Five Ways to Keep Your Meetings on Track

Five Ways to Keep Your Meetings on Track

Copyright Jennifer Britton, All Rights Reserved, 2013

 Meetings are a huge time-consumer in today's workforce. What is the state of your meetings? How
efficient are they? Today's blog post includes five ways to keep your meetings on track, so you can avoid what Patrick Lencioni describes as "Death by Meeting" syndrome.

Some key tips to keep in mind are:
1. Assign a  meeting facilitator. Facilitation comes from the Latin word "facilis" or to make easy. The facilitators role is to keep an eye on the process. As the facilitator, the focus is on:

•  starting and ending the meeting on time, 
• keeping the flow moving, 
• summarizing and capturing key discussion points,
• identifying issues which may need to be shifted to other events (use of a parking lot)
• summarizing key action steps

It can be very useful to have a rotational facilitator role if meetings are held regularly with the same group. This supports capacity and skill development, and also recognizes that the facilitator's power is rlated to that role, not the role people usually inhabit. Who will be the "facilitator" for your next meeting? How will this be rotated?

2.  Have an agenda, and assign timelines to it. Does each meeting have an agenda, which has been circulated before the meeting to ensure that nothing else needs to be added? Putting time-frames on each item, and sticking to them, helps to manage time, as well as identify issues which may need to be carried into other venues. What does the agenda for your next meeting look like? How much time will it take?

3. Ensure who you need is at the table. A common challenge in effective meetings is not having who you need at the table. This may be someone who has specific information, background on  a topic, or authority to sign off/give approval. Who needs to be at your meeting, based on the agenda?

4. Confirm Action Steps and Responsibilities - A common pitfall is that action steps, and who is responsible for moving things forward, is lost in the dialogue. Key action steps, and those who will take responsibility for making sure they are done, should be summarized at the end of each meeting. What are the major next steps? Who will be responsible for them?

5. Circle Back to Make sure Actions are being Actioned. What is the status of the action steps? How are they being moved forward immediately, and in the longer term. Who needs to know? Who is accountable? Action Plans are only as good as they are tracked and followed. What will support the implementation of decisions, and the reporting out of these actions?

As you consider your upcoming meetings, in which context might you be able to incorporate some of these ideas?

Have a great week!

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, CPCC
Potentials Realized - Leadership | Teamwork | Retreats | Coaching
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (Now available for Pre-order at Amazon)
Phone: (416)996-8326

Fostering Collaboration

Collaboration is a hot topic in today's work environment. What leads to success with collaboration and how do we know when collaboration is the best approach? One of my favorite reads on the topic of collaboration is by Morten Hansen's Collaboration. As Hansen writes, " Bad collaboration is worse than no collaboration."

So what makes collaboration successful? Much of the research points to the following factors:
- There is a shared goal amongst those that are collaborating
- Shared commitment to success on the part of those involved

At the end of the day collaboration is based on strong relationships. Those collaborating need to be clear on WHERE they are going, WHAT is the purpose, and WHAT resources are available. Resources include the important component of people. What are the strengths each team/group member brings? What knowledge and skills do they offer? What gaps might exist?

Successful collaboration often rests on the skill set of those involved. Key skills for collaboration include enhanced communication skills including active listening, better questioning, as well as enhanced  skills in relationship management and influence. Many of these skills come under the umbrella of emotional intelligence.

Leaders should also consider what barriers might exist to effective collaboration, whether it is related to resourcing, goals (individual, team or organizational) which might conflict with collaboration, values, rewards and even compensation. While leaders may not have control over some of these areas (such as the compensation structure in an organization) shared identification of these barriers can be extremely useful, in creating a context for success.

As you consider your work this year ask yourself the following:
- When will collaboration be essential in my work?
- What are the specific goals around this project? Are the goals clear, and shared?
- What might create a barrier to collaboration?
- What is needed to make this successful (relationships, shared goal, commitment, resources)?

