Make Teamwork Happen

You’ve decided to have a regular staff meeting and you want to make it relevant, interactive, and meaningful.  So gather your folks together and ask them to help you build the agenda for the meeting.

Grab a marker and ask “What do we need to accomplish at this meeting?”  On an easel chart, legibly write down each idea the way it was stated and the name of the person who suggested the idea.  Note:  You are asking the team to identify outcomes or expected results – not just a laundry list of topics.  Before you move on to the next step, ask if everyone understands the outcomes and clarify if necessary.  Combine similar items – if there is any dissent, assume that the ideas are distinct and should remain separate.  Elapsed time to list the outcomes: no more than five minutes.

Next, take each item and ask the suggestor how long it will take to achieve the outcome.  If the team disagrees, allow a few seconds for discussion and write down the most agreed-upon time.  Remember:  An agenda is just a roadmap and the time limits are guideposts.  If the team later agrees that they need more time, they will have the flexibility to adjust the agenda.  Also ask the suggestor if he or she would like to lead the discussion.  If not, then ask the team for a volunteer.  Beware: If just one or two people are leading all the items you’ll end up with a one-way conversation!  Elapsed time to identify time limits and leaders: two minutes.

Lastly, prioritize your list.  Most teams have too much to do and not enough time, so it is critical to start with the most important.  Some teams simply rank the agenda items with number one being the most important, two as the next most important, etc.  Or try the ABC concept – where “A” is vital – we must accomplish this outcome at this meeting, “B” is important – we should accomplish this outcome, and “C” is trivial — we could do this, but the world won’t come to an end if we don’t accomplish this today.  When prioritizing, quickly go through the list and ask: “Is this an A, B, or C?” and write down the most agreed-upon letter.  Some teams continue to prioritize by sequencing each group of letters – identifying A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3, C1, C2, C3.  Elapsed time: one or two minutes.

You have now built your agenda!  Start with the A1 and move through the list.  Total time:  no more than ten minutes —  a worthwhile investment to the team’s work.

Since we are currently watching the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC, see how one school is teaching team skills by using Olympic style activities.

Question:  Do you have a system that works for your team?  If so, please share with us.

To book Kristin to speak or view her products go to www.ExtraordinaryTeam.com

If you don’t know the objectives and agenda prior to walking in to a meeting, you are doomed from the start.  Unless the meeting purpose and agenda is created at the beginning of the meeting, chances are you will be held captive in a group grope, attempting to discover something of some relevance to someone on this planet.

My hope is that you appreciate the fundamental importance of objectives and agenda, and that each time you get an email requesting your attendance, an agenda is attached.  If not, you go back to the team leader and request more information on the purpose and agenda for the meeting.  By being persistent, you increase the probability of team success during your limited time together.

If you would like to further increase team success, ask your teammates to come prepared to the meeting.  Preparation can take many forms:

Reading.  Suggest certain documents, articles, or books to read.  Send these suggestions out in enough time for the team to read and digest the information.  For larger packages of information, include summaries or key points for those who may not have enough time to read the entire package.

Ask Questions.  Pose questions to consider as they reflect on the meeting objectives and agenda.  You can ask rhetorical questions to stimulate thinking on a topic or send out a small survey, collect the answers and use the collective wisdom to launch the topic discussion.

Watch a Movie.  Many movies have wonderful scenes/stories that relate to the team’s mission.  Recommend watching a movie and then discuss its implications as an icebreaker.  For example, if you will be talking about team building, recommend they watch “Camelot,” The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain,” or “The Dirty Dozen” for ideas.

Interview Folks.  Meet one on one or with a few team members to ask specific, probing questions around the meeting objectives.  This will allow you to get a sense for the diversity of opinions that may exist over a controversial topic.

When you assign prework, make it clear what you want them to do and what you will do with the information.  For example, you might write in the meeting agenda, “Please think about…. and/or come prepared to discuss…so that we can…”  When your teammates do their prework, you’ll get a head start on the team’s work.

Question:  Do you prepare an agenda for each and every meeting?

To book Kristin to speak or view her products go to www.ExtraordinaryTeam.com

The whole notion of a “New Year” forces us to reflect on the past year and contemplate the future.  We wistfully sing “Auld Lang Syne” as we herald in the new year.  Most of us optimistically make resolutions to improve our circumstances.

