Make Teamwork Happen

Are you working too hard as a team leader?  You are very busy leading your team, establishing goals, setting direction, managing discussions, and keeping folks on task while documenting 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) to 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 a flip 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.

Process Observer.  Rather than launching into a conversation, the process observer makes sure the team has a process in place and stays on track.  If the team doesn’t have or follow the process, the observer lets the team know.

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:  Are you working too hard as a team leader?

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

If you are sick and tired of trying to accommodate everyone to create a work schedule with continuous coverage, 24 hours, seven days a week, it sounds like you have been the scheduling sovereign for way too long.  You need to give the responsibility over to the team, but not before you think through a couple of key elements:

Staffing Needs.  Know your staffing requirements and priorities.  Which positions must be filled upon pain of death if there is a “no-show?”  Which positions are important, but not critical to your operations? 

Allocation.  How many bodies do you currently have on board?  How many are you allowed to have on the payroll?  Are you in the process of hiring someone?  Are you using temporary agency help?  Do you allow overtime and for what reasons?  Do you intend to increase or decrease your staff and/or dependency on the agency?

Staff Readiness.  Can your current staff handle this responsibility?  Are they mature adults who can have a rational discussion or will it be a free-for-all mud wrestling that you’ll end up refereeing anyway?  If you’re absolutely certain it’s the latter, you might want to build their team skills before you introduce this concept!

Due Dates.  When is the schedule due and for what length?  I suggest giving the team two weeks to build the next month’s schedule.

Rewards.  Can you offer the team some benefit for actually planning and following through on a team-based schedule (e.g., pizzas or a small bonus if the unit is fully staffed for the entire month)?

Once you have established the key elements to building a schedule, meet with your team.

Tell ‘Em Why.  Describe the reasons why you want to move to team-based scheduling; how the company will benefit, as well as how they will benefit.  Remember, there has to be something in it for each team member to climb on board this concept.

Build Commitment.  Let the team see the advantages to team-based scheduling.  Let them talk about the pros and the cons, the issues as well as the opportunities involved.  They need to own this idea or it will never work.

Describe the Parameters.  The team must work with the key elements you have already thought about.  Be open and honest about why the boundaries are the way they are (e.g., we only have X amount of dollars for agency help). 

Agree on Ground Rules.  All participate, no one dominate.  Be fair and consistent.  Recognize that conflict is part of the process, so have the courage to speak up for what you want, but also the consideration to let others express what they want.  Listen to each other.  Look for opportunities to work with each other rather than against each other. 

Be Fair.  The team should develop specific ground rules to ensure fairness among team members (e.g., everyone must work one weekend every month; we deal with “ties” by flipping a coin).  Remember, scheduling is an ongoing activity.  What may not be “fair” during this scheduling period should balance out during the next scheduling period. 

Prevent Absences.  When a team member can’t make it in for whatever reason, it is that team member’s responsibility to find their replacement.  Period.  It is up to the team to decide how to deal with recurring absences – not you, as the boss!

Facilitate the Process.  Suggest they use a process to help them develop a team-based schedule: 1) Create a visual schedule or “blank bingo card” that ALL can see and write on.  2)  Each team member grab a pencil and write their name in on the “ideal” schedule.  Don’t worry about several names being in the same block.  Conflicts are part of the process and will be negotiated later.  3)  Ink in the work hours that are not contested.  4)  For those blocks that are empty, facilitate the team to fill in the empty blocks.  Recognize that someone has to “give” at some point.  Refer to the “fairness ground rules.”  5)  While the empty blocks are being filled in, other blocks will be adjusted.

Before you know it, you will have a team-based schedule that everyone is committed to following!

Question:  Have you been able to implement team-based scheduling and how is it working?

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

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

Do you believe there is strength in numbers?  Teams are based on the notion that two heads are better than one.

I agree, most of the time.  But when it comes to team-based negotiations, you need more skill than asking a couple of people to represent the organization’s best interests at the negotiating table.

To ensure smooth team negotiations:

Clarify Roles.  “Considering each team member often plays multiple roles in a negotiation, be clear about who does what during the planning and actual negotiation,” says Tom Wood, a negotiation expert with Watershed Associates.  “Each player has a specific purpose, which means each player prepares in advance for that purpose” (see below). 

Strategize.  Make sure all team members understand which strategy will be used in a particular negotiation and how their respective roles will play out using that strategy.

Stakeholder Input.   Identify stakeholders early on and get their input and commitment.  For example, if a purchasing manager is participating in the negotiations where a new supplier will be selected to replace one of the operation department’s most strategic suppliers, the operations manager should be involved in the process from the beginning.

Train ‘Em Up.  Every member should be trained in the negotiation process.  Make sure each person understands how the team handles each aspect of a negotiation ( i.e., caucuses, concessions, first offers, etc.).

