Teams365 Blog - POTENTIALS REALIZED

TEAMS365 #2196 – 20 Tips for 2020 – Day 4: Weekly Journaling Prompt 82

1/4/2020

Welcome to the first Weekly Journaling Prompt of 2020. These are quick prompts geared to get you to stop, pause and take stock of what’s occurring in your world of work, and life. In my work as a coach, I regularly hear how valuable it is to be able to “pause” to reflect on what’s happening and what action is needed. When are you stopping to “pause” and take stock of where you are? Pauses may be 5- 15 minute only. It’s often more about the quality than the quantity!

This week’s prompt gets you to reflect and write on “I want to invest in…”. What are the things you want to invest in this year?

Our focus is finite as is the time we have. Where do you CHOOSE to invest your time and focus? Where do you want to invest? What’s the benefit? What can be the benefit for others?

I hope that you will enjoy these and a quick reminder for those that facilitate that the new Conversation Sparker Journaling cards are now available as well. These are a great tangible tool to bring into your workshops or retreats or coaching sessions. Do everything virtually? Inquire about a digital license.

Enjoy your weekly reflection time!

Have a great weekend,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Writing
Phone (416)996-8326

As we step into the end of the year, get your planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder
Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon.

Coaches - Join me January 1st as we kick off the 60 Day Acclerator of the Coaching Business Builder. 60 days of focused action on your coaching business.

TEAMS365 #2160 – Flashback Friday: Bringing Projects to A Close

11/29/2019

We’re just a few days away from the start of December and this is the time of year when EVERYTHING needs to get done. With that in mind, I thought it would be useful to take a look back at last year’s post about Bringing Projects to a close from Teams365 #1794. Here you go:

“At this time of year, the clock is ticking and it may now be GO TIME to get projects across the finish line. Where there was once time and leeway, now things need to get done and completed. What is it going to take to get the project completed before the end of the year?

To bring the project across the finish line consider:

What is it going to take to bring this project to a successful close?
What resources are needed? Do we need to pull new resources?
Are there any lessons learned from other projects that we can incorporate?
Are there any specialized, or talented, human resources we can bring in at this time to move the project quicker? Are there experts or seasoned team members who can complete tasks more quickly than others?
What elements can be completed consecutively? We often think that tasks are sequential (i.e. this has to be done before that), when in fact, we might be able to complete some tasks consecutively.
What does complete look like? Think about quality and scope. Are we still within the original scope of the project, or has there been scope creep?
Do we want to reconfirm project requirements, checking for any assumptions which may not be correct?
What can we do to minimize distractions and focus on what is really important? Are there some tasks which need to be devolved from those on the project team so they can focus 100 % on the task at hand?
What does project close out look like?
How can we capture the learning so we don’t repeat these cycles next time?
What’s going to help your projects move to completion phase quickly?”

Enjoy the conversation,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Writing
Phone (416)996-8326

As we step into the end of the year, get your planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder
Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon.

#TEAMS365 #2120 - Weekly Round Up

10/20/2019

This week’s quote is all about focused doing. It comes from Thomas Edison who wrote:
“Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing.”

What are you noticing right now about your workflow? As we continue to explore the topic of remote work this month, time management, boundaries and focus are key themes in the background.

Given the pace of business today, it’s likely that you don’t read this blog every day, so each Sunday I curate the weekly posts I’ve shared. Enjoy!

This week we explored a number of key areas including:

Enjoy your Sunday!
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 #2094 – Remote Working Myth: I Can Work Around the Clock

9/24/2019

As we consider this month’s focus around remote work, we get to explore another myth of remote work. One of the fallacies of remote work is thinking that “I can be on all the time”. As a remote worker it can be very important to set boundaries around when you, and others on the team, are available. While days with long hours of work may be a “one off”, they should not become the norm. It’s important to remember that remote workers are typically governed by the work context in which they reside, where different employment standards may exist.

Several organizations I have worked for as a former remote director and leader established core working hours. These were hours that everyone across the organization had to make themselves available for.

Questions to consider:

What are the hours of work everyone should be available for – even a few days a week?
What boundaries are important for team members to consider?
What are the elements which are important to note?
What will help people on the team renew?
What will support that sharing of information “around the clock”?

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 #2073 – Getting Yourself Organized for Fall - - Remote Work

9/3/2019

Today is “back to work” day for many professionals. With Labor Day just behind us, it’s time to get back to the regular routine. For some of you, you may be doing more remote work. As someone who has run a virtual business for more than 15 years and supported virtual and remote teams for a decade-plus before than, remote work has been the backdrop of my career. It’s getting more attention these days as organizations are looking to reduce their footprint, and as employees are requesting more freedom.

