01

Dec

How did NOvember go?

jeff

aga bajer, amii barnard-bahn, conflict, dan pontefract, david burkus, jill schiefelbein, laura gassner otting, marshall goldsmith, meetings, Michael Bungay Stanier, productivity, riche norton, safi bahcall, stress, team building, work life balance

About teams, Be a better team member, Change, Personal Development

It’s easy to think that saying “yes” is the path to more, stronger, better. Surprisingly, it’s often what you say “no” to that will make you happier, healthier, and more productive.

read more

30

Jun

Do You Have a First Team?

jeff

5 dysfunctions of a team, first team, leadership team, Lencioni, team building, team effectiveness, The Advantage

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

Patrick Lencioni’s notion of a first team solves some problems but it creates others. Here’s another way to think about your competing team priorities.

read more

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.

read more

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.

read more

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.

read more

10

Feb

Exercise: Fostering a Culture of Productive Conflict

jeff

conflict, debate, discussion, exercise, leadership development, offsite, organization development, team building, Team Dysfunction

Be a better team leader, conflict, Exercises, How to fix teams

Too many leaders give their team permission to give feedback, to disagree, or to challenge one another’s ideas. Permission won’t drive action. If you want more healthy conflict on your team, stop giving people permission and start helping them appreciate their obligation.

read more

24

Jul

Dealing with a hold out

1 comment

3coze

fear, participation, resistance, self-awareness, team building, team effectiveness

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

When we get invited to help a team become high performing, occasionally, there is a team member who doesn’t want to participate in the process. It all starts innocuously; the team leader starts by inviting the person to participate and gets in response, “yes, but too busy right now.” The requests slowly escalate until they […]

read more

04

Oct

10 questions to increase collaboration

0 No comments

liane

collaboration, interdependence, shared goals, shared ownership, team building, teamwork

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

  I’m on a bit of a roll on the topic of collaboration on teams. This little flurry of posts stemmed from three teams in a row that raised concerns about the lack of shared ownership for each other’s work. In the first post, I focused on the importance of getting input from teammates before […]

read more

15

Oct

Be proactive in building your trust in others

0 No comments

liane

competence, conflict, connection, integrity, relationship, reliability, team building, team effectiveness, Teammates, trust

Be a better team member, Communicate, How to fix teams, Personal Development, Right Words to Say

After several audience members at my recent speeches have asked about the role of trust on their teams, I decided to dedicate a few posts to the topic. You can read previous posts in the trust series: your trust mindset and increasing your teammates’ trust in you before diving in here.  In this post, I […]

read more

21

Sep

Is your team prepared for conflict?

1 comment

liane

budgeting, conflict management, conflict resolution, criteria, decision making, decision rights, decisions, team building, team effectiveness

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

I was working with a really great leadership team last week.  The team is full of smart, friendly, collaborative individuals who each have the best interest of the business in mind.  The opportunity for this team, and maybe for your team, is not to be lulled into a false sense of security by a harmonious […]

read more