Make Teamwork Happen

In a survey conducted by the Association for Quality and Participation (AQP), managers were asked why teams fail.  The number one answer cited was the insufficient training of teams.  Number two was resistance from supervisors and mid-level managers.  Supervisors resist team efforts because they:

Fear Job Loss.  Supervisors may fear that the new “team-based organization” is really aimed at eliminating at least one level of management and allowing the organization to save big bucks.

Are Skeptical.  They seriously question whether the new structure will work, or work better than the current regime.

Fear Demotion.  Supervisors who were moving up the career ladder are now called “facilitators” or “team leaders.”  Their new career path is unclear and untested.

Can’t Boss.  Unwilling or unable to give up their perceived power as “the boss,” they won’t or can’t encourage team participation.

Lack Role Clarity.  The new role and responsibilities are not clearly defined.  Not only are they clueless, but their former subordinates are unclear of the new relationship.  As a result, the roles don’t really change – just the titles.

Fear Less Pay.  They are uncertain how the change will affect their bottom line – how much money they bring home.

When implementing a team-based structure, the organization must deal with all these fears.  The most important issue centers around the job.  Will they or won’t they have a job in the new structure?  When restructuring, consider the widest range of options:

No Job Loss.  Assure them that no one will lose their job.  Supervisors will receive the necessary training and support to make the transition to assume new roles and responsibilities.

Option to Leave.  Interview managers and supervisors.  Allow those who do not want to make the transition to leave the organization with a severance package.

Gradual Transition.  Make a strategic decision to gradually introduce the team structure to the organization   –usually by focusing on one business unit first.  Move “ready” people into key roles on the team.  Create one great unit before concentrating on another unit or the entire organization. 

Change Jobs.  Interview managers and supervisors.  Select the best suited for the new structure and give others a choice between another job within the company or a severance package.

Cut ‘Em Loose.  Once you have exhausted every opportunity to change the people from within, change the people by letting them work elsewhere.

They key to overcoming resistance as well as launching a successful team-based organization is to constantly communicate, provide team skills and opportunities for all to get involved:

Design New Role.  Invite them to participate in designing the new roles and responsibilities.  People have more ownership and commitment to those things they help design.

Clarify New Role.  Make sure they understand the purpose, logic, and benefits of moving to a team-based structure.  Clarify their role and allow the opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback on their progress. 

Train.  Provide training on basic team skills such as facilitation, coaching, etc.  Use behavioral techniques, role playing, and simulations.

Coach.  Provide individual coaching sessions for those who are having difficulty in transitioning.

Visit Others.  Have them visit other successful team-based organizations to observe the new structure in action and to discuss their new roles.

Go To Conferences.  Let them attend conferences to hear the experiences (the good, the bad and the ugly – we learn from others’ mistakes as well as successes) of others who have walked in their shoes.

Peer Meetings.  Provide opportunities for them to meet with their peers to share their concerns and ideas.

Keep in mind that transitioning to a team-based organization is a continuous learning experience.  It’s not a one-time deal.  The organization must regularly communicate, train, provide feedback opportunities, redefine and improve the roles/structure.

Question:  Are you resisting your team’s efforts?

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

Spring means spring cleaning, so take a look at your workplace. 

A team effort would clear up the mess and build up your team at the same time.  Schedule a “Spring Cleanup” on a Friday after lunch.  Ask everyone to wear jeans or comfy clothes, roll up their sleeves and work. 

Put on some upbeat music and start with their individual workspaces.  Take a good look:  Where do you spend most of your time?  Things that are vital to doing your job should be at your fingertips, things that are important should be moved within an arm’s length, and things you use occasionally should be a step away—or even in another office. 

Move the vital (A’s), important (B’s), and occasional items (C’s) to the appropriate space.  This includes furniture, pictures, files etc.  Take all the remaining clutter and pile it into the center of the floor. 

Then move to the common areas.  Have two or three people do the conference room, another group do the kitchen and another do shared spaces.  At this point, you should have several large piles. 

Go through each item in them and quickly decide to: 

Trash it.

Refer it.  Put it in an out box with a routing slip or ask team members if they want it.  (If not, trash it). 

File it.  Make an A pile, a B pile and a C pile to be filed later.  Act on it.  You have to do something with the item.  Make an A pile, a B pile and a C pile to be scheduled later. 

