Make Teamwork Happen

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?

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?

A few careers ago, I was on a panel to interview and select officers into the U.S. Coast Guard Direct Commission Program. A rather grueling process, we went through an applicant’s file and interviewed him (or her), trying to elicit stories of past behavior that would meet our specific criteria for selection…lifted directly from the CG Performance Appraisal Form.

After a few years of grading these candidates, I noticed an interesting pattern in the results: The Board scored Eagle Scouts exceptionally well - and those candidates who received their commission, did very well as a Reserve Officer.

Only 5 percent of Scouts achieve Eagle rank by age 18, when Scouting ends - and usually, it’s only one or two from a troop.

When I read the Washington Post today about ELEVEN members of Troop 681’s Viking Patrol achieving their Eagle Scout at the same time…that’s a testament to teamwork.

Question: What is every member on your team collectively striving to achieve?

I was just talking with my client about who needs to be in a crucial strategic thinking meeting. We want to limit the number of invitees to a small, intimate (and manageable) number of folks….but he has over 150 people in his organization!

Rather than inviting the usual suspects (top management), I suggested that he look for “two-fers” - people who fulfill at least two, three or four team objectives:

1) Content - the invitee will participate and make valuable contributions and/or provide perspective

2) Commitment - you will need their buy-in and commitment in the implementation of whatever the team is going to come up with

3) Teambuilding - you would like to use the event to develop mutual bonds of trust and patterns of communication among the participants

4) Diversity - the invitee represents a specific demographic of the organization (race, culture, gender, geography, age, longevity within the organization etc.)

While the research on optimal team numbers is not conclusive, it tends to fall in the five to 12 range (see my article in my newsletter) - so make sure each team member is at least a two-fer!

Question: What’s the composition of your team?

One of the best ways to educate and energize your team is to take a continuing education trip together. Not only will the team learn great new ideas, but they will also share in a powerful team building experience, if all goes well.

Unfortunately, many teams just decide to “up and go” and then return terribly disappointed. Charlene White, a Norfolk-based orthodontist consultant has some great ideas to plan a terrific continuing education trip with your team:

Know Thy Purpose. Why does your team want to go on a “field trip” together? What do you want to learn? What’s the best way to learn this information? Where do you want to go? Many teams like to go to a workshop together. Others like to visit a team in the same industry (e.g. an orthodontist team visits another orthodontist’s practice). Or “benchmark” different industry that performs similar processes (e.g. a hospital emergency room team visited a NASCAR pit crew!).

Who Me? If you like to take trips with your team, make this very clear in the hiring process and your job description. If this isn’t a clear expectation, then be sensitive to individual responses. Not wanting to go on a trip does not necessarily mean the person is not a team player. It is much better to make the trip an option rather than a demand.

Fun Vs. Education. Try to balance the fun and the learning. Make sure the expectations for education are outlined in advance, including the meetings they are expected to attend and even curfews, if appropriate.

Describe the Details. Conflicts will occur if people don’t know what’s going on. Charlene recommends a wonderful “Continuing Education Trip Guide” form to prevent misunderstandings. She recommends the team come together to go through the details and to ask/answer any questions about the trip. Hearing things through the grapevine creates problems.

Keep a Journal. When going on a multi-day trip, exciting events and insightful information may get lost. Encourage team members to write down their insights as they arise, or to spend a few moments at the end of the day to summarize the tidbits and lessons learned.

Compensation. The payment of hourly wages or salary should be clearly stated in advance of the trip. While your organization’s policies probably provide some guidance, you should never ask a team member to lose income or vacation time in order to participate.

Travel Expenses. Quite often, team members do not have extra money in their budget to take work-related trips. The organization should pay for all registration fees, transportation costs, meals and accommodations. Precalculate all meals and daily expenses for the trip. Give each team member a check prior to the trip to cover all their expenses. Have them keep receipts and balance out any money owed to them or back to the organization when they return.

Follow Through. When the team comes home, find out what lessons can be applied to the team’s work. If they do their journaling, the follow through will be a snap!

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Al Gore, has probably done more for this planet than he could have as President of the United States. As an advocate for environmental sustainability, he has raised public awareness about the impact of our actions on the environment.

Most of us are familiar with a basic recycling program (Prince Edward Island is the most sophisticated I’ve run into), but there are other, very simple ways your team can be “green”:

Check your Lights. Switch from using incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs (the swirly kind) – and don’t buy the cheap ones; they burn out just like regular light bulbs! Check out Jane Poynter’s Going Green for a great explanation.

Turn it Off. Don’t forget to turn off the lights and HVAC when your team is not in the room.
Disposables. Minimize your use of disposable products such as napkins and paper towels by using real plates, glasses and napkins. If you must, use biodegradable, paper-based products. Styrofoam takes forever to break down.
Drive Together. When going to a meeting together, carpool, use a shuttle service or public transportation.
Be Bulky. Use bulk dispensers when you can rather than individual servings. For example, use a water pitcher or a liter bottle rather than individual bottles of water or soda.
Be Water Efficient. Don’t let the tap run if you don’t need water immediately.
Minimize Printing. Do you really need to print out that email? If not, don’t. If yes, print out on recycled paper (or the unused side of your waste paper!)
Buy from Local Producers. Not only are you supporting the local economy, but you are reducing energy used to transport the item to your destination.

What is your team doing to minimize your footprint on the world? I’d love to hear your ideas.

*spoiler alert* Topically relevant analysis of the new season’s opening of House follows; however, if you haven’t seen it yet, be aware that the post contains episode revelations!

The quintessential lone wolf, Dr. House on Fox TV, launches the fourth season without a team to contribute to the perplexing medical cases that confound doctors and audiences alike. Although House is quite the contrarian, he needs the prompting of intellectually challenging specialists who inspire collaborative, creative hypothesis, where the answer becomes intuitively obvious within 60 minutes.

In the Season Three finale, the set-in-his-ways House was confronted with a series of major changes to his team. Neurologist DR. ERIC FOREMAN left Princeton Plainsboro because he didn’t want to turn into House; House randomly fired old-money intensivist DR. ROBERT CHASE, claiming he learned everything he’s going to learn in the past three years, or nothing at all; and immunologist DR. ALLISON CAMERON resigned, knowing House will be completely unaffected by her decision.

As new season opens, House doesn’t think he needs a team; he’d rather go it alone. However, as the show progresses, he supplants his old team with his friend, oncology specialist DR. JAMES WILSON and the Dean of Medicine and hospital administrator, DR. LISA CUDDY to help him think through the various hypotheses. When they refuse to “enable” him, House ends up in the walk-in clinic, just to bounce some ideas off of a ER doc or two.

At the end of the show, House finally understands that he needs the intellectual stimulation of others and is a better doctor with a team around him.

Question: Do you see yourself better as a lone wolf or someone who works better with a team?