Reader Question: I work with a fantastic team, one like never before. We have such team synergy, but we recently got the news that our lead senior is leaving. How do we keep the team engaged with our “glue” being melted away before our job is done?

Our Response: There is no easy solution to dissolving a team right in the middle of a project. It is hard when leaders are the one’s leaving a team, and the team is left to fend for itself. Although the leader of a team is leaving, there are a number of things that we would recommend for a succession plan for a leader, especially one that has been the “glue”.

1. It is important for the lead senior and management to select a successor that is currently part of the team make-up. Often times, it is much harder in a short amount of time for the team to succeed when someone new has to learn what is going on. Often times, lower people are looked over, and someone who is “qualified” because of their ranking, is often a worse choice. Lower people in the ranks should be given a chance to show their leadership and take ownership.

2. It is critical for the lead senior to sit down and go through all the “behind the scenes” work with the successor. A lot of work that associates and below do not see is often never considered. Coaching is key in this area.

3. That the lead senior keep a positive image of the company and assist the rest of the team with the new team leader in “buy-in” for the change. Often times, you can have a perfect successor, but if the team is not invested in the change, it doesn’t matter how good a leader is, they will struggle with team morale.

4. The new leader must understand that the change is not only hard for them, but for the rest of the team. Empathy for learning to deal with new leadership styles and the loss of a “friend or the glue” is going to be hard. The new leader must learn to incorporate that into their leadership to ensure that the team has complete “buy-in” to the new make-up of the team.

5. As the senior transitions out, he/she must ensure that they still continue to coach and be involved in the team. The involvement should only be where the new leader cannot quite fulfill the role as the old leader is still present.

6. The old leader should almost only be a consultant in the last weeks. If the old leader is over-involved, the team is confused as to the team structure and make-up. If the new leader is not able to become fully vested as the leader, the team will have an even tougher time after the old leader leaves. The old leader must ensure that they are available, but not overly involved with most of the day to day leadership on the team. Consulting means to be involved to the extent that it is requested.

7. Lastly, it is of utmost importance that the leader that is leaving leaves on a positive note. They will be missed, but is critical that they let the team remember why they will be missed. Ensuring that the team understands that their decision to leave is a personal one, and has nothing to do with the firm is important in ensuring that the team does not become discouraged and the ultimate goal of team synergy is lost.

Although it is hard to lose a leader, it can sometimes be a great opportunity for others to step up to the plate. Go with the transition; the more you fight and are upset and think that things will not work out, the more they will not. It is important to take lead from the leaving senior and ensure that they know they are supported, and for you to know that you are supported by them.

Either way, no matter what happens, it is important for the sake of the team that all team members accept the change and assist in any way possible. This allows for the team to change, and possibly, change for the better. This allows for change leadership to take advantage of the situation.

When we think about teamwork, I bet the first thing you think of is a bunch of people sitting around a table trying to solve a problem. The easel is in the corner of the room with brainstorming scetched all over it. There’s crumpled up paper in the wastebasket and a pot of coffee going.

The face of teamwork has changed. Today, teamwork occurs virtually more than in any other environment and the virtual realm changes all the rules. It changes the way leaders lead. It changes the way we collaborate. It puts a new emphasis on communication. Think about the way teamwork impacts your everyday life as you spend time online. Think about how we collaborate with others through blogs, through twitter, facebook, and tumbler. For example, I use twitter as a tool to gain knowledge from other writers about teamwork and leadership. Even wikipedia, tens of thousands of contributors collaborate virtually to deliver information. Teamwork occurs in virtual space without users or contributors even thinking about teamwork.

Having said that, its obvious that these social media tools present an opportunity like never before. An entirely new format of teamwork and collaborative working/learning. It’s time to rewrite the rules on teamwork.

A Leader Knows the Pulse of the Team

There’s thousands of articles out there with advice on how to manage your team. Do this, don’t do that. This works, this won’t work. The key to success is… We guarantee if you…

Ever read these words? Thousands of “experts” have a thing or two to say about what makes a good leader, but none of them are really right, all of the time, for every situation.