So, how do we make remote work, work? There are of course some significant differences – including future immediate disruptions, less time spent with colleagues and the autonomy of working on projects.

This month here at the Teams365 blog, we’ll continue exploring different areas and parts of the remote work space. If this is a topic you are interested in, be sure to check out these other remote posts.

In today’s post I wanted to share four things to keep an eye on when you are working remote:

#1 – Create a dedicated work space. Having a dedicated work space, which doesn’t take over the entire house is critical. It’s often a fine balance between having space to focus, and a place to put away (or close the door). Be sure to make it effective, quiet and well lit. Dollar stores can be a great place to pick up the office supplies you need in order to get started, and bins and plastic boxes can keep things corralled. Is there a closet you can dedicate some space in for filing materials needed? What about noise and privacy? Security for your files? Does anything need to be updated in your homeowner’s insurance policy to reflect your new work space?

#2 – Make a point to establish routine that will get you moving and in connection with others. Isolation is one of the more common challenges for remote workers. This is where establishing a routine to “get you out of the office” on a regular basis can be of benefit. Maybe you want to take part in a lunchtime exercise class (I swim 3-4 times a week) or maybe you want to tap into breakfast meetings held in your community. Consider the things that will get you connecting with others – in the in person and virtual space.

#3 – Consider your rhythms. We each have a different rhythm for work. Recent studies are showing that remote workers can be more productive than their counterparts in offices. Some of this may be due to the flexibility of working WHEN you want. I also often recommend to organizations to consider a set of “core hours” where everyone (or a majority) of people are available. This allows for meetings to be called where most people can attend, and it also provides for additional windows for work to get done. Maybe core hours are 10 – 1 pm PT/1 – 4 pm ET every day or 10- 1 pm ET/7 – 10 am PT or some other time frame.

As a professional, when are you at your prime? What will help you get your best work done?

#4 – Create boundaries. As I wrote in last week’s post, boundaries are critical for remote work success. It’s easy to find yourself pulled in many directions, especially if you are part of multiple matrix teams. What are the boundaries what are important for you? (Consider time worked, time available outside or normal hours, etc.) Consider what you need to do to communicate these clearly to others you interface with.

Enjoy!
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 #2069 – Flashback Friday: 4 Areas to Consider as You Gear Up for Fall

8/30/2019

For this week’s Flashback Friday post, I am reaching back to a post I shared this time last year – entitled: Four Productivity Hacks to Consider as You Gear Up For Fall”. Check out the original post here.

Here’s what I wrote in Late August of last year, just after the release of Coaching Business Builder, and before the launch of PlanDoTrack for Remote Professionals.

“[I recently launched the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner and later this year will release PlanDoTrack for Remote and Virtual Professionals]. In the workbook section, I touch on a variety of productivity tools, or hacks, to consider. These are things that I have seen transform the work of business owners and leaders I have both coached and worked with over the years. As we gear up for back to work next week, I thought it would be useful to share with you four productivity hacks and frameworks I think might be useful for you. These include:

1. Schedule in time for your regular planning. Whether it’s daytime or night, the act of scheduling time to identify, note and focus on your own tasks which are upcoming can save a lot of time. An old project management adage has said that for every 10 minutes of planning you save 60 minutes of unfocused effort. Think about how having a list every day can help you navigate the changing waters of tasks and priorities, as they shift. When do you want to schedule in planning? Daily planning? Medium term planning? Long term planning?

2. Consider what time of day works well. One of the key learnings which still stands out for me almost 30 years after being an undergrad science student at McGill University, is the importance of our circadian rhythms. Research continues to show how we each have a different internal clock, helping, and hindering us to get things done at different times of the day. This concept has been revisited and revived recently with books such as Daniel Pink’s When, where he explores the concepts of larks and owls.
When are you are your peak (morning/night/another time)? What can you do to tweak your schedule to leverage those windows?

3. Build in pockets to get things done without interruptions. Interruptions are everywhere in today’s working world – from the bings of emails, to phone calls, to people dropping in. Research by Gloria Marks and her team have discovered how every interruption has an extended impact. She has found that after an interruption it can take upwards of 25 minutes to get back on task. 23 minutes and 15 minutes to be exact. Look at her research here. What can you be doing to build in pocket to get things done? Minimize interruptions?
Check out this article from Inc entitled “Six Tips to Maximize Productivity on Remote Working Days” from Inc here.

4. Finally, consider what the priorities are – yours, your bosses and/or your teams. Schedule in time for this in your calendar and get it done! Covey’s Urgent/Important Matrix constitutes to be a valuable framework to help us all take into account what is truly important and urgent. Check out a past blog post I have done on this here. What would you like to focus on this fall? Which one area would make the biggest impact on your work?

