Posts tagged team dynamics

So You Can Judge Talent?

Dec19
2011 2 Comments Written by Steve

Talent can be judged? Think back to a time when you thought this person was going to be the cat’s meow, did they end up that way? I always thought that I could judge talent. Pick the raising star from a herd of folks! Well, it is amazing how many times I have gotten it wrong. Why? When you are judging talent, you put forth your bias toward the folks. You may find a person that is a younger version of yourself and think, well, that is the star. Take a look at the criteria that you are using to judge. Is it really fresh? Does it cover everything? Probably not. I was asked to judge a Spelling Bee for a local elementary school. I thought way not test out to see if I could pick the winner after sizing up the 12 participants. I watched and listened as they were getting ready to start (using my filters to see which one would stand out). Once again, I did not do well.

Since I normally would get it wrong, I stopped really judging and just let the work define the person. It is easier to focus my attention on the team and the folks that are the real talent will raise to the top. Set up an environment where those folks can flourish. How is that?

  • Teamwork: As the manager you need to set up a truly team atmosphere.  Have it be a collective group, that works on the complete picture. I like to involve everyone in the setting of goals, timelines and have them work together to achieve those amazing results. There are many traps to watch out for… So, it takes a lot of effort on the managers part to make sure everyone is aligned and moving in the same direction.
  • Diversity: It is something that is talked about a lot. Some folks think of this as only the different cultures, but it can include age. Make sure that when you are hiring that you keep in mind, your team. If you already have a very mature team, maybe hiring someone younger or fresh out of school – can help add to the team. You have to be willing to take chances to make the team better.
  • 8-5, no way: Don’t know any other way to put this category, it is not about being in the office from 8-5, Monday thru Friday. It is about getting the work “DONE.” It is simply about the productivity of each individual and the team as a whole. I used to have status review meetings that were about 20 minutes long. It was a simple way for the team to keep an eye on the work. Work that they knew would be coming their way and when.. Work that they could help out another, if needed. As a manager, it is great to witness the team helping each other. Mandatory hours don’t really work…
  • Set stretch goals: When the team has worked out their plan and timelines – add a stretch goal. Everyone loves challenges. When you set up the stretch goal remember to not do it every single time. Do it on those particular important ones, that could be a breakthrough or a key deliverable to help the larger organization win big. I have found that all teams, love to win big. Some pretty amazing outcomes have happened from a stretch goal that was extremely visible to the organization.

Once the environment is set, you can watch your people grow. For those that still like to judge talent and make assumptions on who is that star.. Did the star rise? Did someone else really step up? How  about the team? I have found some pretty incredible people that would have gone unnoticed if I stuck to my first impressions. I would rather have all or almost all of the team be stars… It is the team environment that you set up that is better than just your judgment.

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Collaborative Problem Solving

Dec07
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

I found a post from a couple of years ago, that I wrote inside of my past employer that I thought would be a good one here. Of course, I have updated it some! When you think about collaborative problem solving you think of trying to herd cats to accomplish fixing something or maybe you welcome the opportunity to get the collective team together to fix something. How well does collective problem solving work for you? For me, early on in my career, I used to get a mixed bag of results. I sometimes welcomed or dreaded using collaborative problem solving. Why? Simply put the barrier of success could be me or you or someone on the team. Think back to the problem – was it really a problem or maybe an individual made it a problem? Add more people into the mix, the problem can really be far from really what is happening. So, what do you do??

Keep the focus on the simply on the problem. Of course, that means that you and the team need to spend sometime truly identifying the problem. Clearly and concisely as possible. Identify the gap on what is happening and what should be happening. Define that desired state! First step in collaborative here is getting agreement on the problem. Once agreed upon, write it down – keep it visible.

Problem must matter! Above you got agreement on the problem, that is a powerful first step. Getting the team to really focus on what the expected outcome will be and how great it will be for them will add a layer of frosting on the teams cake. Some of the team may agree on the problem and just go about doing the same old stuff (status quo), but keep the focused on the why and benefits will keep them from the status quo.

Let team discuss concerns and potential barriers. Giving the team an opportunity to put forth all of the concerns (some of that will be their personal agenda) and desired outcomes gives everyone a clear view. So, create that safe environment to get people talking.  If everyone was just to let the team lead do everything from identifying the problem, why and desired outcome – nothing will change. Get everyone involved, actively involved.

