Archive | May, 2010

The Importance of Training as a Team

We underestimate what it means to collaborate. The result is often a catalog of missed opportunities for improving function across the organization, which comes at the expense of systems training and technology solutions for simple problems. This week, Howard Teibel joins Pete Wright with a few suggestions for team cross-training — ensuring that teams are aligned across departments and functions, and that process, not just systems, are tested all along the line.

Listen now…

Audio MP3

Subscribe to Navigating Change iTunes

 

The 15-Minute Meeting

We’ve all been there — the eternal ineffective meeting. The facilitator labors on and on, agenda lost long, long ago, with no end in sight. But it is possible to hold effective meetings; meetings with focus, attention, participation, and accountability — and it all starts with a collective understanding of the rules of the field. In this episode, Howard Teibel and Pete Wright outline those rules and provide suggestions for all who are plagued with ineffective meeting-itis on how to spark the right team behaviors and get back on track.

Listen now…

Audio MP3

Subscribe to Navigating Change iTunes

 

How do you increase productivity without carrying a big stick?

It’s easy to say you want to cultivate an environment of collaboration and communication on a team. It’s another thing all together to actually achieve it. When you are faced with team behavior that’s in the dumps, how do you pull the right people together, inspire that spirit of innovation, and get people working together again without getting mired in politics and frustration? This week on the show, Howard Teibel and Pete Wright take on this issue and offer key strategies for bringing your teams together.

Listen now…

Audio MP3

Subscribe to Navigating Change iTunes

 

We’re always selling

Walk into your next management meeting and tell your team that you think they need to learn to sell better, you’re likely to feel a chill enter the room. Sales has a tough reputation inside organizations. And yet, so many core skills from the art of selling apply perfectly to the interactions we engage in day to day.

This week on the show, Howard Teibel and Pete Wright discuss how we are always selling something, whether it’s a project idea, a need for partnerships among business units, or influencing a group to buy into a new direction. Selling is ultimately about listening, then conveying how your idea meets another’s need. It’s about great communication and negotiating skills, something all of us can continue to improve on.

Listen now…

Audio MP3

Subscribe to Navigating Change iTunes

 

Strategies for Building an Effective Retreat

Holding a strong retreat takes planning and strategy to rally teams and build commitment. The best retreats offer a chance to capture institutional intelligence and align teams to strategic vision. The worst retreats are chaotic and unaligned, and can leave your team jaded and disorganized as a result. This week on the show, Howard Teibel and Pete Wright dissect the perfect retreat, from finding outside perspective to avoiding agenda poison.

Listen now…

Audio MP3

Subscribe to Navigating Change iTunes