Enjoy!
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 #2042 – Weekly Journaling Prompt 61

8/3/2019

This week’s weekly journaling prompt invites you to take a little bit longer this week to pause. This week’s prompt gets you to complete the following sentence “I can downshift _____ in order to ______”.

Many of us still have one more month before what’s often termed the “second new year “the start of the September work month.

What is important about renewal for you right now?

What might you need to let go of, or do less frequently, or in a different way, in order to create space?

What’s important to downshift? To simplify?

With speed and distraction framing the work world (if we choose!), I wanted to share this quote:

“In an age of speed, I began to think, nothing could be more invigorating than going slow. In an age of distraction, nothing can feel more luxurious than paying attention.” — Pico Iyer

What do you want to downshift?

Enjoy your reflection!
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 #2038 – Focus in the Hot Days of Summer

7/30/2019

Some readers will find themselves mid-way through summer, with another month until the fall routine kicks in with Labor Day.

As I have written this month, simplification, renewal and digital detox are all topics which rise to the surface at this time of year when we move to a summertime routine.

Whether it’s due to the weather, summer time travel, or different working routines, changing our schedules and ways of working can lead to new lengths.

It may be useful to pause and take stock of the last month and notice:

Where has your focus been? How has this helped? Hindered?
What’s worked for you with your routine?
What do you want to make sure you continue doing, even as things speed up?
What have you “let go of….” (this may be part of your work routine, tasks or regular schedule”?
What space has this created?
What do you further want to simplify as you move into a fall routine?
What focus do you want to have going forward into August? Into the rest of the year?

Revisit your annual vision and make adjustments as you would like.

Warm regards,
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 #2035 Weekly Journaling Prompt 60

7/27/2019

This week’s Weekly Journaling Prompt gets you to consider the question – "Where would you like to savour?" One of the themes this month (similar to yesterday's post) is to speed up in order to slow down. With perhaps more focus or time in hand, where would you like to savour? What would be of benefit to spend some time looking at?

Let us know what gets unearthed with this week’s journaling prompt?

If you haven’t had a chance to explore some of the more recent prompts, be sure to take a look at these ones:
Weekly Journaling Prompt 59
Weekly Journaling Prompt 52
Weekly Journaling Prompt 55

Enjoy!
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 #2034 - Flashback Friday - New Leader Assumptions to Reframe

7/26/2019

July and August is a popular month for new leaders to assume their posts. With this in mind, I thought it would be useful to take a look back to a great post geared for new team leaders entitled “Five Leadership Assumptions for New Leaders to Reframe”.

Here’s what I wrote back in this 2016 post:

As a new leader there are a number of assumptions you can make which can lead to a lot of problems and/or headaches for you and your team. Here they are in random order.

Assumption #1 - Everyone needs and wants the same type of support.
In fact, every team member will have their own strengths, styles and personalities. Take time at the start to learn who each person is and how they want to be supported. Areas such as how they want to be communicated with can vary tremendously from team member to team member.

If we don’t bust this assumption chances are many of your team members will not connect with you. Trying to support everyone in the same fashion can also lead to lower levels of engagement and trust.

Assumption #2 - I need to do everything myself.
As a leader delegation is key. It’s important that we empower the team to do their work. Micro-monitoring is more important than micro-managing. While delegation is often considered an art form, mastering this skill early on can mean the difference between flow and overwhelm. For more tips on delegation, view this recent Linked In Pulse post I shared a few weeks ago on Delegation.

Assumption #3 - I always need to say yes .
From boundaries with your time, to learning to say NO (diplomatically to your boss and team) creating boundaries is a key skill for team leaders. As someone who leads from the middle - supporting those above and below you - being able to say no tactfully is an important skill to master as are the skills of negotiation. If it's impossible to say NO you may need to say "I can do this, but it will mean I can't do that. What do recommend as the primary focus?".

Assumption #4 - This is going to be easy.
As a leader we need to often make the hard calls and difficult decisions. Some naively step into leadership thinking that it will be a bigger pay cheque and similar work. Not quite. While things won't always be easy, the learning curve does slow down. Your first leadership role may present you wit the steepest learning curve. For those that enjoy challenge, successive leadership roles will usually provide additional challenge in different ways.

Rather than feeling like leadership is going to be hard, what's another perspective you can step into around that?

Assumption #5 - You are going to be just like the other person who filled the role.
Leaders can benefit from busting this assumption early on. As a new leader you'll be bringing referent skills, experiences and a different personality to the table. Make your work life easier by not putting on additional pressure trying to be just like the "other leader". Reminding your team and your boss and stakeholders about your unique strengths can create a win-win for all involved.

What other assumptions do you notice you are holding around leadership? What needs to be reframed?

You can read the original post here.

Enjoy your weekend,
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.