Get everyone on board. I know this seems like just me summarizing what was above. Think about it awhile… If you are the leader of the team, this area is going to be the toughest for you. Your team may say that they are on board. They may even give it a try. Actions speak! Watch closely for individuals that a still posturing or holding out for their solution. Be ready to act on your part quickly. Remember this is the whole team.

Over the years, I have seen better results when I apply the above. Is it completely successful? Not really. Collaborative problem solving is difficult and requires time and effort. When collaborative problem solving is done right, it is a very powerful tool. It also, demonstrates to the complete team that they are a high performing team…

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We Have Entered – The Thankful Season

Nov30
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

I truly enjoy this time of the year. It is the holiday season for thinking about the year and what are you truly thankful for. For me, as a manager, I used this time to think back over the year and reflect on everything. I used to write down into three lists (Good, Bad and Just Ugly) how things went, how the team performed, how we learned, how we had grown and who had done an outstanding job. Sitting down reflecting is something that people talk about as a necessity, but rarely really do it (well). Writing it down, makes you really think about those situations. You have to ask questions like was this positive, did it have significant impact, what was learned and so on… For my teams, I usually ask them to do the same thing. It is nice to use, as a team building exercise for a pot luck or team dinner. Everyone gets an opportunity to share their observations.

Looking at the list can be a very eye opening experience. You can see trends for the year, that maybe while you were in the thick of things – just did not notice. I have seen growth within my teams in some areas that I would have guessed were not strengths. I also can notice if my team is slipping. I can notice the folks that really have stepped up and done some pretty incredible things.

“Seeing” is just part of what you should do… Next comes actions – you know the “doing” part. I like to send personal notes to the folks that have really stepped up. Let them know that I am thankful for those actions (spell them out in the note) that they had take. If you noticed, you should say something. From the team’s standpoint – I like to look at those trends and identify training or team building activities that can help our team grow next year. When the team does the same reflection, it is powerful stuff – when we pretty much notice the same areas. Now we have the complete team looking objectively, and we can put in place some solid plans for improvement.

Here is your assignment:

  • Sit in a quiet place. Just you, your paper, pencil (or pen) and your thoughts.
  • Reflect back on your year… What was the good? What was not so good or What could be better? Who really stepped up and did some incredible stuff?
  • Once you feel you have captured everything. Reread them each and look for trends and opportunities that must be taken.
  • Develop your plans for next year!

If you are a manager, if you feel comfortable, ask you team to do the same exercise (for themselves and the team as a whole). As the manager, you can have your team share their thoughts and reflections on the team. Then develop the team plans after all your data is received. I typically have the team use their personal reflection for their performance appraisal and development plans.

Let me know how it goes?

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Is Your Team Successful?

Nov02
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

One of the most frequently asked questions that I got during my training days of “New to Management” was around how do, as the manager, know if my team is successful or not? Great question for managers to ask. I used to think that I had a good team that was delivering their on the objectives in a timely and cost efficient manner was a very good indicator of how well things were going. Sounds good, but there is so much more. No one every really likes to answer a question with a question, but I wanted to use the complete class to brainstorm what a successful team could look like. Off goes the question… “what is your view of a success team?” Here is what followed..

  • A team that works together to accomplish whatever is set in front of them.
  • A team that works whatever hours are necessary to accomplish their goals.
  • Hitting their numbers, pushing product and doing a quality job.
  • The team gets along.
  • Someone in the team sees a problem and the team handles it.
  • Each member of the team is pulling their own weight.
  • Team is not afraid of failure, as they can accomplish anything they set their mind to it.
  • I as the manager, do not have to be “too” involved. The team understands that they are empowered.
  • Work gets done, on-time and within budget.
  • The team helps each other out.

These all sound pretty good, right? I can remember in my early days as a manager thinking if my team was to accomplish these or a subset of them, I felt pretty good. I used to hear from my management that my team was the best one of all of the teams in the department. That was not enough, as upper management to me, is not there daily or in the trenches when work is getting done.  As I gained more experience with managing teams, I started to really look underneath the surface and see how the team was really working together. Asking myself, how does the team accomplish the work that is set out in front of them? What is the overall commitment level of each and every team member? Do they really work together? What motivates the team members to do new and interesting stuff (innovation)? I started to develop my own scorecard for success of the teams that I led.

