Archive for January, 2010

Like a lot of the UK, where I live is covered in snow and experiencing icy conditions.  As I was out clearing the driveway the best I could to get the car out, I noticed what was and what was not happening around me and it got me thinking about self leadership lessons that would could learn from the snowy conditions.

The first thing I noticed is that very few people were taking any sort of personal responsibility.  Very few people were out clearing snow.  Motorists who ventured out were often not even clearing their windscreens properly before setting out on the roads.

The next thing I noticed was that many wanted to try and take shortcuts.  For example, try and force their way out of the snow rather than take a few minutes to prepare the area for their exit from their driveway or kerbside.

Thirdly when I was out on the road, people, despite being told over and over again about the importance of being careful, in some instances people drove as if it was a normal day with perfect conditions.

Finally, we rarely acknowledge the extreme efforts that many people are making to make sure that services and goods we need are available despite the conditions.  This includes the emergency services, hospitals, council roads people but also people like lorry drivers who make sure that supermarkets get the stocks needed.

I wonder what other lessons you would add to the learning that we can take from the current adverse weather conditions?  Leave a comment with your ideas.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to be highly effective leaders and managers.  For more information click here

We all know that when we are part of a successful team it feels like we have the ability to achieve just about anything.

 

In any team one of the most important components in being successful is having a clear purpose.  Think about it if a team does not have a clear purpose it is going to be difficult to:

 

• Assess what progress is being made

 

• Determine whether the team is on or off track

 

• Identify what needs to change when things are not working

 

While most people understand that it is important to have a clear purpose, achieving this in practice is often more difficult.  A good indicator that you have a clear purpose is when individual team members can easily articulate what the team is trying to achieve.

 

A good example of the complete opposite is when the team is vague and people talk in vague terms like improved efficiency, better engagement, customer satisfaction or better productivity to name just a few.

 

So how can you get a crystal clear purpose for your team?

 

Make the time to define the purpose

 

Seems obvious but how often is it done in practice.  Chances are the team is established to either address a problem or exploit an opportunity.  What is the problem or the opportunity?  Answering this question will get you off to a flying start in having a clear purpose.

 

Check out understanding

 

You might think you have a crystal clear purpose if you are the leader.  Yet the team members might have a different point of view.  Ask the team members to describe in their own words their understanding of the purpose so that you can get to a point of common understanding.

 

Keep it simple

 

It is really easy to become over elaborate and make things more complicated than necessary.  Generally simpler is better.  For example, 98% of employees paid correctly is simple and crystal clear as a purpose.

 

Bottom Line – Creating a clear purpose is core to team results.  So what steps do you need to take to define the team purpose and get better results?

 

 

 

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become great leaders and managers and improve team working.  For more information click here

When we are part of a team that is delivering results we feel hugely motivated and when we are hugely motivated we tend to keep taking performance to a higher level.

Often small teams whose members are drawn from a group of people who tend to share common values and ways of thinking achieve a lot. The struggle sometimes arises when people are asked to work in a cross functional or cross discipline team.

In these situations, it is not uncommon for there to be:

• Power struggles where different groups are trying to take the lead and be in charge

• Silo thinking where people are only thinking about the impact on their little part of the pie

• Conflict and argument without there being any productive results orientated behaviours

When working in the team, especially one that is cross functional:

Recognise that different people view the same problem differently

The way that we look at and respond to a particular challenge will be influenced by factors such as our experience, training, skill set, knowledge and our personal stake to name just a few. Rather than trying to force through your way, try to focus on creating a new way of doing things that embraces the richness of the collective experience and expertise of the whole team.

Remember it all balances out in the long run

Sometimes you will be the person who provides the spark of inspiration or builds on the ideas of others. At other times you will have to take more of a back seat. In the long run however you will get plenty of opportunity to be the catalyst for the team.

Get all views heard

Some of us are more outgoing extrovert types while others are more introverted and quiet. If you are in the role of leading a team, it is vital that you create the opportunity for all views to be heard. Failing to do so could result in key opportunities being lost.

Keep the focus on the end game

Ultimately the team is tasked with delivering a result. It is all too easy to get dragged into personal agendas and pet topics. When you notice this happening, get teams re-connected to the overall purpose, goal or end game.

Bottom Line – Teams present their own challenges. The key is to understand an use these dynamics to create success.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective leaders and managers. Check out his free audio masterclass Leading and Managing Highly Productive and Highly Positive Teams – click here