This is the fun part:  If in doubt, ask your teammates what you should do.  Others will see a need or be much more ruthless.  When all is done, throw out the trash, route to the outbox, and file the A’s in your vital space, the B’s in important space and the C’s in the occasional space.

Now all you have left are the action items.  Prioritize them and schedule the work. A good rule of thumb is one task per person per day.  Before you know it, you workplace is less cluttered and you have done a lot of work in a short time.

Question:  Have you scheduled your team’s spring cleaning?

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

The team leader is the most pivotal role on the team.  The “leader” sets the tone and expectations for how a diverse group of people will work together to achieve specific results. 

The team philosophy may be new to some team leaders and members.  They will instinctively continue to work independently and look to the leader for specific task direction.  To build productive teams, team leaders must direct, guide, facilitate, and coach. 

Leading teams means making tough decisions to obtain the appropriate level of involvement, calling upon the experience and expertise of each team member.  Strategies vary according to the maturity of the team – spending more time directing at first, and then developing and evolving to the point where the team can handle more and new responsibilities and work interdependently.  As you build your team:

Tell ‘Em Everything.  As you set the team up for success, clarify expectations, guidelines, deliverables, and deadlines.  Be willing to state what you know – AND what you don’t know.  The team needs to have the same information you have in order to build trust and work together.

Be a Coach.  The successful team leader coaches the team so it can be more involved in preparing and planning the work, knowing what work is being done, and setting high performance goals.  Of course, this means that you may need to bone up on coaching and team dynamics.  Work closely with a team facilitator to train and coach you!

Watch Process as Well as Content.  Be concerned not only with what the team does, but how the team goes about its business.  You can’t achieve great results over the long term without also focusing on what is happening to and between team members.

Share the Wealth.  Traditionally, the team leader “leads” the team (and does most of the talking), records what’s being said on a yellow legal pad, and keeps time (or forgets to watch the time and everyone is stuck for an extra two hours….).  Why not share the wealth?  Ask for a different team member to be the recorder, timekeeper or even “lead” different parts of the meeting.

Don’t Hog Airtime.  Watch how much “airtime” you use.  Do you dominate the discussion?  Are you the first or last to speak?  Do you offer your opinion?  Ask for advice?  Ask others for their ideas? 

Be Part of the Team.  You put your pants on just like everyone else.  You are no better or worse than your team members.  So check the ego at the door and look forward to doing great work with great people.

Aim for Consensus.  The most common concern I hear from team leaders is the fear that the team will march off in a direction they don’t think is wise or appropriate.  When the team aims for consensus, THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN.  Think about it.  Consensus means that all can live with and support the decision upon implementation.  If you, as a team member, can’t live with it, then you don’t have a consensus!

Have a Fallback.  If the team gets jammed and can’t reach a consensus (or they possibly could, but will talk longer than you have time for), then “fall back” to a previously identified position.  For example, many teams declare: “We will aim for consensus, but in the event we cannot reach a consensus within this meeting, we will fall back to the team leader who decides.”  Someone has to break the “tie.”  In this case the team leader calls it.  Or you can fall back to a majority vote.

Question:  How do you rate yourself as a team leader?

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

As my kids were devouring Harry Potter books, I was devouring Frank Pacetta’s book, Stop Whining–and Start Winning.  Frank is committed to making the workplace a great place to work, versus being “ho-hum.”  Are you just going through the motions in a ho-hum world?  Or, are you and your teammates making it a great place to work?  Do you say, “What a great place to work?” Do you hear it said around you?  Find out why not.  It’s the first major step to eradicating ho-hum.

Frank suggests that great teams:

Are Sincerely Passionate about People. Genuinely care about your team mates – their health and well-being.  Forge a bond with them by discovering who they really are and what makes them tick.  Get past the superficial “howzitgoing?” 

Keep Promises.  Do what you say you are going to do.  And if you find out you can’t, tell each other as soon as humanly possible.  Making promises and keeping them is a demonstration of your sincerity.  It builds trust.  Breaking promises is a trust-buster.

Don’t Lie.  Even little white lies.  No half truths, sugar-coated bad news, or even worse, don’t say anything at all.

Stick to the Basics.  Don’t complicate things.  Identify your fundamental business purpose – what you do that pays the rent – and then do it faster, better, and more productively.

Cut Down Barriers. Trivial matters create an amazing amount of friction and drag.  Remove those obstacles that get in the way of doing your basic business.

