Ask anyone at a social gathering, “so, what do you do?” Most people reply with a job role or title. If pressed, they will list the things they are responsible for or the activities they carry out in their role. What you never hear is a short, complete list of the results they are accountable for producing. We seem wired to think in terms of action and responsibility. The consequence?… read more →
Though not a fan of war, I was shown this speech recently and was struck by the underlying courage, dignity and respect for humanity shown by the speaker, Lt. Col. Tim Collins, commander of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Irish, as he summed up the task for the British forces waiting to remove Saddam Hussein from power in March 2003. Here is the full text of his extraordinary and… read more →
You may well remember Pixar’s “For the Birds” video from a few years ago. It’s an amusing 3-minute cartoon which highlights very cleverly the power of great teamwork and collaboration. How about using it is an icebreaker when you’re putting together a new team and want to encourage collaborative working? It makes people relax and opens up a good discussion on important team-related issues. But make sure you watch the… read more →
If you’re a new team leader, your actions in the first few weeks and months can play a large part in how well your team succeeds. Following on from last week’s post where we looked at the steps you need to take to build an effective group of individuals, here we’re focusing on the principles of what you need to remember in those initial team-building months: Do: Be clear about… read more →
Are you new to leadership? Whether building a new team or taking on an existing one, you want to make it work. We pinpoint six priorities for new team leaders. It’s not an easy job getting people to work together, particularly if one or more of you are new to the team. We frequently see the basics of team-building being overlooked for the seemingly more important tasks of setting and… read more →
This week, we’re building on our previous post and focusing on some of the things to look out for which might affect your performance when working in teams: Moody or moaning colleagues – There are numerous cases where the team’s happiness, productivity and even stress levels are deeply affected by one member’s mood. If that person is in a good mood, then all is well, but if they are in… read more →
Love your colleagues? This is not a word you often hear bandied around in an office environment. But strangely enough, if you ‘feel’ love at work, then the more engaged you’re likely to be. We’re talking here about compassionate love, a feeling of warmth and affection, of connecting with your fellow co-workers. It’s not surprising to discover that those who care about their colleagues perform better, but an emotionally focused… read more →
Do you believe that the training courses you’ve done have been truly valuable? Do you use what you’ve learned in your everyday working life? Often people are dubious, if not negative, about the training they’ve done and the benefit to them. It is possible to make training stick, and have a lasting benefit. So what are the key elements involved in successful training? Key elements The information – the contents,… read more →
Everyone is a cycling fan now, so no apologies for a Brad based blog this week, from Neil Crofts. Team Sky did something remarkable at the Tour de France over the last three weeks: they worked as a team. The term team is used a lot in many different contexts, but it is rarely used accurately. The reason it is rarely used accurately is that to understand what a team… read more →