Make Teamwork Happen

Labor Day signifies the last vestiges of summer.  Vacations have been taken, kids are almost back in school and temperatures start cooling down.  To prepare for the change in season, we go through the mental checklist including shopping for school, closing the pool, cleaning the air filters, seeding the grass — all those little things that need to be done to make sure you are healthy and happy.

Labor Day is also the perfect time to reflect on getting back into the swing of things at work.  Do you have your mental checklist of “things to do” to make sure you are part of a strong vibrant workplace?

Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman spent over 15 years identifying the little things that make a superior workplace.  In their best-selling book, “First, Break all the Rules:  What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently,” they identified 12 questions that signify whether people are engaged (or not) at work:

1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
2. Do I have the materials and equpment that I need in order to do my work right?
3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
4. In the past seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?
5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?
6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development?
7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?
8. Does the mission or purpose of my company make me feel that my job is important?
9. Are my coworkers committed to doing quality work?
10. Do I have a best friend at work?
11. In the past six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?
12. This past year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

Mentally go through these 12 questions.  If the answer is “yes,” that’s a good thing!  Congratulate yourself that you know what is expected of you, etc.  Make it a point ot thank the people who have contributed to your ability to say yes!

If the answer is “no,” or “I don’t know,” then make a decision.  Do you want to turn your “no” into a “yes?”  If so, then search for help.  Ask your supervisor, team leader or your fellow teammates how to create a vibrant workplace.

Make Labor Day into a Great Day!

Question:  Are you ready to take the steps to eliminate your “no’s?”

I should have known better.  I was working with a team of experts from diverse organizations to consider a controversial proposal.  The participants were used to working together in previous meetings, and my client didn’t feel like a “team building” activity was necessary.  They said, “That’s just way too ‘kumbaya’ for these technical experts.”

The reality is, whenever you start a meeting (especially in the morning), people need a warm-up activity to engage the mind and senses and set the tone for lively interaction.

Knowing that all teams need some type of “warm up” activity, but faced with resistance, I planned on putting the group into smaller groups to discuss a work activity.  This would then serve as a team-building activity as well as one of the first agenda items.  Good idea, but it took precious time to get past the preliminary politeness to get agreement on the purpose and process of the meeting.  It became so awkward that my client asked to do a team-building activity to energize the group!

This meeting reinforced a basic team principle:  Always do something to break the ice and build the team.  Even if it is a nonthreatening, simple question that you ask everyone to answer, get your teammates involved right up front.

For example, when teams are first forming, ask each team member to complete one of the following statements.  Assure team members that they can pass if they want as well as ask questions for clarity (not to challenge):

• The purpose of this team is to …
• From this team experience, I want to gain/get …
• To help this team succeed, I bring these strengths to the team …
• One thing that makes me a good team player is …
• I am most proud of …
• My most significant accomplishment is …
• My main concern about being on this team is …
• The expertise I bring to this team is …
• The one thing that frustrates me the most about working in teams is …
• To achieve our goal, I think the potential hurdles we might face are …
• My most memorable moment on this team/doing our mission is …

As you listen to the answers, capture the main ideas on a flip chart.  When all have had an opportunity to share, debrief the list by asking, “Are there any common themes?  How does this affect our team’s work?  Is there some action we need to take?” 

This simple starting activity gets everyone involved and energized to focus on the team’s work.

Question:  Do you have other ice breakers that you use prior to your team meeting?

It happens to everyone: You walk into a meeting and no one knows what’s going on. There’s no agenda, but there are multiple items to cover.  You can either dive right on in — or invest a few minutes in creating structure from the chaos.

Quickly hop up out of your seat, grab a flip chart marker and ask, “What do we need to accomplish at this meeting?”  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 reesults — not just a laundry list of topics.

Before you move on to the next step, ask whether everyone understands the outcomes and clarify if necessary.  Combine similar items — if there’s any dissent, assume that the ideas are distinct and should remain separate.  Elapsed time to list the outcomes:  two to five minutes.

