Corporate Retreats - Four Things to Consider

Corporate Retreats can be a great opportunity for teams and entire organizations to get away and FOCUS on things that are important. Unfortunately, retreats are not always as productive or fruitful as they can be. In planning for an upcoming corporate retreat, here are four things to consider:

1. What is the purpose of this retreat? Is it for strategic planning? Team building? Unplugging and focusing on what's really important in our business? Skill building? Time taken to get clear on the purpose of the retreat process is invaluable in ensuring the FOCUS is right. Once you have selected a facilitator to work with your team/organization, ensure that the purpose is clearly articulated.
Consider: What is the purpose of our retreat?

2. What approaches will work best for us? Choosing a facilitator that can bring a style and approach that matches your needs is critical. Are you looking for a planner? A team builder? Someone who can work at the strategic level? Do you have someone internally who can support this work, or do you need to look externally?
Consider: What is it that we are looking for in terms of the retreat approach?

3. What do we want as outcomes and takeaways? Consider what tangible takeaways will be best. Is it the core of a strategic plan? Annual workplans? Resource lists? New skill development? Each team/organization will have different needs. Keep these outcomes and takeaways front and center as you move through a retreat process.
Consider: What do we want as outcomes and takeaways from the retreat process?

4. How will we sustain the process? For many years I ran retreats internally for organizations I worked with. A key challenge was always around how we sustained the process. Great ideas were often left at the retreat site. For the past eight years as I have worked as an external facilitator of retreats, I have encouraged my partner organizations to consider how do we sustain the process, and keep the conversation going? It may involved dedicated staff meetings for follow up, several conference calls to keep the conversation flowing, or even a couple of shorter off or on-site "tune-ups" throughout the year.
Consider: How will we sustain the process? What will work best with our organization?

Have a wonderful week!

Jennifer
Jennifer Britton
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Potentials Realized - Coaching, Training and Consulting Services
Corporate Retreats - Read about some of the retreats we have developed with partner organizations, and download a retreat planning checklist
Email: info{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com
Phone: (416)996-8326

Leveraging Your Team Strengths: Questions to Consider

When was the last time you discussed the strengths individual team members bring to work? In today's busy context of "doing more with less" discussion around "the softer stuff" often gets pushed aside.

Here's what Emotional Intelligence author Daniel Goleman says:

"In hard times, the soft staff often goes away. But emotional intelligence, it turns out, isn't so soft. If emotional obliviousness jeopardizes your ability to perform, fend off aggressors, or be compassionate in a crisis, no amount of attention to the bottom line will protect your career. Emotional intelligence isn't a luxury you can dispense with in touch times. It's a basic tool that, deployed with finesse, is the key to professional success"

Gallup's research around strengths find that leaders support and invest in their team members strength the odds of the person being engaged increases 8x. How is disengagement showing up in your organization?

This past weekend I led a retreat for an organization which focused primarily on strengths, team development and strategic and immediate action planning. What people really enjoyed above all was the opportunity to share and connect. When did you last ask your team what they see as their own strengths? How often do they get to use these in their work every day?

Here are a few questions for team members to consider:
1. What do you view as your strengths? What are you good at?
2. How do you use your strengths at work, in your role?
3. What could you do to more fully use your strengths each and every day?
4. Looking at upcoming priorities, which of your strengths, skills and talents, can support this work?
5. What else do you need to share with the team?
6. What do you need to stop doing? In light of current priorities?

What other questions would be useful for your team to consider?

Have a great week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2012)
Potentials Realized
Leadership Development | Teamwork | Staff Retreats | Strategic Planning
Phone: (416)996-TEAM (8326)
Email: info{at}potentials realized{dot}com

Toxic Communication in Today's Workforce

A couple of weeks ago I spoke at the HRPA conference here in Toronto on Toxic Communication and how it impacts performance. This seems to be a topic very prevalent in so many work places these days.

Toxic communication patterns can run the range of the gossip at the watercooler, to the rolling of eyes during presentations, the "here we go again", the subtle (or not) ignoring during meetings by leaving or disconnecting on a blackberry, or the more obvious name-calling or berating.

Toxic behavior is normal - what is not is when it goes to the extreme. My team coaching partner Sharon Miller and I typically use the following definition for toxic behavior -

A Toxic Relationship is a relationship characterized by behaviors on the part of the toxic partner that are emotionally and, not infrequently, physically damaging to their partner.

The cost of toxicity in today's workplace is huge. A study by Porath and Pearson (2009) found the following impact on employees:

• 48% decreased their work effort
• 47% decreased time at work
• 38% decreased work quality
• 68% said their performance declined
• 80% said they lost time worrying about it
• 63% lost time avoiding the person
• 78% said their commitment to the organization declined

Consider the following:

What toxic communication patterns are present in your organization? Within your team?

What is the cost of this?

What is needed to address/change the communication patterns?

Warm regards

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, PCC

Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)

Potentials Realized

Team Coaching, Facilitation and Training

Phone: (416)996-8326

Questions for Building Stronger Work Partnerships

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, today's post deals with business relationships. Strong business relationships are critical for success across all industries today. A few years ago when I was writing Effective Group Coaching, I was asked about how to make co-facilitation of programs really work. It led me to write an accompanying digital chapter for the book. Whether you are co-leading, co-facilitating or working collaboratively, here are some questions to consider and discuss together:

1. What are the unique strengths we each bring? How do these overlap/intersect?
2. How do our skill sets and strengths compliment each other?
3. How do our skill sets and strengths create a blindspot? (note a blindspot is an area which you may not be aware of, or has an absence)
4. How do we individually and collectively define success for this work?
5. What does "quality" and "success" look like? (Be specific)
6. What is/are the priorities - individually and collectively?
7. What can we each be counted on for, no matter what?
8. If things go off the rails, what will you commit to doing?
9. What support and feedback does your partner require?
10. What support and feedback do you both need from the people/project you support?
11. What will you do to celebrate your successes along the way?

