Characteristics of High Performance Teams

Abstract: Based on significant research, Entelechy has defined characteristics of effective teams.

Entelechy reviewed over 50 studies on high performance teams and compiled a list of high performance team characteristics. We grouped characteristics into eight categories as indicated on the graphic below.

Participative Leadership

Aligned On Purpose And Vision

Task Focused
Shared Responsibility
Innovative
Problem Solving
Strong Communication
Responsive
Self Monitoring

See if your team shares characteristics of High Performance Teams. Circle the characteristics that describe your team; cross off those that don't describe your team.

PARTICIPATIVE LEADERSHIP

Envisioning leadership and organizing leadership
Clear leadership role that is shared
Enables people to make choices
Shared norms
Shared values
Members drawn to the team
Team identity
Belonging/membership
Synergism
Future focused

ALIGNED ON PURPOSE AND VISION

Common shared purpose
Clear shared vision
Self directing
High morale
Team goals align with personal goals and organization goals
Problem solving, not laying blame
Clear, shared understanding of team members' roles

TASK FOCUSED

Challenging tasks
Individual accountability/ownership
Equality in workload
Quality focus
Clear tasks and milestones
Mutual respect for ability
Commitment

SHARED RESPONSIBILITY

Shared decision making
Rewards linked to team performance
Recognize expertise/value added in individuals
Cooperation
Clear standards of acceptable performance
Celebrates success
Clear authority and responsibility
Contribution
Members responsible for team success

INNOVATIVE

Creative talents
May promote personal relationships
Respect for individuals
Empowered and empowering

PROBLEM SOLVING

Upfront and direct; confronts issues not people
Trust
Clear decision-making process
Conflicts managed well
Freedom to express ideas
Freedom to share opinions

STRONG COMMUNICATION

Superb communication
Open communication
Openness
Clear communication channels
Share common language and terminology
External communications
Time managed well
Structure, purposeful meetings (facilitator, timekeeper, recorder, scribe)

RESPONSIVE

Unite/partner with other teams
Flexible
Outward focused
Focus on the customer
Allows risks and mistakes
Promotes group learning

SELF MONITORING

Self correcting; evaluates its own performance
Individuals pleased with work results
Assigns opposing views

About The Author

Terence R. Traut is the president of Entelechy, Inc., a company that helps organizations unlock the potential of their people through customized training programs in the areas of sales, management, customer service, and training. Check out our 40 customizable modules, training tools, and eGuides at <a href="http://www.unlockit.com" target="_new">www.unlockit.com</a>. Terence can be reached at 603-424-1237 or <a href="mailto:ttraut@unlockit.com">ttraut@unlockit.com</a>

Motivate People with Feedback

Someone once said - "Feedback is the breakfast of champions." Personally, I think that pancakes, crispy bacon and maple syrup are the breakfast of champions. However there's no doubt that giving people feedback is absolutely vital to ensure a motivated team who'll deliver results.

One of the top three factors that motivate people at work is - feedback.

The majority of people want to know how they're doing at work. They want to know when they're doing well and they want to know when they could be doing better. There are a small minority of people who don't want feedback at all; but let's face it; you don't want these people on your team anyway.

Okay, so I'll accept the fact that many people don't want to hear bad things about their job performance, however it depends on how they hear the bad news that'll effect their motivation at work. I'm sure that you'd want to know whether you were doing your job okay - I'm sure I would.

Like many people, I can be very sensitive to negative feedback. At the end of any seminar or workshop I scan the feedback forms looking for any comment that would dare to suggest that I hadn't done a good job.

It's easy for me to look at negative feedback on the forms and say - "You can't please all the people all the time" or "Who cares" or "What do they know anyway?" I try to keep an open mind and think about what's being said in the feedback. Is it something I should do something about - if this person didn't like something that I said, maybe there were others who felt the same way but didn't make any comment? All I want to do in my job is be the best that I can be, so it's important to listen to what my "customers" have to say.

We all feel different about feedback because we are all different. Some people love it, others are okay with it and others just hate it. I'm sure that you have people on your team who always want to know "how they're doing." They come and speak to you and show what they're doing. "Is this okay boss, am I doing this right?" They're constantly looking for reassurance that they're doing the right thing. Then you'll have others on your team who never come and speak to you and get most uncomfortable whether you're giving them the good news or the bad.

But let's think about you for a moment about you. You might be the kind of person who's comfortable with lots of feedback or maybe you'd prefer it in much smaller doses.

The important point is - the way you feel about receiving feedback could affect the way you give it to your team.

Managers who are happy to receive feedback are usually happy to give it to their team members because they believe their entire team feel the same as they do. And of course if you look at it the other way round - managers less comfortable with feedback tend to believe that their team feel the same way. This is often the biggest danger because many managers don't receive feedback from their manager and subconsciously feel - "Why should I give feedback to my guys when I don't get it?"

Whether you receive feedback or not; whether you feel uncomfortable giving it or not - you still need to do it for your people. Just be aware that they're all different individuals and they might react in different ways. Almost everyone wants feedback - how much, is just a matter of degree.

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Business Team Building Strategy In The Jungle

"Tak kenak! Tak kenak!" "Adak Orang sanak!????"

The quiet jungle has suddenly become noisy with intruders. Strange voices and shouting seemed to appear all around us. They were definitely foreign. We were being attacked!

We had been expecting an attack, but we did not expect it so soon. We did everything possible to protect ourselves, but the only cover we had were some bushes, tree trunks, leaves and the natural foliage. If we protect ourselves from the front, we could not cover our backs. Such was the defense we managed to set up.

Our casualty was very high. Nobody could escape the onslaught.

Luckily, this was not real and nobody died.

This was just a Wargame and the weapons were eggs.

The event was an Outdoor Survival-like Jungle Training. Organized by the training department of our Company, a group of staffs went over to the forest reserve at Lata Mengkuang, Sik, Malaysia to take part in Team Building.

The 3-day training started off with the usual briefing, and ice-breaking sessions on the first day. Each person was given a dome tent for spending the night. Various camp crafts were taught. Lectures were given on Motivation, Compass usage, Mission, etc throughout the day and night. In between lectures, there were group management activities, which put into practice what was taught. The management activities took the form of games, where the participation of everybody in the team and the clarity of direction from the leader are of utmost importance. In the games, the team and leader had to work together to fully understand their own capabilities and weaknesses in order to overcome obstacles, and to achieve the target in a limited time. The first day session finished at nearly 12 midnight.

Almost all the participants could not sleep very well in the first night. The ground was hard and cold. The portable generator set, which supplied electricity supply for lighting, was really noisy. Mosquitoes were not a problem, because we had taken the precaution to spray the enclosed tent with insecticide beforehand. There were some expression of fear of creepy-crawlies from some female team members, and also of the tent being washed away if it rains. Other than that the night passed on without any incident.

We started the second day morning with jogging. The distance was very far. Our muscles got more and more tired. After breakfast, the lecture and management activity sessions was conducted like the previous day. The topics and activities were of course different, and were more interesting. We were taught Principles of War, and also briefed on Jungle Mission. We were to enter the jungle at about 5.30 p.m. on the same day.

The Jungle Mission was about camping in the jungle at night, attacking other teams, and protecting your own camp. The whole group of people was divided into 4 teams, each with their own leader, scout, navigator, deputy leader, and members. The team was guided by experienced jungle guides from the organizers whose job was to only take us to our jungle campsites, and offer advice if needed. The challenge for each team is to capture the flags of other teams, which also included a team of Orang Asli's (jungle dwellers). All the teams are free to make their own decision on whether to seek and attack or to stay put for defense. But it is only in attacking that a team can achieve the target of capturing other team's flags. However we could also lose our own flags if we go on an attacking spree without guarding our own camp.

Rain was falling all around in the early evening before we left. My team left the base camp at about 6 p.m. The whole team walked in single file towards the jungle camp. The jungle path was steep, muddy, slippery and full of protruding roots and rocks. Sharp torns on the jungle plants could easily cut anybody. My team reached the jungle campsite at around 7.30 p.m. We quickly pitched camp, set up 3 hammocks, made a small fire for cooking, cleared the area of obstruction, and set up our defense. We ate our dinner very quickly as our cease-fire ends at 8.30 p.m. and we can expect any attack from our enemy from then onwards. Our food was simple camp food - rice, canned sardines, and canned beans. We had plenty of eggs, but these were our ammunition, not our food.

The Wargames was an eye-opener for us. We could experience how a soldier fighting in the jungle and going on a mission feels. It is to kill or be killed. He has to use his wits to survive. His eyes must be sharp. He must be sure where his enemies are and where his comrades are in order not to shoot his own people. His sentries must be alert all the time. His camp perimeter should have booby trap to prevent enemy's approach from an unexpected direction, maybe from the tree tops?..

A lot happened during the night. Each team has its own tale to tell. To make a long story short - the mission was successful. But it was a long, long night.

On the third day morning, all the teams made their way out of the jungle at about 7.30 a.m. after breaking camp and packing. It was a battle-weary night. All the teams who emerged from the jungle were a sorry sight to behold. Covered with mud, and egg slime from head to toe, unkempt hair, wet clothing, tired bodies we were thankful to be able to reach base camp.

