Make Teamwork Happen

More and more work is being done in teams.  This is good news if your company is using teams effectively — bringing together the right people with the proper skills, knowledge and resources to achieve defined business results.  Teams are a terrific strategy to achieve results when a collaborative approach is needed.

However, teams are not the panacea for all your organization’s ills.  Just because your company has adopted a team approach, not everything has to be done in teams!  Many tasks and challengs are best handled either by an individual working alone or by a small sub-group from the main team.  Where appropriate, bring the right people together when the issue is:

Complex and Requires Expertise from a Variety of Disciplines.  One person doesn’t have all the information or answers.

Non-Linear.  The work occurs simultaneously and many different tasks, functions and people are linked together.

High Stakes.  The problem or opportunity area affects more than a few individuals and people have a big stake in the issue.

High Commitment.  The business results will require a high degree of involvement and buy-in in order to develop and implement the solution.

Teams are not appropriate when there is:

No Time.  You may not be able to form a team when there is an immediate, full-blown crisis.  But you can let others know what you did after the fact.

Expertise.  One person has the knowledge and resources to accomplish the task.  In addition, that person should have the power and authority to implement the decision with or without others’ involvement, support and commitment.

No Support.  If the organization doesn’t support the team efforts, don’t even bother with the team approach.  For example, if management isn’t open to the team’s suggestions, won’t provide the resources, or can’t accept the team’s recommendations.

No Common Ground.  Team members have no work in common — or if they do, it is a stretch and is clearly not the team’s main line of business.

Just because you put people on a team together doesn’t mean they are going to act like or work like a team.  It may make perfect sense to continue treating team members as separate individuals, rather than artificially trying to weld them into a more cohesive team unit.  The challenge is to divert work to where it is best done.  Not everything has to be tackled as a team issue.

Question:  Do you find that there a projects you can handle better individually?

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?

I was chatting with Ron, an academic department head, about how well his team worked together, especially since they came from diverse backgrounds and disciplines. We agreed the team had learned good teaming skills through their careers. After all, if you have been on a great team, it’s much easier to replicate the process. If you don’t know what a great team is like, then it’s pretty hard to hit the mark!

But then Ron said something very important that I believe is critical to team success, “We learned how to choose good team mates.” Many team leaders gather ’round a bunch of people and give them a goal to set, a task to accomplish, a process to be improved or a plan to implement. One of the most critical components is the careful selection of your team members.

You need to have team members who:

Know Their Stuff. The process owner or subject matter experts (SME) who know the technical side of the issue or process.

Know the Process. Facilitator(s) who knows how to get from the current state to the desired state using process tools and techniques. In a high performing team, the team members can take turns facilitating the team meetings. Otherwise, you may want to use an internal company resource or an external facilitator/process consultant.

Touch the Process. Include those people (or representatives) who impact the process along the way. They have a good sense of what is going on, where the pain is and what to do about it. They are usually the “make or break” people during implementation.

Can Make a Decision. Often the fatal flaw of many cross-functional teams, the team members must have the ability to make the decision on the spot, versus take it back up the food chain. The person must be able to represent their department/division/functionality and have the authority or influence to make a decision for that department.

At this point, you have at least four people on your team (unless you have a “two-fer” — one person who wears two hats). Try not to have more than ten people on a team. A cozy number of core team members is six to eight people. You may decide to bring in other team members on an “as needed” basis. The key is to let them know that you may need them to participate and keep them informed of your progress. Then you won’t have to spend a tremendous amount of time bringing them up to speed.

Consider including:

A Customer. If possible, include one or two of your best, worst and/or average customers of the team’s product or process. Encourage these customers to think “strategically” in that they are representing all of your customers. If you can’t fathom having customers on your team, at least allow their voice to be heard. Designate at least one person to “check back” with customers, test ideas, and bring customer data.

A Supplier. If your process is dependent on inbound products, raw goods or information, you may want to consider inviting your key supplier(s).

A Specialist. Maybe your team is going to need to survey a population, statistically analyze data or construct work breakdown structures for a project plan. If your team doesn’t have the skills to do this, get help! Bring the “expert” to the team — not necessarily to do it for them, but to show them how to do it. Now those team members will be able to transfer those learned skills to other teams!

Once you have identified the right positions on the team, make sure you have the right mix of people:

Volunteers. It’s always better to have people who want to be included in the process rather than prisoners.

Diverse Strengths and Abilities. A team is greater than the sum of its individual parts. So make sure you have a “big picture” person as well as one who is detail oriented, fast paced, slow paced, etc. You are striving for the right combination of people to complement each other and build on each other’s strengths.

Team Skills. Working in a team requires new skills and behaviors. As Ron noted, it is always easier if you have seasoned veterans with positive team experiences and skills. Because they believe in the team’s potential, they raise the entire team’s standards and expectations.