Take a moment over the next week to contemplate your team’s work.  What worked well for you and for your team this year?  What do you want to do differently or “upgrade” for next year?

As Jim Blasingame, the Small Business Advocate says, “Write this on a rock.”  Make a commitment to your team to:

Be Timely.  Start your meetings on time and end on time.  Your teammates are depending on you, so resolve to finish your work assignments in a timely manner.

Share Airtime.  The currency of team work is airtime.  In order for your ideas to be heard, others must provide a space to share the ideas.  Do you hog too much of the airtime or do you use your “fair” percentage?  Are you too quiet and you aren’t speaking up enough?  Your ideas are just as valuable, and you might not be as quick to voice the idea.  Resolve to share airtime equally by monitoring your own usage and asking others for their opinion.

Respect.  Aretha Franklin had it right.  All your teammates want is a little respect.  Now, you don’t have to love each other, but you do need to respect your other teammates and their contributions.  Resolve to respect your teammates by giving your undivided attention to the person speaking and not interrupting, by recognizing and considering others’ ideas and suggestions, and by supporting and encouraging the team’s work.

Leverage Conflict.  All teams will disagree from time to time.  Conflict is a normal and natural part of the team process.  The key is to manage conflict constructively, looking for areas of agreement and building on the “common ground.”  Resolve to look at disagreements as a gift, working through the issues and building agreements rather than avoiding or escalating the conflict.

Stick By Your Guns.  Once you make a commitment to the team, follow through.  Once your team has agreed on a plan of action, do your part to ensure successful implementation.  Otherwise, your plan is merely “credenzaware.”  Resolve to hold each other accountable to individual and team commitments.

Write these resolutions on a rock…and follow through on your commitments!

Question:  What is your most important resolution involving your team for 2010?

To book Kristin to speak or view her products go to www.ExtraordinaryTeam.com

When your company reorganizes and assigns everyone to a team they can’t simply rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic.  You don’t just put people into teams and then expect them to act like a team.  New job titles such as “team leader,” “facilitator,” and “team members” without learning and understanding the new roles and skills are a form of abdication – not teamwork.

When the company moves into a team structure, the concept of team accountability, metrics, teamwork, and team skills should be discussed:

Team Accountability.  The hierarchical structure of boss/employee is not the same.  Rather than employees looking to the boss to solve their problems, the team should look to each other to achieve success.  The team recognizes that it cannot be successful if everyone does not participate and work toward the team goals.  The team holds itself accountable. 

Metrics.  Each team member should have a clear understanding of how the team measures success – from an entire company viewpoint as well as from the smaller work team perspective.  The team should be actively measuring performance contributions to the team goals.  How will the team be recognized and rewarded for success?  What will happen if they don’t meet the goals?

Teamwork.  The organization should establish clear expectations of what “teamwork” is.  Some examples include: participating in team meetings, completing team assignments when due, arriving on time, being considerate of other people by allowing them to speak, offering help to others without being asked.

Team Skills.  The organization should also provide team training on team roles, active listening, effective decision making, building consensus, managing conflict, and problem solving.  Training helps individual employees come together as “team players” and hold each other accountable.

As a team member, you have a voice.  Use it.  If you are not satisfied with the team’s performance or behavior, bring it to the team to discuss.  Give descriptive feedback on what’s working well with the team and what you see that is preventing the team from performing to its fullest potential.  Tie your observations back to the team’s goal (otherwise, you’ll just look like you have an ax to grind).

Then let the team (with you being part of the team) identify positive actions to move the team forward.

Question:  Has your company rearranged the deck chairs on the Titanic or avoided the iceburg altogether?

To book Kristin to speak or view her products go to www.ExtraordinaryTeam.com

So you have decided to have a staff meeting involving all your CSRs.  Rather than corralling them into a room and talking at them, spend a few moments planning a team-based staff meeting:

Know Thy Purpose.  What do you want to accomplish during your staff meeting?  Typically, these meetings communicate information from management, assign or clarify tasks, assess team progress, share information, prevent or solve problems, make decisions and build the team.  Have a clear picture of what you want to accomplish before committing your team’s valuable time.