After washing up, we were transported by mini bus to a riverbank where lorry wheel inner tubes and bamboo had already been prepared. We were taught how to fabricate rafts, and when the rafts were ready, we paddled downstream for about 3 miles and presented our prize (the flags) to a "Penghulu" (village headman) who was waiting there. The mission has been accomplished!

These were just brief summaries of what happened during the Experiential Team Building exercise. It has taught in some way or another something of value to all the participants.

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Grow Your Staff into a Team of Creative Problem Solvers

As a manager, your employees will come to you with situations they don't know how to handle. When they approach you during these times, they are looking to you to give them the solution to the problem. This is understandable with big problems that have significant monetary and time consequences, or that may have a detrimental impact on your company's standing in the eyes of your professional community.

However, often the problems your employees bring you are neither this momentous nor are they so potentially damaging. Most of the time your staff members could come up with creative solutions on their own if encouraged to do so. The recurring problem I see is employees who do not take initiative in proactive problem solving. Why? Either they haven't been told that this is preferable to bringing their problems to the supervisor, or they have attempted to be proactive in solving a problem in the past and have been told their ideas or solutions were irrelevant. When the latter is the case, what motivation do they have to continue coming up with ideas if the boss tells them their ideas are unworkable?

Often, the problems we experience with our employees are ones we unwittingly help create. In the case we've been discussing, if employees continually look to their supervisors to solve their problems it's probably because the supervisors have solved their problems in the past. Rather than encouraging them to find solutions, these supervisors hand their employees solutions. This behavior drains the creativity from the employee and results in frustration, which leads to reluctance-and eventually refusal-to even attempt to look for solutions.

Part of the reason many managers &quot;solve&quot; their staff's problems for them is in the interest of time. Managers tend to have more experience with solving problems and have already discovered solutions that work. Rather than cultivating an employee's ability to think creatively and allowing time for perhaps one or two unworkable solutions before finding a workable one, the manager will just fix it. The result is a staff that brings even the smallest problems to the manager and a manager who becomes frustrated because the staff cannot work independently. This may feel like parenting a group of small children.

Taking from the example of children, children experience a growing sense of confidence and autonomy when they are encouraged to work problems out on their own. True, not all of their solutions are successful; nor are they necessarily the most cost-effective. But when allowed to attempt to solve their own situations, these children can grow in confidence and experience a greater sense of willingness to try first, ask later. Ultimately, they generally grow into autonomous adults who can think creatively and find workable solutions.

While our employees are no longer children, they need similar encouragement to take a step on their own to find solutions. The most creative, entrepreneurial, and forward-thinking companies are those that are willing to find new ways of doing things rather than sticking with the tried-and-true of their competitors.

Cultivate Their Problem Solving Skills

If you experience frustration at the level of problem-solving ability of your staff, make a commitment to yourself to encourage each individual to find their own solutions first. Do this by asking questions. Questions that begin with how and what are excellent for drawing out an employee's thoughts on a situation and encouraging that employee to think independently for a solution:

? What have you already tried?

? How would you like to solve this problem?

? What would you do if you were me?

These are excellent questions you can ask to begin encouraging your staff to think proactively. A huge element to making this strategy successful is that your staff must be able to trust you with their ideas. In other words, if encouragement to solve their problems independently is a new experience for your staff, they will probably be uncomfortable with it at first and reluctant to step out on their own. You must be willing to withhold your own suggestions-even if you know your way is the best way-and allow them to stumble. Encourage them when they do make efforts to solve their own problems, but resist the urge to fix it for them.

Encouraging them through asking questions and giving them time to come up with their own ideas will help increase their level of trust and ultimately reduce the number of times they bring problems to you without having first tried to solve them themselves.

About the author:

Dr. Tracy Peterson Turner works with businesses that want to improve communication among managers, staff, and clients. She is an expert in written and oral communication. Her presentations and workshops help individuals and corporations meet their communication goals. Find out more about Tracy and her company, Managerial Impact, by visiting <a target="_new" href="http://www.Mgr-Impact.com">http://www.Mgr-Impact.com</a>

Raising Issues In Your Group or Offline

In a recent group coaching session, a client mentioned that he thought his monthly meetings with his peers were dysfunctional. He felt they achieved "false closure" on key decisions - they'd discuss an issue, not make a clear decision, and move on, all acting as if they were clear. He felt one person took too much airtime on a regular basis, that the agendas weren't focused. On top of all this, people would come to him individually after these meetings to complain to him about them - and said they wanted their concerns kept confidential, and that they weren't willing to raise them in the group. They had formal time set aside for discussing how the meetings went and he couldn't remember the last time they had actually done this. No one raised this, either.

He decided he wanted to try to improve these meetings. One important question for his was whether or not to do so with the whole group present, or to try to do it "offline".

I offered his a few principles to help his make his decision; I offer them to you as well:

-People are accountable for their own information - It's counterproductive and unfair to privately express concerns to people involved and ask that they be kept in confidence. It's also counterproductive and unfair to act as if you don't have that information once you've received it.

-Raise the issue where others with relevant information are able to respond

- Each of us notices different things and have different reactions and information. Raising issues in the group that affect the group maximizes the likelihood that you'll build a common understanding of what's going on, so that the group can make a more informed choice on next steps.

-Jointly design the way forward - Others may not want to hear your concerns at all - or they may want to approach addressing them differently. Acknowledge publicly that you have concerns, say what you'd like to do about them, and ask for reactions, instead of just raising your concerns.

-Be transparent - say what you are thinking, and why, even if it feels risky to do so. (See my piece on risk in last month's edition for more on this).

Roger outlines similar principles in his chapter on this topic in his chapter "Raising Issues In or Out of the Group" in The Skilled Facilitator Fieldbook.

This client thought these principles made sense. He practiced raising his concerns with the group - first by saying he had them, and that he thought it would be best for them to discuss them as a group. The group agreed, and they built an agreement about how they wanted to handle the discussion - and challenging issues in the future.

These principles have helped us and our clients make much more productive decisions about whether and how to raise concerns in a group setting. I hope they do the same for you.

What are your reactions to all this? Please email me with your thoughts.

? 2005 Matt Beane

Matt Beane is an associate with Roger Schwarz & Associates and co-authored a chapter of the recently published "Skilled Facilitator Fieldbook: Tips, Tools, and Tested Methods for Consultants, Facilitators, Managers, Trainers, and Coaches," available on Amazon.com and via other quality booksellers.

This article was originally published in Fundamental Change, Roger Schwarz & Associates' free, monthly ezine. You can subscribe at: <a target="_new" href="http://www.schwarzassociates.com/ezine_signup.html">http://www.schwarzassociates.com/ezine_signup.html</a> In exchange for subscribing, you'll receive a link to a free .pdf copy of "Holding Risky Conversations," a chapter from our recently-published fieldbook.

We write Fundamental Change to help you create workplaces and communities that are simultaneously highly effective and that improve the quality of life.

Every month we:

* Address issues important to you as practitioners and leaders * Share client examples and case studies * Offer tips and tools for challenging situations * Offer resources to help you become more effective.

3 Steps To Successfully Build A Team In Any Program

Any x by y matrix plan has one big risk... but also one big advantage.

The biggest risk: People in your downline might think they don't have to promote and just wait for your spillover.

The biggest advantage: Still, it's a great way to build a deep team quick... if you and the people in your team understand that they shouldn't just sit and wait for it to happen.

The following 3 steps you need to follow and teach to build a successful team:

1. Find 2 people... It doesn't really matter if it's e.g. a 2x15 forced matrix or wider. If the matrix is wider than 2, or even unlimite^d wide, I recommend to start with 2 and then go wider when your team has been fully build at least 4 levels deep.

2. Next build a relationship with them, teach them this 3 easy steps and motivate them until they find 2 people on their own.

3. Then motivate your 2 people to motivate their 2 people to also find 2 people ... etc.

I believe this is a much better way to build a successful team. And not to mass promote and hope that a few in the masses you sponsor build a team on their own... but instead motivate to motivate to build the team... all the way down.

If you mass promote... you might be able to initially build a big downline... but since there will be no relationship, it will fall apart fast as well.

If you or somebody in your team has a big list of people to email to, then you or those people could send a message to all, telling them that you are looking for 2 leaders only. Ask them to email you back and tell you "why" you should choose them. Then pick the 2 best ones... and move one with step 2 above.

Also if a downline member is struggling... and no matter how hard he or she tries, he or she is not able to find two on their own... e.g. due to lack of people he or she knows... then you could do such a mailing on their behalf.

The primary approach that works best is to talk via chat first with the people you know already. Those, that we already have a relationship with.

If that doesn't generate your 2 leaders... then you could use the mailing approach looking for two leaders as I described before.

But what should you tell people during the chat or in the email message you write to find your two leaders?

This is the point where you need to do your homework. Look very closely at the program for which you want to build a successful team for. Answer yourself the following questions:

1. What is the product or service that this program sells?
2. What main benefits does the product or service provide the customer with?
3. What makes the product or service better then those offered by the competition?
4. How much does the product or service cost?
5. How does the products compensation plan work?
6. What is necessary to break even and get into profit?

