Teams365 Blog - POTENTIALS REALIZED

Teams365 #2869 - Now What? Integration

11/7/2021

And that’s a wrap for Chapter 8 of Reconnecting Workspaces: Pathways to Thrive in the Virtual, Remote and Hybrid World.

What has been your favorite post? We’ve explored 21 different topics in the last 3 weeks from this chapter on Teamwork in the Hybrid and Remote world including this week’s posts of:

Saturday’s Weekly Journaling prompt – What’s important to integrate?

Friday’s Flashback

Thursday’s Six Teamwork Questions (be sure to incorporate these into your next team meeting)

Wednesday’s Remote Pathways podcast #47 – Onboarding and Re-boarding in Today’s Evolving Workspace. Be sure to listen in here-https://www.remotepathways.com/podcast/ep47-onboarding-and-reboarding-in-todays-evolving-workspace

Tuesday’s focus on the Brain Tip – Zoom Fatigue is Real (and what to do about that!)

Monday’s Metaphor of this chapter on teamwork and a link to the Hybrid Work Style Quiz. Be sure to check out the quiz here – https://bitly.com/hybridworkquiz.

Thanks for joining us for the chapter! See you tomorrow as we move into Chapter 9 of Reconnecting Workspaces https://www.amazon.com/Reconnecting-Workspaces-Pathways-Thrive-Virtual/dp/0993791557

Have a great week!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

Teams365 #2868 - Weekly Journaling Prompt 173- What’s Important to Integrate?

11/6/2021

It’s Saturday which means that it’s time for another Weekly Journaling Prompt. This week’s WJP is “What’s important to integrate?”.

Over the course of the last four months, we’ve been taking a dive into the first eight chapter of one of my latest books, Reconnecting Workspaces: Pathways to Thrive in the Virtual, Remote and Hybrid World. What’s important to note? What are the new skills and practices you have been integrating?

Enjoy the reflection.
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

Teams365 #2866 - Team Sprint

11/4/2021

\Over the last three weeks here at the Teams365 blog we’ve been exploring Chapter 8 of Reconnecting Workspaces, which focuses on Teamwork Practices in the Remote and Hybrid World. What has been your favorite part?

Since it’s Thursday, it’s time to share the 6 Questions from this chapter which are all about teamwork.

Here they are:

SIX TEAMWORK QUESTIONS: TEAMWORK

1. What do we both bring to the table as strengths? How are they complementary? Similar?
2. What is important for us individually? How do these values align? How are they similar?
How are they different? How do we define these values? Where are they illustrated?
3. What is our shared vision for our work together?
4. What can we count on from each other?
5. What will we do if things go off the rails?
6. When and how will we check in around our progress? Provide feedback to each other?

(Excerpt: Page 163, Reconnecting Workspaces, © Jennifer Britton, 2021)
I hope that you will enjoy discussing these questions at your next team meeting!

Enjoy,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

Teams365 #2862 - Week In Review

10/31/2021

This week we explored a variety of topics including

Monday - Productivity tip: Building In More Margin with Your Time

Tuesday – Size Matters

Wednesday - Remote Pathways https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBrNWrf7D5rAmchmZY1tzBFjnr8ApEN9T

Thursday – Three Principles for Remote Team Practices

Friday – Flashback: Teamwork Skill in Focus: Curiosity

Saturday – Weekly journaling Prompt and Month End Review

Enjoy!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

Teams365 #2859 - Three Principles for Virtual and Remote Team Practices

10/28/2021

Practices are key for keeping team moving along
Virtual and Remote Team Practices—Three Principles

In general, when thinking about practices, it can be important to follow these three virtual foundations:

1. Keep it simple
2. Make it visible
3. Make it accessible

Keeping it simple is critical when there may be different team members who might interpret things differently. Simplicity is key for remote work, especially when different languages are at play.

Complexity is the kiss of death! Making things visible helps to keep things clear and top of mind. Examples of making things visible range from using streaming where possible, to using visual dashboards like the Red, Yellow, and Green Stoplight, to sending out visual reminders.

Another important part of making things visible is unearthing assumptions. Assumptions are inevitable in virtual teams and serve to weaken the foundation.
Keeping things visual and visible is key to remote work success. This can be achieved with the use of Kanban boards, slide design, visual dashboards, and videos, to name a few. Kanban boards help us to lay out and visualize workflows, with the tracking columns, “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Done.” As Kim Scott writes, “A Kanban board is different from a dashboard because it focuses activities and work in progress. It gives your team time to identify and resolve
issues before they hurt the results.”

What can you do to visualize your workflows, both as a team and individually?
Another important tool is the One-Page Plan, which is explored later in this chapter.

Making things accessible so that people can access things 24/7 on different platforms, connections, and ways is also critical. Virtual and remote teams will want to get into the practice of thinking through how they are going to file things, and where and how they are going to update versions.

These small issues can become a critical issue when files are not updated and saved and team members work off of old versions”

Excerpt from Reconnecting Workspaces, page 141 and 142.

What is important for you to note about making things visible, keeping things simple and making them accessible?