Prepare an Agenda.  Staff meetings are prone to be informal chit chats that quickly degenerate into problem solving between just a few people.  Ask your CSRs what topics they want to cover in the meeting.  You may even want to ask the suggester to lead the discussion!  After you have collected all the topics (including your own), prepare an agenda specifying the topic, leader, and expected time frame.  Be realistic with your time estimates…teams usually take more time than you think!

Keep Time.  Use a timekeeper to help keep everyone on schedule.  The timekeeper alerts the team when time is running out (i.e., five, two and one minute to go).  When time is up, renegotiate the agenda, put the discussion on the next week’s agenda or drop it.  By all means, if you finish a topic early, move on!  Everybody likes to end a meeting earlier than expected.

Don’t Dominate.  As the supervisor, limit your “airtime” to 50 percent (or lower).  Recognize that some information must be formally communicated, provide further detail in handouts or “location pointers” such as a website, HR’s office etc.  If possible, hand out pertinent information about the topics prior to the meeting. 

Manage Participation.  Encourage input from all CSRs.  A good way to set the tone for participation is to start your meeting with an “icebreaker.”  Ask a simple question, such as “What’s one new thing you learned this week?” or “What do you like best about working together?”  Ask people for their opinions, thoughts, and comments.

Follow Up.  At the end of each meeting, close with a brief summary of assignments and due dates.  Ensure that taskings and key decisions are recorded and reviewed at the next staff meeting.

Question:  When do plan to schedule a team-based staff meeting?

To book Kristin to speak or view her products go to www.ExtraordinaryTeam.com

You have piles of papers on your desk that report all kinds of operational data: time to answer, duration of call, cost per customer, abandonment rate, IVR first response, etc.  With call center technology counting each click, we generate more data than we need or could ever use.  However, each piece of information is part of the bigger puzzle created to help manage your CSR team better.  Right?

Well, maybe!  If you shared all that information with your team, their heads would spin and you would have a major revolution on your hands!  Instead, sift through the data and pull out the vital few metrics that tell you the most about what’s going on in the call center.  Make sure you have a healthy balance between operational data, financial data, service quality, customer satisfaction as well as employee satisfaction.  (Don’t worry if you don’t have a “balanced” set of metrics … just look at it as an opportunity to improve!)

Draw Pictures.  Prepare some simple trend charts of the data from the past week, month, quarter, or year depending on how often the data is collected.  Show not only the trend, but also draw a line to show the industry average and another line to show the company’s goal for that particular metric.  I also like to put an arrow up or down to show the desired direction – either up or down.  Chances are they have probably seen the data before – usually on a spreadsheet with a bunch of other information.  A picture says a thousand words, and everyone will be able to quickly tell how they are doing.

Open Up.  Share these trend charts with your team.  Tell them why you think they are important and how you gauge the success of your team.  Let them ask questions and discover why the trends were favorable (or not).  Let them wrestle with the same issues you wrestle with.  Often times, one metric affects another and triggers a robust discussion about the contextual issues that affect metrics – issues that you may not even be aware of.

Work Together.  If there is a problem, let the team discuss what occurred and how to prevent it from happening again.  Rather than you “telling” them what happened and how to fix it, let the team develop their own understanding of the situation and take ownership of how to implement their solution.

Validate the Measures.  Through this discussion you may discover that some measures might be “better” than others – they tell the “story” better.  Or maybe your measures aren’t balanced and only tell part of the story.  Make sure you have the best measures to help guide your team because you know the old adage: “What gets measured, gets done!”

Review Frequently.  Every other staff meeting take a fresh look at your measures and check out the trends.  Some teams even like to post the charts on the wall so the team can track progress – especially if there’s a payoff to hitting goal!

Question:  Are you using your team metrics effectively?

To book Kristin to speak or view her products go to www.ExtraordinaryTeam.com

I’ll let you in on a dirty little secret: “Teams don’t do real work.  Individuals do.”  Now, before you go crazy, hear me out:

Teams are great for making big and small agreements on how the work needs to be done.  Team members come together to plan and coordinate their individual work, establish goals and objectives, create new methods to do the work, evaluate how well they did, share information on what they have done….  I think you get the picture.

