For the summer months I thought I would like to share with you some of the great articles written by my Alliance Members.  Please enjoy the following article submitted by Robin Kennedy:

The Power of Teams ~  Increasing Engagement & Results

Engaged teams – the lifeblood of sustainable organizations

A recent study of 150 teams revealed that highly effective teams are the lifeblood of the most successful, innovative and sustainable organizations in the world.

• The Royal Bank of Scotland manages everything in 30, 60 or 90 day cycles; working on teams is part of the culture.
• Google encourages employees to spend 20% of their time contributing to a team whose purpose excites them, keeping them engaged and at the edge of innovation.
• Consultants at professional services firms move from one project team to another, generating fresh ideas and offering new perspectives almost daily.

Teams drive results

We overestimate the power of a company and underestimate the power of teams. Teams are the engines that drive leading organizations, producing results that individuals simply can’t. Statistics report that we currently spend approximately 30% of our time working in teams. Forecasted to rise to 60%, mastering team performance is a key strategy for organizational growth and sustainability.

Engage the team as a system

A team is a living and dynamic system – a living organism that has characteristics that transcend those of individual members. Seen as its own entity, the team system has spoken and unspoken rules, blind spots, vision, expectations and moods. The way team members treat each other influences the quality and output of results, while the environment plays a crucial role in defining the sustainability of productivity. The team mood, whether energized and motivated – or fearful and disengaged, is the air that the team breathes and is created through relationships within the team.

Extraordinary teams have the mindset and skillset essential for creating and sustaining high engagement and top performance. Powerful team contracts are created with input from every voice in the system.  Desirable behaviour and ways to diffuse negativity are clearly defined. Relationships flourish and results grow.

Team Coaching is gaining prominence

A t the leading edge of the coaching profession, team coaching is gaining prominence as global organizations such as Johnson & Johnson, Kodak, Unilever, ING, State Farm, Aventis, McDonald’s and others, use this approach to build the performance capacity of their teams . Team coaching helps teams strengthen and sustain performance by equipping them with practical skills and tools to generate positive engagement and neutralize negativity. Team coaching is not about coaching individuals to be better team performers, although that often happens. The team is coached as its own system, independent of the needs of any single member. This advanced coaching methodology was developed by The Center for Right Relationship who trains coaches in Organizational and Relationship Coaching (ORSC).

Measure results

A baseline measurement is obtained using Team Diagnostics™, a next generation team assessment developed by Team Coaching International.  Drawn from a proven model that defines the necessary strengths for high-performing, sustainable, inspired teams, the assessment is repeated at the end of the coaching process to gauge progress and define clear next steps in further team development.

The question is not if teams are the wave of the future; the writing is on the wall.  The bigger question is what will you do to ensure that your teams thrive in turbulent times? Give them the blueprint to success. Invest in team coaching. It’s dynamic. It’s engaging. And, it works.

Humour, Attention and Engagement

Humour gets attention and is engaging.  Engagement is a key to learning, advertising, leadership, and team work. If you are not integrating humour into some core business functions in appropriate ways you are loosing time and money.

Humour important to Learning

Students at the (not a particularly funny field of study) strongly agreed that humor usage was engaging and motivating (88%), increased material retention (60%), did not decrease attendance (93%) and enhanced the overall learning experience (78%).

Humour gets Attention

The BBC says that a regular Web user has the attention span of a goldfish. According to Stephen Jones, editor of Growth Strategies, humor can increase attention by 700%. Getting attention is key to selling, motivating and persuading. Half of the world’s most impactful ads are humorous; whereas just 1 percent of the least impactful ads are humorous. Other studies prove that 94% of advertising practitioners see humor as an effective way to gain attention. Both the viral video and experiential marketing trends and campaigns also make use of humour.

Humour and Working

Why do 98% percent of CEO’s prefer job candidates with a sense of humour? Because 84% think that those with a sense of humour do better work. And more than three-quarters of workers believe that companies that promote fun at work are more effective than companies that do not. Are you a leader who promotes fun at work?

Snoozing

Seventy one percent of business people admit to having fallen asleep during a business presentation. It may just have been a big lunch that put them to sleep or it may have been the content or delivery. Change the content, delivery or deliverer. Or find ways to wake them up. Fortune 500 companies in the lowest quartile in profitability had 50% fewer engaged employees compared to those in the top quartile.

Most Laughter Improvised

Eighty to ninety percent of laughter does not follow anything related to a joke, story telling or anything intended to be funny. Most everyday laughter is an unexpected improvised process. The trick to this is having enough presence and confidence. The good news is that you don’t need to tell jokes.

Humour in Emails

Our advice is to keep humour out of emails unless you have a positive relationship with your intended recipient. Fifty six percent of humour fails in emails because humour is dependent on body language, tone of speech and appropriate pausing. These critical factors are absent in emails.

Make Humor Relevant

Make the humour relevant to the message and the audience. Studies have shown that the less the intended humour relates to the message, the more likely people will remember that ‘funny ad’ or ‘funny trainer’ but not remember the content. You might be getting attention at the cost of your message.