You noticed that I mentioned everything related to money at the end? Yes, I did order the above list by priority on purpose.

When you answer yourself those questions, keep always in mind to answer to most elementary question everybody has... which is:

What is in it for me? Also often called WIIFM. Once you learn to answer that question, you will be easily able to find your two leaders.

BTW... there is a shortcut to your homework assignment. :)

Ask your sponsor to answer the six questions above... then check an confirm those answers are accurate and match your own opinion about the program. This can save you time and strengthen the relationship with your own sponsor as you work with him together to answer them.

Tip: There are millions of programs out there on the net and many people, including me, fall easily prey to start joining too many at once. The grass always seems to look greener on the other side. ;)

I live now by the following rule... Earn with two programs (meaning: be in profit) before you even consider to join one new one. And I recommend that you too do that.

Copyright 2004 Frank Bauer

Frank Bauer is the owner of Add2it.com - Scripts & Services for your Web Business at <a target="_new" href="http://www.add2it.com">http://www.add2it.com</a> and the publisher of the More4you Newsletter at: <a target="_new" href="http://www.more4you.ws">http://www.more4you.ws</a>

To see how he can help you, visit: <a target="_new" href="http://www.frankbauer.name">http://www.frankbauer.name</a>

Building High Performing Teams: Putting the I Back in Teamwork

Ever watched a really brilliant idea meet with resistance and die? Or been involved in the battle of wills created when two people (or two departments) meet head on with their independent agendas? Equally painful perhaps, have you ever sat through one tireless and non-productive meeting after the next? Believe it or not these issues are simply different sides of the same coin. Getting the right people talking together effectively and generating desirable outcomes is what high performance teamwork is all about. And it doesn't just happen. Think creatively about how to empower teams and reap the rich benefits of people's collective wisdom.

"Dilbert, Put together a team to decide who'll be on the strategy council,&quot; his boss tells him. &quot;You want me to form a committee to create a committee that will produce a document that will be ignored?&quot; Dilbert responds. &quot;No, it's a team to create a council,&quot; his boss tries to clarify. But one of Dilbert's colleagues knowingly jumps in to ask, &quot;Can I be on the team that ignores the document?&quot; Ah, the team experience: there's nothing quite like it!

Words of wit and wisdom often remind us that if we want something to die, send it to committee. Yet, if so many have endured the insanity of the process and the frustration of the outcome, why do we continue creating teams? After all, the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over expecting different results.

I would contend that we continue to create teams for two very rock solid reasons. First, people only support what they help to create. If they're not involved in the process it doesn't matter how brilliant the strategy or product, it's doomed to fail--or at very least gasp and struggle to survive amid a sea of resistance.

Secondly, processes and goods that are created without the benefit of all stakeholders' perspectives will almost always lack some genuinely needed shaping. For those involved, whatever is produced may appear flawless, but that's only because they lack the vantage point of the missing team players--and they don't know what they don't know. The bottom line? Active participation and diverse opinions are important ingredients in both the development and the implementation of nearly anything that is going to be more immediately successful--and at some level we all know this.

Unfortunately, for all of their value, we still struggle to figure out how to get the buy-in and collaborative wisdom we're seeking. Our dilemma is so great that involvement with teams has led many to adopt the mantras of our day: &quot;I'd rather do it myself!&quot; and &quot;Not another stupid, meaningless meeting!&quot; So how do we reap the benefits we know are there without making ourselves crazy in the process?

Contrary to the popular teachings of the day, and perhaps even counter-intuitively, my observations and involvement with teams have taught me that a team's effectiveness comes from an appropriate dose of &quot;I&quot;--creating the space and invitation for individual voices and perspectives to be heard and explored. I emphasize the word &quot;appropriate&quot; because, as any chef will tell you, too much or too little of a key ingredient will always spoil or alter the intended outcome. Consider the swing of the pendulum to an extreme in either direction. Too much &quot;I&quot; results in endless battles of ego, an exhausting process that produces inferior or no results.

Yet those who adhere to the admonition that &quot;there is no 'I' in team&quot; are beginning to recognize that without strong, creative, divergent, and independent voices (especially early in the process), meetings are frustratingly fruitless. Striking that all-important middle ground is imperative to success. Strong teams begin with strong membership and build from there. Managing these strong teams requires deliberate preparation and excellent facilitation.

How do you create a high performance team?

Start with a clear and compelling purpose ? A powerful mission is more than a goal. It is the broader sense of purpose that supplies meaning and the emotional energy people need to make their involvement on a team a priority.

Establish specific goals (collectively when possible) ? To maintain ongoing energy the team will need to be able to track their progress. Well-stated goals invite members to focus their efforts, provide leverage for actionable strategy, and serve as mile markers that clearly communicate that the valuable time they are investing in the process is producing a desired outcome.

Ensure that team members feel like vital participants ? Telling people that they are important to the process isn't enough. Get the right people gathered for the task and then be attentive to inviting every voice forth. Members must feel heard and see their ideas contributing to the end product/s produced.

Have effective facilitation and shared agreements about process ? Effective teams need effective facilitation. Whether that role is assigned to a team leader, is undertaken by a company executive, or is contracted to a professional facilitator, the entire team needs to make some decisions about how meetings will be conducted and decisions made. The facilitator must then be able to orchestrate the many voices accordingly--managing but not getting enmeshed in the process.

Encourage different points of view ? In order for each voice to be vital, it must also be unique. Rather than getting frustrated by differences or simply tolerating them, high performance teams count on them. When the various ideas emerge, each is explored fully before it is compared or disregarded. The group seeks synergy, a higher level of idea formulation, without resorting needlessly to the diminished returns that compromises often reflect.

Acknowledge conflict and resolve it within the group ? Dynamic tension is a wonderful catalyst for brilliant ideas. Exceptional teams create space for keeping dissenting views or intense feelings within the group process. When there is &quot;an elephant&quot; in the room, the group talks about it and makes decisions about what to do with it.

Supportively confront members when necessary ? As people with very distinct perspectives or different roles within an organization come together, teams of excellence ensure that there is no tolerance for finger pointing, inflammatory accusations, or the shirking of responsibility. With the support of the facilitator, constructive probing and clean, direct communication ensure that all issues are addressed thoroughly and respectfully.

Manage time well (with some allotted for laughter!) ? Start and stop meetings on time. At the beginning of each meeting be clear about what is to be accomplished and manage the flow accordingly--always with an appreciation that some of a team's best work often emerges after a good laugh! Before dispersing, summarize what has been accomplished, clarify with members the tasks each has agreed to undertake following the meeting, and establish what happens next for the team.

Expect an outcome without controlling the outcome ? Although a team's purpose and goals provide direction, specific outcomes must not be prescribed. It is one thing to develop a cross functional team with the intent of creating a seamlessness between departments, but in the design stages it is important that no assumptions be made about exactly how the team will achieve that goal. High performance teams are about an unleashing of creativity. Honoring and acting upon that creativity is the fuel needed to ensure ongoing productivity and commitment to the process.

Conclusion

High performance teams are high-energy, collaborative process groups. Never could they be mistaken for informational meetings or as groups waiting for their marching orders! They are the playground and work center for capable people with strong, respectful voices who understand and appreciate the power of aligning diverse perspectives. When designed and facilitated effectively, there is no need for hype or outside motivation, the team process is intrinsically rewarding for all members and the results produced are far superior to what any one individual could possibly generate.

Susan J. Schutz founded Highest Vision in 1999. Highest Vision services ? executive coaching, leadership development, and team building -- reflect her deep conviction that professionals can be attentive to their &quot;bottom lines&quot; while also creating lives worth living and businesses that contribute to the good of all. For a free subscription to VantagePoint, Highest Vision's free E-zine for trailblazers in life and business, go to <a target="_new" href="http://www.highest-vision.com">http://www.highest-vision.com.</a>

Top 7 Ways to Motivate Your Team

1. Involve them. Many employees want to be involved in the ongoing development and progress of their company. Plus, they often have insightful ideas that can make a significant difference in the company.

2. Communicate. A frequent axiom in business is, &quot;No news is good news.&quot; However, employees want regular updates on the progress of the business and their personal performance. Use memos, email, telephone, and one-on-one and group meetings to keep your team apprised of changes, updates, new products, etc.

3. Celebrate individual and team performance. Catch people doing something right and focus on recognizing excellent performance. Provide positive reinforcement, issue awards, use a corporate newsletter to highlight specific achievements. Send thank-you cards and congratulatory notes, make phone calls, and send emails.

4. Set challenging goals. My experience has taught me that people strive to achieve what is expected of them. If you set challenging goals your team will work hard to accomplish them, providing of course, they are realistically attainable.

5. Give them the tools to succeed. No team will stay motivated if they do not have the necessary tools required to do their job. This includes; equipment, internal support, inventory, marketing materials, training, etc.

6. Manage poor performance. Your team expects you to manage individuals who do not perform to standard. However, many managers ignore these situations because they are afraid to deal with them, hoping instead that the situation will resolve itself. It never does and this &quot;blind&quot; approach affects profitability, causes higher turnover, and generates low morale.