Who Picks? If it’s a brand new team, usually the team leader and/or sponsor selects the team members. If the team has been in place for awhile, get the team involved. Those who pick ‘em tend to keep ‘em.

Question: Do you have other ideas for valuable members to add to your team?

I have been looking forward to jury duty ever since I saw the movie “Twelve Angry Men” with Henry Fonda.

After being eligible for 30 years, my name finally came up to serve on the (ok, you do the math!).

Now that the civil personal injury trial is over, I can blog about my experience!

I was most impressed with the process known as “voir dire” where the plaintiff and defendant’s attorneys are able to question the jury candidates - and from that small pool of resources, select the best candidates who will serve their clients well. Our voir dire took 45 minutes. Most companies don’t even take 4.5 minutes to consider the best candidates for their team.

Question: Do you do a fair job of to “voir dire” the people you select to be on your team?

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?

Having spent the month of August on Prince Edwards Island, I was compelled to read the islands’ legendary Anne of Green Gables novels. In book 5, Anne of Ingleside, an energy vampire comes to live with Anne and her family, sucking the very lifeblood out a vivacious, loving family.

After a few months of living with the Blythe’s, Anne confides to her friend all the petty things Aunt Mary Maria Blythe has said and done to poison their life at Ingleside . “So little I can’t complain of them. And yet…it’s the little things that fret the holes in life…like moths…and ruin it.”

Even Anne, the eternal, effervescent optimist cannot turn around Mary Maria’s toxic disposition – as much as Anne would like to.

Question: Do you have an energy vampire on your team? If you are sure you do, the only way to solve this problem is, like Anne, to remove her from your team.

Q. I have just been assigned to the strategic planning team for my division. What does this mean, and what will be expected of me?

A. Congratulations! You are going to part of a unique and exciting team setting the purpose and direction of your division. You and ten to twelve other people have been selected for your expertise, your position within the organization and your ability to represent your peers and the company as a whole.

Your team will meet to create the strategic plan in three phases: strategic thinking, strategic analysis and long range planning. In strategic thinking, your team will establish or validate your mission, and create the future vision. In the strategic analysis, your team will identify the critical issues facing the division by scanning the internal and external environment and gathering information about those issues. In the long range planning phase, your team will create breakthrough objectives, long range goals, action plans and measures. The strategic action plans then link into the annual operational plan.

Strategic planning is usually done within a one or two month window. Unless you have been released from your daily duties, expect to feel severe pressures that your “regular work” isn’t getting done. Much of your time will be spent in the planning meetings, but even more time will be spent in talking with others in the division, getting their ideas, enrolling them in helping you collect information and preparing a quick brief on a critical issue.

Many planning sessions are held off-site. By the end of the day, you will be more tired from thinking in new and different ways (strategically) than you probably do on a day-to-day basis (tactically). Plan on having dinner with your team because much of the creativity and alternative analysis’ occur in an unstructured environment…and it adds to the team work!

One critical element to look for: Your division leadership must be personally involved with the strategic planning process. They should have a full understanding, appreciation and commitment to the process, the results, and the resources involved, both on a personal as well as an organizational level.

It sounds like a tremendous amount of work, and it is. But if you contribute a hundred percent to the process, looking at the long-range future of your organization, many things become clear about current operations. You develop an appreciation for the long-term benefits and short-term payoffs for each and every activity, as well as develop a sense of ownership and pride in the future of your division.

Enjoy this assignment and learn as much as you can about all the aspects of your division and your organization.

Eight years ago, I read an article about an intriguing, new restaurant opening up at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. I still remember the picture of Aureole’s four-story “wine tower” with “angels” who deftly rappel their way to your wine selection.

When I found myself in Las Vegas facilitating a client meeting, I asked my sister, Joy, the wine snob, to join me for dinner at Aureole’s for an absolutely delightful evening. Yes, the wine tower is four stories tall and everything I had imagined. Think Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible and you get the picture.

Rather than a wine menu, the sommelier provided a computer tablet with the complete inventory of wines - searchable with drop-down menus! Joy selected a lovely, Argentinean Malbec and the fixed-price three course meal. My selections were absolutely delicious; starting with a lobster and artichoke appetizer (I had never paired those two together before), a tender rack of lamb on a bed of garlic infused white beans and capped with a carmelized apple dumpling and steaming cup of decaf coffee.

All in all, I don’t think I have had such a lovely dinner in a very long time.

I mentioned to Joy that I wanted to write about Aureole in my blog, but that nothing struck me as a “teamwork moment”. I couldn’t point to one specific action that would define “teamwork” for my readers. And yet, Aureole is the epitome of teamwork from the moment you walk down the staircase, admire the wine tower; escort to our table; ask for our order; offer another roll; and otherwise check on us in an unobtrusive manner. It’s seamless teamwork – seemingly effortless to the customer, but requires dedication “behind the scenes” to make all the moving parts work in symphony with each other.

Question: From your customers’ perspective, does your team work appear effortless?