3 areas to focus when leading teams

As a leader you have to take people with you to deliver your vision, goals and objectives.

The individuals who will help you achieve this the most is your team. Yet how much training or development have you had to lead a team?

True teams are dynamic, constantly evolving and adapting to their environment.  Developing a team to this level takes time and attention, and the truth is no one teaches us how to build and develop teams. We’re magically supposed to know what to do when you are given a team.

I recently delivered a module of a leadership programme on leading teams and I shared one of the first models of team leadership I came across and found really useful.

It’s simple – which is why I like it, although like all things simple they aren’t always easy to apply. However I think this is an exception!

The model I’m referring to is John Adair’s Action Centred Leadership model.

There are 3 elements for this model and according to Adair each require attention in any leadership situation:

Task

Team

Individual

The degree to which they need attention will depend on what’s going on in each area along side any external influences. It is the role of the leader to balance the needs of all three areas.

Task

This may be the completion of something practical and tangible or something less tangible.

• What is the task in hand?
• What is the goal or outcome you are trying to achieve?
• What is your strategy to accomplish this?
• Is everyone in the team clear about this?

Team

The task can only be achieved if all the team are working together with the same aim in mind. Therefore, the team as an entity needs to be understood in it’s own right.

• What are the working relationships like in the team?
• How are people relating to each other?
• Are they playing to each other’s strengths?
• Do they support and challenge each other?
• Are they clear about each other’s roles and responsibilities?

Individual

Whilst the team will develop it’s own form the individuals in the team also need to be understood.  Their needs must continue to be met if their motivation and team performance is to be maintained.

• Do you know what motivates each individual?
• What is important to them about the work they do?
• What are their aspirations and strengths?
• Where is their next growth edge?

Bringing it to life

The question for you to consider right now is; where do you spend most of your time?

AND I wouldn’t be surprised if you said task. In my experience it’s where most people spend their time!

As a leader your role is to set direction and take people with you so the 2 most important areas of this model are the team and the individuals. If you harness these two, the team will take care of the task and your job is then to monitor all three areas and support, redirect ‘get stuck in’ where needed to keep things moving forward. 

It needs constant tweaking and adjusting to stay on track  - think of it as you steering a sailing boat.  You constantly have to keep an eye on where you are going and pay attention to what is going on in your environment.

• Are you being blown off track by the elements – what adjustment do you need to make?
• Do you have to pull into harbour and take stock, refuel?
• Do you need to be patient until the right conditions appear to make the journey as efficient as possible?
• Are the crew fully occupied and playing to their strengths?
• Do you notice someone who is de-motivated? 

If you have any tips on effectively leading teams I’d love to hear them - leave a comment below.

“Only three things happen naturally in organizations: friction, confusion and underperformance. Everything else requires leadership.”

Peter Drucker

4 Keys to managing your energy

How often do you feel there just aren’t enough hours in the day?

Your to do list seems to just keep growing – at home as well as work!

We all have moments and sometimes weeks or months like this and, if you are like me, you work harder thinking that’s the answer. You may well get through it but at what cost?

Tony Schwartz would argue that most of us are chasing the wrong resource – hours in the day rather than our own personal energy. Time is a finite resource where as your energy can be renewed and we can have more flexibility if we learn to manage it well. It is therefore the key to productivity and stamina.

In his report he looks at 4 areas of energy that we can manage:

Physical energy – are you healthy? Are you getting enough sleep, exercise and the right nutrition?

Emotional energy – are you happy? Do you diffuse negative emotions and infuse positive emotions? How do you look at challenges?

Mental energy – how well do you focus on something? Do you set aside specific times in the day to respond to emails and voicemails? Do you manage interruptions and have clear priorities for each day?

Spiritual energy – why are you here? What is your purpose?

Our opportunity is to reflect on our current patterns of work and behaviour and begin to make adjustments.

Are you heading for an energy crisis?

If you want to get a quick ‘heads up’ on how you are doing the following questions are included in the report here, you’ll also get some tips on where to focus.

Body

• I don’t regularly get at least seven to eight hours of sleep, and I often wake up feeling tired.
• I frequently skip breakfast, or I settle for something that isn’t nutritious.
• I don’t work out enough (meaning cardiovascular training at least three times a week and strength training at least once a week).
• I don’t take regular breaks during the day to truly renew and recharge, or I often eat lunch at my desk, if I eat it at all.