Don’t Be Goofy.  “You absolutely must invest time to train them in their physical behavior ( i.e., facial expressions, reactions, etc. and pre-establish a communications protocol,” says James E. Hart, formerly vice president of finance and procurement, Rockwell Automation.  “There is nothing worse than a big grin by a member of your team when the supplier makes a concession or a frantic note is pushed across the table,” adds Hart.  “Good negotiation teams see and work those obvious weaknesses.”

Script It Out.  Rockwell has their teams script potential conversations to assure that the right person will deliver the right message.

Manage Airtime.  Team negotiating is much more time intensive.  The greater number of people, the more time spent on clarification, probing, disagreements, and making sure all voices are heard.

Speak with One Voice.  With more people involved, more opportunities exist for error.  “One-on-one negotiation means each side is represented by only one personality, thus able to create only one impression,” says Wood.  “With a team, even though the members are taught to speak with ‘one voice’ throughout, multiple personalities are representing the company, thus creating varied impressions accordingly.”

Make Decisions.  Establish a hierarchy of decision making within the team (i.e.,  majority vote, command decision, unanimous, consensus) and always have a fallback position.

Team negotiations require more skill than one-on-one negotiations. 

Team Negotiation Roles

By Tom Wood, Watershed Associates

Team Leader.  Responsible for providing team guidance and leadership, yet not necessarily present during the actual negotiations.

Lead Negotiator.  The face-to-face lead person heading the negotiation, who must be shown the utmost respect before, during, and after the meeting.

Back-Up Negotiator.  Prearranged for very strategic negotiations, where the loss of time due to sickness or emergency cannot be allowed.

Facilitator.  A process consultant or mediator used when relations can be weak or strained.  As a neutral, objective third party, the facilitator moves negotiations beyond an impasse.

Number Cruncher.  When negotiations require complex pricing/cost analysis (i.e., long-term contract), have the person who knows the numbers in the room.

Subject Matter Expert.  The person who has technical expertise in the product or service being negotiated.  Examples include engineers, product, or production managers.

Observer.  Any person present at the negotiation who isn’t speaking.  This role must be taken very seriously since the nature of observations is typically called upon and analyzed during the post-negotiating process.

Scribe.  For more protracted negotiations, someone documents the meeting in “minutes.”

Bad Cop.  In true win-win negotiations, the bad cop is rarely in the room.  Instead, someone alludes to the existence of a bad cop:  “I don’t think I could get this approved through legal.”

Question:  Are your team negotiations producing the results you desire?

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

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

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

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

One of the largest challenges facing many organizations today is the effective communication of important information.  With all the bits of news coming at us from the internet, phones, faxes, email, and the good ol’ fashioned grapevine, it is hard to know what is important.  Add geographic distance to the mix, and you have the recipe for a guaranteed breakdown in communications.

Does your organization have a methodical, systematic way to communicate important information “down” to all levels, as well as bring information/questions “up?”  If not, try this “Flow-Down, Flow-Up” method:

Senior Team. The CEO/Leadership team decides what information should be “flowed down” for the week.  One team member (rotate this role, rather than rely on the same senior team member) captures the information in an e-mail or memo sent to all employees and posted in key strategic areas such as the cafeteria bulletin board.

Team Leaders. All team leaders or supervisors meet with their teams for five to ten minutes to discuss the Flow Down.  The team leader goes through the information while asking for comments or input from the team.  The team leader then sends these comments to the “collector.” Some teams even go another step and coordinate the Flow Down as a regular agenda item at their weekly staff meetings.

Collector. Usually someone from Human Resources, the collector simply creates an action item list from the comments, inputs or suggestions.  The list identifies the action, the appropriate team leader or manager to address the issue, as well as a reasonable response deadline.  (Some comments take longer than others).

Appropriate Lead. The team leader or manager assigned to the action item responds to the issue or concern to the Collector.  It is his responsibility to coordinate or “find” the answer, even if the Collector did not select the best possible person to address the issue.  The Appropriate Lead makes sure the issue gets addressed by the right people by the response deadline.  If the Lead needs more time to analyze or address the issue, the Lead simply states the “new” response deadline as well as the reasons why he or she needs more time to respond.

Collector. The collector assembles the responses and sends them “up” to the senior team to attach to the next “flow down” cycle.

Ground Rules. The only way this process will work is if the senior team, supervisors and collectors agree to participate in this process.  This isn’t a discretionary item.  Participation and adherence to the specified time frames is mandatory.  All the items that get “flowed up” must be addressed promptly and honestly.

Most teams flow down every week or every two weeks, depending on their recurring needs to get information out to folks as well as their ability to respond to questions and concerns from within the organization.

Question:  What communication method has been most effective for your team?

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