Enjoy your reflection!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Reconnecting-Workspaces-Pathways-Thrive-Virtual/dp/0993791557

Teams365 #2858 - 90-Day Guide for Success: Helping Individuals, Teams and Organizations Thrive in the Return to the Office

10/27/2021

This month I have been enjoying week-day calls I have been hosting each morning from 730 – 8 am ET on one of the 90 topics of the 90-Day Guide. The 90-Day Guide for Success came out on October 1st and supports those who are onboarding, or reboarding in the virtual, remote and hybrid space. Whether you are a new employee, or an entrepreneur, we can all benefit from more focused attention on getting settled in work.

We’ve covered a range of topics this month, more than 20! From exploring strengths, to planning, from communication, to managing complexity and VUCA, I hope you will take a look at the 90-Day Guide Playlist before they go away and become part of an on-demand course!

Take a look at the 90-Day Guide Playlist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBrNWrf7D5rAmchmZY1tzBFjnr8ApEN9T

It’s been fun hosting these calls daily, and they will continue until the end of the year (end of December). Do join us weekdays from 730 – 8 am ET at https://zoom.us/j/2703020415.

Have a great Wednesday,
Jennifer

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

Teams365 #2857 - Size Matters

10/26/2021

As a team coach trainer, I often get asked the question “What’s the best size for a team?"

Here’s what I share in Reconnecting Workspaces, Team Genius authors have found that the best size team is somewhere between five and nine. As a team work practitioner, I usually assert that each person added to a team adds an exponential layer of relationships, conversations, and perspectives.

As I shared in Effective Virtual Conversations, Richard Hackman found that as team size grew from 5 to 13, the number of communication touchpoints needed grew from 10 conversations when the team was five people, to 73 conversations when the team grew to 13.119

As teams grow in size, there is a tendency to develop nested teams within the larger team. Within these larger groups, there are smaller teams, each with their own culture and focus.”

Reconnecting Workspaces – page 147

Enjoy your conversation!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Reconnecting-Workspaces-Pathways-Thrive-Virtual/dp/0993791557

Teams365 #2854 - Weekly Journaling Prompt 171: Focus on Relationships and Results

10/23/2021

This week’s Weekly Journaling Prompt invites you to consider the question “What focus are you having on RELATIONSHIPS and RESULTS in your work?”. Consider your work practices, how you team, what you are focusing on in meeting and also where you are putting your attention.

As I share throughout Reconnecting Workspaces, in today’s business context we need to focus on both Relationships and Results. As I share on page 142 of Reconnecting Workspaces,

Where are you spending more time?

Enjoy your reflection!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

Teams365 #2853 - Flashback Friday: Teamwork Skills in Complexity

10/22/2021

The last eighteen months have been a learning in practice opportunity for teams to put into practice many of the skills I mentioned conceptually back in 2017 when I did a series on Teamwork Skills in Complexity. I thought it would be useful to pick up with Teams365 #1597 which spotlighted the importance of Experimentation during times of complexity. Take a look at what I wrote, and think about how this skillset is helping you thrive right now:

This month we are exploring the skills required in teamwork, including listening and curiosity. Today I wanted to take a dive into a third skill area, that being the area of experimentation.

Experimentation is key for business leaders and teams today. Many times, the context is changing so quickly that we don’t have time to complete an entire roll-out before having to make a final decision. That can lead to a mindset of experimentation, where it is encouraged to try things out, see what works and what doesn’t.

In supporting experimentation in our team we want to:

Encourage and reward trial and error
Create safety around not getting “things right”
Provide team members with time and resources to experiment, beyond their every day team responsibilities
Facilitate an evaluation of projects or “Experiments” that are completed or are even at the midpoint

Questions we may ask at project reviews include:

What’s working?
What’s not?
What are the things that need to be abandoned or tweaked?
What additional resources do we need?
What unknown obstacles have become visible?
What is the big learning we are taking?
What is the one thing/ or the many things we are going to do differently going forward?
Who else can we learn from (including our own past projects?

If you haven’t taken a look at the article I wrote for the most recent edition of choice Magazine which focused on Disruption, take a look at it here. It’s entitled “Curiosity, Vision, Experimentation, Connection: Helping Teams and Groups Thrive in Periods of Disruption”. You can read it here at the Reconnecting Workspaces blog, including a download of it.
https://www.reconnectingworkspaces.com/post/4-key-skills-for-teams-and-groups-to-thrive-in-today-s-workspace

Enjoy the conversation!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Reconnecting-Workspaces-Pathways-Thrive-Virtual/dp/0993791557

Teams365 #2852 -Team Tool: The One Page Plan

10/21/2021

Chapter 8 of Reconnecting Workspaces explores the key concept of Teamwork Practices. The team tool for this chapter is one of my favorites – The One Page Plan.

When we work on a team it, especially a remote and hybrid one, it’s critical to keep a line of sight not only on our work, but also on those we are connected with, and that we need to collaborate with. When connections are not made across the team, it’s hard to activate the synergies required for exceptional work.

One of my favorite tools, with significant value, is the One Page Plan. Just as you see here, it’s simply a 5 x 5 matrix, inviting team members to share their top five goals, and core elements around it. Just as I shared earlier this week, powerful practices are SIMPLE, VISIBLE and ACCESSIBLE (page 131 of Reconnecting Workspaces), and the One Page Plan is all three.

Enjoy!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.