team building
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Trust
Teamwork is a critical employment skill. Yet, many workers – and entire teams – often lack the ability to work successfully in a team environment. With COVID resulting in many working from home and away from their normal team environments, teamwork skills are becoming even more difficult to master. Patrick Lencioni is famous for his work on teams, most notably his enduring book, The Five Disfunctions of a Team. Despite the provocative title, Lencioni really talks about the BEHAVIORS of high performing teams, boiling it down to Trust, Healthy Conflict, Commitment, Accountability, and Results. Trust is the fundamental behavior that must be present for a team to function well. Without…
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We thrive on validation
Dictionary.com defines validate as: "to make valid; substantiate; confirm." In our various "selves" we are always seeking it. We hope people will recognize our talents and say things like: "You're such a good Mom (or Dad)." "What an incredible athlete you are!" "How did you learn to draw like that?" We REALLY, REALLY seek validation on social media. Those likes and hearts and shares all serve to validate us, don't they? It's true at work, too. Everyone wants their ideas to be recognized as brilliant, or at least as solid. But when the boss fails to appreciate workers, they become demoralized, disengaged, and sometimes even disgruntled. On more than one occasion…
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Three Commitments for 2020
Let's be honest. New Year Resolutions are overrated. First, they rarely last, and second, they usually try to fix something about the past rather than focusing on strengthening the future. Image by skeeze from Pixabay What if instead of resolving to"do better" we commit to "add value" to our careers and our organizations? Let's not call them resolutions either. Commitment is a much better description, don't you think? These three commitments are a great start for a better 2020. Commit to developing stronger relationships in 2020. Most of us really hate networking and avoid it when we can. Just admit that you hate it, but commit do it anyway -…
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The tainted star
We’ve all met them. Many of us have worked with them. And sometimes we have had to fire them. The “them” I am talking about are those star performers who also have issues relating to those around them. If you give this star an assignment they can perform independently, they excel. But once you pair them with others, the trouble begins. You often don’t recognize the signs quickly either. In my experience, these stars tend to be self-starters. they have great skills in project management, research, and follow through. On the one hand, you appreciate how well they perform the tasks and projects you assign them. But conversely they tend…
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Five Lessons on Leadership
I served as the executive director of a fine nonprofit organization for 13 years and recently retired. (See my bio here.) I put my heart and my soul into the work. It became my identity, my quest, and my passion. I believe (ok, I know!) we did some pretty good things in those 13 years. But that is not the point of this post. The point is the many good things that happened in the last month as I said goodbye that provide important lessons for leadership. So many people sent me inspiring notes or said nice things about me and to me during this time. They said what I…
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Teamwork: The Secret Sauce
The value of solid teams – and teamwork – cannot be overstated. As proof, I point you to the daring rescue of the Thai soccer team and their coach from a flooded cave. It took the effort, wisdom, and planning of over 1,000 volunteers working through the problem, devising a plan, teaching the kids, and tending to the complicated logistics of the seemingly impossible rescue effort. We celebrate the divers and the medical professionals – and should. But even the volunteers feeding the rescuers or driving the shuttles back and forth to the site were vital members of the team that brought these kids to safety. During my career, I have…