Live the Vision.  Don’t just read it.  Act on it.  The analogy of test driving a new car fits perfectly.  Most of us are on our best behavior until we’re out of sight of the dealer’s lot and then we gun it.  Let’s see what this baby can do!

Keep Score.  How do you know if you’re winning or losing if you don’t keep score?  When you accomplish a goal, make sure everyone knows it.  And when you lose one, don’t keep it a secret.

Recognize Others.  People love to be loved, honored, and respected.  Don’t be stingy. By asking for teamwork and then neglecting to recognize those who comply, we signal that teamwork really isn’t all that important.

Have Fun.  There comes a time when the hardest working people need to kick back, laugh, and have a good time.  Celebrate success, turn on the tunes, crank up the volume.  Play a little.

Have Pride.  There’s no passion or high performance without pride.  What makes you proud to work here and be part of the team?  What did you do today to merit that pride?

Talk Teams.  If you talk about teams all the time, there’s a better chance that you might do it!

Communicate Incessantly.  Tell people both the good and the bad.  Tell them exactly what’s going on, why it’s happening, and what they (and you) need to succeed.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help.  Ask questions and demand answers.  And don’t hide behind technology – it’s perfect for avoiding conflict (which only postpones the conflict and makes it worse).

Pull Your Fair Share.  All members of a team must be fairly tasked, given the assignment and business situation.  Resentment and deep frustration are guaranteed if one team member clocks up a disproportionate share of the team’s business while the others are allowed to coast.

Don’t settle for ho-hum.  Rev up that engine and make it a great team and place to work!

The Secrets to Successful Teamwork:  Trust and Accountability
Article by Rhonda R. Savage, Reliable Plant Magazine, 9/2009

Question:  Is your workplace a great place to work or is it ho hum?

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

Have you ever noticed how the team takes on the personality of the team leader?  If the team lead is stressed, the team is stressed.  If the leader is easy-going, the team tends to be easy-going.  Politically correct?  The team is politically correct.  Rigid?  The team will tend to be rigid, etc.

Think about a team you are currently involved with.  How would you describe the team?  Now describe the team leader.  Do you see any difference?  Probably not – unless the team has mature team skills to transcend the effects of one person or the team was inherited from a different team leader.

This mirroring phenomenon starts with the very first interactions with the team leader.  For example, if the team leader demonstrates in both words and actions that his primary focus is on the task, then the team will also focus on the task.  If the team leader deeply cares about the people on the team, the team will be more relationship-oriented.  Or if the leader is obsessed about process, the team will obsess about process as well.  A well balanced team leader focuses evenly on task, process, and relationships so that team members can easily “follow” by actively participating.

One of my clients asked me how to “get around” a marginally effective team leader.  Sorry to say, unless you have a mature team who can share the roles and responsibilities for team leadership, you simply cannot “get around” the leader.  Most teams are used to and need some kind of leadership to provide focus and guidance, ensure active participation, and build sustainable agreements.  If your team leader is not effective, look in the mirror.  Chances are you are not as effective as you could be either.  When you point your finger at the team leader, point the finger right back at yourself.  This is no longer a “team leader” problem, but a “team” problem and should be brought to the attention of the team, discussed, and new agreements made (ground rules) to encourage the team and leader to be more effective.

Question:  Are you an effective example for your team leader?

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

The idea of Work-Out started in 1989 as a way to push cultural change throughout General Electric.  Neutron Jack had just streamlined the workforce, but the work processes had not been redesigned well enough to acknowledge the difference.  So Jack (and a bunch of consultants) developed the Work-Out to literally “work” the bureaucracy, rework and otherwise stupid stuff out of the process.

The whole point of holding a Work-Out event is to maximize the number of high-quality ideas for change and to carve out a doable list of actions that will deliver fast results on the improvement opportunity.

So what makes a Work-Out unique?  First, the people who do the work define the issues and develop recommendations.  Then leadership makes the decision “on the spot” so that all involved with making the recommendations know the status.  Every recommendation has an implementation owner and a champion (a business manager who has the clout to make the approved recommendation a reality).  Finally, every approved recommendation has the highest level of commitment to action (in other words, leadership gets in front of the action versus “behind” or supporting the recommendation).  That means all obstacles are removed for swift action.  It’s all about easy fixes and quick successes in an environment ripe for reducing waste – not long, complex science projects!