Anyone can and should take this advice as guideposts for effective leadership, from time to time. But, what really works won’t work for every team all of the time.

The most effective leaders don’t take any advice as gospel. They know what leadership style works at some times, won’t work at others. Teams change, personalities change, day to day. And a leader must, must keep his or her fingers on the team’s pulse at all times. When to inspire and motivate, when to curb emotions, when to micromanage, when to macromanage, when to allow out of the box thinking, when to reign in misdirection. Leaders know their teams better than anyone, how the team members interact with each other and how the connect.

Different environments, different challenges, different circumstances in personal lives, all have a profound impact on how a team will work together on any given day. The task for the leader is daunting: know your team as well as you know yourself. Keep your finger on the pulse.

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/christianacare/3856138077/

http://www.amazon.com/What-CEO-Can-Learn-Grader/dp/061524159X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264600223&sr=8-1

When you think of companies or organizations that have a strong sense of teamwork, who do you think of?

Red Cross, the Marines, Habitat for Humanity, the Blue Angels Flight Team, Boston Celtics? What about customer service companies? Do you think of Walmart, McDonald’s, a General Motors dealership? The fact is, each and every one of these companies mentions teamwork as part of their core compentencies, as part overall mission statement. But, some are entirely more effective at using teamwork as a branding tool, while others fall tragically short. Why do you think that is?

I think the reason why so many companies fall flat with their customers is that many managers think all they have to do is say the word “teamwork” and automatically they have a culture of teamwork. There are managers who use the word teamwork and expect it to magically transform the company into a high performing team and there are other managers who never, ever use the word teamwork yet they run companies that we automatically associate teamwork with their companies.

Build teamwork from the inside, out and not the other way around. You can’t tell your customers one thing, yet build an entirely different culture on the inside. The next time you hear an organization say how important teamwork is to them, think back to your last experience with them. Was that teamwork reflected by its employees? And did that elevate the level of service you received or enhance the experience you had.

Teamwork is more than a 10 cent word appearing in a mission statement. Make it a part of the fabric of your Company.

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smoy/3963201475/

Think about the last time you had to make a decision. What had to be taken into consideration? Depending on the importance of the decision, whether it was personal, like moving, or on the corporate level in regards to which vendor to use for your product’s raw materials, more times than not, we solicit the opinion of those around us that we trust.

I was once told by someone that just like the greatest corporations on earth, we need to find a way to get advice and move ourselves and our teams to the next level. So, I suggest, the next time you as a leader make a team decision, solicit the advice of those around, but more specifically, those you trust.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrhappy8/1996718955/

” You’re really rich if you can afford to be yourself.”
Written in 2004 by Thom Pletcher — Indiana

Putting the goals of the team above individual goals doesn’t mean we don’t or shouldn’t have personal goals within the constructs of a team. On the most effective teams, individuals are not required to check their individuality at the door. Quite the opposite, perhaps the most successful teams are those that harness and utlize each individuals strength’s and character to drive the team. What’s your experience?

Reader Question: My colleagues often come to me when I am not ready for them and have a conversation with me. Most of the time, I don’t have enough time to respond to them with what I really want to say. I have tried email and other forums to respond and it seems as though things just get worse. What can I do?

Our Response: Most of the time, it is hard when colleagues bombard us when we are caught off guard, and sometimes we feel taken advantage of in the conversation. It is hard when you feel as though people don’t allow you to communicate back with them when they are so eager to communicate to you on their terms. So how do we find a way to communicate with our colleagues when we feel as though we are not able to when they want to?

Effective communicators understand that the actual words that are spoken only amount to about 10% of what we are communicating. The other 90% of our communication comes from our tone, voice inflection and emphasis, body language, gestures, and posture; these are all components of communication that are completely lost in an email or instant message. Ultimately, technology can be a facilitator of communication or a barrier to communication. As we can see, it has been a barrier in this case. We must be fully conscious about how we leverage technology as a
communication resource and understand how that vehicle of communication is being received by the other person.

