  Week 40 Focus – Team Development – Building Your Team Focus Question: What is going to help your team excel? What does building your team look like? When are you dedicating time to this process? Description Team development is a process. It is not something that happens overnight. It’s not a one-off. Teams are like elephants – big and bold. They take time to move and shift. Teams need several elements to perform at their peak. I commonly call these the Six Factors of high performing teams. From different research (Katzenbach and Smith, Hackman and Wageman, Carr and Peters) we know that teams require:
Activity As a team, consider where you are on a scale of 1-10 (1 being low and 10 being high) around each of the Six Factors? What needs attention? Be sure to schedule in time for your team development activities. (Note the S in activities. Team development is not just a one-off! It’s a process.) Connection to the Workbook and Planner Share resources with you team from the workbook plan. Could they benefit from having a copy themselves? Download a one-page copy of this week's 52 Weeks of Plan, Do and Track here. Best wishes, Jennifer Read and download the initial weeks of the 52 weeks of Plan, Do and Track  Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013). Pick up a copy of any of her books at Amazon Book Jennifer for a coaching session to explore productivity, teamwork and business issues. Contact her by phone at (416)996-8326 Check out the new 19 Productivity Tips on-demand program. Explore this video based program at your own pace, and join Jennifer for bi-weekly calls as part of your course. Follow the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series on Instagram
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  Week 39 Focus – Team Development: Understanding How Teams Operate Focus Question: What does your team need right now? Description In growing a team, it is important to understand the arc of team development. Teams naturally move through the process of what is commonly referred to as Tuckman’s Model. This series of stages from Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Adjourning. At different stages team and groups have varying needs. Here’s what I shared about the five stages of Tuckman’s model in a Teams365 blog post: The forming stage occurs when groups or teams are coming together, and/or are being joined by new group/team members. Key needs at this stage include safety, connection and understanding what expectations are. As coaches, it is important at this stage to encourage dialogue around expectations, group or team agreements (or "how we want to operate/get along") and connect people with each other as well as with you. By the second conversation, groups are often into the Storming Stage where they are asking themselves "What? So, who are we? What's this all about?". This is where conflict starts to emerge and can be very overt (visible) or under wraps (i.e. people choosing not to engage and double-booking themselves). Conflict is a normal and healthy part of group development when they have the tools and skills to learn to work across differences. We can support groups and teams as coaches sat this stage by supporting them with a process and tools that help them gain clarity about who they are and what it's all about. As groups and teams move through Storming and start to create their own identify they move to the Norming stage. We may start seeing the group really start coming together in the second or third group coaching conversation, or even in the morning of a multi-day program. As coaches we can support the process by encouraging dialogue around roles, key goals they are working towards collectively and the purpose of the group or team. The next stage in Tuckman's Model is Performing. At this stage, the group or team has everything they need and clarity around what they are doing so they can get the work done. As coaches, we can support teams and groups at this stage for pausing to reflect on what's working, what's not, what needs a tweak and what's going to support their results. Groups and teams will end - whether it is a team member leaving, a project team winding down, or a group disbanding. In the Adjourning stage we want to create the space for people to acknowledge their achievements, learning and start looking at next steps. Activity Questions to consider:
Connection to the Workbook and Planner As you consider the different relationships you are in, what stages are you at? Download a one-page copy of this week's 52 Weeks of Plan, Do and Track here. Best wishes, Jennifer Read and download the initial weeks of the 52 weeks of Plan, Do and Track  Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013). Pick up a copy of any of her books at Amazon Book Jennifer for a coaching session to explore productivity, teamwork and business issues. Contact her by phone at (416)996-8326 Check out the new 19 Productivity Tips on-demand program. Explore this video based program at your own pace, and join Jennifer for bi-weekly calls as part of your course. Follow the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series on Instagram   Week 38 Focus – Onboarding New Team Members Focus Question: What is important to communicate about your business? Description In bringing people onboard to your team it's really critical that you:
Story Onboarding New Team Members: It’s likely that you may be bringing on new team members, and also doing this in a virtual setting. As you approach onboarding your new team members consider sharing:
Activity This week make a list of all the things you want to cover in onboarding new team members. What materials are needed? What support? Connection to the Workbook and Planner Going back to your values and vision as a business, what is important to communicate? Many of the areas we explored – values, strengths, can be explored with others. Download a one-page copy of this week's 52 Weeks of Plan, Do and Track here. Best wishes, Jennifer Read and download the initial weeks of the 52 weeks of Plan, Do and Track  Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013). Pick up a copy of any of her books at Amazon Book Jennifer for a coaching session to explore productivity, teamwork and business issues. Contact her by phone at (416)996-8326 Check out the new 19 Productivity Tips on-demand program. Explore this video based program at your own pace, and join Jennifer for bi-weekly calls as part of your course. Follow the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series on Instagram   Week 37 Focus – Building Your Team Focus Question: What are the roles that are going to help you as a business? What are the roles that are non-negotiable? What else is going to help your team? Description There are many elements which make teams work. We often call this team effectiveness. From leveraging your people’s strengths to the Six Factors, team development is process which occurs over time. Many of the topics we explored earlier in this series (i.e. values, strengths, vision) can also be applied to your team. Take a look back at some of the earlier sessions. We know that teams excel when they have clarity around both the results they are working on, in addition to having strong relationships. In future weeks we will be exploring additional areas. As a starting point, consider:
Activity Return to your vision and think about WHO you need to help you grow your business. On an immediate level, make a list of all the things you have been involved with recently or have on your list. Are there any things which could be done by others? Connection to the Workbook and Planner Check out the Time Management and Personal Productivity sections. These will be useful in exploring what tasks you are doing and where they are in terms of urgency and importance. As your business grows you will want to consider what tasks could be delegated to others. This will be a signal of the types of work which could be handed over to part-time or full-time staff. Use the chart connected to the 4D model to capture the tasks required by others. This can be found on page 120 of the Coaching Business Builder and page 122 of PlanDoTrack. Download a one-page copy of this week's 52 Weeks of Plan, Do and Track here. Best wishes, Jennifer Read and download the initial weeks of the 52 weeks of Plan, Do and Track  Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013). Pick up a copy of any of her books at Amazon Book Jennifer for a coaching session to explore productivity, teamwork and business issues. Contact her by phone at (416)996-8326 Follow the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series on Instagram  As I went to write Effective Virtual Conversations back in 2016-2017, I was curious about how much time people were spending in meetings. If anything, the pace of meetings has not decreased in recent years but increased. From face to face meetings, to ones where some are in a room and others are virtual, meetings can take up the majority of people’s time if we let them. What are you doing to ensure you are maximizing your meeting time? Next week I’ll be bringing in 8 Essential Meeting Questions you want to be asking at any meeting (so stay tuned). In this weeks’ post I thought it would be useful to curate a list of ideas for you to consider as you go to strengthen your meeting processes: #1 – Is a meeting what’s really necessary? – We often think we need to meet for meetings sake. Is a meeting really necessary or can it be covered off in another way? # 2 – What is the purpose of the meeting? - Is it to provide information? Invite discussion? Make a decision? Brainstorm? Coordinate across the team? Support learning? These are all very different reasons to hold meetings. Consider what is the purpose of the meeting, and then WHAT the best platform is, and WHO should be at the table? Does it even need to be a face to face meeting or can it be completed some other way? (i.e. a learning event may be offsite or on WebEx/Zoom or other) #3 – What is the outcome we are looking for? Without a clear direction, meetings can derail quickly. Has the outcome been circulated before hand so people can prepare with whatever is needed? As well, are they able to build in time based on the outcome? #4 -What involvement are we asking for? Helping frame expectations is another key part of the process. What is the involvement we are asking for? Enjoy! Jennifer Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Check out the Weekly Planning Hack Facebook Live each Wednesday or Thursday here. Be sure to like our page to be updated each week! Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)   Week 36 Focus – Weave it Together: Quarterly Check In Focus Question: What have you achieved? What’s needed in this next quarter? Description Taking time to pause and undertake a quarterly checkpoint is important. Here we are at our next quarterly checkpoint. What are you noticing each time you undertake a quarterly review? What are common themes across the quarters? The book’s subtitle is “Putting the pieces together”. What are the elements you want to fuse or combine? Activity For this week’s activity, you are invited to consider some, or all, of the questions I posted in my March 2019 article for the Coaching Tools Company: Help Clients Pause, Take Stock with a Quarterly Review or Retreat https://www.thecoachingtoolscompany.com/create-a-pause-for-clients-via-quarterly-reviews-or-retreats-by-jennifer-britton/ Start by reviewing the past quarter:
Looking ahead to the next quarter: My priorities are: 1. __________ 2. __________ 3. __________ Our team/business priorities are: 1. __________ 2. __________ 3. __________ My goals are: 1. __________ 2. __________ 3. __________ Other questions to consider:
Activity: Part 2 Depending on your style you may opt to:
Connection to the Workbook and Planner Refer to the Quarterly Tools including:
Download a one-page copy of this week's 52 Weeks of Plan, Do and Track here. Best wishes, Jennifer Read and download the initial weeks of the 52 weeks of Plan, Do and Track  Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013). Pick up a copy of any of her books at Amazon Book Jennifer for a coaching session to explore productivity, teamwork and business issues. Contact her by phone at (416)996-8326 Check out the new 19 Productivity Tips on-demand program. Explore this video based program at your own pace, and join Jennifer for bi-weekly calls as part of your course. Follow the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series on Instagram  Delegation is one of the areas that is an opportunity for improvement for many professionals today. In a context which is ever changing, and priorities can pull us in many directions, the art of delegation can be very important as you about getting things done, especially if you have a team around you. Delegation is truly an art form. It’s not just about “getting something off your plate” but rather ensuring that it’s passed off to someone who can get it done and grow. Check out this LinkedIn post I wrote a while ago on delegation –“Effective Delegation: Your Keys to Success”. In the spirit of keeping things simple I often share the 5 Ws and an H when I am speaking with leaders and virtual team members about delegation. Here’s what I wrote about delegation using this approach over at the Teams365 blog a while ago: “We can apply the 5 Ws to Delegation: What - What do you want to delegate? What are the specifics? What resources do they need to complete this? Who - Who will you delegate to? Do they have the skills required? What support do they need along the way? When - What are the major milestones along the way? How will you check in, and when? Why - Why is this task important? Have you communicated the big picture? Where - Where does the work need to take place? How - What are the steps/actions required? How will it be measured? How will you all know it has been successful?” Source: https://www.potentialsrealized.com/teams-365-blog/teams-365-90-delegation-tips Questions to consider : What are the 5 Ws for you right now around delegation? What do you want to make sure you delegate? Best wishes, Jennifer Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Check out the Weekly Planning Hack Facebook Live each Wednesday or Thursday here. Be sure to like our page to be updated each week! Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)   Week 33 Focus – People Management 101 Focus Question: What makes your people exceptional? Description People are at the heart of any great business, or team. People management is a critical element for success. If you are a first-time team developer there’s lots to learn. It is often said that the move to first time supervisor or manager of people is the largest step you’ll ever undertake during your career. In PlanDoTrack, I explore core skills needed by both team leaders and team members. Given the autonomous nature of virtual and remote work, it can be beneficial and valuable to build these skills across an entire team – not just with the leader. As a leader of people, there are a variety of different conversations you will engage in. Here are several of them:
Activity Consider your skill base right now. What is one skill area you could become more effective in to boost your impact as a people leader? Connection to the Workbook and Planner Complete the Wheel of Virtual and Remote Work in PlanDoTrack and review the skills listed in Section 1 of PlanDoTrack. What do you notice? Where can you improve? Download a one-page copy of this week's 52 Weeks of Plan, Do and Track here. Best wishes, Jennifer Read and download the initial weeks of the 52 weeks of Plan, Do and Track  Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013). Pick up a copy of any of her books at Amazon Book Jennifer for a coaching session to explore productivity, teamwork and business issues. Contact her by phone at (416)996-8326 Check out the new 19 Productivity Tips on-demand program. Explore this video based program at your own pace, and join Jennifer for bi-weekly calls as part of your course. Follow the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series on Instagram  Welcome back to another Wednesday Weekly Planning Hack. This is #24 in the series. This week’s WPH is about a great prioritization tool using post its. It builds onto last week’s focus of using post its in planning, and in ensuring all voices in a team are represented. In this week’s blog post let us explore another very visual way to prioritize – this time using post its. Here’s what I wrote about the Planning Matrix in PlanDoTrack and the Coaching Business Builder: “The prioritization matrix is a quick visual tool where all you will need is some post-it notes or a white board. First, identify all of the priorities you have, writing each one down on a separate post-it. Then rate them according to their impact and likelihood of getting them done (or other criterion). Place them along the matrix of impact and likelihood. This activity is very visual, and stimulates dialogue amongst the team members themselves. An important part of the prioritization process for teams is about sharing information, and also busting assumptions that might be held. This seems to have the potential to be a great structure for facilitating that conversation.” (Source: Coaching Business Builder, Jennifer Britton, 2018) What ways can you incorporate post its, teamwork and planning? Best, Jennifer Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Check out the Weekly Planning Hack Facebook Live each Wednesday here. Be sure to like our page to be updated each week! Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)   This week’s Weekly Planning Hack focuses on the Power of a Post It. From being an important visual reminder, to helping teams focus on what’s important, the power of a post-it can become a colorful way to prioritize and focus. Here are a couple of ways you might consider using post its to help you with your productivity:
Here’s what I wrote in a 2008 blog posts on post its called A Facilitator’s Ally: Post Its and Index Cards: I love post it notes and index cards! Many of you will know that it made my top 10 list of most useful tips and tools for 2007. Today's post, builds on a much older post of mine from last year, about how post it notes and index cards can be a really valuable tool in your toolbox. Here are some ideas on how you can use post-its and/or index cards: 1. For program development. Using a new post it or index card, brain storm all the ideas you have about upcoming programs. Lay them out on a table or floor to start sorting/grouping. 2. To get quick feedback from all participants during a program. As an evaluation tool, have participants write out their responses to your evaluation questions (1 question/answer per card), and have them post them on the wall. 3. For business planning or strategic planning sessions. The photo above is from a recent team planning session I facilitated late last year. There is nothing like getting people up and moving to boost engagement, excitement and ownership of their work! 4. As a quick poll of the group regarding what questions are popping for the group. 5. To ensure that all voices of the group are being heard. It is quite common for groups to be dominated by certain members. As a facilitator it's important to ensure that all voices are heard. Having participants write out their questions or responses, and then post them, or share them, can provide participants who introverts are, shyer or those who require more time to process questions, the opportunity to participate and "be heard". 6. As a "vote" regarding where to go. Have participants show their support for a discussion item by putting up a post it note. (Different colours can represent different categories.) 7. As a brainstorming tool. You can bring post-its/index cards into exercises where participants want to/need to brainstorm. For example,
Here’s a link to that original post. Enjoy your use of post its! Jennifer Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Check out the Weekly Planning Hack Facebook Live each Wednesday or Thursday here. Be sure to like our page to be updated each week! Author of PlanDoTrack (2019), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013) |
AuthorJennifer Britton is the blogger behind the popular Teams365 blog, a daily,blog for team leaders and members since 2014. Her latest publication is the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner. Pick up a copy at Amazon. Pick Up a Copy
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