Sarcasm

Sarcasm can be humorous but there is often some form of negativity behind sarcasm, bitterness or past grievance. Sarcasm can be a symptom of a dysfunctional team or relationship and the best way to get at this issue is to engage actively in conflict. Ask yourself, is my humour inclusive? Does it bring people together or does it create divisions?

Creating Engagement

Laughter is 30 times more frequent in social than solitary situations. Strive then to capitalize on opportunities to use humour strategically in training, communications, meetings, and in marketing. On a personal, tactical level, remember that the truth is usually funnier than fiction so start by taking yourself and your life less seriously. Then, apply that same lesson to finding ways to bring out the natural humour and laughter of the people in your team, audience or market.

Truth Funnier than Fiction

I was asked to deliver a workshop on the topic of humour for a telecommunications company. I asked them why they wanted a workshop on humour and they replied: “You’ll know when you get here.”

For the summer months I thought I would like to share with you some of the great articles written by my Alliance Members.  Please enjoy the following article submitted by Claire Sookman:

The Four Powerful Keys to Virtual Team Success

Creating virtual teams is not challenge-free. Why? Imagine trying to communicate effectively with people you have never met and whose personalities you are not familiar with. If this hurdle is not overcome, establishing successful virtual teams can be extremely frustrating.

Why still pursue it? Harnessing the power of technology to connect with business units scattered across the country or around the world can result in dramatic increases in efficiency as well as significantly reduced costs

Harness the Power of Differences

You’ve heard it before, each individual is unique. Ponder the implications to virtual team success. Each of us brings strengths and challenges to the table. Understand and appreciate the uniqueness of others, yet, don’t fall into the trap of believing everyone thinks the same as you do.

You’ve probably heard of the DiSC system before. The DiSC system looks at how we tend to behave and what motivates us in a given situation by breaking behaviors into four categories corresponding to the letters D, I, S and C.

Knowing how to recognize a particular behavioral type, realizing that you want and need this person on your team, understanding the challenges they will introduce and how to manage them for success will now be discussed.

The Challenging One

In DiSC “The Challenging One” is the Dominance Style – represented by the letter “D”.  A “ D” likes to have control and can be very opinionated. They are inclined to be very direct, which means they do not mince words and they will always let you know exactly where they (and you) stand.  D’s thrive on change and are often risk-takers. They can become very impatient with people who try to slow down their progress.

The D’s can energize a virtual team, whether virtual or collocated.  They are extremely task oriented and have high personal standards.  They can be counted on to get things done with quality results. Their direct and forceful approach can inspire others when they recognize the value and contributions offered by others. Being task oriented is a characteristic that is highly valued in virtual teams, but only after good relationships and trust is established.

A “D” can also exhaust a virtual team. They can be very forceful and tend to take over. This can be particularly difficult for a team since a “D” might want to do it their way instead of getting buy-in from the team. This can cause resentment among less vocal members who may be naturally shy or reticent when it comes to expressing opinions. Body language (a natural indicator of how one is responding to another’s suggestions) also looses impact in a virtual team situation, making it even harder to determine a team member’s buy-in level  A “D” not only has high standards of themselves they have equally high standards of other people.  This can be challenging and stressful for some people.

Tips to Leverage their Strengths

• When giving them information be sure to focus in on the relevant facts of the task at hand
• Give them autonomy to do the work; it is not necessary to tell them how to do it. Just let them know what needs to get done.
• Don’t bog them down with details just give them the bottom-line
• When communicating with them be very direct

The Social Butterfly

In DiSC “The Social Butterfly” is the Influence Style – represented by the letter “I”.  These individuals are extremely friendly, positive and enthusiastic. Other people may see them as outgoing or extroverted. They are very communicative and they love to network with everyone. They are your team builders and motivators.

“I”s are naturals at pulling teams together and building and maintaining team spirit. They are the morale builders and motivators on your team.

People who are a high “I” can have difficulty following through on tasks and tend to be less detailed oriented. “I”s have a need to be part of a group, so if the team is virtual, or they are required to do solitary work, they may have difficulty.

Tips to Leverage their Strengths

• Since an “I” is not particularly detailed oriented, you may want them to team up with someone who loves details
• The “I” enjoys socializing but needs to realize not everyone likes to “schmooze.” Give them an opportunity to socialize with you before moving onto business. In fact, it has been proven that the most successful virtual teams are those which have either had the opportunity to meet face to face or which have established the human touch prior to focusing on work
• Utilize your “I” to build team spirit. Also, an “I” needs to feel appreciated, so let them know how they are doing

The Trusted One

In DiSC “The Trusted One” is the Steadiness Style – represented by the letter “S”.  An “S” is ready and willing to help. You can always count on them to support the team through loyalty and cooperation. An “S” would rather let others have their way than to start an argument; they don’t like conflict or radical change. They will support change if they understand why it is necessary. Unlike an “I”, an “S” does not like to be the center of attention, they may also take longer to warm up to people.

An “S” will rarely let you down, making them invaluable “team players.” They are patient and supportive and they create balance and harmony on the team. They are also the mediators on your virtual team.  They will be the ones who provide praise and encouragement to the rest of your team. An “S” will move cautiously especially when it has to do with change. Some people may view it as being stubborn or inflexible when in fact it’s because you tend to see the risks.

