yes. AT the start of every month this year I have encouraged you to consider what you, and your team, need to let go of? What's weighing you down? What is not essential? What could be done better by someone else?

One of my favorite "l" words that came up for me today was LEAP. It is often said that real breakthroughs are not an incremental shift, but a LEAP into a new terrain. Where have you and your team leaped this year? What impact did it have? Where might a LEAP be needed going forward?

As you move through today, consider what your leadership style is and where a LEAP might be of benefit.

Best,
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
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-TEAM (8326)

#Teams365 #280: Essentials of Feedback - Part 1

10/7/2014

Yesterday's Teams365 Comic #12 illustrated six characteristics of effective feedback. Today we are going to explore three of these characteristics. Feedback is more effective when it is specific, just in time and constructive as well as positive.

Let's take a look at each one of these in turn:

Specific - Effective Feedback is specific, timely and meaningful. Instead of saying to an employee at the end of the week " You did a great job", be specific. You might say something like "This week during the presentation you gave to the Executive Team I noticed how prepared and polished your presentation was. It hit the mark in terms of being heard by the team. Their questions and body language really showed us that. In particular, I appreciated how you were able to incorporate some of the things we've been talking about and merged it with both financial figures, and images, to give it impact. Terrific work! Would you be ablet to give us a few pointers at the next team meeting as to where you were able to pull the financial data and images? "

Notice the difference. A vast difference in terms of specificity and reinforcement.

Just in Time - Many leaders wait to performance feedback time once a year to provide feedback to their employees. We should be providing regularly while it is fresh and just-in-time for people to make changes as needed.

Constructive and Positive: Feedback should be both constructive and positive. As we saw in the example above, positive feedback helps us pinpoint what we do well so that we can do it again, and perhaps pass on to the rest of the team. Notice across your team how frequently you are providing positive feedback and creating best practices.

At the same time, feedback does need to point to things that need changes as well. There are several models which point to different ways to provide this feedback - the sandwich technique which starts with something positive, then provides constructive feedback, and then something positive again. When you are providing constructive feedback stick to observable behaviors, be specific with what you saw and noticed, and also start with asking the person about what their thoughts about how they did.

Where change is needed map out together a game plan of what specific performance changes are needed, what it will look like and when you will meet again to discuss. Not this and make sure you do follow-up.

Tomorrow, we will look at three more factors of effective feedback.

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPT
Potentials Realized | Teams365
Growing Team Leaders One Conversation at a Time(TM)
Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
(416)996-8326

Join us for an upcoming public offering of the Teams365 Team Leader Foundations program - online learning modules geared to sharpen your skills as a team leader. You can also join us for a 4 or 6 month Teams365 Team Leader group coaching program geared to take a deeper dive into your strengths and capacity as a leader - starts Tuesday October 15 at 5:45 pm Eastern by phone.