  • Getting the work done in a timely and cost effective manner – this still is the overall measure of success. That never changes as this is the most visible to the complete department. Getting your work done. If you don’t you won’t be around much.
  • Gauging the overall free flow of ideas and information – having great discussions about how to improve, how to do stuff better, or what is really happening. Having a team that shares the good, bad and ugly when it comes to team self reflection. Doing this in a constructive and not threatening manner. Working the problem rather than focusing on the individual.  The discussions were pretty lively and listening to them build on each other’s thoughts, made me see that a complete diverse team is better than a set of individual’s. Where I worked we used to do a yearly plan for the upcoming year. I used to include my complete team in this exercise. Set up some basic assumptions (budget and rev 0 goals) and what the team work together to set the plan together. The overall ownership of that plan was strong among the team. I usually had to point out that we must not try to do too much, we realize that year over year stuff happens, we must be flexible.
  • Balanced workload – for all team members. It is an easy thing to say, but in practice very difficult to manage. Here is where the manager really has to know what is going on with each individual on the team. Is there too much work being loaded up on all, too much on a few or not enough on some. The team members want to do a good job, they really want to receive praise and better raises and doing more work than the others seems the easiest way to demonstrate worth. Not good for the team.
  • True development plans in place for everyone. “True” development plans require much work from the individual team member and the manager. The team member needs to be honest in what they want to do, how they do it and what do they want to be when they grow up. What is their passion? The manager than becomes the coach and helps to develop a plan that works for the individual and the team. Sometimes the individual’s passion is not within the team overall direction. The manager has to make sure to balance and do the best in every situation. I have had to help get new positions for my team members to insure that the best of the employee, team, department and company were winning.

Some of these items can be measured by metrics, but most of them are more on how you know the team is doing. Spending time with the team in different ways. Being an observer during meetings – rather than talking 100%. Facilitator during planning meetings – rather than telling what will get done. Walking around the office, listening to the team working together – rather than sitting in your office. Asking questions and listening to the answers – rather than assuming you know what is happening. It is easy to take control as the manager.. You may even think that is why you are the manager. Observe, listen and act when necessary – that is truly what your team wants.

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Team Dynamics

Sep26
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

Have you ever just sat back and taken an assessment of your team? Thought about how well they work together (or not)? Tried to figure out how to get the team more productive? As managers, that is our biggest role in really getting our team to perform better. The better the team performance definitely demonstrates a better manager. Some would argue that maybe the manager does not play a big part in the overall performance of a team, but I do. All it takes is to look at a failing team and how quickly is it blamed on the manager. Sports usually fire the manager before it rids itself of players. Same holds true for business types, just not in the news as much. Give credit for good managers having performing teams.

So what all goes into a solid team? What can you as a manager do to have the greatest impact? For me, there are a number of web based tools out there that can help you walk through an assessment of your team’s dynamics. Do a Bing or Google search – I have used many different types. There is not one that I have found that is a great one stop shop that I would recommend over the others. Each assessment tool is just that a tool to help you identify areas of potential work that needs to be done. First and foremost, you as the manager, need to find a quiet spot and clear your head of everything. You need to really be honest with “your” assessment of your team. Remember the end goal is to make your team perform better, rather than making you think they are better. Once you are ready, grab one of those assessments and walk through your team’s dynamics.

What did you find? I have written my Leadership Checklist to help me (and others) to help make sure that the manager (you) are doing your part in the process. Look it over, hopefully you are doing those and everything else.

One of the areas that I want this post to focus on is something that most assessment really struggle to cover. It centers on how tight the friendships are with your team. I want you to think back when you were growing up with your friends. When there were two friends working together was fairly easy. Do you have only a two person team? Normally not. So, when a third friend came in, how did that go? Usually after awhile stuff ended up two against one. Do you have a three person team? Probably not. Add more folks to the mix and the team starts to break up in to smaller sub teams. Something to watch out for. That is not always a bad thing, if the team is working for the good of all…

Friendships have its positive effects:

  • Friends usually communicate better together. Drawing others into the discussions. Gives the team a good “social” feel. People usually enjoy working together. Which has an impact on behavior and results.

There are negative effects as well:

  • With a team of 3 or more there is a feeling of being excluded. Remember growing up… Maybe it was not you feeling excluded, but did someone feel excluded? Causing not all of the team to participate in decision-making. You can easily start to have sub-groups forming. Causing communication to further breakdown. Now information will not flow freely among the team. The teams overall performance will suffer, count on it.

When you are sitting down thinking about your team and that assessment, remember to revisit the natural factors of friendship and how it will influence the overall team. With the positive you would rather have inclusion… Exclusion is just plain wrong.

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Need a Leader Checklist?