The Work-Out consists of three phases:

Planning.  A small planning team defines the problem and issues, identifies the information needs and sources, identifies and prepares Work-Out session participants, identifies and prepares the leadership, and designs the session. Participants are selected for their particular expertise/information about the process, ability to influence the process and potential to implement solutions at all levels.

Work-Out Session.

• Work Out Introduction.  Brief participants on the business issues and opportunities, review the objectives and agenda for Work-Out, and introduce the overall Work-Out process.
• Small-Group Idea Generation.  Set up sessions to create an initial array of ideas and opportunities that can be further focused during the course of the session.
• Gallery of Ideas.  All the participants meet to prioritize and select ideas and opportunities for further work.
• Small-Group Recommendation Development.  Split up and turn initial high-level ideas and opportunities into specific recommendations with measures of success and accountable owners.
• Town Meeting.  Teams present the issue, root cause, recommendations for action and potential payoff to the leadership.  The leadership openly dialogues with the team and other participants about the viability of the idea, and asks for input from the managers who will be affected by the team’s recommendation, before making a “yes/no” decision on the spot.

Execution.  The next day, the implementation owners will meet with the Sponsor to discuss next steps including action planning, identifying key players/team and establishing disciplined oversight/periodic progress reviews.  Then it’s simply a matter holding people accountable for following the plan!

For more information about Work-Outs, get the book, “The GE Work-Out” by Dave Ulrich, Steve Kerr and Ron Ashkenas.  As the original consultants to GE, they describe the Work-Out process and give you enough information to help you sponsor a Work-Out – or scare you away!

Question:  Have you tried this process and what were your tangible results?

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

Reality TV is a voyeuristic view of teamwork.  The producers take willing subjects, throw them together with a simple premise, and let the fireworks begin.  Each segment is a fascinating case study on team dynamics where we have the opportunity to see the good, the bad, and the ugly.

My favorite show this season is “The Celebrity Apprentice,” a multiple-week contest where sixteen celebrities vie to be the winner for a large donation to the charity of their choice.  Each week, Trump gives the team(s) a task.  The teams are then evaluated and one member is “fired” with the last person winning the crown. 

So far there are several lessons to be learned:

Be Clear.  Trump is explicit about his expectations.  Each week he provides a “dossier” or team charter with a clear objective and some guidance.  One week, the objective was to “set up a bridal gown store and sell as many dresses as possible in a certain number of hours.”  The team who makes the most money “wins” and someone from the “losing” team will be sent home.  It’s an intriguing microcosm for Donald and his advisors to evaluate the celebrities’ business acumen, team skills, and competitiveness.

Be Timely.  After each task is completed, Trump immediately assembles the teams and evaluates the results.  The teams know instantaneously how they did, where they stand, and what he thinks of their performance.  (Note to all team leaders: he didn’t send them an email; he gave the good and bad news face to face.)

Be Decisive.  Donald Trump is known for being able to make decisions swiftly.  After gathering input from his advisors, he alone makes the decision as to who will be fired. 

Align with the Culture.  Given the fact that Trump is decisive, direct, and results-oriented, it is challenging to operate with a different approach, especially when you’re in a television fishbowl.  For example, within the Trump Organization, it is better to make the wrong decision than to be wishy-washy.  It is better to be direct and objectively state your case than to assume your actions will speak for you.

Question:  Would Donald Trump hire you?

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

Are you working too hard as a team leader? 

You are busy establishing goals, setting direction, leading your team; managing discussions and keeping folks on task while you must document all this teamwork!  It’s exhausting!

Relax, no need to hog all the work!  Try “sharing the wealth” in small pieces.  Ask yourself, “What function can I ask someone else to do that will help me and develop that person’s abilities?” 

Give team roles to others on the team:

Gatekeeper.  Make sure everyone has a chance to speak and that one person doesn’t hog all the airtime.

Timekeeper.  Have someone else accountable for helping the team start on time and end on time.  Ask them to give the team a warning before the end of each agenda item.  When the time is up, the team may decide to 1) move toward immediate closure of the discussion, 2) “park” the issue for another time or 3) renegotiate the timetable and continue the discussion (but at least you won’t be trapped and unable to escape!)

Scribe. Rather than taking notes on a yellow legal pad, ask someone on the team to keep the team’s “minutes” to remind the team of past agreements and future work.