Next, take each item and ask the suggesting person 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 it needs more time, it’ll have the flexibility to adjust the agenda.  Also ask the suggesting person whether he or she would like to lead the discussion.  If not, 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.

Last, prioritize your list.  Most teams have too much to do and not enough time, so it’s critical to start with the most important.  Some teams simply rank the agenda iems, with No. 1 being the most important, No. 2 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, identifyhing A1, A2, A3; B1, B2, B3; and C1, C2, C3.  Elapsed time:  one or two minutes.

You’ve now built your agenda!  Start with the A1 and move through the list.  Total time:  five to 10 minutes — a worthwhile investment to the teams’s work.

Question:  Do you create an agenda before your meeting?

Why are people so stingy with praise of their fellow teammates?

After all, we know that positive feedback inspires and motivates people.  So what lame excuses have you heard lately?

Too Busy.  You don’t have enough time to take a moment to smile and comment about a job well done.

Didn’t Notice.  You are so self-absorbed that you didn’t even notice your teammates’ hard work.  Ergo, you can’t comment on what you don’t see.

It’s Hard Work.  It takes a tremendous amount of work to invent new and creative ways to commend people on their efforts.  Why put forth the effort?

Ignorance is Bliss.  If you don’t know how to give praise, you look stupid bumbling your way through a few heartfelt thank-you’s.

Afraid To.  Whether you are afraid of being perceived as soft, weak or playing favorites, you would rather say nothing than anything at all.

Why Bother?  You rightfully expect your teammates to do their jobs correctly.  You should not have to provide any positive strokes to people simply doing their job.

Whatever your excuse, don’t be so stupid!

Stop what you are doing, notice the team’s work, and take the time and energy to simply comment on the great work your teammates do.  Don’t worry — as long as your feedback is genuine and sincere, you won’t look stupid.  You’ll look like a team player!

Question:  How have you praised your teammates lately?

I just took my daughter, Marina, to her college orientation at the University of Virginia. We must have walked around the entire campus, taken the trolley and wandered through “the Corner” buying all sorts of UVA paraphenalia. Check out Mincer’s for a wide assortment!

I was schooled on what to expect (and not to expect) as a parent of a college student….and I was most interested in one presentation on “building community within UVA”. The presenter was Dr. Kathryn A. Neeley, Associate Professor of Science, Technology and Society. She, among other professors, invites their students to have dinner with them…to get to know them better and to build community.

Question: Do you invite your teammates to break bread with you…simply to get to know them better and build the team?

Napoleon Hill coined the concept of the mastermind alliance in his classic book, “Think and Grow Rich.”  He believed that a group of like-minded, achievement-oriented individuals could dramatically leverage each other’s success.  It’s all about creating the synergy of like-minded professionals to have a safe place to celebrate success, solve pressing issues, offer support and encouragement, unleash creativity, gain valuable insights and expand and grow their businesses.

Mark Sanborn is an international speaker on leadership and teamwork, and he suggests the following guidelines to pursue a meeting of the minds:

Find the Right Mix.  Find great people with complimentary businesses, functions, positions with similar career levels and shared values.  The diversity of the group is a strength, and everyone should have something of value to bring to the group.  Mark warns that “too much disparity between experience levels, however, can hamper the sharing of ideas.”

Agree on Purpose.  Each member should share his or her own “What’s In It For Me” (WIIFM) for participating in the group.  Be very clear on what you are trying to accomplish;  generate leads, provide support, offer advice, encourage each other, etc.

Establish Ground Rules.  Agree on the administrivia that can drive teams crazy, e.g., meeting time, length, attendance and other fundamental beliefs to support the effective functioning of the team.  Melanie Mills, another national speaker from Indiana, phrased this aspect so well when she said, “Establish guidelines for how you operate with each other, like not putting down other members, a solutions-orientation versus a problem-orientation, sharing time so nobody dominates, confidentiality, and mutual respect.  This is probably the most important step, as it creates the atmosphere for you to operate in.  I would keep them simple but clear.”

