09

Jun

Bad Advice: Why You Shouldn’t Come with a Solution 

jeff

arguments, communication, conflict, cross-functional teams, issues, problems, solutions, team building, Team Dysfunction

Be a better team member, Communicate, conflict, Contribute, How to fix teams, Right Words to Say

Arguments often start when someone proposes a solution without getting alignment on the problem they’re solving for. Here are the three situations in which you shouldn’t start with a solution.

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02

Jun

The Vicious Cycle of Bad Behavior

jeff

abuse, bullying, frustration, reciprocity, research, retaliation, Team Dysfunction

About teams, Be a better team member, conflict, Horror Stories, How to fix teams

In moments of weakness, you might let out a nasty remark or be too quick to criticize. New research suggests that your slip will lead to retaliation. Here are the do’s and don’ts to prevent starting a vicious cycle of bad behavior on your team.

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26

May

The Right Words: The Two Truths

jeff

arguments, communication exercises, conflict, disagreements, opinions, team building exercises

Be a better team member, Communicate, conflict, Right Words to Say

It only takes an instant for a conversation to turn into an argument. With the right words, you can change that trajectory and wind up solving a problem as an ally, rather than fighting as adversaries.

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12

May

How to Stop Email from Being a Soul-Destroying Task

jeff

cc, checklist, email, resilience

Be a better team member, Communicate, How to fix teams

Email is so inefficient and ineffective. That makes it a drain on our resilience. Here’s how to fix it.

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05

May

Stop Rewarding Arsonists for Putting Out Fires

jeff

accountability, fire fighting, performance management, planning, Recognition, rewards

Bad Leaders, Be a better team leader, Be a better team member, Contribute, Horror Stories, How to fix teams

It’s all too common that we reward the heroes who save the day on our teams without stopping to think that they might only be rescuing us from problems they created. Stop rewarding arsonists for putting out the fires.

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28

Apr

How to Avoid an Argument

jeff

argue, argument, conflict, fight, how to, instructions, invalidated, problem solving, team building, Team Dysfunction, validation, youtube

Announcements, Be a better team member, conflict, How to fix teams, Right Words to Say

Simple and effective techniques you can use to head off the next potential argument on your team.

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21

Apr

An Exercise to Expose Team Dysfunction in One Meeting

jeff

accountability, coaching, dysfunction, exercise, OD, offsite, story, team building, The Good Fight

About teams, Be a better team leader, Be a better team member, Communicate, Exercises, How to fix teams

What role are you playing in your own story of team dysfunction? Use this quick exercise to create personal accountability and get your team on the right track.

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10

Mar

The First Steps to Create a Productive Conflict Habit

jeff

alignment, conflict, decision making, disagreement, diversity, The Good Fight

About teams, Announcements, Be a better team leader, Be a better team member, conflict, Exercises, Right Words to Say

Building a productive conflict habit is critical to having a high performing team. But don’t go from 0 to 60 overnight. Use these 9 techniques to introduce low impact conflict on your team.

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17

Feb

What teams can learn from Valentine’s Day

jeff

alignment, communication, disappointment, expectations, mistrust, teamwork, Valentine's Day

About teams, Be a better team leader, Be a better team member, Communicate, How to fix teams

People are often disappointed on Valentine’s Day because they have grand visions of what would make them feel loved but the fail to share them. The same thing happens on teams: we know what we want, but we don’t communicate it and, instead, set colleagues up to disappoint us. Here’s an alternative to falling victim to the Valentine’s Day Effect.

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27

Jan

Are you too busy to be curious?

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jeff

busy, creativity, curiosity, execution, Innovation, overworked, planning, strategy, team dynamics

About teams, Be a better team leader, Be a better team member, Contribute, Strategy & Planning

If you want to be strategic, you need to be curious, but execution mode reduces creativity. Here’s how to get into the right mode to be strategic and innovative.

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