​This week’s Effective Virtual Conversations tip takes us to Factor #6 of High Performing Teams. We know that teams which excel are committed. They are committed to:

• Each other
• The values they are grounded in
• Demonstrating behaviors that are consistent with their behaviors
• The agreements they create about how they operate and what’s important in their work.
• That work outputs are similar in terms of quality and measurement.
• The mission and people they serve/support

 
Commitment takes on a whole new lens when we move to the virtual and remote space. Given that we can’t see each other, spending time building trust and connection, as well as sharing commitments and expectations are critical.  It’s important to spend time in discussion and focus around this, particularly for teams who don’t see each other regularly. Having a consistent experience with team member in location A is just as important as having the same experience with team member in location B.
At the team level, it can be useful to facilitate discussion around:
What is the state of commitment in your team right now?
How is that mirrored in the organization?
How is commitment working for you?
If there isn’t a lot of commitment, what are you seeing?
(Britton, 2017, page 353)
​
Read more in Chapter 10 – In Focus: Virtual Team Development of Effective Virtual Conversations 
 
Enjoy the start to your week!
Jennifer

In the first FlashbackFriday of the month I wanted to take you to back to the month of April 2017 when I last did a series on teamwork skills. I hope that you will check out the posts from that month as you go through this month’s series.
I wanted to link us back to Teams365 #1211 where I spotlighted 10 different team development activities. Several of these are useful in building capacity in the different teamwork areas we’ll be exploring this month – trust, emotional intelligence, collaboration, relationship building etc.
 
Here’s what I wrote in that post:
​
Whether it's an offsite team retreat, or a strategic planning session, or a one day team building session, teams benefit from  focused time together, time spent in getting to know each other and also focusing in on goals and results.

​The following list includes ten areas you may want to explore together as a team during your upcoming team development sessions:

​1. What's your vision? As we've seen in other posts, having a shared vision is critical in creating alignment and supporting team members to work more autonomously. As Seneca wrote, "If one does not know to which port is sailing, no wind is favorable."
​What's your vision as a team?

​2. What do you have going for you? Doing work around strengths can be a powerful way to help team members get to know each other, and understand what they uniquely bring to the team. Whether you explore StrengthsFinder 2.0 or undertake an Everything DiSC profile, learning more about ourselves helps us understand our natural inclinations as well as where we tend to go when under stress or pressure (which can be a daily reality for some teams today!).

​3. Fun initiative tasks - It's important to have fun and websites like Wilderdom.com provide you with dozens (if not hundreds of fun ideas of things to do).

​4. Tower Building - There are many iterations of tower building. in essence it's about providing micro-teams or smaller groups with asset of materials to build the tallest tower they can in the time provided. It's a great activity to bring out new learning around roles, planning and communication!

​5. Moving from point a to b - My roots in the late 1980s in experiential education come out when I get to incorporate the "old school" initiative tasks of getting people to "Cross the divide" and move from point a to b with the resources provided. This can be a great activity to reinforce innovation and practice.

​6. Scavenger Hunts - Although these take some time to plan, scavenger hunts in a "bounded" area can be extremely fun and great for those that like to compete!

​7. Work with Visual Cards - sparking conversations is a huge part of the work I do with teams, and photographs and other visual cards are a different way to invite exploration around topics like perspectives, innovation and strategy. Check out our Conversation Sparker Cards for more info.

​8. Team Bingo - It's always good to return to the basics and even if you have worked together for a while, it's likely that you don't know everything about each other. the organizer can ask each team member to submit one or two interesting factoids about themselves and these statements can be put in a bingo format (5 x 5 layout). The first person to capture all the right signatures wins! A fun way to learn a little more about your team.

​9. Team Storyboard - using scrapbooking materials, photos and other materials, have the team create a storyboard of your greatest adventures!

​10.  Team Model - using aluminum foil, have the team create a model which represents who you are. It's always interesting to see just what can be created out of tinfoil.

​What do you think you might try at your next meeting? I hope that it has sparked some new ideas and possibilities for you.
Here's a link to that original post.
 
