Engagement is one of the six core team competencies. When a team is engaged, team members have open group discussions where they can build on each others’ ideas, innovate and create value. They are able leverage rich diversity of thought. This stands in sharp contrast to teams which work in highly structured meetings making presentations…
We spend so much time focusing on individual competencies — leadership competencies, core competencies and job-related competencies — that the concept of team competencies hardly gets considered. Yet, most important work is done by teams, and without the six core team competencies, the team will under perform. Let’s review these competencies, identify the team behaviors…
Lately, I’ve been blogging on ways to improve team performance, including team coaching. This blog piece discusses the actual process of team coaching, as distinguished from preparation, scheduling, sponsorship and measurement, which I have discussed previously. It focuses on the actual coaching actions and conversations that take place during active team coaching. Our team coaching…
We are regularly asked to conduct team building sessions, usually for senior leadership teams, many of which are global. My first response to these requests is generally “what are you trying to accomplish?” Once we get this answer, we are able to develop the right approach for the specific team. Team building can range from…
Team coaching is becoming recognized as the best way to create high performing teams, beginning with the senior leadership team. Well coached teams learn to exhibit real teaming behaviors: ·Group discussion vs. individual presentations ·Collaborative behaviors vs. siloed behaviors ·Open discussions vs. tightly structured format ·Building on ideas vs. reporting on activities ·Growth mindset vs.…
We all talk about how important it is to give employees continuous feedback, both positive and corrective. Managers struggle to give any feedback, especially corrective feedback. Paradoxically, a recent HBR blog piece, Your Employees Want the Negative Feedback You Hate to Give, presents data showing that employees want feedback, especially corrective feedback. Why is it…
Companies pay a lot of attention to behaviors. Desired behaviors, often referred to as competencies, are often published as critical for advancement within the organization. Demonstration of these behaviors can directly affect performance ratings. What does not always get attention, however, is the timing of behaviors, particularly behaviors that are not desired – often called…
Increasingly, important work is being done in virtual teams which do not have the opportunity to meet in person. There are several factors driving this trend: 1. More companies are operating in multiple countries, making it harder for people to meet in person, particularly in today’s cost-conscious environment 2. More companies are allowing employees to…
We all know that big business breakthroughs usually happen in teams. Unfortunately, precious few teams are high performing, building on team members’ energy and ideas to deliver game-changing innovation and exceptional results. Equally surprising is how little companies invest in team development versus individual performance management which further erodes the right team behaviors. Companies are…
The use of executive coaches has grown rapidly over the last several years. There are several reasons for this, but probably the most prevalent are the performance and rapid development demands placed on executives. They are expected to quickly be effective in ways that pure work ethic will not address, particularly where interpersonal insights, emotional…