This is all important and necessary work.  But the “real work” gets done out on the plant floor, at your desk, or face to face with the customer.  It doesn’t get done in a team session.  We might do the work standing next to each other, but we typically take a “product” (either a physical product or an intangible product, such as a question), and then as individuals, add value to that product and deliver an “enhanced product” to our “customer” or teammate.

I really worry about “team mania” a workplace trend where everything must be done in a team setting.  It just isn’t so.  Unless your singular job is to plan, coordinate, and set team goals, you must balance your individual work with the team’s work.  If you spend over 50 percent of your time in team meetings, how can you ever get your work done?

Welcome to the “spillover” phenomenon.  We used to work 40 hours a week, now it’s up to 50, 60, and in some cases even more.  Some team members take work home “because I can get it done there.”  Teamwork should make us more efficient, not add to our already-full plates.

Ask yourself two questions:

1. Is your team meeting too often/long for you to get your work done? 
2. Is your work “spilling over” into longer work hours or taking work home? 

If your answer is “yes” to either of these two questions, take a serious look at your workload and priorities.  As a team, have a frank discussion about the relative importance of each task you do.  There is some “non-value added” work that needs to be taken off, rather than spilling over.

Question:  Is your work spilling over outside of the workplace?  If so, how can you and your team members solve this problem?

To book Kristin to speak or view her products go to www.ExtraordinaryTeam.com

As I travel about the country I meet people who are part of a “team.”  Perhaps they wear a “team” button, hang a picture proclaiming teamwork, or cheerfully answer the phone: “Team Blue.  How may we help you today?”  These are the front line workers who make teamwork happen.  They, above all people, should understand the essence of teamwork.  And yet, when I probe beneath the surface and ask about their teamwork, I am immediately transported to my Top Ten Not-So-Great Reasons to Form a Team:

Get Your T-Shirts Here!  A fast food restaurant has tons of buttons, ball caps, and t-shirts proclaiming “Team ***” all over the restaurant.  When asked what makes their staff a team, a young man replied, “Well, I got this really cool polo shirt.”

One Person is the Hero.  An automotive dealership assigned a “team” of professionals to service my car.  I was assigned “team blue” where Terry is the main man.  He checks me in, tells me what he’s going to do, how much it’s going to cost, and when it’s going to be ready.  Now, I know Terry didn’t do the actual work on my car, but who did?  The blue team elves did, that’s who.

Test the Customer.  So when I came back to get my car serviced again (yes, I did come back!), the service department voice mail operator asked for my team: white, red, blue, yellow, or green?  How am I supposed to know?  I dealt with Terry – the human being.  I don’t remember the color.  I don’t care about color.  I just want to get my car serviced (presumably by those cute little elves).  So I press “O.”  “Ooops,” she said.  “Terry works all the positions.  He’s a floater.  So we’ll just assign you to a new team!”  As far as I can tell, I have NEVER had the same person, team, or elves work on my car.

Hide from Problems.  A manufacturing plant used “teams” as an excuse to call a meeting to discuss a problem, to then call another meeting to continue to discuss the problem (you get the picture?), to then call another meeting . . . all in an effort to make the problem go away.

Look Good on Paper.  One project manager formed a “team” involving all the departments who would “touch” the process.  Unfortunately, he didn’t trust them nor expect them to do any work to develop the new product.  In fact, the less others were involved, he reasoned, the better.  But it looked great on paper (and to his boss) that he had formed a team to achieve buy-in and involvement in the process.

Achieve Your Own Agenda.  A close kin to the project manager, a high-falootin’ lawyer was the president of a special commission to make some recommendations.  He said all the right buzzwords, went through the motions of building a team, but when it came right down to it, he drove that committee like a steel tent peg.  Needless to say, the commission did nothing and reported nothing of consequence.  Dilbert would have been proud.

Diffuse Blame.  A hospital uses the “team approach” to patient care.  Doctors, nurses, therapists and other caregivers assemble to agree on the care management of each patient.  So when a patient receives conflicting reports, team members shrug and point the finger at another patient care team member.

Dump the Undesirable Work.  A financial services office formed a team of the company misfits – the sick, lame and lazy – to do the work nobody else wanted to do.  Needless to say, they didn’t accomplish much.