7. Believe in your people. The majority of people want to do well ? very few individuals approach a job with the intent of screwing up. Yet, many managers run their business thinking that employees must be treated with a &quot;watchdog&quot; mentality. They install hidden cameras, monitor email, and set up procedures that require employees to get multiple approval signatures for decisions.

Copyright 2004 Kelley Robertson. All rights reserved

Kelley Robertson, President of the Robertson Training Group, works with businesses to help them increase their sales and motivate their employees. He is also the author of &quot;Stop, Ask & Listen ? Proven sales techniques to turn browsers into buyers.&quot; Visit his website at <a target="_new" href="http://www.RobertsonTrainingGroup.com">http://www.RobertsonTrainingGroup.com</a> and receive a FREE copy of &quot;100 Ways to Increase Your Sales&quot; by subscribing to his 59-Second Tip, a free weekly e-zine.

Teamwork, Rowing, & Paddles

Effective and sustainable teambuilding is necessary in today's marketplace where fewer people are being required to do more work. More often than not, the adage &quot;Getting everyone rowing in the same direction&quot; is associated with building effective teams. However, is this really true? If everyone is rowing in the same direction, will the organization or the individual project realize a dramatic return for everyone's results?

For example, a recent trip to a large international law firm allowed me the opportunity to read an electronic sign with a picture of a boat and 8 oarsmen all rowing together. I reflected upon this picture as I talked with the HR director who was sharing with me management's philosophy. After he finished, I asked him this question: &quot;If I were to survey 10 of your employees or 10% of the approximately 100 employees at this location and ask them to name the top 3 goals of the organization for the current year, would I walk away with 3 goals, 30 goals or 100 goals or more?&quot; He responded that he would like to say 3 because of all the ongoing work that has been done and is being done to communicate the goals, but he believed that I would receive more than 30. His answer demonstrates that effective team building goes beyond communicating the message, but must be internalized by each team member. My next question was simply what is all of these &quot;missed strokes&quot; costing the organization?

Returning to the visualization of the boat being rowed by everyone towards the same point on the horizon, we presume that everyone is using the same oar where the paddle is hidden just below the water line. Yet, if all rowers would lift their oars, we might see that some of the paddles have different lengths, shapes and sizes. Some paddles may even have holes in them. These paddles have changed because the rowers have internalized communications differently and their subsequent actions or behaviors are based upon this internalization.

Effective teamwork goes beyond knowing the overall team's direction. Constant monitoring of the &quot;paddles&quot; is necessary to ensure that during the &quot;rowing process&quot; the paddles have not changed and are still delivering the most efficient and effective results.

Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S. President of ADVANCED SYSTEMS, is the Process Specialist. With over 25 years of business and education experience, she builds peace and abundance by connecting the 3P's of Passion, Purpose and Performance through process improvement. Her ROI driven process solutions affect sustainable change in 4 key areas: financials, leadership, relationships and growth & innovation with a variety of industries. She aligns the strategies, systems and people to develop loyal internal customers that lead to external customers. As co-author of M.A.G.I.C.A.L. Potential:Living an Amazing Life Beyond Purpose to Achievement due for June 2005 release, Leanne speaks nationally to a variety of audiences. Please call Leanne a call at 219.759.5601 or <a href="mailto:leanne@processspecialist.com">leanne@processspecialist.com</a> if you are seeking amazing results.

Copyright 2005(c) Leanne Hoagland-Smith, <a target="_new" href="http://www.processspecialist.com">http://www.processspecialist.com</a>

Permission to publish this article, electronically or in print, as long as the bylines are included, with a live link, and the article is not changed in any way (grammatical corrections accepted).

Team Journaling

The very effective tool of keeping a journal can be used in your workplace as well as at home. It is a powerful tool that can enhance our lives and support our personal and work well-being. Whether you journal your personal work experiences and goals, or use team journaling, journaling can easily be applied to your work environment.

The idea of team journaling is to incorporate journaling as a means to assess and track past, current, or future projects and goals. To get started, pick a team moderator, the person(s) who all journaled information will pass through. They will coordinate and monitor the journaling process to keep it on track, and moving in the team's designated direction and purpose.

As a group decide the purpose and goals of the team journal. Then date and write those down. Next decide what vehicle you will use to record your journaling in. You can use a blank book, and pass it from person to person or keep it in a designated place. You can journal on the Internet via a group list, at http://www.yahoo.com, or on a web log, called a blog, see http://www.blogger.com. You can also create a private message board on your company's website. Any of these systems allow an exchange of ideas, feelings, thoughts, and experiences of the goals and directions you have already determined.

You will want to set some boundaries that will need to be respected and adhered to during this process. Date these and write them right under your purpose and goals. For example, there should be no personal attacks regarding ideas or personalities. Keep what is a fact separate from what is a feeling. Having feelings is OK, just don't confuse what is a fact and what is a feeling. At all times agree that respectful expression and disagreement is adhered to. You may want to limit the amount of content anyone can journal at any one time, say a paragraph, or a page. Set any other project guidelines that the team decides to incorporate.

As you begin your team journaling project you may find that the original purpose and goal changes or evolves. You may also find your guidelines need to be added to or modified. In your journaling process meeting in person or via conference can be added to update and relate how the journaling process is working or being effective toward the team goal.

Creating a series of questions related to the team goal and purpose can be an effective way to start the journal process. These questions can focus and motivate individuals, and inspire the creative writing and thinking process. Or making statements and asking if these are agreed to or not is another way to start the process.

The team journal can become an integral part of any companies process to achieve greater clarity and focus about purpose, goals and intentions. The process of team journaling also can create new relationships with the people involved.

Copyright 2003 Doreene Clement All Rights Reserved

Doreene Clement is the creator of, The 5 Year Journal, a journal where you can journal your life in one book for 5 years. You can tour the book at <a target="_new" href="http://www.the5yearjournal.com">http://www.the5yearjournal.com</a>

<a href="mailto:dkcomni@aol.com">dkcomni@aol.com</a> 480.423.8095

Feel free to pass this along to your friends. If you want to see my column, About Journaling, to subscribe <a target="_new" href="http://www.the5yearjournal.com">http://www.the5yearjournal.com</a>

Landscaping Business; Employee Relations

There are few industries or service type businesses, which are more labor intensive then that of the Landscaping Profession. Whether it is the installation of new landscape designs or the maintenance or mowing of the existing properties; it is done by people power working with the proper tools. Efficiency is king and teamwork is the key to staying on schedule and wasting little time or effort getting the work done.

One Expert Landscape Manager, Mr. Jon Bitzer, explains his secrets of maintaining his team of 20 employees. He breaks his employees into specialty crew teams. One of his teams is a group, which consists of four members, which mows 52 properties per week. Since the schedule is stacked there is little room for error or missed appointments. Especially since Jon is in charge of all the parks, downtown areas and many of the shopping center areas in and around Atlantic City. As a matter of fact much of the turn-around of Atlantic City is in fact due to its new image and nowhere is it more evident than the ambiance created by the landscaping out front.

How does John keep his crews motivated and the teamwork atmosphere strong? Each Friday he meets with his employees for breakfast and buys them pancakes, sausage, bacon and egg deluxe hardy style meal. On the clock of course; the team discusses family, hobbies and gets to know one another. They discuss suggestions of schedule changes and efficiency improvements. He gets total buy in from the team; using their ideas to propel the mission of staying on schedule and making Atlantic City, the city for lovers that it is. Jon and his crews and specialty teams are in-charge of your first impression when you come to the city. His strategy is working; the crews work as a perfectly well oiled machine and have the motivation of a Navy Seal Team. They flat get the job done each and every day and you know what? It shows, think about it.

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; <a target="_new" href="http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs">www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs</a>

Building Teams

Young minds are quite easy to shape. International Terrorist recruiters know this and have an abundant source of young men and women to pick from. They use simple brain washing tactics to do this. The United States also has a huge source of young people at its colleges and universities with young open minds, open to both good or evil. The professors use this to help their views and promote their views of the world by imprinting on these minds. Religious groups are also a hot topic on campus and they are quite active recruiting new minds and new souls to their numbers.

The US Marines Recruiter use the same basic psychological techniques as the college professors, religious organizations and cults. And like the others use this indoctrination in their shaping and team building, after all the Marines are a cult in a way, similar to a sports team or corporate sales force. This is a good thing, it allows them to fight, stick together as a team, as unit based on a blood pact. It works. The Marines also place within their ranks all the right things too such as integrity, honor and strength. This is the strength necessary to win. An American tradition is thus born and lives within the group and we as a nation are indebted to their integrity, honor and strength. They defend our country and are willing to die for the cause of freedom, which as our President has stated on numerous occasion is a just and noble cause. I hope everyone out there is understanding this. Our military troops are willing to die for the things we take for granted, are you? This is good.