Tips to Leverage their Strengths

• Since change is something that an “S” finds disconcerting, make sure they know why the change is necessary and how it will impact them and the team
• Encourage them to ask questions and try to answer them all
• Whenever possible provide an environment that is predictable

The Analyzer

In DiSC “The Analyzer” is the Conscientiousness Style – represented by the letter “C”.  A “C” is very demanding on themselves and others. They are sticklers for details and would rather do things right than do things fast. A “C” has the reputation for producing high quality work. If detailed-oriented work is required give it to a “C”; they excel in making sure things get done correctly and you can be assured that they will follow through on their commitments.

A “C” expects everyone to have the same high standards as they do. This can be intimidating for some or appreciated by others. Also, because they demand high quality work from themselves, it tends to take them a longer to complete their work.

They prefer to work alone which can be particularly difficult if they are part of a team. Since a team can only function when an open information sharing model is in effect, it is crucial that a “C” – who generally prefers to work alone – be actively kept in the loop.

Tips to Leverage their Strengths

• Let a “C” know your expectations prior to giving them a task.  Incomplete instructions are difficult for a “C” to work with. Not only do they need to know what your expectations are but the standards you expect from them. “C”s tend to get bogged down with details so it’s critical to let them know when a task needs to be completed.
• Be very specific about deadlines

The key to communicating is not only understanding our behavioral style but, learning to adapt our style to others on the team. This is even more critical to do this when the team is virtual.

At first it may not be easy to detect each member’s personality type. However, making the effort to do so – even by using a simple survey – then tailoring your style to interact based on their personality type and preferred method of behavior can spell the difference between a powerful virtual team or a virtual disaster.

One of the great things about running the Athena Alliance is the vast amount of knowledge and sharing.  For the summer months I thought I would like to share with you some of the great articles written by my Alliance Members.  On May 21^st 2008 our Alliance Partner, Scott Kress stood on top of the world, he had just successfully climbed Mount Everest.  He shares with us his experience and his learning.

Learning In Thin Air
by Scott Kress

It was a pretty amazing site to see the world from that height; the same height at which commercial jets fly. I could see hundreds of mountains, the arid Tibetan plateau and the curvature of the earth. I was exhausted, but overjoyed at the same time.

I am not an exceptional athlete, nor am I not blessed with super human genes, I am just a normal person with a dream. My dream was to climb Mount Everest. Like many people with big dreams I did not really expect it would come true. I had climbed mountains all around the world and even guided for a while, but I always felt Everest was out of my league. Then life happened and I changed my view.

In the spring of 2005 my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He was admitted to the hospital and died a few short months later. It was too quick, he was too young (61). I was shocked that something like this could happen. I started to think about my mortality. Then I was also diagnosed with cancer. Mine was caught early and with a couple quick surgeries I was cancer free, but the shaky hold we have on life would stay with me. I resolved to live out my dream of climbing Everest.

I set out for Nepal in March with four friends. Our intention was to climb the North East Ridge in Tibet, but the Chinese Government had different ideas and cancelled our climbing permit at the last moment. They were fearful that we would interfere with their attempt to carry the Olympic Torch to the summit as part of the international torch relay. We quickly re-grouped and secured a permit to climb Everest from Nepal via the South Col and the Southeast Ridge.

Arriving at Base camp on April 9 we set up our home for the next seven weeks. We began to make climbs higher and higher on the mountain to acclimatize to the lower levels of oxygen and pressure and to stock our higher camps with gear, food, and oxygen. I traveled through the infamous Ice Fall, spend time at our rugged Camp 2, climbed the deadly Lhotse face and slept at the spectacular Camp 3. I was now acclimatized and ready to make my attempt on the summit.

Once the Chinese made the summit with the torch we were allowed to go for the top. After Camp 3 I strapped on supplemental oxygen and marvelled at the increase in my strength. I had not noticed how debilitating the lack of oxygen had been. My trip to Camp 4 was exciting and full of anticipation of what would come.

Once in Camp 4 I spent several hours resting, drinking, and eating and then departed for the summit at 9pm. The full moon shown bright and led the way through the dark. The night was relatively warm, but my toes were still going numb. After 10 hours of climbing I reached the top. I slumped down in the snow too tired to celebrate, but I had made it.

Our team put four out of five climbers on the top. We were very successful and I attribute this success to several factors. We worked as a team and supported one another and we did not succumb to the rumours and drama all around us. I dared to dream and with careful planning and attention to detail, I made it.

Lessons learned on the world’s highest mountain:

1) Leadership is a critical factor in determining the team culture.

2) Team dynamics will strongly influence personal commitment and level of risk adversity

3) A strong team culture enables the team members to better deal with change and challenge

4) At least 50% of success is dependent upon leadership and team development

5) Open communication helps leaders make better decisions and helps team members commit to the decisions

6) Open communication also enables the leader to learn of challenges as they arise and alternative views and ideas

7) No one can climb alone, it takes a team to make it to the top