Sep08
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

I started looking over my leadership and managing teams blog posts and started to notice that I probably should put an overall leader checklist to it. I have had the extreme privilege of leading many different teams and organizations. When I first started out, I used to think about what I would want to see… Since I was an ace-doer that was promoted to supervisor – I had a good feeling what I as a member of the team would want to see from my supervisor. Over the years, I have expanded my reach and experiences. No longer was an ace-doer for the organizations that I belonged. I was hired not for doing the work, but leading the team to get the work done. I needed to change and add to my start up of those teams. Reflecting back, I started to see that checklist come to me.

Here is that leader checklist:

  1. Articulate a vision: Formulate a clear and persuasive vision and communicate it to all members of the team. Most organizations may already have a vision statement or mission statement. Look it over. Ask your team to communicate it back to you. See what is missing and come up with that vision that fits the team, organization and you (as the leader).
  2. Think and act strategically: Get ready to make your vision a reality. Time to set up goals that achieve that vision, both is the short and long term. Don’t forget to consider all the players and anticipate reactions and resistance before they are manifest. Being prepared is key to success.
  3. Honor the team: Frequently express your confidence in and support for those who work with and for you. Use your team to help with every step you take.
  4. Take charge: Make sure to set up a workplace environment that is about action (getting stuff done).
  5. Act decisively: Make good and timely decisions, and ensure that they are executed.
  6. Communicate persuasively: Communicate, communicate, communicate. Easier said than done. Look for ways to insure that communicate happens and people never forget. This is one area that I have experimented everyday of my life. Just make sure that how you do it is simple and the messages are clear.
  7. Motivate the team: Set up a workplace environment that your team can not wait to come to work. Enjoys getting their work done.
  8. Embrace the front lines: The one thing that I remembered before I was a supervisor was how most supervisors did not spend anytime with the team. They did not let the team do anything other than run the equipment. I promised myself that I would never do that. Including the team is something that I feel is necessary for success.
  9. Build leadership in others: Develop leadership throughout. Have no fear in losing your folks to higher opportunities.
  10. Manage relations: Build enduring personal ties with those who look to you and work to harness the feelings and passions of the workplace.
  11. Identify personal implications: Help everybody appreciate the impact that the vision and strategy are likely to have on their own work and future with the firm.
  12. Convey your character: Being yourself. Make sure that in everything you do (communications and actions) should point to who you are. Your team should get to know you – through you.
  13. Keeping it real: Make sure that you never let over-optimism pop into your team. Success breeds success, but watch out threats, unresolved problems and taking unwarranted risks.
  14. Build a diverse team: Leadership is a team sport.. Make sure that your team is willing to be leaders in their particular area. Make sure that your team is not clones of yourself, get and welcome a diverse team.

Walking into a new situation or team can be a little scary. New anything gets the heart pumping. I look forward to these opportunities. Makes me think back and reflect (and practice) my checklist… Try it!

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You’re NOT The Boss – Lead Anyways

Jul21
2011 5 Comments Written by Steve

Are you a project manager? How about a person that leads the a team without the title of manager? I was a very lucky manager to have working for me, some awesome project managers. They did not have a staff of folks that worked for them – they got their resources from Resource Managers. Those project managers would share their concerns, issues and successes with me on a regular basis. How many projects do you think were 100% spot on for complete success? That answer will be coming in a later paragraph – sorry..

How does a project manager really get their team to be successful? How do they make stuff happen without having their team reporting directly to them? There are some initial basics that each team needs to have to be success:

  • Goals are clearly defined and matched with measurable outcomes. Basic project management tools help to make sure that this is written down. How do they really get everyone on board – that is the trick. My best project managers used to pull everyone in for complete understanding and formulation of the project charter, outcomes and deliverable’s - as a collaborative effort. Making sure to really focus on Tuckman’s model of forming and storming… Make sure that you have set realistic expectations..
  • Accurate 2-way communication. Setting up the working norms for the project team. Could be meeting workspaces, social media group or anything that everyone felt comfortable using. The project manager set up regular review meetings that were short and focused. Meetings do not mean work gets done. Regular one on one discussions are scheduled – around the critical milestones. Of course we have the normal communication channels – the hallway, email, phone and cafe – but if you have a dispersed team – those channels need some TLC to work.
  • Cooperation and collaboration. Probably the single hardest thing is getting work done through people. Since you are responsible, as the project manager, you need to move the team from storming to performing as quickly as possible. Getting everyone to be all in. I usually see good project managers – meeting with their team one on one to fully get to know the person. Understanding them and how they work to help move forward. Spending lots of time listening and understanding. Taking that knowledge and applying it to the the team as a whole. Reviews can be a good thing, if structured well, (I like them rapid fire). Focus on encouraging dialog among team members on the time-lines and deliverable’s.
  • Shared identity. I know this seems somewhat cheesy, but having a team name, maybe a logo or something to identify helps. When working with shared resources – the more you can make those resources feel special – the better off you will be.
  • Celebrate and recognize extra effort. Want to keep your folks motivated to keep on keeping on track – when something special happens – celebrate.. Award the team or set of individuals on the above and beyond effort. Praise never hurt anyone.. Just be fair and consistent.
Back to the question on success rate. Not every project manager has achieved 100% spot on project management. It just does not happen. What does happen is leading their team is a lot easier if they focus on the above. 
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Doing It Too!