Have a terrific week!

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, PCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Potentials Realized
Coaching, Facilitation and Training Services
Email: info{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com
Phone: (416) 996-TEAM (8326)

Skills Needed for Collaboration

In follow up to my recent post on Creating the Context For Collaboration, it's important to also think about the skills professionals will need to thrive in collaborative context.

Resmus, in Best Practices: How to Make Collaboration Work, indicates that employees will need skills in:

• Facilitation
• Team Building
• Conflict Resolution/Negotiation
• Brainstorming
• Technology
• Ethics
  

In my former work with the UN as a leader these skills were essential. I continue to see in my current work supporting teams and organizations make this shift that some additional skills are required at all levels. These skills include - For New and Current Employees:

• Communication
• Relationship Building
• Influence
• Emotional Intelligence (particularly enhanced Self Management, Relationship Management)

Where do your own skills in these areas lie? Which ones are strengths? Which ones need some fine tuning?

What other skills do you see as being essential in boosting collaboration?

We work with teams and organizations to boost these skills through intensive training programs (virtual and in person), staff retreats and 3-6 month group and team coaching processes. If you have any questions, please give me a call.

Have a great week,

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPT

Potentials Realized

Phone: (416) 996-TEAM (8326) | info{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com

Creating the Context for Collaboration

Collaboration is critical to success in today's economy. What context is required for a collaborative workforce?

Here's a quick definition that I often use for Collaboration from Beyerlein, Nemiro, and Beyerlein, 2008):

“Collaboration occurs when individuals work together towards a shared goal, completing the work is dependent on relationships with a purpose, and individuals working together in purposeful ways toward a shared goal are committed to one another’s success” (Beyerlein, Nemiro, Beyerlein, 2008)

As you consider the context for collaboration in your organization or team ask yourself:

• How clear are shared goals within your organization? how are these communicated? Where might they be unclear?
• How strong are your team work skills, enabling individuals to work together? What gets in the way of individuals working together?
• Are relationships strong across the team/department/organization?
• How purposeful are relationships? Do relationships exist to get work done?
• What is the level of accountability for results? What is the level of commitment? What needs clarity? Shoring up?

What is the context for collaboration at your organization, or within your team right now? What actions will make it a more enabling context?

Have a great week

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton

Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)

Team Coaching | Corporate Retreats

Potentials Realized.com | Group Coaching Essentials.com

Phone: (416)996-TEAM (8326)

Teamwork and Vision

Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishment toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results. ~Andrew Carnegie

As we move into a new business year many organizations take a look at teams and what they want to create in the year ahead. It is certainly a popular time of year for planning and team building. How effective are your teams? What is the link between the corporate goals and individual contribution? How clear are team-members about this link?

Last year, we put a focus on leadership here at the blog. Most leaders recognize that their successes are linked to their teams successes. So this year, we are going to continue to focus on the interplay between teams and leadership.

I look forward to much dialogue throughout the year on teams and leadership. If there are some focus areas or questions you have that you'd like spotlighted on the blog this year, please drop me an email.

In the meantime, please check out the team and leadership tags to see what I've said/written over the past few years!

Have a great week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Potentials Realized
Team Building and Team Coaching Services
Phone: 416.996.TEAM (8326)

Five Focus Areas for Reducing Silos in Your Organization

Mid-way into fall, I am finally able to do some posting on the blog. I have a new article entitled "Five focus areas for reducing silos in your organization" just published online which I wanted to share with you. You can access it here.

Ask yourself:
What silos are present in your organization?
What is the impact of these silos - on People? Peformance? Team work?
If you selected one of these five areas to focus on this month, which one would have the greatest impact?

Please feel free to share with your colleagues and get the conversation started.

Warm regards
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2011)
Potentials Realized
Connect with us on our new Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/potentialsrealized
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jennbritton

Leadership - What Path are You Creating?

Do not follow where the path may lead.
Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Harold R. McAlindon

As leaders we are often called on to create new paths as we walk.

Ask yourself:

What new paths are you creating?

Where are you following? How does this serve, or not serve, the people you work with?

Have a great week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized
Team and Leadership Coaching
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)

Tips for Making Your Next Meeting Work

Making Your Next Meeting Really Work

Copyright 2011 -Jennifer Britton

The Death by Meeting syndrome is endemic in today’s work environment. Did you know that the average employee spends 25% of their time in meetings. Here are five tips for making your next meeting the best it can be.

Have a clear focus – Clarify what the purpose is, and be clear on the outcomes you want to achieve. Create an agenda, assign timefrwames to the itmes you deem necessary. Stick to the timeframes, and if you can finish more quickly – great, keep moving! You will also want to determine if two shorter, more focused meetings, can be as effective as one longer meeting.

Make sure that the right people are at the table. As you create your agenda, ask yourself - Who needs to be there? Who would be useful to have at the table to provide information on an item? To make a decision on an item? To take issues forward. Also, consider who doesn’t need to be there? It is important to recognize that decisions involving more group members take longer, so don’t hesitate to set up smaller groups or committees to take discussion forward, and report back to the bigger group.

Assign responsibility – Before moving off a topic make sure that next steps are clear. Assign responsibility to one person who will take action on the item and report back to the group. Standard coaching questions such as :What will you do? By When? How will we know? will come in handy.

Follow up with follow up and accountability – On action items and important issues, ensure that you close the loop on what action steps were promised last meeting.

Assess and Readjust – As you become more proficient as a group with really effective meetings, notice what is really working. What old approaches need to be abandoned?.

Have a great week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Phone: 416.996.TEAM