Keep ‘Em Hungry.  A sales and service company supports the team work concept where the seasoned salespeople are supposed to train and mentor the younger sales force.  Unfortunately, all sales team members are still compensated by a dog-eat-dog commission system where the old timers eat their young.  There is no incentive to work like a team.  And they certainly don’t act like a team.  But I just love the “Teamwork” picture hanging next to the company mission statement.

It’s a Party!  A manufacturing plant changes shifts every eight hours.  The process is pretty simple: the offgoing watch briefs the ongoing watch.  The ongoing watch relieves the offgoing watch.  Total Elapsed Time: 5 minutes.  However, during the 8 a.m .shift change, a gazillion people attend.  Not only do they change the shift, but others are invited “just in case” some problem needs to be solved or the plant manager needs to have an immediate answer to some off-the-wall question.  Total Elapsed Time:  Anywhere from one to three hours.

Use teams where they make sense. 

Question:  Do you see yourself or your teams in any of these situations?

To book Kristin to speak or view her products go to www.ExtraordinaryTeam.com

Every team needs a visual scoreboard that tracks how well they are doing.  Using the team’s mission statement, the team should have a few metrics that indicate team success and progress.   Just like the gauges on your car tell you critical information, your team’s dashboard lets the team know how they are doing. 

Trend Chart.  The most common gauge teams use is the trend chart where the horizontal axis is a unit of time (hour, day, week, month, quarter, or year).  The vertical axis is some unit of productivity or costs.  Make sure the team includes a vertical line indicating the team’s “goal.”  As the team tracks progress over time, connect the dots to see the trend going up or down.  See how far (or close) you are to the goal!

If you know the industry standard or “benchmark,” (usually obtained by your industry trade association), you can include a vertical line indicating how well you are doing with respect to your competitors.

Thermometer.  Another common gauge is the thermometer.  Popular with fundraising drives, the thermometer shows a quantity in comparison to the total goal.

Idiot Lights.  When displaying a category of information (i.e., good, average, bad) a simple status light might be helpful.  (In my family, we call this “idiot lights” because you should check the engine when the “check engine light” comes on!).  Green, yellow and red are universal colors that symbolize go, proceed with caution, and stop!

Digital or Analog?  The key to updating the dashboard is to make the process easy so it gets updated regularly.  Some organizations have system applications that compile and post the data to an intranet site.  More often then not, someone has to physically collect the data and post it for all to see.  Make sure there is clear accountability for who will post the numbers and how often.  Keep in mind, people do take vacations, so have a trustworthy backup to post the numbers for all to see the progress the team has made.

Question:  Do you have a clear measurement of your team’s progress vs goals?

To book Kristin to speak or view her products go to www.ExtraordinaryTeam.com

The average manager spends between 50 to 70 percent of their time in meetings.  Most of it is just talk and not a whole lot of action.  Listen to the conversations.  Are they conversations for action, commentary, or sideline?

Rayona Sharpnack of the Institute for Women’s Leadership frames these different conversations in the context of a football game:

In the huddle the quarterback says something like, “Okay, drop back, pass protection, sprint out right, pass on two.”  He’s asking that the front line form a V-shape protective shield around him so that the other team doesn’t crush him.  He’s requesting that the two folks on the end go down the field, cut across it, and wait for him to throw them the ball.  In return, he’s promising that he’s going to drop back, kind of veer off to the right, and throw a pass to one of those two people. That is a conversation for action, a set of instructions, an agreement on how to proceed.

There are other conversations going on at the same time.  There are commentators in the press box saying “Well, there’s Jeff George, arguing with the coach again.  The last time he was in this situation….”  Nothing they say has any effect on the game at all.  But because of their position and stature within the football community, they are allowed to comment and people actually listen to them!

Then there are the bystanders, the people in the stands who are saying, “Gee, I really don’t like the quarterback.  He’s calling the wrong play.”  These folks don’t have a bit of influence on the game, but they certainly have an opinion.

The same thing happens in organizations.  People are having conversations for action.  They are attempting to move the organization into the future.  Others are commenting or kibitzing from the sidelines talking about what could, should, or would have happened.

Question:  How much time do you spend in meetings?  Are you having conversations for action?

To book Kristin to speak or view her products go to www.ExtraordinaryTeam.com