Now let us take the recruiters for international terrorists, Neo-Nazi Groups, Domestic upheaval political organizations and cultish religious groups; in those groups you may not have to give up your actual life in the sense of living and breathing, but you commit yourself to a life of another nature, one of complete devotion for another cause. One purported to be just and noble, as noble in fact as the national pride objective of freedom, but they are not. You see these other causes are against the notion that freedom is for the people to decide and we are given rights at birth of liberty and freedom. Thomas Jefferson would have backed me up on this comment. We as Americans in our society and as students at the universities where free thought is suppose to rein; have been completely put jeopardy. Those who build teams such as these have a responsibility to the rest of us to help the common good, not look to create havoc and chaos of our Republic. Those organizations, which strengthen us are good, those which tear down the fiber of our civilization through these brain washing techniques are wrong and evil. We must protect ourselves from such evil intended groups, which threaten to tear down all we are and all we have built. Think about it.

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; <a target="_new" href="http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs">www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs</a>

Team Building Part 2: Honesty is the Key!

The second in a series of 2 articles giving a slightly different viewpoint on effective team building, condensed from an original seminar presented by the author, John Roberts. John is a Freelance Training Consultant and director of JayrConsulting Ltd. Part 1 ( Another Brick in the Wall ) dealt with selecting and building the initial team. Part 2 deals with the culture that need to be in place to run the team really effectively. The ideas expressed are personal opinions built up from many years of experience in the Electronics/Aerospace industry, the Armed Forces, the Telecoms industry and the Training industry. There is no suggestion of this being a 100% solution applicable to or workable in all situations, but it is aimed at getting people to think outside of the norm and question the 'normal' way of doing things.

1. Honesty ? The Key!

It really is that simple! The basic foundation of building and running REALLY successful teams is TOTAL honesty! Sounds simple, but it can be one of the hardest things to implement due to existing workplace cultures and peoples long-term conditioning to them. If you are not prepared to implement this culture change, you will only ever have functional 'teams' that are purely paying 'lip service' to the whole idea of team building.

Being honest starts here! You cant pretend to be honest, or only implement some parts of it, either as a team member or as a team leader. If you are not going to give it 100% - Give it up, because the rest depends on this to work properly!

There are two separate parts to honesty within the team scenario and both are equally important:

(a) Being honest with other people

You have to learn to be honest with everyone. If someone is not performing properly-Tell them as soon as possible, and help them to overcome the cause. If someone is performing well-Tell them as soon as possible, and help them to do even better.

If there is good news about the project/team/company-Tell people as soon as possible, without hiding things and deliver praise where appropriate. If there is BAD news about the project/team/company-Tell people as soon as possible, without hiding things and discuss what can be done about it at a team and personal level-ask for input and ideas to resolve things. Most people can handle most situations well, as long as they feel they are being kept informed and involved.

Make sure that you are doing your share of the teams work, to the best of your ability. If the team are having to cover for you, you are not being honest with them.

If you make a mistake- admit to it, as soon as possible and if necessary get help to resolve it. If you try and hide your mistakes you are not being honest and it just leads to more work for others in the long run. Don't perpetuate rumours! It is one of the fastest ways to break down trust in a team culture. If you don't know something is a fact-don't repeat it!

(b) Being honest with yourself

For a lot of people this can actually be extremely difficult to achieve, due to long term conditioning in a competitive work place, but once started it tends to build on itself as long as everyone is really committed to long-term success of the team building process. You have to really look at yourself deeply and honestly and work at correcting your individual behaviour patterns and shortcomings.

If you can't cope with something-tell someone and get some help with it. No one is perfect and we all need help sometimes. In a good team environment, nobody is going to think less of you for requesting help-just the opposite if it helps to get things done.

Be honest about your skills and abilities starting with your c.v. !). If not you will be found out eventually, but by that time, you may have let a lot of other people down!

Don't steal credit/ideas from other people and put them forward as your own. Any gain for you is only short term and it is one of the quickest ways of destroying trust amongst your team.

Question your commitment and work ethos continually-Are you really giving 100% effort all the time? If not-why not ?do you need to seek help or are you just being lazy?

Don't lie! It's infectious in a team environment. If you want a day off- take a leave day-don't keep re-burying your grandmother!

Admit when you are wrong in a discussion-and apologise!

Don't moan and grumble about work ? if you don't like being there ?Leave!

2. Communication

Communication is one of the most important factors in successful teams. To be effective it must be continuous and completely OPEN ? both between team members and between the team leader and their team. There should be no secrets. The team need to know how they are affected by corporate plans and decisions. Members need to know if they are doing things correctly. The team leader needs to know if their team members have any ideas or problems that should be acted upon. People respond better if they know the facts ? even to bad news! (I had a team where they all volunteered to take a 10% pay cut to save a team member from redundancy, when the financial figures were explained to them openly!)

This DOESN'T mean that you need to have interminable 'formal' team meetings! People should be encouraged to talk to each other and to the team leader all of the time. A good team leader will set aside time every day, (YES, you can do it, if you are organised!), purely to get around and talk to their team. The better your communication is, the less meetings you will need to have!

3. Trust

Trust between team members and between the team and team leader MUST be absolute. If you don't trust people to get on and do their job ? why are they in your team? If you trust people to do a job, you have to relinquish power to them to make their own decisions ? and they have to be responsible for those decisions! Team members must have trust in the team leader ? that they have their best interests at heart and are working for team rather than individual success. In the ultimate team, people have to depend on each other for their lives ? that can only be done with trust in your fellow team members.

4. Conflicts and Compromise

Teams are made of PEOPLE! You have to expect conflicts and confrontations. They should not be arbitrarily stamped upon ? people have to be made aware that at some point they will have to compromise with other people in order to continuing functioning as an effective team. Members should be encouraged not to hide conflict, but to work it out and arrive at a compromise. The team leader should try and be aware of any conflicts and help to resolve them where necessary. Don't expect your team to never argue ? they are all different people, and just like in a family, there is nothing wrong with a healthy argument, as long as it is resolved

5. Chinese Councils

ALL team members should have an input to planning and decisions concerning the team. People in the team should be treated as equals. The team leader is not in that position because they are 'better&quot;, it's just that they have different skills to the others. The team leader is not the only person that may have good ideas and should always be willing to accept input from others and where necessary amend plans and decisions concerning the team and its objectives. However, everyone should be aware that at the end, the team leader has the ultimate responsibility and therefore the final say in any decisions, having taken into account the input from other team members. This should be a regular ongoing procedure.

6. Assessment and reward

Forget 'Annual Assessments', Competency grids and pay rises based on individual performance! What matters is, &quot;Is the TEAM successful?&quot; The team leader should be constantly aware of how team members are performing and giving them feedback and assistance where necessary as the project progresses. It is no good leaving it until some later point to let people know if they are not achieving what is required or patting them on the back if things are going well. People need constant feedback ?with honesty! Reward should be based on the success (or failure!) of the whole team, not individuals, so that people are encouraged to make sure that everyone in the team is pulling together to achieve the team goals ?not trying to score 'smarty points' for their own individual advancement. (This would not work in a 'sales' environment, which is why sales people tend to work as individuals rather than as teams!)

7. Buddies

Team members must all be 'Buddies' with each other. This doesn't mean that you have to be close friends or socialise with each other! What it means is that team members have to support one another at all times. Everyone has 'off days', and team members should notice when someone else is not performing 100% and offer help and support to get them through this period. Sometimes all it will take is a joke or remark to buck someone up or they may need help with a particular task that is getting on top of them. All members should get into the habit of 'watching out' for each other. There is no shame in seeking or accepting help ? we all need it sometimes. We all have different skills and abilities and team members should be encouraged to make use of each other's skills to achieve the team objective as efficiently as possible. I was never very good at producing diagrams for presentations, but I had someone in my team who was brilliant at it, and I would always ask her to critique my work so that I could produce a better finished product.

8. No Blame ? No Shame

EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES! The secret is to have a culture where people are not ashamed to admit to having made a mistake! That way, mistakes can be rectified quickly, and more importantly, learned from! If someone makes a mistake (deletes a file or something), you don't want them to feel that they will be penalised or marked down in some way. You need them to tell someone and if necessary seek help to rectify it as soon as possible. (Needs 'honesty', as above!)

Summary

You may have noticed something in reading the above? No jargon, no 'hype', no 'games', no 'exercises', no 'concepts'! ? NOT NECESSARY! Successful teams are all about PEOPLE, their natural skills, abilities and relationships. Running a successful team is very much like running a successful family and most of the values are the same ? BUT, it will not work WITHOUT HONESTY as above! Remember that is probably the hardest thing to achieve due to human nature and the conditioning that people are subjected to in the normally competitive culture of most work places, but it is worth the effort if you really want to achieve effective team building.

Think about all of the above ? how much of it currently applies to teams in your workplace? Could you implement this? Remember ? unless you start with HONESTY, it will not work, and you will always just be going through the motions of team building!

As always I am completely open to any comments ? the whole idea of this seminar is to get people thinking and discussing what they do in their teams and how it could be improved.

Acknowledgements

Adapted from an original article by John Roberts, freelance training consultant, Director of JayrConsulting Ltd., <a target="_new" href="http://www.jayrconsulting.co.uk">www.jayrconsulting.co.uk</a>. John can be contacted at john.roberts@jayrconsulting.co.uk

This article may be freely reproduced / modified and used in any way, providing this acknowledgement is left in its entirety.