Jun08
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

Ever have a supervisor that never walked in your shoes? Ever have a supervisor that loved to tell you have to do something, but did not know how to do it themselves? Over the years, I have had plenty of them. Usually not for long! I just don’t understand how any supervisor can lead his/her team without doing the work too. I have always done exactly what my people have done. Building credibility with your team is extremely important!

It started back in that very first assignment as a new second lieutenant in the US Army. My assignment was motor pool officer in a reserve engineering company. We had plenty of vehicles and a bulldozer. I went out and got certified to operate every one of them. My commander was shocked by this. It sort of chalked it up to brand new reservist. Later on, the commander came to realize that this was a good thing. My platoon was working well – they aced everything that was set in front of them. It was something that had not done in quite sometime. Our Inspector General inspection was that first fall and I was tasked with taking the inspectors through the motor pool paperwork, equipment inspections and whatever they wanted. We aced that too! In fact, the Inspector General called out the fact that I was certified on everything and actually performed operation of the bulldozer perfectly. Having heard that and watching how well my platoon worked together – I learned that this was a good thing. I continued this practice with every other position that I had since.

Sometimes I would get some very strange looks from my managers. Why are you doing that? I would always bring up that very first ever work assignment with the US Army… I would make them a promise that it would work or they could find someone else to do my job. I am still surprised to this day, that many managers do not take them time to learn how, perform the tasks and understand exactly what has to happen to get the work done.

If there is one simple piece of advice to get to any new manager – walk a mile or so in the shoes of your team. Get to know exactly what they are doing. If you company has a certification program for the work – complete it. The time that you spend doing that were be paid back to you ten-fold. Your team will thank you. You will have a better understanding of how all the pieces fit together. You will also be a resource to making the work get done – if needed. All good stuff for a team!

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5 Leadership Lessons I Have Learned From Hockey Captains

May24
2011 1 Comment Written by Steve

We are in the middle of the National Hockey League Stanley Cup Playoffs. I am a huge hockey fan! I have not missed any of the playoff games this season. I watch the game for more than the love of the game. I do it to watch how leaders lead their teams. The leaders on the team are normally the Captains and Alternate Captains. They are the extension of the coach. I wrote about hockey captains as leaders before – here it is! I have made some mental notes from the last couple of games and the captains for the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks. They are great examples of what the five things I have learned from hockey captains.

  • Credibility is the foundation.
  • Lead by example or you don’t lead at all.
  • Challenge provides opportunities for greatness.
  • Leaders are team players.
  • Caring is at the heart of leadership.

Credibility is the foundation. Credible leaders walk the talk, practice what they preach, are consistent in word and deed, put their money where their mouth is, and follow through on promises.  Watching the playoffs, each captain has walked the talk – they have definitely been out in front of the media discussing the games and what they and the team will do in the next game. I have listened closely to each of them and watched their actions live up to those words.

Lead by example or you don’t lead at all. This is where the words turn to action or they equal the do part. You have to do what you say.. Not just say it. Wish it or hope for it. Each one of those captains have stepped onto the ice and have delivered on their words with true actions. It is hard to stay on top of every shift in every period inevery game – but they do it.

Challenges provides opportunities for greatness. What better stage for any player. You are attempting to win the oldest trophy in sports, the Stanley Cup. You have all hockey fans watching your every move. Who will step up and be the best? That person that steps up and does more than just score, play defense or stops pucks. That person is the leader of that team. He is the captain and the eyes of his team mates are on him everyday. That is what true leaders live for. Give me the stage to do what I do – everyday.