I look forward to sharing more on collaboration in future posts. The topic of collaboration, along with co-facilitation, is one of the chapters in my next book From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching, which will be released this June. 

Best Regards,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Potentials Realized
Leadership, Teamwork, Coaching and Retreats
Phone: 416-996-TEAM (8326)

Exploring Your Team Strengths

Significant research has been done by the Gallup organization and others on strengths, and strengths-based leadership. 

Did you know that:

•         People who use their strengths every day are six times more likely to be engaged on the job.
•         Teams that focus on strengths every day have 12.5% greater productivity.
•        Teams that receive strengths feedback have 8.9% greater profitability.

(Source: Gallup Strengths Center,  https://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com/)

How aware are you or your team members about their strengths? Are you able to use these every day? 

Here are some possible ways for you to explore and start using your strengths:

1. Undertake a strengths assessment. Two strengths assessments I usually recommend and work with my team clients with are the StrengthsFinder 2.0 as well as VIA Strengths. Each strengths assessment takes about 30 minutes to complete and are available online.  Reports of varying length are generated when individuals complete each assessments. 

2. Spend time as a team looking at strengths.  Completing the assessment is not  a”be all and end all”. What is interesting and important is what emerges in conversation about our strengths. Whether you as a team dedicate part of a team meeting to discussing strengths or you set up a separate meeting (virtual or in person) about strengths, key is exploring:

- What strengths exist on the team?

- How are they being used?

- How are strengths not being used?

- What gaps exist? What patterns do you notice?

From my experience teams really benefit when they have the opportunity to move through a structured conversation, using an external facilitator to the team.  These conversations can take place in person, or virtually for those teams that are geographically dispersed. When I work with teams on this process, I recommend we spend at minimum 2 hours exploring the strengths and developing an action plan, optimally half a day, or part of a series of conversations.

3.  Sustain the focus - As part of your own team process, check in regularly and discuss  how strengths are being used in the team, and what gaps may be present, particularly if team members are changing. What strengths are required for different tasks facing the team? Who might find it easiest/most rewarding to take that project on? 

Resources I would recommend those interested in exploring strengths are:

VIA Strengths Survey

StrengthsFinder 2.0 - Tom Rath

Strengths Based Leadership - Tom Rath, Barrie Conchie

Go Put Your Strengths to Work - Marcus Buckingham

Check out my other posts on strengths here at the blog.

What are your next steps to exploring, and using, your strengths?

Best regards

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton

Potentials Realized

Leadership | Teamwork | Retreats

Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)

Phone: (416)996-TEAM (8326)

Questions for Leaders and their Teams

Some of the work I've been enjoying lately has been with teams - some at full day offsites, some as we connect virtually, and one where I get to meet with them face to face every few weeks. This year on our Potentials Realized Facebook page, I am posting weekly questions for leaders and their teams. These are questions you may wish to incorporate into your team meetings, or even circulate by email.

We know that high-performing teams have a clear vision, clear roles and shared commitment. Extraordinary teams aren't just born, they emerge out of conversation and work together.

I hope that you will continue to follow the weekly team and leader tips throughout the year at the Potentials Realized Facebook page. Here are the first eight questions from the first two months of the year:

1. What are your most important goals this year? What do you need to get there?
2. Which habits are working for your team right now? Which ones aren't?
3. What strengths exist on your team? How are they being leverage? How are your strengths being overused and perhaps creating a blindspot? 
4. What has been working in this so far this year? What do you want to be doing more of? Less of?
5.  What are the critical skills for your team right now?
6.  What is the conversation you NEED to have this week? What will be the benefit of having this conversation?
7. Where has the team been focusing so far this year? What's been working well with this focus? What changes may need to be made?
8. Where is the team getting the most traction and results right now?

Teams will continue to be a major focus of my work this year. As some of you already know, my next book will be focusing on team coaching. The new book - From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching, will be released in mid-June and is already available for pre-order at Amazon.

Best regards
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC

Leadership | TeamWork | Retreats | Coaching
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Email: jennifer {at}potentialsrealized {dot}com
(416)996-TEAM (8326)

New Article - Six Essential Skills for Teamwork

2013 has started off with a strong focus on teamwork for many of the organizations I partner with. I have a new article available online entitled Six Essential Skills for Teamwork which I hope that you will find useful. You can read it over at EzineArticles.com here.

Whether I am working with a team during a retreat, training program or coaching session we will usually explore many of these six essential skills I mention in the article:

1. Communication
2. Adaptability
3. Appreciation of Differences
4. Trust and Respect
5. Emotional Intelligence
6. Commitment, Accountability and Follow-through

 These are not the only teamwork skills required to make teams exceptional, however, they are an important part of the foundation and fabric of successful teams. How does your team stack up in terms of these skill areas? Which ones are you strong with? Which ones could use a bit of development? What might that look like - retreat, training, coaching, other?


Each week this year I will be posing a question for teams and leaders at our new Potentials Realized Facebook page. I hope that you will join me there to continue the conversation.


Have a great week!

Jennifer
Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, PCC
Potentials Realized - Leadership, Teamwork, Retreats
Phone: (416)996-TEAM (8326)

Year End Team Questions

The end of every year is often a blur with holiday parties, lunches, and running to get projects wound up. Are you and your team building in some time to reflect on your successes, and learning, this year? Even 10 minutes spent in dialogue looking at key milestones can be important in supporting the team to create awareness around your achievements.

Some of the questions you may want to bring into a staff meeting before the end the year are:

1. What have been our biggest achievements this year?
2. What has been our biggest learning this year?
3. What strengths/bench strength are we developing as a team?
4. What is our team known for (or getting known for - in our organization, across teams, with our customers or stakeholders)?
5. What is the one outstanding project/task if left undone this year, could derail us?
6. Our most important focus for 2013 is going to be _________
7. I'm going to commit to bring the following to the team/to work: ____________________
8. I am looking forward to __________________ during 2013.


Realistically you may not have time to discuss all of these as a team. They can be useful in incorporating into one-on-one conversations you have as well.

What are you and your team doing this year end to pause, reflect and celebrate?

Have a great week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, PCC, CPT
Potentials Realized - Retreats, Leadership and Teamwork
info{at}potentialsrealized{dot} com
(416)996-8326

Some of the other related posts you may wish to look at are :
Corporate Retreats - 4 Things to Consider
Teams on Thursday - Teams in the Downturn
10 Signs it's time for a Team Tune Up
Mapping Your Team's Strengths

Facilitating Effective Virtual Meetings

Patrick Lencioni said it really well - "Death by Meeting". How much time have you spent this week in meetings? How effective have they been?

Chances are, you have probably been on a couple of conference calls or virtual meetings. Where did your attention go?

Here are seven tips to keep in mind when considering facilitation of your next virtual meeting:

1. Send out an agenda a few days prior to the call, asking for feedback and input (by a specific date). Follow the agenda during the call.


2. Make the purpose of the meeting explicitly clear so individuals can gauge their need for participation, and what they may need to bring or do prior to the call.

3. If possible, keep it conversational or interactive. Research from virtual learning indicates that virtual participants need to be engaged every 5-7 minutes. Whether it is throwing a question out to the group for discussion, comments (by email) or written reflection, engagement is key!


4. Summarize key decisions, action items and agreements throughout the call. It is easy to "get lost" without the visual cues of a face to face meeting. Summaries along the way will help to keep everyone on the same page.

5. Encourage group members to "bottom line" their comments. As a facilitator of the call, keep an eye on process and keep the call moving. It is easy to get sidetracked and have long-winded stories. Establishing some process guidelines to keep the conversation moving will be very useful.

6. Follow up with a BRIEF summary of the call after wards..

7. Ensure that there is a circling back to check in on action items/commitments as appropriate.

What other tips would you suggest to ensure that your virtual meetings are most effective? Any good resources you know about?

As always, please feel free to share your thoughts below

Warm regards
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Potentials Realized - Leadership, Teamwork, Retreats

Leader as Empowerer

"People under the influence of an empowering person are like paper in the hands of a talented artist" - John C.Maxwell

As a leader or professional, what do you do to empower others?

What do you do to provide space, as well as support, for others to do and achieve their goals?

Empowerment is a term that is often bandied around these days, with those empowering and team members who are supposed to feel empowered not always being on the same page. Empowerment without trust and respect may not be construed in the way it was intended.

In order for empowerment to really work it is important that people are given the tools and resources to do their work, as well as the authority and responsibility to make decisions.

As you consider empowering your team:

• What barriers might they smack up against? 
• What tools and resources do they need? 
• Do they have the authority and responsibility to get things done? 
• What additional support, feedback and resources might you need to provide for them?

When groups and teams have what they need in order to do their work, and the space to do the work, it's time to step aside and as a wise colleague of mine says "micro-monitor, not micro-manage".

Have a great week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Potentials Realized - Leadership Development  | Teamwork | Staff Retreats
Phone: (416)996-TEAM (8326)

Leadership - The Art of Questions

In my former work I had team members in ten countries. I learned very fast that the best skill I could have as a leader/manager was to ask great questions. Today I spend a bulk of my time in coaching conversations with leaders. Regardless of how long you have been a leader, the art of questions is critical.

I really enjoy the parts of my work that have me face to face with new leaders, whether I am leading a training or group coaching process with them. Time and time again, we come back to the basics - communication.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind with respect to the art of questions:


- Great questions are related to what is being said. That really means that we have to listen to what the person is saying to us, not thinking about what question needs to come next. Next conversation you have with a staff, really listen and trust that the right question will come. If not, pause and think about it.

- Great questions are short, sweet and to the point. When did you last get lost in a question someone asked you?

- Great questions are often open-ended, inviting someone to elaborate. Is your question designed to solicit input or is it designed for something else?

- Why questions often put people on the defensive. Why questions however are loved by "why" learners - those that learn through asking the Why?

- How questions will put people into process and may limit creativity and innovation. Try starting with a WHAT question around creativity/innovation and then move to a HOW question.

Next time you are in a conversation, reflect on how you did, AFTER the conversation (not during it). What did you do to really listen and ask great questions?

Have a great week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized
Coaching, Training and Consulting Services - Leadership, Teamwork, Performance
Phone: (416)996-TEAM (8326)

Virtual Mentoring Tips

Mentoring across distance is becoming much more common place. Last week I delivered a mentor training program to a new set of mentors in the financial services industry. A couple of mentors were surprised that mentoring could work over the phone. In fact, I increasingly hear that virtual mentoring may work better for some parings than face to face meetings.

Here are a couple of tips to get the most out of virtual mentoring:
1. Set a clear agenda for the meeting. What is the focus of the conversation? What does the protege/mentee want to explore? It may be useful for you to have an agreement as to how this is communicated - ie. before the session or at the start?

2. Spend some time building your relationship. Sometimes mentoring at a distance is the only way due to geographic concerns. If you can, it may be useful to meet face to face, even via skype. Mentoring relationships can be strengthened when time is spent getting to know each other, and having discussion around what expectations exist around meeting (where/when), focus areas, type of support etc. Five - ten minutes spent on this can help to keep the process moving for the length of the partnership.
3. Understand each others styles. Virtual mentoring may be more comfortable for t
ose who are more reserved or introverted. Consider how virtual mentoring may support, or not support, your unique styles.

4. Mix it up. If face to face and virtual options are possible, consider how they can be used for greatest impact. You may notice a different "feel" to a call, lending itself to explore certain topic areas.

5. Make it regular. Just because you are not seeing each other face to face, out of sight does not mean out of mind. Together as a mentoring partnership determine how frequently you want to connect. Shorter touchpoints, more frequently may be of greater benefit.

In closing, consider how you can strengthen your mentoring process through the inclusion of more virtual meetings.

Have a great week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, PCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Potentials Realized - Leadership and Teamwork 
Coaching, Training and Consulting Services
Phone: 416-996-TEAM (8326)

Would you like to reprint this post? Please do so with the following: As a former global leader with the UN and other international organizations, Jennifer has always led in "unusual times". Today, Jennifer works with teams and organizations to think outside of the norm, building capacity and solutions which are innovative and flexible. Jennifer is the author of Effective Group Coaching (John Wiley and Sons, 2010), the first book to be published on the topic of Group Coaching globally. She continues to work with clients across Canada, the US and globally, leveraging technology to close the gaps. Her corporate training retreat work has taken her to deliver programs in more than 18 countries.

Styles and Teamwork

It's very common for  a multitude of styles to exist within any team. Some people are more detail oriented, others love the big picture, some like to be "hands on" (doers) while others may be more cerebral (thinkers).

What are the different styles that exist within your team?
How do different styles create conflict?
How do the different styles allow your team to do exceptional work?

Some of the work I do with teams is to provide them with further detail about their styles and strengths. "Knowledge is power" and may provide new insights about team members' preferences, what they value and how they may prefer to work.

Perhaps you are looking to do some work in this area. Depending on your budget, amount of time, team size and focus, you may wish to explore these assessments:
 - DiSc
- Personal Styles Inventory
- Myers-Briggs
- StrengthsFinder (more of a focus on strengths than styles. Can be very useful for teams)

The key to introducing any of these to your team is to use it in expanding the awareness of the group. It's not just to say " I'm an ENFP"  or "I'm a Sensor, and hence I am an x....". Assessments can be useful in reinforcing, or enhancing our awareness around our preferences in how we work, and where our natural abilities/affinities may lay. Sharing this information within the team context can help facilitate a deeper understanding about the overall team strengths, gaps, blindspots, areas of opportunity and potential threat (i.e. all team members are strong in big-picture orientation but not in detail).

How might a conversation about styles and strengths benefit your team?

Have a great week!

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley 2010)
Potentials Realized - Team Services | Retreats | Leadership Development
Phone: (416) 996-8326 (TEAM)

Feedback - An Essential Leadership Skill

Feedback is a critical skill for supervisors, managers, I would also say team members. As important as it is so many professionals continue to be very uncomfortable with both providing feedback, and sometimes even in receiving feedback.

If you are providing feedback to another, here are a couple of tips to keep in mind:

1. Be specific. Telling someone they did a "great job" without providing specifics is not very useful. Provide examples of when they did a "great job" - what did they do, when, where etc. Provide detail on what you noticed, not what you assumed.

2. Provide feedback that is meaningful. Feedback should be relevant and important to us, or our work. Have a conversation about what type of feedback your colleagues are looking for, what's important in their work, or with their priorities. What type of feedback is meaningful for each person you work with?

3. Provide feedback at an appropriate time. The timing of feedback is also important. Is the person open to receiving feedback? Is it an appropriate time, or location?   When feedback is delivered is also important. When would be the most appropriate time to provide feedback?

4. Provide feedback on an ongoing basis - Feedback is most useful when it relates to events that just happened. So many times feedback is only provided when it is performance review time. Feedback about something that happened six months is not as useful as having a discussion about something that happened today. 
How do you want to provide more regular feedback?

There are several different models out there for providing feedback including the "sandwich technique" and the SBI model.

Many of you may be familiar with the "sandwich technique" of starting and ending on the positive of what you have noticed, and providing the constructive feedback in the middle.

The SBI model was developed by the Center for Creative Leadership and is an acronym to focus on the Situation, Behavior and Impact. Read more about the SBI model here.

In closing, what changes do you want to make with respect to providing feedback?

Have a great week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Potentials Realized
Performance | Leadership | Teamwork

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