John Roberts is a freelance Training Consultant and Director of JayrConsulting Ltd, <a target="_new" href="http://www.jayrconsulting.co.uk">http://www.jayrconsulting.co.uk</a> and can be contacted at john.roberts@jayrconsulting.co.uk at any time for comments or discussion.

Functioning in a Dysfunctional Workplace

Sometimes the greatest challenges lay not within the actions of competitors, or the needs of customers, they come from within one's own company. People new to their positions either through promotion, or as a new hire, are often stunned at the challenges they find waiting for them as they slide into the seat behind their new desk. The business cards have barely been ordered before elements of dysfunction begin to appear at their office door.

Does any of the following sound familiar? Processes within your organization take longer and cost more than they should. Most employees can't explain how what they do specifically contributes to what the company is trying to accomplish. The majority of meetings result in the decision to have more meetings, with very little actually getting acc-omplished. New initiatives are greeted by employees with the belief that they won't succeed.

These are not just the makings of good Dilbert cartoons. Sadly, these situations exist in organ-izations across the country. They are symptoms of a dysfunctional company.

Surviving the challenges of dysfunction is no simple task. A misstep can put you in the quicksand of beurocracy, the line of fire from competing factions, or possibly even the unemployment line. But for those that learn to survive and thrive, the rewards are significant.

Not only do they have the satisfaction of knowing they helped eliminate some of the dysfunction, they are seen, and rightfully so, as people who can get things done. People with that quality are a rarity, and are stars who are always in demand.

Are you faced with functioning in a dysfunctional company? Do the scenarios identified above represent a subset of what you face each day? If so, consider using these tips as part of your survival guide.

#1 Be Part of the Solution Not Part of the Problem

Sociologists have done extensive studies on behavioral patterns among groups and have uncovered some interesting results that can be applied in the workplace. For example, in city areas with empty lots, people were far more likely to throw trash on the ground if the lot already had some trash in it, than if the lot was clean.

Through these findings and others like them, the researchers came to the conclusion that people will imitate behavior which appears to be socially acceptable, even if it is not their normal behavior. In other words, people imitate other people's actions. Stated in the context of a company, people acting dysfunctionally will influence others to also act dysfunctionally.

Being part of the solution breaks the chain. Conduct yourself in a functional way, and you will not only create a positive behavior for others to follow, but you also won't provide a dysfunctional example that others might imitate.

For Example: At the end of meetings take the initiative to help the group identify what steps need to be taken, who is responsible for them, and timelines for getting them done. Be the first to volunteer to take on a respon-sibility. After the meeting, send out a list with the what, who, and timelines and review it at the next meeting.

If it is your meeting, and the attendees are your direct reports, make sure people are held accountable for completing their respective tasks. If it is not your meeting, make sure you get your tasks complete. Again, individuals who actually get things done are stars. Be one of those people.

#2 Share Your Ideas

Don't make the mistake of assuming that what is painfully obvious to you is equally obvious to your peers, subordinates, boss, or other leaders in the organization. Everyone has a unique background and what is common knowledge to one person might be a life changing revelation for another. When you see examples of dysfunctional actions, share your ideas on how to improve the situation. Don't blame or criticize others. Instead, ask people what they are trying to accomplish and then offer up your ideas along with the reasons why you think they will help.

Many smart individuals are too quick to make the assumption &quot;Well, they should know that&quot; when dealing with peers or bosses. This is especially true when people are dealing with bosses that are more than one level above them.

The reality is that either the people do know, and there are other factors that you are unaware of, or they don't know and your ideas may be just the thing they need. At a minimum you will be seen as a person with initiative who has good ideas and is trying to better the company, and you may just be the person who saves the day.

For Example: A common &quot;idea&quot; opportunity exists with processes. What in your area seems to take an inordinate amount of time, requires many different people to be involved, or costs a great deal per transaction? If you have seen these processes done better somewhere else, or can draw from your unique background to provide a simple solution, then take some time, write out your ideas, and let people know.

#3 Be Fearless, Not Foolish, and Bring Solutions

When you have ideas to share, do it in a way that is fearless, not foolish, and if it is a suggestion for improving a dysfunctional problem, make sure you bring solutions. There is a fine line between having the courage to let others know what you believe and telling others that they should believe you. Error on the side of the first alternative.

For Example: Setting up a meeting with your boss to explain why you think the Travel and Expense process is costing the company too much money should involve doing some research on what the process is, how long it has been in place, and why it exists as it does. Once you know all those facts, identify some possible solutions. A meeting after you have done all that, will have a very different feel than walking in and telling your boss the process should be changed because it is inefficient. One is fearless, the other is foolish and without coming up with possible suggestions, it is also just complaining.

#4 Be Optimistic

It is unlikely that the life goal of those who founded the company or those who are running the company is the creation of a place where people spend 40 or more hours per week at a place that is dysfunctional. More likely is that over time dysfunction reared its head, and for some reason has grown and spread.

It could have been the result of competing cultures after a buy-out, growth pains as the organization got larger, or possibly just bad leadership. However it began, like a scene from an adventure movie, where weeds and vines are overtaking a lost civilization, dysfunction is trying to overtake this potentially high performing company.

Be optimistic that you and your fellow employees can cut back those vines of dysfunction.

For Example: In meetings where people are discussing existing problems, resist the urge to join those who are comfortable making statements like &quot;We've just always been poor at that, or &quot;This new plan will never work&quot; or &quot;We've tried that three times already.&quot; Instead, offer support for what is being attempted, and give actual reasons why it is likely to work. If it isn't likely to work, then go back to #s 1, 2, and 3.

Success begins with believing success is possible. Be optimistic that the dysfunctional state can be turned around and that people are trying to do it.

Dysfunction can be challenging, taxing, and difficult to deal with. It also represents an excellent opportunity for capable people to step up and make a difference. Follow the four tips and be one of the people who can function in the midst of dysfunction. Then be ready for a promotion.

John Strelecky is the author of &quot;The Why Are You Here Caf?&quot;, and a nationally recognized speaker on the topic of &quot;Creating The Perfect Company&quot;. A graduate of Northwestern University's MBA program, he has served as a business strategist for numerous Fortune 500 companies, and co-founded the Business Philosophy practice at Morningstar Consulting Group LLC. He can be reached through his website at <a target="_new" href="http://www.whycafe.com">http://www.whycafe.com</a>, at 407-342-4181 or <a href="mailto:jstrelecky@whycafe.com">jstrelecky@whycafe.com</a>.

Teamwork, Rowing, & Paddles

Effective and sustainable teambuilding is necessary in today's marketplace where fewer people are being required to do more work. More often than not, the adage &quot;Getting everyone rowing in the same direction&quot; is associated with building effective teams. However, is this really true? If everyone is rowing in the same direction, will the organization or the individual project realize a dramatic return for everyone's results?

For example, a recent trip to a large international law firm allowed me the opportunity to read an electronic sign with a picture of a boat and 8 oarsmen all rowing together. I reflected upon this picture as I talked with the HR director who was sharing with me management's philosophy. After he finished, I asked him this question: &quot;If I were to survey 10 of your employees or 10% of the approximately 100 employees at this location and ask them to name the top 3 goals of the organization for the current year, would I walk away with 3 goals, 30 goals or 100 goals or more?&quot; He responded that he would like to say 3 because of all the ongoing work that has been done and is being done to communicate the goals, but he believed that I would receive more than 30. His answer demonstrates that effective team building goes beyond communicating the message, but must be internalized by each team member. My next question was simply what is all of these &quot;missed strokes&quot; costing the organization?

Returning to the visualization of the boat being rowed by everyone towards the same point on the horizon, we presume that everyone is using the same oar where the paddle is hidden just below the water line. Yet, if all rowers would lift their oars, we might see that some of the paddles have different lengths, shapes and sizes. Some paddles may even have holes in them. These paddles have changed because the rowers have internalized communications differently and their subsequent actions or behaviors are based upon this internalization.

Effective teamwork goes beyond knowing the overall team's direction. Constant monitoring of the &quot;paddles&quot; is necessary to ensure that during the &quot;rowing process&quot; the paddles have not changed and are still delivering the most efficient and effective results.

Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S. President of ADVANCED SYSTEMS, is the Process Specialist. With over 25 years of business and education experience, she builds peace and abundance by connecting the 3P's of Passion, Purpose and Performance through process improvement. Her ROI driven process solutions affect sustainable change in 4 key areas: financials, leadership, relationships and growth & innovation with a variety of industries. She aligns the strategies, systems and people to develop loyal internal customers that lead to external customers. As co-author of M.A.G.I.C.A.L. Potential:Living an Amazing Life Beyond Purpose to Achievement due for June 2005 release, Leanne speaks nationally to a variety of audiences. Please call Leanne a call at 219.759.5601 or <a href="mailto:leanne@processspecialist.com">leanne@processspecialist.com</a> if you are seeking amazing results.

Copyright 2005(c) Leanne Hoagland-Smith, <a target="_new" href="http://www.processspecialist.com">http://www.processspecialist.com</a>

Permission to publish this article, electronically or in print, as long as the bylines are included, with a live link, and the article is not changed in any way (grammatical corrections accepted).