Leaders are team players. Look at the team. Watch closely during the game, how much ice time, how many times the persons name is mentioned by the announcers. Who is in the middle of everything? It is that leader, that captain – the extension of the coach and
the coaching staff. They normally are the face of the team. But, first and most important they are team players. They look to make their team mates better.

Caring is at the heart of leadership. During the playoffs, everyone cares about winning the Stanley Cup. It is every players dream to have their name put on the Stanley
Cup. When I watch the captains during the pregame, game and post game – they wear the emotions on their sleeve. Not about winning only, but it all about the team and each and every person inside the team organization.

If you are a hockey fan or not, watch a couple of games and pay close attention to the captains of each of the teams. Listen to them, watch them do what they say, rise to
greatness and care about their team mates, coaching staff and the overall organization. They are wonderful examples for any leader to follow. You can easily do these things in your leadership role. I know, I practice these all the time. Just a solid foundation…

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Productive Teams Just Don’t Happen…

May17
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

Working for a long time in corporate America as I had, I got the opportunity to work for some pretty amazing people. The reverse was true as well… The best lessons of how to make a team function well come from both sides of the spectrum. The great ones and the bad ones.. Examples are the best teachers!

How did the “they” get their teams to work well.. How did they get people from diverse backgrounds to really produce? Here are some of the examples..

Let us do the thinking – The best team that I was ever on, we did not always agree, we never settled for what the manager said or the status quo. We challenged each other to think, to look beyond just what everyone else was doing and we never settled for the easy way. Our manager was one that pushed us to not sit back and follow the instructions of others – we were the leaders of the organization and we needed to lead. One of the last managers I had, used to put everything together with a “select” few and pass out what is happening to the group. Really was not a great place for innovation. Involve the team – give the team the first crack on what needs to happen; before the tablets are written.

Let us see – Sometimes the big strategic mission and plans were passed down in the form of mission statements and budgets. The really good managers would let us review those and put into our words (for the organization and our teams) what all that meant and how we were going to accomplish our part of the bigger picture. We got connected to that bigger picture. We connected the dots for our teams and ourselves. The really bad leaders would pretty much leave us in the dark. We really never understood what we were doing and how we connected to the bigger picture. My best move with my team’s was to involve them in reviewing what was completed and passed down – then we would develop where “we” fit and how it felt to us.

Let us get it done – Everyone wants to get stuff done… Part of being the leaders is giving up control when needed. The really good leaders would let the team take actions on their own – as individuals and as a team. The best leader I had, would let us do the work and would hold us accountable. When it came time to get stuff done, we did and enjoyed it! All we needed to do was get it done.

Let us play – Getting leadership teams to work together is sometimes difficult. It takes a good leader to push interact between the leadership team (the “A” team). Each leader had their own teams that they led and it would be easy for them to get wrapped up in their own “stuff.” Some of the bad leaders would pass on developing their “A” team. The lower level teams would see how dysfunctional the leadership team was and just wonder – they are our leaders?

Let us do the talking – It is so easy as the overall leader to do all the talking. Let your team do most of the talking and you do the listening. Listening uncovers so much. You actually may get a better sense of what is going on within the whole organization. Additionally, set up time to meet and discuss with the lower level teams (again, let them talk and you listen). It is very hard to listen when you mouth is in action.

Let us fail (as long as no one gets hurt) – My very first leader that I can remember said, “there is more success in failure.” Making mistakes happen, learning from mistakes are lessons that will last a life time. I used to struggle with this early on in my career, failing was not an option (or at least I thought it was not). I quickly learned a valuable lesson when I did something that I had done before (it worked before) and it failed terribly (this time). When I reviewed everything from the first time (it worked) till when it failed, I quickly learned I was lucky the first time. I forgot something that needed to happen that I am now aware of (and have not made that mistake again). As long as no one is going to get hurt or injured – sometimes it is okay to fail.

Let us have fun - One of my favorite phrases, “We work hard, so we play hard.” We used to enjoy getting together as a team and having fun. Of course, we did some of that out of the work environment with teambuilding… We also used to have fun in the workplace. It really did not matter where – fun was just built into our team DNA. Many folks will say, “work is not supposed to be fun.” I usually come back with, “I spend way too much time “at work” not to have fun. Where is there harm in having some fun at work?” Teams are about relationships. Fun can only help with building a strong relationship with each other. Translating into a better team.

I hope this helps you when you are looking at leading your teams…

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