Recorder.  Ask another person (or if on a small team, ask the scribe) to record people’s ideas on an easel chart for all to see.  When people’s ideas are recorded, they feel as if they have been heard.  Also, by posting the comments, you don’t have to keep repeating the same points.

Spokesperson.  Whenever the team needs to report out, consider having someone else (or the entire team) report out key features.

If you are nervous about giving up some control, you might want to give the team member some “on the spot” coaching about how to perform their team role.  With a little bit of forethought and preparation, your team will be more involved and you won’t have to work so hard!

Question:  What roles can you delegate to your team members?

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

I was sitting in a hotel lobby when a waiter came over to take my order.  I noticed he had a large button pinned to his shirt emblazoned with the words “I AM EMPOWERED.”  I asked him, “What are you empowered to do?”  He quickly replied, “I dunno.  They make us wear this.”

Although empowerment is a contemporary buzzword, the term “empower” is not new, having arisen in the mid-17th century with the legalistic meaning “to invest with authority; authorize.”  Shortly thereafter, it began to be used generally to mean “enable or permit.”  Its modern use originated with the civil rights movement which sought “political empowerment.”  The word was then adopted by the women’s movement and then even more generally to connote being in more control of one’s own destiny.

I just hate to see a perfectly good word be bandied about indiscriminately.  When using the term “empowerment,” management has given specific authority to a person to make certain decisions.  It is not unbounded power to do whatever is necessary whenever one chooses.  Typically, empowerment comes in three forms:

Structured. Each individual or job title has been given a set of do’s and don’ts – limits on what they can or cannot do, that is broader than usual.  For example, if you have a dissatisfied customer, you are empowered to return the item to stock and credit the customer for the amount purchased.  If the customer wants further remuneration, you are not empowered and must get a decision from your manager.

Philosophical. A set of codified rules that guide employee behavior.  For example, one company uses the following as their “definition of empowerment”: 1) Take care of the customer, 2) Use the system, 3) If the system does not take care of the customer, escalate to management, 4) Management to take care of the customer (see rule 1), 5) Reevaluate empowerment boundaries.  Everyone agreed that no one could get into trouble for following these rules.  People who wanted to get promoted and recognized should follow these rules as well.

Adult Rule. We treat employees like capable adults, giving them license to use their minds and judgment within the scope of their responsibilities.  In my experience, this is the toughest and most dangerous form of empowerment, since it leaves a great deal of room for interpretation and can be seen as “abandonment” by some.

For any empowerment program to survive, the employees must know what empowerment is, know what is acceptable and non-acceptable behaviors under the definition, and receive constant feedback and evaluation of the boundaries and the decisions made.

Question:  How do you empower your team members?

More on this topic:

Empower the Team

Empowerment — The Fuel of the Future

Team Dynamics and Team Empowerment in Health Care Organizations

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

On my way back from Cape Town, South Africa, I was trapped during the last leg of the trip from Chicago O’Hare to Phoenix, AZ.  No more movies on US Airways and nothing left to read, I reached for the US Airways Magazine.  Now, as a very frequent flier, I rarely read airplane magazines.  Guess that’s because I bring enough work to do….but that’s another story.

I was truly entranced by the “Must Read” section – Chapter One of Lynda Resnick’s new book, Rubies in the Orchard: The POM Queen’s Secrets to Marketing Just About Anything.

Chapter One focuses on POM – pomegranate juice.  The story was so compelling, we now purchase POM – primarily to wash down our vitamins in the morning…but that’s another story.

The really interesting part of Chapter One is the fact that Lynda and her husband, Stewart hired their first COO who “wasn’t quite so enthused [about the virtues of pomegranate juice and POM being a smash in the marketplace].  He was extremely capable and uniquely qualified to run the business with me, but he spent the better portion of his working day hunched over his computer, analyzing financial models that proved beyond doubt that there was just no way this juice business was going to work.”

As George Michael sings, “You gotta have faith.”  And when the leadership doesn’t have faith nor passion about your mission, you’re doomed.  As Lynda confesses, “In the beginning, I was having a hard time building a team and getting the business off the ground.  Without the COO’s emotional investment in the project, it was hard to get emotional investment from others.  Every time we tried to take flight, something, some nagging doubt, some form of disbelief, would drag us back down to earth.”

Question:  Does your leadership team have faith and passion to be successful?