Think back to the last time you received an email where there may have been a misunderstanding that could have been avoided with a phone call or face to face visit. We must be conscious that emails, text messages, and instant messages come with an inherent price: misunderstandings. If we are aware of these potential pitfalls, we can be more effective in our electronic communication and understand the appropriateness and necessity of face to face conversation for certain situations. It is alright to talk with a colleague and ask them to talk later. Even better, let your colleague discuss and get back to them, but in person or on the phone.

Communication truly is the oil in a car. It keeps a team running smoothly. It’s not something that we think of as being a critical component of teambuilding but it’s the foundation that we hardly ever think about. Most of us think about the oil in our cars about once every three months. If communication is so critical to effective teambuilding, we must be
more conscious about the ways in which we communicate. We must think about communication as not only speaking but also communicating non-verbally and actively listening. We send signals each moment of every day. Team members have an acute ability to pick up on these signals so we must be sure that what we communicate is truly what we intend. Marilyn, age fifteen concluded, “Communication seems so simple, but there’s a lot more to it. There’s a lot to think about.”

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidking/3774493555/

Question: My staff have self imposed this environment where employees informally keep track of how many times other team members do something wrong, (ie late for a meeting, miss a deadline, forget how to do something.” At first, I wrote it off as good fun and general ribbing, but now it’s gotten out of control. What do you recommend to get them back on track?

Response: It’s easy for a team to slip into a “fault tracking environment” particularly in an environment where there is a bunch of high performing individuals. I remember once being on a team comprised entirely of high performing individuals, which definitely did not translate into a high performing team. As individuals we would gang up on one individual who would drop the ball. It wasn’t even to make us look better, it was to use others’ faults as credits / currency for when we would make our own missteps. This environment not only killed team morale, it left us spinning our wheels.

The correction isn’t an easy one. And the answer isn’t straightforward. It’s a combination of the proverbial stick and carrot. First, a little stick: at the next meeting call out the whole team for its miss on a team goal. By focusing the discipline on the whole team it lowers everyone a peg or two and gets people’s attention back on team goals. It’s tough to think about rewards for an underperforming team but sometimes a carrot works even better. Focus on new incentives for accomplishing team goals. Make the incentive team incentives, a team bonus, a team day off, a team promotion, a team recognition. This draws the attention away from individual accomplishment and/or failure.

The balance between stick and carrot depends entirely on the makeup of your team personality. That is a fine balance that can only be found by working with a team over an extended period of time. What do some of our readers think? What have you tried? What has or hasn’t worked?

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/swiv/226201274/

In this day and age, there are so many self-help and other inspirational books that get individuals “ahead”. They focus on what one person can do to improve “their” situation. With the individual incentive programs out there, everyone thinks that it is a matter of self improvement and a need to work harder and better, however, no matter how many self-help books are out there, sometimes, just focusing on self can’t and won’t work.

Now, it is certainly important for people to be their best, but at what point does it become a personal problem verses a team problem in the work place? Working in a prestigious professional services firm, and there are a lot of smart, able and competent people that I work with. I have noticed though, that some people are not successful at the firm. They were top of their class and very skilled leaders, and recruiters and management sought them out to work at this firm. So, why is it that these “top of their class very successful leaders” just didn’t work out at this firm?

As some might think, it wasn’t a matter of their skill set, or their ability to perform, but rather the environment they were in. Often time, people, professionals, bosses and management make employees feel as though it is a self problem, rather than a team problem that led to their demise. Often times, it is not so much the person, but the team environment that did not foster the person’s ability to thrive in the organization.

So the next time you pick up a self-help book, think of ways in which you can work on team help, rather than just self-help. The old adage of a chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link is true, however, instead of thinking of one link weaker than the other, we might start focusing on the missing link, which often times is team unity and the loss of teammate’s abilities due to the lack of teamwork. The next time a person 0n a team just “isn’t working out”, think about ways that can foster their abilities and make them thrive within your organization.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22280677@N07/3529351545/