Posted: May 24, 2019 | Categories: Leadership, Team Building

A vital part of teamwork is collaborating to solve problems.  With skillful dialogue a solid team can usually come to a consensus on what to do.  Once this occurs, there is one more important step:  Decide how you will make decisions.  Here is an example:

In the spring of 1980, my wife and I had just purchased a house, and we also needed a car.  We were on a tight budget, but we both agreed we needed a new car.  A short time later, I was visiting a dealer, and they just took a car off the truck that was exactly what we were looking for.  It was a basic Toyota Corolla for $4000 brand new.  I caught them before they could put any “add-ons” to it.  It wasn’t long before I was back home with a car.  I thought I made a great decision.  That may be true, but my wife was furious.  She was understandably upset that she was not involved in such an important decision.  Even though we had both agreed that we needed a new car, we had not detailed and agreed upon a decision-making process.

Several years later we were once again in the market for a new car.  This time I was smarter.  Joyce and I sat down and went through all the possible cars and options.  There was give and take, and we ended up agreeing on the process.  Since we had detailed and agreed on exactly what we wanted, the only thing left was to execute.  One day I had an appointment cancelled, and I stopped by a dealer to look around.  They were offering exactly what we were looking for at the perfect price.  I bought the car, went home, and showed Joyce the paperwork.  “Looks good”, she said.  That was it.  (She doesn’t get too excited about cars)  Our process of buying a new car went smoothly this time, because we had decided how we were going to decide.  I recommend you and your team do the same.  It will prevent violated expectations.

Posted: May 20, 2019 | Categories: Team Building

Most of my coaching time involves helping organizations and  build winning teams.  They want to be number one.  Doesn’t everyone?  But how?  Below is an account of a conversation between legendary football coach Vince Lombardi and Lee Iacocca as told by Mr. Iacocca in his autobiography:  Once, at a private dinner with Vince Lombardi, the legendary football coach and a friend of mine, I asked him about his formula for success.  I wanted to know exactly what made a winning team.  What he told me that evening applies as much to the business world as it does to sports.

“You have to start by teaching the fundamentals.” Lombardi said.  “A player’s got to know the basics of the game and how to play his position.  Next, you’ve got to keep him in line.  That’s discipline.  The men to have to play as a team, not as a bunch of individuals.  There’s no room for prima donnas”

He continued: “But there have been a lot of coaches with good ball clubs who know the fundamentals and have plenty of discipline but still don’t win the game.  Then you come to the third ingredient:  If you’re going to play together as a team, you’ve got to care for one another.  You’ve got to love each other. Each player has to be thinking about the next guy and saying to himself:  “If I don’t block that man, Paul is going to get his legs broken.  I have to do my job well in order that he can do his”

“That’s the difference between mediocrity and greatness”, Lombardi said that night.

Sounds so simple, doesn’t it?  We know it is true.

Posted: May 8, 2019 | Categories: Self-Improvement, Team Building

A productive team knows how to synergistically solve problems.  It is a skill, and for most of us, it takes practice.  One of the best places to practice is in our own home.  Every family has their share of problems along with an occasional crisis.  How a family bands together to solve the problem can be vital to its well-being. Here is an example:

When my son David was 16, he came home from school one day all excited about getting an IPod.  I knew how much an Ipod cost, and I also understood he could afford one.  David is frugal by nature.  I said, “How much is this IPod going to cost you?”   “$200” he said.  That sounded like a very low price.  I asked him directly, “Is this hot merchandise?”  “Yeah, I know someone who has a bunch of them”.  I wanted to react, but instead I simply affirmed what David said.  “So the way you see it, if you buy this, you would be in possession of stolen merchandise, but you wouldn’t be stealing it directly.  Is that right?”  In a defiant tone, he said, “Yeah”.  I responded with silence.  30 minutes later, David said, “Dad, can you take me to the store.  I want to get that IPod”.  I wanted him to make the right choice.  I also wanted him to take part in the decision (Ownership)

This is a family problem.  In the workplace, there are problems almost every day for many.  There is miscommunication, people get offended, someone drops the ball, or you find you need to get in alignment with a co-worker or boss.  When you must confront, here are the rules:

1.  Begin in a friendly way with a respectful tone.
2. Ask questions to understand.
3. Listen to understand.  Suspend judgment.
4. Affirm what you have heard.
5. Instead of making a statement or speech, ask a question.
6. Create a win-win

If you and your team can do this consistently when confronting problems, you will find yourself working in a more favorable and fulfilling working environment.

Posted: April 24, 2019 | Categories: Leadership, Team Building

Most of my time is spent building top-producing teams.  One of the most fun parts of my job is when I get to work with a fresh new crew eager to excel.  Last week I was with such a group:

It was a team meeting, and two of the members were discussing how they can better communicate with one another.  Based on their positions, much communication and coordination was needed between them.  As they talked they came to a sticking point.  One person was upset and felt she had been left out of the loop. The other person tried to explain himself, and soon you could feel friction in the air.  We all know what happens when this occurs:  Each person stops listening and thinks about the way they will respond to defend their position.   Fortunately, the two people recognized the danger, and brought the conversation back to a safe place:  One person said, “Jill, I am not trying to make you feel bad or neglected.  My goal is to seek your help.  I am having a challenge, and I believe if we can talk through it, we can create a plan that makes our jobs easier for both of us.”

From this point, then went on to solve the problem, and created a “win-win” solution.  This action buried any possible frustration or resentment, and the two team members were back on track working side by side.

Look what happened here:  These two new employees had a conflict and they resolved it right away.  They did not allow time for the problem to fester.  That is smart.  Unfortunately, not all teams are this adept.  Comments are made and things are said.  People react or shut down.  Frustration and resentment sets in.  Ten years later, people still remember and rehash how they were hurt, and team performance suffers forever.  In the meantime, they have robbed themselves of the chance to have a positive, fully-engaged and productive team.

Posted: February 1, 2019 | Categories: Leadership, Team Building

About a year ago a client introduced me the book, “The Ideal Team Player” Patrick Lencioni.  Jim is a business owner and he liked the way the author broke down the “Ideal Team Player” into three key characteristics and qualities:  Humility, Hunger, People Smarts.

At first I thought this was gimmicky and an over-simplification.  I decided to take the scientific approach and prove the theory wrong.  I did not succeed.  What I discovered was that to build a top-performing team it is critical to look for and evaluate candidates according to these three pillars.

Humility:  When we possess and practice humility, we admit our mistakes and welcome input from others.  We subordinate our ego in favor of building others and also teamwork.

Hunger:  Without strong desire, we can be shy on initiative.  If we want something badly enough we go through much discomfort and challenge to achieve it.

People smarts:  Tactfulness removes barriers and opens dialogue.  It is essential in building team trust and setting the table for strong collaboration and teamwork.

With the past month, I worked with someone who was interviewing candidates to fill a position.  He wanted to know the best qualities to look for in his conversations.  I shared these three qualities with him.  After the first interview, h determined that the person was highly skilled, hard-working, and articulate.  He was only missing one quality…Humility.  It was a no go.  Here is how it works based on my coaching experience:

If a person needs more hunger, you can find out what motivates them, and create that hunger.  If they lack people smarts, tact and human relations skills can be learned.  I have helped people with that all my career.  How about humility?  That is a tough one.  Without humility, there is no team synergy or collaboration.  Be careful.