Agree on Format.  Detrmine location, time and agenda.  Most Masterminds start with an update from each member.  That time can be used to share good news, ask questions, solve problems, etc.  Then the meetings usually move into a specific topic area (agreed to ahead of time) and each team member brings ideas, best practices, resources, suggestions, article reprints, book recommendations, etc.  The meeting usually concludes with a commitment to each other on what each member will do in between sessions.

Select a Coordinator.  One person needs to coordinate schedules and meeting logistics.  This position can be permanent or rotated between team members.

Use a Facilitor.  Make sure that each meeting has a designated facilitator (a Mastermind member or an external facilitator) to keep the process moving, ensure balanced participation and move actions forward.

Keep Checking.  All Mastermind groups evolve into new formats and mixes of people.  Periodically, check the “pulse” of the team by reinforcing what’s working well and what can be “upgraded.”  Mark assures us that it’s OK to “revisit your purposes, goals and time commitments frequently, so you can address whether adjustments should be made.”

Question:  If you are a member of a Mastermind group, what is your key to success?

Have I told you that I am moving cross country from Alexandria, VA to Scottsdale, AZ? Yep….loaded up the U-Haul truck and auto transport and we’re driving cross country.

Currently in Clarkesville, Arkansas (never have been in AR before!) and spent the ENTIRE day yesterday trying my darndest to stay loyal to Verizon.

You see, I love my fiber optic high speed wireless in Alexandria. Verizon calls it FIOS; I call it blazin! And, I wanted to transfer the service over to Scottsdale. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Well, it wasn’t.

Spent most of the day on the phone trying to get the right person to START my service in Scottsdale. 15 minute wait, then a disconnect. Happened three times. I almost threw my cell phone out the truck window.

I really want to do business with Verizon…but you can’t talk to a live body.

So, in desperation, I called QWest, and was delightfully surprised at the attentive and responsive people (Jeff, Kim and Gail) who answered the FREAKIN phone, handled my request pleasantly and thoroughly.

Although I will miss my FIOS, I will NOT miss Verizon. Sorry guys, I tried. And, for those of you trying to call my old phone number, that number has been disconnected and Verizon says they “can’t promise” to add the forwarding number to the disconnect announcement. So…the message from Verizon is “don’t let the door hit you on the way out!”

Question: What are you doing that makes it hard for your customers to stay loyal to you?

The typical corporate e-mail user receives more than 30 messages a day and spends an hour or two dealing with these messages.  Learn to manage your inbox efficiently so you can realize the benefits of e-mail; it’s less formal, quicker, easier, more convenient and cost-effective that other forms of communication.

Quit fiddling with e-mail throughout the day.  Check your e-mail regularly (e.g., first thing in the morning and right after lunch).  Do not allow e-mail to continually interrupt your day.  You don’t need to know every single time you’ve got mail, so turn off your noisy e-mail alarm.  It drives your office mates crazy!

Before you open all your messages, check your e-mail subject lines while in your inbox/browser.  Delete the junk mail.  It’s the equivalent of standing by the trash can as you go through your “snail mail.”

Handle e-mails only once.  Discipline yourself to DRAFS as many messages as you can:

Delete
Reply
Act
Forward
Save

DELETE:  Delete spam, unwanted messages and incoming “free offers.”  Nothing is free.  E-mail is a great way for companies to collect information and leave “cookies” (little pieces of software) on your computer.

Delete those messages you won’t read or don’t have time to read.

If you don’t want to receive jokes, chain letters or other types of “junk” e-mail, politely tell your teammates to delete your name off their distribution lists.

Create a “rule” or “filter” that will automatically delete unwanted e-mail from your inbox.

REPLY:  Reply within your agreed-upon times, even if a brief acknowledgement is all you can manage.  Ignoring or postponing a response to a teammate’s message is downright rude.  When you know your teammates are expecting a reply but you need more time, send a short “what’s happening” message to let others know when you will get back to them.

