Have you ever been a part of a TEAM, a true team? Whether it is in your profession, an athletic team, or in your community, chances are that if you have, you remember the experience fondly and it is or was one of the most rewarding in your life. What is the definition of a team? In the book, “The Wisdom of Teams”, it was defined as “a small number of people with complimentary skills who are committed to a […]
We believe that hiring “A” players is the most important job within an organization and it can be one of the biggest challenges. To get and keep your top performers, you have to engage both their current skill sets and their future aspirations while demonstrating a culture of trust and respect. Rather than trying to identify what the exact answer is for you in your industry, we like to use ‘The Rule of 44.’ In four areas, have four different […]
In the day to day operation of a business, at times you may find that there are tasks that need to be done that aren’t complicated but they are necessary. You may be inclined to push through them quickly without much thought, planning or care. We encourage you to be sure that you aren’t carrying a lazy man’s load, meaning you pile these tasks on and hurriedly go about accomplishing them haphazardly in a rush to get them done. […]
The Golden Rule is something I hear about quite often: “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” I grew up with that rule, but over the years, it has created much frustration on my part in terms of getting leaders to lead and teams to be teams in a powerful manner. It has also limited the ability and results of leaders and teams in molding culture. It has bogged down processes and allowed strategic plans to […]
I often run into employers who don’t understand why their team building activities don’t work. Despite spending money on professional team building, their teams still have trouble collaborating and don’t seem any better for it. I think back to a situation at an investment firm I worked with. In order to build teamship, the company sent teams off on a corporate retreat where the employees were asked to participate in a “trust fall” exercise. When the employees were told about […]
What do you picture when you think of mentoring? Chances are, it is a grizzled, gray-haired elder, with more winters behind them than ahead, taking a young upstart under their wing and instructing them in the ways of business, baseball, or life in general. That’s the traditional idea, and while it is often the case, that model fails to take into account the incredible diversity of experience and expertise in the world. There is no linear progression of learning, and […]
Very few people enter into an argument thinking they’re wrong. In fact, the more I believe I’m right, the harder I fight to get what I want. But is it always the best strategy? Regardless of who is right, are there larger goals that a conflict resolution strategy should be serving? It can be tempting to try to win every fight, or to settle disputes through a hardline approach each time. But conflict – or the wrong resolution – can […]
Do you remember talking about the “fight or flight” instinct in school? Have you seen it in action? During a team meeting recently, one person intended to “fight” and as the intensity of the interaction increased, it led to another team member to take “flight”. One was blaming, accusing and increasing the volume and intensity of their voice and the other person chose to stand up, walk out of the meeting, get in their vehicle and leave. While not optimal […]
Creativity is a like a muscle. If it doesn’t get exercise, it can atrophy, and a weakened muscle can’t be called upon to lift at the drop of the hat. That’s a problem in the office: we’re just not using our brains creatively at work all that much. In fact, on average, people only spend 25 percent of their time at work in creative endeavors.[1. “The Global Creativity Gap,” http://www.creativityatwork.com/2012/04/23/the-global-creativity-gap/] That makes it really difficult for people to be suddenly creative when […]