Business Team Building Strategy In The Jungle

"Tak kenak! Tak kenak!" "Adak Orang sanak!????"

The quiet jungle has suddenly become noisy with intruders. Strange voices and shouting seemed to appear all around us. They were definitely foreign. We were being attacked!

We had been expecting an attack, but we did not expect it so soon. We did everything possible to protect ourselves, but the only cover we had were some bushes, tree trunks, leaves and the natural foliage. If we protect ourselves from the front, we could not cover our backs. Such was the defense we managed to set up.

Our casualty was very high. Nobody could escape the onslaught.

Luckily, this was not real and nobody died.

This was just a Wargame and the weapons were eggs.

The event was an Outdoor Survival-like Jungle Training. Organized by the training department of our Company, a group of staffs went over to the forest reserve at Lata Mengkuang, Sik, Malaysia to take part in Team Building.

The 3-day training started off with the usual briefing, and ice-breaking sessions on the first day. Each person was given a dome tent for spending the night. Various camp crafts were taught. Lectures were given on Motivation, Compass usage, Mission, etc throughout the day and night. In between lectures, there were group management activities, which put into practice what was taught. The management activities took the form of games, where the participation of everybody in the team and the clarity of direction from the leader are of utmost importance. In the games, the team and leader had to work together to fully understand their own capabilities and weaknesses in order to overcome obstacles, and to achieve the target in a limited time. The first day session finished at nearly 12 midnight.

Almost all the participants could not sleep very well in the first night. The ground was hard and cold. The portable generator set, which supplied electricity supply for lighting, was really noisy. Mosquitoes were not a problem, because we had taken the precaution to spray the enclosed tent with insecticide beforehand. There were some expression of fear of creepy-crawlies from some female team members, and also of the tent being washed away if it rains. Other than that the night passed on without any incident.

We started the second day morning with jogging. The distance was very far. Our muscles got more and more tired. After breakfast, the lecture and management activity sessions was conducted like the previous day. The topics and activities were of course different, and were more interesting. We were taught Principles of War, and also briefed on Jungle Mission. We were to enter the jungle at about 5.30 p.m. on the same day.

The Jungle Mission was about camping in the jungle at night, attacking other teams, and protecting your own camp. The whole group of people was divided into 4 teams, each with their own leader, scout, navigator, deputy leader, and members. The team was guided by experienced jungle guides from the organizers whose job was to only take us to our jungle campsites, and offer advice if needed. The challenge for each team is to capture the flags of other teams, which also included a team of Orang Asli's (jungle dwellers). All the teams are free to make their own decision on whether to seek and attack or to stay put for defense. But it is only in attacking that a team can achieve the target of capturing other team's flags. However we could also lose our own flags if we go on an attacking spree without guarding our own camp.

Rain was falling all around in the early evening before we left. My team left the base camp at about 6 p.m. The whole team walked in single file towards the jungle camp. The jungle path was steep, muddy, slippery and full of protruding roots and rocks. Sharp torns on the jungle plants could easily cut anybody. My team reached the jungle campsite at around 7.30 p.m. We quickly pitched camp, set up 3 hammocks, made a small fire for cooking, cleared the area of obstruction, and set up our defense. We ate our dinner very quickly as our cease-fire ends at 8.30 p.m. and we can expect any attack from our enemy from then onwards. Our food was simple camp food - rice, canned sardines, and canned beans. We had plenty of eggs, but these were our ammunition, not our food.

The Wargames was an eye-opener for us. We could experience how a soldier fighting in the jungle and going on a mission feels. It is to kill or be killed. He has to use his wits to survive. His eyes must be sharp. He must be sure where his enemies are and where his comrades are in order not to shoot his own people. His sentries must be alert all the time. His camp perimeter should have booby trap to prevent enemy's approach from an unexpected direction, maybe from the tree tops?..

A lot happened during the night. Each team has its own tale to tell. To make a long story short - the mission was successful. But it was a long, long night.

On the third day morning, all the teams made their way out of the jungle at about 7.30 a.m. after breaking camp and packing. It was a battle-weary night. All the teams who emerged from the jungle were a sorry sight to behold. Covered with mud, and egg slime from head to toe, unkempt hair, wet clothing, tired bodies we were thankful to be able to reach base camp.

After washing up, we were transported by mini bus to a riverbank where lorry wheel inner tubes and bamboo had already been prepared. We were taught how to fabricate rafts, and when the rafts were ready, we paddled downstream for about 3 miles and presented our prize (the flags) to a "Penghulu" (village headman) who was waiting there. The mission has been accomplished!

These were just brief summaries of what happened during the Experiential Team Building exercise. It has taught in some way or another something of value to all the participants.

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Brainstorm

Ever lost for ideas while working in a group? One of the most often-used technique for generating many ideas is Brainstorming. Alex Osborn, a partner in an advertising agency, developed brainstorming techniques years ago in 1941 to help his employees to come up with many, many ideas for their advertising business.

To enable Brainstorming to be effective, there are certain rules to follow. One of the most important is that no one should make any judgment about anyone's ideas. There should be a FREE-FLOW of ideas (that's why Brainstorm is put under the WATER Element category!) and everyone's ideas are to be respected and taken into account.

Let's go through the steps of setting up an effective Brainstorming session:

1. Get into small groups of less than six (it was found to be more effective) and select a leader and a recorder (they may be the same person).

2. The leader must explain the focus topic and goals of the Brainstorming session. In short, he/she must make sure that everyone is clear on the topic being explored.

3. The leader should spell out the rules of an effective Brainstorming session. These will include:

<ul>

<li>There are no WRONG ideas!

<li>Everyone plays a part to contribute.

<li>No laughing and poking fun at people's ideas. No CRITICISM!

<li>Do not discuss or argue about the ideas given.

<li>The person in charge must record all ideas without any biasness.

</ul>

4. It is also important to set a realistic time limit. This is to prevent wastage of precious time and the group members tend to be more motivated to give their best, without delays.

5. Start the brainstorming.

6. Usually, anyone can contribute their ideas at any time, without any restrictions. But, there are groups that use a small game to enhance the effectiveness of their Brainstorming sessions. This includes getting the leader to start the Brainstorming session by throwing a tennis ball to another member for his turn to give an idea. And in turn, he/she will pass the ball to another member for his turn to give another idea.

Whatever it is, there are no real hard and fast rules about this. As long as ideas are continuously flowing from each member, the objective is met.

7. The recorder should write down all responses and enable the other members to see them. This help a lot in the brainstorming as sometimes, ideas of others can help spark more original ideas form the rest of the group.

8. Usually after the Brainstorming session, the group will need to go through the results and begin to evaluate the ideas given.

Certain questions to ponder upon include:

<ul>

<li>Are there ideas that are similar?

<li>Can some of the ideas and concepts be grouped together for clarity?

<li>Are there ideas that are really impossible to use at this point of time (maybe due to lack of resources or other reasons)?

</ul>

Putting Your Elements to Work:

Here are some Brainstorming exercises for you and your group to practice:

1. Ideas to start a business with less than $100 in the bank.

2. Generate ideas to make an effective advertisement for a business.

3. To improve sales of a new product.

4. Generate ideas to get people to buy what I am selling (for example, Health Products) instead of flowers for Valentine's Day.

5. To find ways to get rid of excess products (for example, food, flowers and others) that will be rotting in a week's time.

Just a note for Solo Warriors:

Brainstorming is usually done in a group for obvious reasons. In any case, if you are ever caught alone with an IDEA FLOW blockage, you can still brainstorm alone by jotting down ideas on paper or laptop. The same rules apply and that is to jot ideas as they flow without considering whether they are good or bad. The evaluation of your responses can be done later after you feel that the flow of ideas is subsiding.

The Stone Soup Legend

There exists a tale, handed down from times long ago, of two travelers on a pilgrimage. Hungry and tired from a long day's journey, they come to a small, impoverished, medieval village, where they decide to rest by the side of the road. One of the travelers builds a small fire, upon which he places a large pot, while the other, having drawn water from the town well, fills the pot and places into the vessel a simple stone. As the two men sit by the fire, bringing their "stone soup" to a boil, the local villagers become inquisitive of the curious antics of these strangers. Eventually, several townsfolk decide to investigate the matter and approach the two travelers to engage them in conversation.

Shortly thereafter, there is heard the sound of merriment, as the visitors, who turn out to be quite friendly, share their tales of the lands and people they have met throughout their journey and pilgrimage with the local villagers.

Finally, a young boy asks the travelers "But why, pray thee, are you boiling a stone?"

One of the pilgrims replies, "So we may eat stone soup."

"It must be terribly bland!" says an old woman. "But I have a cabbage, which will add some flavor!"

"And I, some carrots, which will add color!" says another villager.

"Some potatoes!", offers another, until, shortly, by the contribution of a little by many, a hearty stew was made, upon which the entire village and the weary pilgrims dined... and while doing so, shared their tales, talents, and camaraderie throughout the night.

The very next day, the travelers (who by now could be called "strangers" no more), continued their journey, leaving the little town, and its people, behind. But the villagers never forgot them, and the lesson they had learned. In fact, during the hardest of times, in such a time as this tale, that little village thrived, because the townsfolk never forgot how to make "stone soup".