You are not expected to reply to an FYI or copy to/cc message.

Use threads (a string of responses to a single mesage) by setting up the reply function.  You can set up your system to include the sender’s message at the beginning or at the end of your reply — usually a matter of preference.  Don’t forget to edit excess forwarding information that doesn’t relate to the content of the message.

Don’t reply to a point in a prior e-mail message without quoting or paraphrasing what you’re responding to and who said it.  When replying to just one point of a long e-mail, clip and past the pertinent paragraph only.  A > inserted before text means “you wrote.”  Try using a different color and size font so that your answers stand out from the original message.  (Let others know, e.g., “See my response in blue.”)

You can use the “reply all” feature to “brainstorm” a topic, allowing everyone on the team to participate.

Beware of Reply All.  Do all of the people from the incoming to: and cc: lines need to know?

Unless the matter is really urgent, don’t try to reply to every message as soon as it comes in.  Generally speaking, people who respond to every message within five or 10 minutes are paying more attention to their e-mail than their jobs.

When e-mail has been lobbed back and forth (like a tennis ball) for more than three volleys, it’s time to pick up the phone, or go face to face (F2F).

ACT:  Take immediate action on items that will take less than two minutes, or if you have time, deal with them on the spot.

Group all messages that will take longer than two minutes into an “action folder.”  Clean out your action folder when you have time to deal with them appropriately (usually once per day).

Flag your e-mail messages for follow-up actions.

Stop procrastinating.  Just take action.

FORWARD:  Forward misdirected e-mails to the correct address.  Don’t even forward spam or chain letter e-mails.  Not only are chain letters against the law, it’s tacky.

When forwarding messages, put your comments at the top of the message.

E-mail gives us an illusion of privacy, but your e-mail could be forwarded to ANYONE.  Do not forward your fellow teammates’ mail without permission (or tacit understanding), especially if it may embarrass them.  It is all too easy to forward a personal letter to the entire team, division or company.

When forwarding e-mail, set your e-mail client character width to 70 characters.  This keeps your text from getting pushed off the screen with older software that does not have a “word wrap” feature.

More than three forwards, and you’re out!

SAVE:  Develop an orderly filing system for those e-mail messages you wish to save.  Create file folders to save your messages.  Create sub folders for each process, project or program your team works on.  When saving your messages, rename with with a descriptive title under a specific subject folder so you can find them later.

Only save messages you think you will need to retrieve at a later date.  After all, how many paper files have you ever gone back to?

Create a shared drive or website to post and save team information.

Keep messages remaining in your electronic mailbox to a minimum.

If you don’t know what to do with it, or don’t have time to deal with it, save it to a “temp” folder.

Clean out that “temp” folder once a week.

Question:  Do you follow these e-mail rules or do you have others of your own?

CNN’s Cafferty Report yesterday posed the intriguing question: “Can Hillary Clinton muscle her way into the V.P. slot?”

My ears perked up when Jack Cafferty mentioned that “Jenny from Rome, Georgia says that He [Obama] seems to have surrounded himself with an excellent team and Hillary is not a team player.”

I wonder, what would give the impression to the American public (Jenny specifically) that Clinton is not a team player?

Question: What signals are we sending to the general population that we are (or are not) a team player?

I was asked to moderate a panel discussion after a very important presentation to company stakeholders. During the final dry run, I observed the speech coach directing the Vice Presidents. Notice, I use the term “directing” rather than “coaching”.

Her directions included phrases such as “Ok. Now do this.” “What we’re going to do is…” When someone would offer an idea, she would say “Yes (or No),” and then express her opinion.

She was so intent on the task at hand, she didn’t even acknowledge the other diverse expertise in the room (the other company representatives, their brand consultant, or even me!).

Technically, this speech consultant is very good. I agree with many of her directions and even admire her skill. But her style leaves me cold.

I would rather see her be more collaborative….and well, be a coach rather than a director!

Question: When someone is observing you in action, would they see you as a director or collaborative coach?