Leading Teams - Notes

Biggest problem: Lack of clarity

• Half our work is completed through teams
• On average, the work is done by 5 or 6 teams of 10 or 11 people
• Only 27% of people felt their teams are high performing 
• Only 1 of 4 people felt their organization does a good job of team leader training
• Perception of high performance increases with age
• Top obstacles differ across age groups

1. Sustain High Performance
2. Build Team Cohesion
3. Communicate during Conflict
4. Align for Results

T1 Stage: Clarity

T2: Embrace Conflict

T3: Thrive on Trust

T4: High Performing Teams Lead Themselves

2 variables that determine team stage: Interest & Competence? Cohesion & Performance?

- Productivity: quantity, quality of work accomplished in relation to team's purpose & goal

• Clear goals & measurable results
• Technical knowledge & skills
• Problem-solving & decision-making practices

- Morale: fluctuate, sense of pride in belonging to the team, satisfaction form accomplishing

• Praise, recognition
• Appropriate leadership

TEAM DYNAMICS: patterns of behaviors

Content: What is the team doing? 

Procedure: How are they doing it together? Climate.

• What's the purpose?
• How well is the team upholding team norms? What's the underlying mood?
• How is the leader behaving?

Areas for observation:

• Communication & Participation
• Decision Making & Problem Solving
• Conflict Management: sweet or sour after the meeting
• Accountability & Shared Responsibility

=You came up with without consulting us. Blaming.

ALIGN FOR RESULTS - STRUCTURING STYLE

1. Team members understand the purpose of the team.
2. Team members know why the team’s work is important.
3. The team has an agreed-upon decision-making process.
4. The team has an agreed-upon set of behaviors for working together.
5. Specific team goals are agreed upon.
6. Individual roles are clearly defined.***

Team Charter

Directive Behaviors:

• Establish roles
• Give feedback
• Provide training/ resources
• Track performance
• Identify goals/ processes
• Initiate & facilitate meetings

Supportive Behaviors:

• Listen
• Communicate
• Share leadership
• Involve others
• Acknowledge contribution
• Facilitate problem-solving

COMMUNICATE DURING CONFLICT - RESOLVING STYLE

1. Team members listen to each other in order to truly understand.
2. Team members feel comfortable expressing themselves during conflict.
3. Team members are curious about others’ points of view.
4. The team welcomes differences of opinion to develop new options.
5. Team members value individual differences.
6. Honest feedback is valued.

Conversational Capacity: ability to have constructive, learning-focused dialogue about difficult subjects. Open, balanced, non-defensive

• Candor: open, honest, direct, sincere
• Curiosity: inquisitive interest, wanting to learn
• --> work in the sweet spot

Resolving Style:

• Address and leverage conflict
• Encourage candor and curiosity
• Provide feedback on progress
• Ensure all voices are heard 

BUILD TEAM COHESION - SUPPORTING STYLE

• Team members work through issues together.
• Team members discourage behavior that conflicts with established team norms.
• Team members help each other be successful.
• The team solves problems by using the talents of all team members.
• Trustful relationships are cultivated between team members.
• Team members hold each other accountable on commitments.

SUSTAIN HIGH PERFORMANCE - VALIDATING STYLE

• Decision making is shared by all team members.
• The team is comfortable taking risks.
• Team members believe they are stronger together than they are individually.
• The team celebrates its accomplishments.
• Team members share responsibility for team leadership.
• The team seeks opportunities for continued growth.

HELPING PEOPLE PERFORM

Employee life cycle

1. Hire & welcome me
2. Help me belong
3. Help me perform *** UP
4. Develop me *** Ha
5. Retain or advance me

WHY - Purpose: To refresh Europe & the Pacific & make a difference.

WHAT - Managers: selected to execute the strategy of the business - they get things done.

HOW - Leaders: Leadership behaviors can come from anyone. Such behaviors inspire, energize others towards achieving the purpose & vision of the company.

John Adair: Action Centered Leadership -

• Task - 40%
• Team: come together - 20%
• Individual: check-ins, feedback - 40%

Comfort Zone model - developed by psychologist Lev Vygotsky

SPECIFIC

"What do I/we want to accomplish and what is the desired outcome?"

Why is this important?

Is it succinct enough that I could tweet it?

Who is involved?

MEASURABLE How will I know if we/I have accomplished it? How much? How many? "What level of quality is required?"

ACHIEVABLE "What resources will we/I need?" Whose input could support me? Do I/we have the right knowledge and skills to do this? What barriers might we encounter and will we overcome these?

RELEVANT How does this link to CCEPs purpose? Does this objective stretch and challenge me/us? Is this something we/I am motivated to achieve? How does this help our team to move forward?

TIME-BOUND When should this objective be completed? What will this look like one month from now? What can be complete in one week from now? What can be completed in the next 24 hours?

Feedback in the moment

1. Catch people doing things right
2. Give feedback ASAP
3. Can the feedback be acted upon? & Is it clearly understood?
4. Feedforward

I appreciated and I'd like to see more...

Why people go off-track

• They were not clear on what was expected
• They didn't realize they were off-track
• They do not have knowledge/skill
• They do not have the will

1. Set purpose & expectation (The STANDARD we agreed...)
2. Ask for their feedback
3. Share your feedback (What I OBSERVED was..., The IMPACT you had was ...)
4. Agree next steps

Authority is 20% given and 80% taken. You need to ask for the authority you need.