About The Author

Dr. Alvin Chan is a Senior Research Consultant at First Quatermain. Please contact him at <a href="mailto:bizguru88@hotmail.com">bizguru88@hotmail.com</a> if you are reprinting his article online or in print.

<a href="mailto:heartware2002@yahoo.com">heartware2002@yahoo.com</a>

A Team That Gleamed

Too many techies get a bad rap for lacking teamwork and communications skills. The stereotype is that while techies are great at what they are trained to do, they cannot parlay their knowledge onto others. Because of the stereotype that techies cannot communicate, they also can be stigmatized that they lack adequate teamwork skills. So, what are the chances of two Helpdesk teams communicating with each other to successfully form one team while not compromising customer service?

Does this plan initially sound like an enormous task? Does it sound impossible? Not if you were lucky enough to have been on such a dynamite team like mine.

In 1997, I started working at the Ameritech Advertising Helpdesk, which was supporting Yellow Pages Salespeople, Artists and Data Entry from Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin. When Southwestern Bell Corporation acquired Ameritech in 1998, procedures started to change. Ultimately, The Ameritech Advertising Helpdesk became the SBC Yellow Pages Helpdesk and we were to support clients not only in the five-state Great Lakes region, but clients in other regions in which SBC resided. SBC had Yellow Pages clients in the east in Connecticut, in the middle of the country in Missouri and Kansas, in the southwest in Oklahoma and Texas and in the west in Arizona, Nevada and California.

There were two Helpdesks: the Helpdesk who supported clients in the Great Lake region and the Helpdesk that supported clients in the eastern, middle, southwestern and western regions. The Helpdesk supported clients 24/7 during the weekdays, a part of Saturday and was on call for Sunday. The Great Lakes Helpdesk had about seven to eight dayshift personnel, two afternoon people and one mid-nighter. The eastern, middle, southwestern and western region Helpdesk had about eight to ten personnel that worked different hours from 7 a.m. until 10p.m. eastern time.

The grand plan was to combine both Helpdesks and have all of the analysts versatile in all of the applications in order to support clients from all of the 13 states. For example, most of the analysts who supported clients in the Great Lakes region had never worked with VMS systems, but were very familiar with systems like the Remedy Helpdesk software. Conversely, most of the analysts who supported clients in the eastern, middle, southwester and western U.S. had been trained on the VMS systems, but had never worked with Remedy.

Being in Information Technology, one may get used to systems and applications going wrong. It seems that in too many instances, techies are troubleshooting and fixing systems.

So, how did combining operations go without sacrificing customer service?

1. It was about a six-month plan, which started around February 2002 to gradually adjust analysts from both Helpdesks. One analyst from each Helpdesk was trained for several months before supporting clients in all 13 states.

2. Both Helpdesks were in different parts of the Call Center. A couple of analysts from both Helpdesks switched desks in order to familiarize each other with systems.

3. Management was very supportive of the transition and realized that there was a learning curve during the transition.

4. There were two analysts from both Helpdesks called Helpdesk Advocates, who were the liaison between the analysts and management. Both Advocates communicated the analysts' concerns to management.

5. Clients were informed that both Helpdesks were in the process of being combined and to please be as understanding as possible during the transition.

6. Every analyst was receptive to any question from other analysts. Every analyst was in the same boat ? so to speak. Every analyst knew that he or she would have questions about systems in which he or she was not as familiar. How every analyst handled any question from a coworker would reflect the way in which he or she would be treated when he or she had a question. It was the human nature aspect.

7. Every analyst had a desire to learn.

8. Every analyst had a willingness to train

9. If an analyst could learn one system, he or she could learn other systems.

10. Every analyst was a team player. Although there were folks who had years and even decades of experience on some systems, no one was too good to help out any analyst who had never worked with a particular system. The fact that every analyst was cooperative during the transition made it an enormous success.

This is what I personally learned from the experience:

1. Teamwork is not about individuals. When a client's problem was solved, it was the whole Helpdesk that triumphed.

2. When superstars play as a team, the team will ultimately win. Every member of the team was a superstar who played as a team and we ultimately won in transitioning both Helpdesks.

3. Every analyst proved that they could parlay their knowledge and translate that language to other analysts and clients.

4. Perception and reality may be two completely different things. I knew very little about the folks at the other Helpdesk. When I got to know them, they were as wonderful as the folks whom I already knew at my own Helpdesk.

5. Teamwork is all about dealing with people. What you make of your relationships is up to you.

6. It is amazing what a team can do when it is up to the challenge. My team only had a certain amount of time to transition its operations and we did it!

7. Sometimes just a desire to learn can make the difference between success and failure.

8. Investment in relationships with people is invaluable with a rewarding rate of return.

9. Random acts of kindness

10. You can actually appeal to people's better nature and not just their self-interest.

Everyone involved displayed so much cooperation and willingness to train no matter how many times they were asked a question. Everyone involved during the transition should be very proud that they were part of that awesome period and it is something that they can take with them anywhere else they go. All of us were a part of a group that needed to implement the greatest effort of teamwork or we were not going to make the transition.

Considering that three shifts were involved makes the event even more a source of pride for all of those who were involved. Any person on the team could be approached and they were more than willing to help with any question. We were an example to follow and we certainly set a great standard for teamwork!!

Teamwork is all about people. Those in technical professions are people too. No matter what your profession, people in technology have great skills like everyone else. My team broke the stereotype that techies cannot communicate well and are not team players. It's not your profession that determines what makes you a great team player, it's who you are. It's not how much people skills that you possess, it's what you do with those people skills that matter.

This article is dedicated to the one of those great team members, Monica Mitchell, who died of pulmonary embolism on Wednesday, November 5th, 2003. May God's grace be with you always, Monica. For those of us who had the pleasure to have worked with her, we will greatly miss you.

Published November 2003 : zdnet.com.com/2100-1107_2-5107498.html

North Notes is a writing and researching company, which primarily helps writers gain focus, motivation, remove mental blocks that help to unblock the writing process. EVERYONE who writes has been stuck at some point in his or her career. You do not have to accept these mind-boggling roadblocks!

<a target="_new" href="http://www.northnotes.com">http://www.northnotes.com</a>; (586) 216-7516

Effective Brainstorming

Most managers simply herd some people in a room with a flip chart and call it a brainstorming session. Yet there is a definite process that maximizes the size and quality of the idea pool. While there are hundreds of valid techniques for doing this, below are just some of the important concepts leaders should consider.

a) The sum of ideas produced by individuals acting alone is greater than the sum of ideas produced by those individuals acting as a group. Further, the diversity and novelty of ideas produced by individuals acting alone is greater than produced in a group. This means that asking group members to think of a set number of diverse and novel ideas before the session and then repeat the process during the session results in greater total output. Be sure to insist that individuals think of new ideas in the group session.

b) Individuals are prone to competency traps and path dependency. This means that it is hard for them to rapidly frame break unless new experience, stimuli or knowledge is introduced. One solution is to import competencies. Bring in new and dissimilar individuals. Try and ensure these new individuals score high on expression, tacit knowledge and status.

c) Brainstorming usually implies that the solution to a problem is being sought. Thus one good principle is to break the session into three parts ? problem identification, idea generation and idea selection. It is amazing how many different perceptions of a problem often exist. Each problem definition generates its own set of ideas. This stage-process allows the separation of creative from critical thinking. Writing and editing are two very different processes.

d) Set incremental goals. Incremental goals produce more output than &quot;do your best.&quot; Further, they trigger prolific production; it can be said with great certainty that quality is closely connected with quantity ? the single best creative product tends to appear at that point in the career when the creator is being most prolific.

There are at least two types of incremental goal: 1) short term ? this forces production of output and 2) longer term ? this allows problems to incubate at various cognitive levels and results in the required insight.

e) Foster collaboration instead of competition. Competition causes people to shut down, restricts the flow of information and creates core and peripheral groups. On the other hand, collaboration allows the intellectual cross-pollination that is the raw material for the idea generation process.

f) One of the top idea generation killers is slow or non-existent implementation. People just will not take idea generation seriously if nothing tangible resulted from the last brainstorming session. Ensure direct links to decision makers and visible progression through the innovation process ? idea selection, development and commercialisation.

g) Don't rely on &quot;creative types.&quot; Everyone can generate large numbers of diverse and novel ideas. Whilst there are assertions that there are creativity traits such as lack tolerance for conformity and tolerance for ambiguity, these theories are questioned on the basis that traits are hard to identify, isolate and are not stable or transferable across situations. Further, other criteria such as motivation and competencies are critical.

h) Think beyond brainstorming. The concept of brainstorming as the only effective method of good idea generation is questionable. Some brainstorming negatives include: 1) dilution of ideas, 2) lower rates of participation from individuals who score low in expression and 3) evaluation apprehension. Idea boxes, idea intranets and knowledge bases are just some methods of maximising the contribution of every individual.

These and other topics are covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased at <a target="_new" href="http://www.managing-creativity.com">http://www.managing-creativity.com</a>

Kal Bishop, MBA.

************************************

You are free to reproduce this article as long as the author's name, web address and link to MBA dissertation is retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller.