A Few Notes From Cheryl
Next Teleclass: I hope you can join us for the next f-r-e-e teleclass, on Wednesday August 20: “Avoid the Mutiny and Meltdown of Workplace Change: Get your team through turmoil!” For details and registration, click HERE!
Here is just some of the feedback from last month’s teleclass “Bring your overworked team back to life again”: “I found this call to be VERY beneficial”, ”Good examples of how the steps could be applied - very real world cases!”, “Very focused and excellent way to introduce concepts to a broad audience!”, “I look forward to attending your other teleclasses, as I definitely like the positive reinforcement!”
Feature Article: How Well Would Your Team Perform in the Olympics? Lately, as I’ve been leading private corporate workshops as well as speaking at public conferences on the subject of building effective teams, I’ve noticed that most teams are not typically “trained” for high performance (which is why they often call us in!). So, in this month’s article I’ll share with you some simple steps to help your team identify where they can become better trained and ready for their own “Olympics.”
Warmest regards,
Cheryl
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Feature Article:
How Well Would Your Team Perform in the Olympics?
With the Olympics upon us and the variety of athletes competing at their maximum capacity, now is an opportune time to reflect upon the incredible levels of teamwork and training that led these world-class athletes to be able to perform at their current levels.
Did they get there overnight? Certainly not! These athletes have been training for years (and some decades) to participate in today’s Olympic events. They’ve trained individually, and they’ve trained as teams. They’ve trained at the Olympic Training Centers and other venues. The bottom line is that they have prepared their bodies and their minds for peak performance to perform in the way that is necessary for Olympic participation, which means performing at optimal as well as sustainable levels for the Olympic events.
Your team is no different than the Olympic athletes – your organization is counting on your team to function at an optimal level in a long-term, sustainable way to deliver the results that are needed.
Questions to explore:
- On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being “ready for the Olympics” in terms of team peak performance, where does your team fall today? In other words, how well is your team working together at a high-performance level that is sustainable for them to achieve the results needed for the long run?
If your team is at an 8 or above, congratulations! This is something to celebrate. And, it’s an opportunity to talk with your team about what they need to move from an 8 closer to a 10.
Most teams, however, would rate themselves at less than an 8. If this is your team, use this rating to create an opportunity to ask your team what they need in order to start improving their team dynamics and results, so they can start moving closer toward a 10.
- How much training has your team had in the following areas of sustainable team dynamics?
a. Communicating thoroughly and effectively
b. Knowing how to trust each other and exhibiting that trust
c. Creating team agreements that support effective team communication and interaction
d. Managing team conflict
e. Speaking to the “elephants in the room” when issues arise
In my experience, what I see is that most teams have not had any of the training mentioned here, because most teams are instructed to just start working together – an assumption is made that they will be able to “figure out” how to work together best! So, teams start working together and do the best they can, but they sometimes struggle (or fail altogether) because they do not have the training or tools to know how to work together most effectively and sustainably.
If this describes your team, NOW is the time to explore how you can better support your team’s interactions and results – talk with your team about what they need. Most importantly, let your team know that they shouldn’t be hard on themselves for not knowing what they didn’t know – remind them that what they’re experiencing is very common among teams, and the important thing is to determine what they need to be operating at a higher performing level.
- How much team interaction, structure/discipline and accountability does your team have through regular check-ins?
a. How well is your team utilizing their team agreements (which ones are working well consistently and which ones need improvement)?
b. How well is your team interacting and communicating with each other?
c. How well is your team managing conflict when it arises?
d. How well is your team speaking up about “elephants in the room”?
When we watch Olympic athletes in action, we know that they have developed the necessary discipline/structure and that they have a high level of accountability to be able to perform at that level. The reality is that teams need structure/discipline and accountability in order to be effective, too! If your team doesn’t already have regular meetings to specifically address these topics, I would encourage you to set up those discussions now. I typically meet with teams once a month to talk through those types of topics and coach them through the obstacles they may be encountering, and I would encourage you to create a similar structure as well.
Next Steps
It is entirely possible for your team to be performing at Olympic levels of team performance for the long term! The ideas above are just the tip of the iceberg (as usual, there is so much more to talk about on this topic, because it is so important!), but I hope that this is enough to get you thinking about the benefits to your team and your organization once they are operating at peak performance.
If your team needs assistance or training on these topics, we’re here to help you be successful. Just let us know and we can talk about which of our programs might be the right fit to help your team become Olympic athletes in the world of team dynamics!
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Upcoming Workshops
Avoid the Mutiny and Meltdown of Workplace Change: Get your team through turmoil
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
12:00 to 12:45 pm Pacific Time / 3:00 - 3:45 pm Eastern Time
(f-r-e-e lunchtime teleclass)
The work environment can be difficult….We’re here to help make it a little easier!
Limited resources, doing more with less – no wonder many people are feeling more stressed at work! Goals InSight has created a new tool to help you - it’s as simple and easy as joining us without even leaving your office.
Complete details at Speaking Schedule
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Create Your Desired Work-Life Balance
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
12:00 to 1:00 pm
Healthcare Financial Management Association - 2008 California Fall Conference
Hyatt Regency, Newport Beach, CA
Become a better leader at work and in your personal life by designing a strategy for each area in your life that you want to bring into balance, including balancing the demands of your work!
Complete details at Speaking Schedule
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Team Building Events and Off-Site Meetings:
Could your team use some help to be more cohesive?
Is it time to enhance your team's relationships and productivity?
Some teams know that something isn't working, but they don't know exactly
what that is or how to improve it. Some organizations hold team building seminars
and employee retreats because they know it's time to enhance their teams' productivity
and relationships. Do either of those statements describe you/your team? If
so, and if you haven't already contacted us to discuss your needs, feel free
to give us a call to see if we can help you.
We offer a variety of programs to enhance the performance of your teams as
well as improve the ways in which your teams interact,
so we invite you to visit our Training and Seminar page. This is a great way to show appreciation for your team and enhance their productivity,
thereby improving the bottom line for your organization!
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About Goals InSight, Inc.
Goals InSight,
Inc. helps organizations achieve their desired results in the following ways
- click on any of the links for details:
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