What do you want to make sure you schedule and incorporate for your team this fall?

Best,
​Jennifer

As we step into October, the first teamwork skill which is essential for today’s context is “Trust”. Trust is like oxygen. Without it, you are not able to do anything.
 
Over the past few years here at the Teams365 blog I have shared a number of posts around trust including one cartoon developed for us by Steven Ravensfeller on the Duality of Trust. Let’s take a look at it again - you'll see it in today's post. What do you notice about the skills and behaviors which show up on either side of the body? What is the flipside of trust/distrust?

​In his book, The Speed of Trust, Steven Covey writes that trust is like a bank account. You can put in resources, and quickly deplete them.
Trust is like a web across a team. When one link is broken or weakened it can have the effect of weakening the entire system.

What are the things you are doing as a team to build trust? Are you following through? Providing feedback? Creating Expectations? Building regular communication channels? Adjusting things for each person’s style?
At the same time we can be cultivating an environment of low trust. What is the state of feedback? Transparency? Follow through? Expectations?
What items could benefit from having more attention around right now?

Best wishes, 
Jennifer

It’s the start of a new month, and  time for a new focus here at the Teams365 blog. This month we are going to focus on teamwork skills. Whether you work as an intact team, a project team or a remote team, teamwork skills are cross-cutting and help professionals at all stages of their careers do better work.
The context of teamwork has changed. In the past, teams were together for longer windows, with much more stability. Today most teams experience ongoing change and team composition. Researcher Amy Edmonston terms this “Teaming” and writes, “actively building and developing teams even as a project is in process, while realizing that a team's composition may change at any given moment.” (Teaming, Edmonston 2013)
She flags four behaviors as essential in the teaming context:

• Speaking Up
• Collaboration
• Experimentation
• Reflection

What are you doing to foster these areas?
The teamwork skills we are going to explore this month are:

• Trust
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Working Across Differences
• Relationship Management
• Conflict Management
• Emotional Intelligence
• Change Management
• Influence

For each of the areas we’ll explore what the skill is about, why it’s important. What some of the differences are in the different types of teams today. I’ll also point you back to some of the many posts I’ve already written on these topics.
Looking forward to starting this journey with you this month.

Best,
Jennifer

It’s Monday and time for another Effective Virtual Conversations tip - #57 in the series! This week we are at number four of the five virtual facilitation faux-pas – not rotating meeting times. When teams are stretched across time zones ensuring that you rotate meeting times can be an important step in building trust and connection. If one team member is always the one who has to call in late at night or early in the morning, it can have an impact on trust and connection.

Within reason, what can you do to ensure meeting times have a variable impact on the team, and that it’s not always the “one team member” who is adversely impacted?

​Be sure to check out other effective virtual conversations tips here, published every Monday.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

This summer I’ve been taking a look back at some of the teamwork videos which have been shared here at the Teams365 blog in my weekly Sunday posts. There are a number of good ones you may not yet have viewed. I encourage to you watch these short 2 minute videos and to think about sharing these with your team and/or organization:

4 Ways to Build Trust in your Team: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr1PQz_jgW0

Six Things New Virtual Teams Need: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnG6eb5euJg

5 Reasons Why Mentoring is Important: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onVbSWncKuU

Videos can capture team members attention in ways that documents and books don’t. I hope you will consider how you can leverage them to spark ideas and/or discussion.

​Enjoy!
Jennifer

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

​It’s Sunday and I wanted to share with you links to some of our more than 30 videos I’ve created in the last year, bringing to life some of the more than 1600 blog posts here at the Teams365 blog. I hope that you’ll take a few minutes today to check out these blog posts:

Teams365 #1440 – 12 Mentoring Questions – Watch it here - https://www.potentialsrealized.com/teams-365-blog/teams365-1440-12-mentoring-questions-teams365-video
 
Teams365 #1512 – Ways to Build Trust in Virtual Teams. Watch it here - https://www.potentialsrealized.com/teams-365-blog/teams365-1512-ways-to-build-trust-in-virtual-teams
 
Teams365 #1608: 4 Tips for Fluid Speaking. Watch it here - https://www.potentialsrealized.com/teams-365-blog/teams365-1608-video-tips-for-fluid-speaking
 
Teams365 #1307: Four Keys to Feedback – Watch it here -
https://www.potentialsrealized.com/teams-365-blog/teams365-1307-video-4-keys-to-feedback 
 
Teams365 #1489- Four Ways to Plan and Set Goals. Watch it here - https://www.potentialsrealized.com/teams-365-blog/teams365-1489-teams365-video-another-way-to-plan-and-set-goals
 
What has been your favorite Teams365 blog in the last year?
 
What posts would you like to have brought to life through a weekly video?
 
Let us know your thoughts and comment below!
 
With thanks,
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 Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) 
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com
(416)996-8326

This week's Saturday quote comes from Steven R. Covey who writes:

​"Without trust we don't truly collaborate: we merely coordinate or, at best, cooperate. It is trust that transforms a group of people, into a team".

​What is the state of trust right now on the team? How are you collaborating effectively? 

​Take a look at some of the posts here at the Teams365 blog relating to trust as well as collaboration.

​With best wishes,
Jennifer

It's #FlashbackFriday and with team development as our focus this month here at the Teams365 blog, I thought about what questions do I consistently get asked by leaders, trainers and facilitators the most? It was an easy answer - TRUST and CONNECTION.

​A few weeks ago I did a 35 minute call on Building Trust and Connection - Virtually  as my Feb/March Effective Virtual Conversations Community Call. You can view it here on YouTube.

​I also wanted to reach back to Teams365 #1123 which touched on TRUST and Connection and linked to a Pulse Post I wrote last  year. Here's what I shared about a year ago at the Blog in Teams365 #1123:

​"One of the themes that always arises in the dialogue I have with leaders is "what can I do to build more trust and connection with my team". This is an issue for virtual team leaders, and in-person team leaders alike.

​Given how important this issue is, I dedicated my most recent LinkedIn Pulse posts to the topic of Building Trust and Connection with your team. One reader recently commented that she really liked how practical the tips were. So, if you are looking for some practical, actionable approaches to further build trust and connection with your team, I hope you will check out my pulse post - Building Trust and Connection with Your Team - here.

​A couple of generic reminders to keep in mind about trust  before signing off today:
​1. Trust is usually not a static thing. It fluctuates over time, which means we always want to be paying attention to, and fostering trust.
​2. Until we feel safe in a team, it's likely we will engage and show up to do our best work. What are you doing to boost connection across the team? What intentional activities are you undertaking with your virtual team to help them connect?
​3. As quickly as trust is created, it can be eroded. As Steven Covey writes - you can have trust deposits, and trust withdrawls. What's your balance right now?

​Click on over to LinkedIn to read my latest Pulse posts on Building Trust and Connection with your team. "


​Practically, and tactically, what are the things you can be doing this month to build trust and connection?

​With best wishes,
​Jennifer

Today's quote captures something I share regularly through my writing and my work as a team developer:
​"Trust the foundation of any great team. It allows us to raise difficult issues, tackle issues head on, and stretch as a professional". - Jennifer Britton

​Without trust, it's hard to really excel as a team. We may get things done, and it's likely in today's context that many important issues, which could get us working better and in different ways, never get raised.

What's the level of trust in your team right now?

​Earlier this week I hosted the February Effective Virtual Conversations call. In my most recent book, Effective Virtual Conversations, I write about the importance of building trust in virtual teams and other virtual conversation spaces, particularly given that it's easy to skirt the issues which really need discussion virtually. On this week's call I shared many different ways that you as a leader, or virtual facilitator (coach, trainer or consultant), can be boosting trust and connection with the virtual groups and teams you are working with.

​I'd invite you to check out the 35 minute February 2018 Effective Virtual Conversations call here.

​What specific steps are you going to take this month around building the trust in the teams you work with? What are the difficult issues which need to be surfaced so the team can excel?

Have a great weekend,
​Jennifer