Tag Archives: Change
Apr 27

Ten Team Behaviors To Look Out For

It’s reasonable to expect teams to collaborate. Human nature however leads people to manage their own “slice of the pie”. Management needs to take a hard look at the real message being conveyed across the organization about getting things done. The question can be boiled down to: Is success measured by realized strategic outcomes or is it about not being singled out as the reason for failure?

Too often, senior management assumes that groups are working toward a common goal while at the tactical level, sub-groups or departments are playing hot potato with their unique tasks. Being accountable is often about not getting caught holding up the larger project versus being collectively accountable to the overall success.

What are the symptoms that point to issues of team performance? Consider these ten behaviors and attitudes:

  1. Low output and productivity
  2. Frequent complaints within the team
  3. Internal confusion about roles
  4. Ineffective meetings
  5. Lack of clear goals or low commitment to goals
  6. Problems working with the team leader
  7. People do not speak up and contribute ideas
  8. Decisions are made that people do not understand or support
  9. The team does not appear to have good working relationships with other teams
  10. People feel that good work is not recognized or teamwork is not valued

If you believe half of these behaviors are present in your group, it’s probably worth taking a look at what can be done to proactively turns things around. Much of the work of building team is about having greater transparency and dialogue around the issues described above. Finding ways to talk about it goes a long way in addressing the problems.

Apr 15

The Art Of Delegating

All of us need to delegate at some point. Whether we’re the person in charge or doing front-line work, delegating is a critical skill to be effective in the workplace.

The difficulty is it requires the following four key behaviors:

  • Ability to instruct or teach
  • Patience
  • Allowing the other person to make mistakes
  • Letting go of an insatiable desire for control

Many of us have forgotten what’s it’s like to learn something new. Our own skills and competence came from others allowing us to step into new roles or responsibilities. We learn best by doing, and delegating to others gives them that opportunity to grow.

When delegating, keep in mind these three things:

  1. Does the delegatee understand what’s expected of them? Don’t assume. Ask!
  2. Are you prepared for the delegatee to make mistakes or come back with questions? If not, don’t delegate the work. You’re only setting them up for failure (in your eyes).
  3. Are you willing for this person to do the work using their style and method? How one performs the task is only one way it can be accomplished. Focus more on the outcome you’re looking for, not the style or method someone uses to get there.
Dec 14

The Elephant in the Room

Last week, I asked the question: “What’s it going to take to stop avoiding and start dealing with the lack of trust in our organizations?” It’s a big question, and in most companies, it’s the elephant in the room. But there are practical skills we can all develop to stop dancing around the elephant and learn to love change.

For management, it’s about getting to the heart of the matter “Why am I not getting greater productivity from my people?” For staff it’s “What’s it going to take for management to understand the real problems that keep us from getting our jobs done?”

Too often these questions are posed rhetorically and we muddle through process change poised as answers, truly afraid of what we might hear if we addressed them head-on. If we’re truly going to move our business from good to great, or through these difficult financial times, a paradigm shift needs to happen in the way we communicate and listen. True communication is not about slick tools, faster internet access or even clear speaking. It’s about raising consciousness of what we put out and how we listen, being more interested in results, not the reasons for our failure.

We have to take our communication to the next level.

  1. We have to solve team problems by focusing on issues and results rather than personalities and blame. 
  2. We have to motivate our people to do the right things at the right time, not because they have to but because they want to. 
  3. We have to reward team success in spite of  living and working in a culture that focuses on individual accomplishments. 
  4. We have to develop a workforce that takes responsibility for their actions versus looking for reasons things don’t get done. 
  5. We have to create departmental goals that are achievable and are understood by everyone.
  6. We have to develop our workforce to embrace mistakes as an opportunity to learn, versus something to avoid.

Applying these principles builds trust in a business culture of change and uncertainty. Just try taking on one of these strategies in your own work. See if you don’t  discover a renewed connection with individuals, teams and your entire organization in a way that makes your career more purposeful, productive and satisfying.

Aug 12

Broadening the Definition of “The Bottom Line”

I don’t like change. If you say you do, there is a good chance you are either a masochist, a consultant, or just plain lying. Sure, there are a lot of benefits to change—it can even be inspiring, but do you really seek it out? Or is it just that you are adept at responding to it? Love it or hate it there is no denying that change is disruptive, plain and simple.

In business, you’re constantly faced with change – new markets, economic forces, staffing issues, software upgrades, the list goes on. The work of the 21st century business leader is to evaluate how to deal with this endless list of opportunities and challenges, and filter it through the “bottom-line” – financial measures that reflect the health of the organization.

Besides financial measures, what else should leaders take into account in making strategic decisions? How about “Trust Equity”, or how well you and your people operate transparently with each other.

Do you not say your most important assets are those you surround yourself with? Ideally, this core group of bright, articulate and entrepreneurial individuals operate as your eyes and ears, evaluating economic, market and technology changes.

Does it matter if your financials are solid but there’s tension across department? Should you care if your staff isn’t operating to their potential but you’re still making money or expenses are under control? How often do we honestly step back from the fires we are dealing with and ask the broader question “If we were a really solid team, how much more could we do?”

Face it. You really don’t know what’s going on. Your direct reports will do everything in their power to show how well and on target they are, while avoiding news that may concern or upset you. This should come as no surprise. It’s human nature to look out for ones security.

This is a core benefit of building trust equity. Trust is the means to an end, the most important end is knowing what’s going on around you. Although we often operate by the principle “No news is good news”, it’s “What you don’t know that will kill you!” Building trust allows you to manage down in a way that encourages people to uncover issues they don’t think you want to hear.

Apr 21

Welcome to The Trust Blog

As a function of the teibelinc.com redesign, I struggled mightily with a few things.

  1. How to characterize change as both a constant struggle to overcome organizational adversity, and at the same time to communicate that I am a great optimist and advocate that such obstacles can be overcome.
  2. How to show that I believe strongly that the best change projects are not always just about incorporating the new, but putting the same old pieces of the organization together in new, innovative ways.
  3. Should I put a blog on the site?
I think we answered the first two questions. The third will have to come in partnership with you. 

 

I realized that so much of what I do, so many of the stories of change that I come across each day, highlight the companies that are “doing things right” now. They’ve made a commitment to how they focus their people, process, and technology initiatives, and through wonderful feats of ingenuity they have managed great change while reducing the pain that can come with it. In large part, they have done so by increasing the levels of trust and communication between teams, across layers of management, and have delivered results thanks to their efforts.

 

These are stories that more people, more teams, and more businesses need to hear. 

 

And so, I welcome you to The Trust Blog. I’ll be posting my stories of trust, teams, and change, and posting links I believe are of value in your change initiatives. In return, I hope you’ll find this a space where you can share your own stories and interact with me, and your peers, through insightful and observant comments and trackbacks.

 

Thank you for your patience through our redesign efforts, and thanks in advance for your participation on the site. I look forward to hearing your stories of change management success!
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