Make Teamwork Happen

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 heard someone complain that they received too much praise or attention for a job well done?  As a team, create special moments to celebrate team success and contributions.  Eric Harvey, in his book, 180 Ways to Walk the Recognition Talk, has several great ideas to recognize your team members.

Make a List.  Write down the names of all your team members.  Go through your list and remember the last time you recognized each person . . .  and for what.  If you can’t remember, then it’s a sure sign you are not doing enough!

Start with a Question.  “Who is a role model when it comes to teamwork?”  or “When you do a good job, how do you like to be recognized?”  You’ll not only learn about what motivates your teammates, but you’ll also establish an expectation that everyone will do a good job.

Pass Along Award.  Establish some sort of trophy, gizmo, stuffed animal, etc. that has meaning to the team.  Include some pass-along rules like:  “The Stuffed Monkey Award” (no monkey business here) for quality performance must be passed along by the recipient to another deserving person within two weeks of receipt.”  Let everyone contribute to the type of award(s) and accompanying rules.

Wall of Fame.  Post all kinds of stuff on a bulletin board (real or virtual):  pictures of team members, copies of certificates of completion for training, thank you notes from customers, newspaper clippings about the organization’s success, etc.  Let your team’s creativity flow . . .

Show Off.  Invite others to “benchmark” your team.  Few things send a more powerful message than having others study and learn from what your team is doing.  And there are two added benefits:  you increase the pride level within your team and you help others gain from your experiences.

Recognize Individuals Too.  When you give team recognition, follow it up with individual recognition for individual contributions.  Some people work harder and contribute more than others — and they know it!  When you recognize everyone equally, you run the risk of turning off your high performers.  And don’t forget the “middle stars” — those day-in and day-out solid performers who keep the team moving along.

Question:  Do you have a unique way to recognize your team members?

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?”

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 am so excited. The Department of Homeland Security just announced the National Small Vessel Security Strategy. 57 pages later, it outlines a plan to manage and reduce the overall risk on US waterways – specifically for the small boating population.

You see, this strategy was not concocted in a vacuum. It started a year ago during the National Small Vessel Security Summit. I had the distinct honor to be the lead facilitator and moderator for the summit. We had 260 stakeholders – small boat owners, commercial fisherman, ferry operators, port operations, state and federal representatives – who came together for two days to begin a dialogue about security risks and their ideas to address these threats.

There were several more regional summits, discussions, drafts and hard work done primarily by the USCG and HSI - culminating in a final strategy, just released by DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff.

You can hear about the new plan from the USCG Commandant, Thad Allen during an interview by Amy Morris.

It’s exciting for me to see a tangible, collaborative final product. And I was there at the beginning.

Question: Does your team produce tangible, collaborative products that you are proud of?

Check out the debate between Obama and Hillary and the pronoun “I”.

My dear friend, , author of Branded Customer Service, has a unique insight: Janelle noticed that Barack rarely uses the word. “I”. She says, “Hillary uses it all the time. It’s subtle and impact that it has on the audience, namely me, is that I feel invited in by Barack. Even the thank yous from Hillary were about “me” helping her. From Barack, the thank yous were about “me” helping a much larger idea. Barack feels as if he is talking with you; Hillary feels as if she is talking at you.”

Question: What language do you use to include people?

Ben Synder gave me a big bear hug. It took me a second to figure out who he is…it’s been a year since I have seen him. Ben is the CEO of Systemation, a “performance improvement learning solutions company” and a member of ISA – the Association of Learning Providers. I was facilitating the C-Level Mastermind Session in Washington DC – and Ben was back with his colleagues to learn from each other.

He said, “I learned something from you during our last session that I do all the time. In our meetings, I simply go around the table and ask for everyone to participate. It’s great!”

Simple technique: When you pose a question for discussion, let the first person volunteer to speak, and then ask if they want to “go to your right or to your left.” They get to pick who talks next, and then just keep going around the table (clockwise or counterclockwise).

Simple technique with far-reaching abilities to make teamwork happen.

Question: What are you doing to get everyone participating?

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?

Newsflash: York University Schulich School of Business was rated the 11th top business school IN THE WORLD by the Wall Street Journal.

So why do you care? Because I teach Leadership Through Teambuilding and
Facilitation Skills at Schulich. I’m just so excited, I just had to share
this fabulous news with you!

Question: Isn’t it great to be a part of a winning team? And to be
externally recognized for your exceptional results?