Emotions

• I frequently find myself feeling irritable, impatient, or anxious at work, especially when work is demanding.
• I don’t have enough time with my family and loved ones, and when I’m with them, I’m not always really with them.
• I have too little time for the activities that I most deeply enjoy.
• I don’t stop frequently enough to express my appreciation to others or to savour my accomplishments and blessings.

Mind

• I have difficulty focusing on one thing at a time, and I am easily distracted during the day, especially by email.
• I spend much of my day reacting to immediate crises and demands rather than focusing on activities with longer-term value and high leverage.
• I don’t take enough time for reflection, strategising, and creative thinking.
• I work in the evenings or on weekends, and I almost never take an email–free vacation. 

Spirit

• I don’t spend enough time at work doing what I do best and enjoy most.
• There are significant gaps between what I say is most important to me in my life and how I actually allocate my time and energy.
• My decisions at work are more often influenced by external demands than by a strong, clear sense of my own purpose.
• I don’t invest enough time and energy in making a positive difference to others or to the world. 

Next Steps

It’s been a while since I read this report and I’ve found it useful to review it. It’s certainly helped me refocus and identify where things have been a little out of kilter…

What one thing can you do to begin to redress the balance?

Drop me a line to let me know.

‘Manage your energy not your time’

Tony Schwartz

How balanced are you?

Does your life feel out of balance right now?

Are you spending long hours at the office, or working from home and unhappy about it?

Do you feel overwhelmed by how much there is to do?

Do you often feel, no matter what you’re doing at the time, that you should be doing something else?

Do you feel guilty taking time out for yourself?

If you do, you are probably not alone.

I recently read this years Global Human CapitalTrends report from Deloitte and one of the opening paragraphs read ‘In this new world of work, the barriers between work and life have been all but eliminated. Employees are “always on” – hyper-connected to their jobs through pervasive technology.’

Whilst there are organisational challenges in this we also all have choices to make. After all the only person who really controls what you do and where you spend your time is you.

Too much, too little or just enough?

If you think you’re spending too much or too little time on certain areas of your life take some time out to consider how you will redress the balance.

Develop a list of where you do spend chunks of your time and decide whether you are spending too much, too little or just the right amount of time in each area.

Here are some ideas of what could be on the list:

Work

Family

Friends

Health and Fitness

Holidays

Hobbies

Personal Development

Home

Now, consider if there is anything missing from that list; an area of your life that is currently neglected, where you’d really love to allocate some time. Add this to the list.

Next, identify which is the most important area for you to address.

Now, identify one thing you can start to do to redress this balance. I’m suggesting one thing as it’s the first step and you want to succeed. If it’s relatively simple great! You can now move on to the next thing…

Don’t be surprised if you run up against some limiting beliefs you might have too. This could be the very thing that’s causing the imbalance and may take a little longer to resolve and adjust to.

Take one step at a time and review your progress regularly. Your needs may change over time so it’s always good to revisit this exercise and check you are spending your time and energy where you want too.

If you find you are struggling to create the future you want email me to set up a discovery call and we’ll explore together what action you can take.

‘A balanced work-life is primarily a mater of deciding when to hold on and when to let go.’

Jacques Limoges

Change your Mind

Have you ever wondered what is going on inside your head?

Do you ever stop and listen to what’s going on inside your head?

Have you ever wondered who those voices are inside your head?

If you have then I’m hoping this article will help, even if it’s only in a small way.

How we think affects the way we feel, which in turn affects the way we behave. 

Consider a time when you were excited or happy and notice how you felt and how you behaved. Do you remember what you were actually thinking at the time?

Now consider a time when you were frustrated or irritated and notice how you felt and acted.  How were you talking to yourself at this point?

My guess is the way you looked, the way you sat and the tone of the voices in your head were different in both cases.

• What if it was possible to begin to make sense of these voices?
• What if it was possible to even quieten these voices?

You can!

All that is required is an investment of your time and a commitment to change.

I work with two models that allow you to do just this.

The first is a Creating your Future™ process which allows you to change limiting thought patterns and beliefs and set compelling goals to achieve.

The second is using the PMAI archetypal model to understand the essence of who you are, your identity, and what motivates you. This model will also allow you to put an archetypal name to those voices in your head and allow you to make sense of them.

Each of these help you get greater clarity about what may be holding you back and what you can do to move forward quickly and effortlessly.

If you’d like to know more simply email me and I’ll set up a call to discuss the opportunities and possibilities available you.

"The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence." 

Confucius

Winning Mindsets

We are in the second week of the Wimbledon tennis championships here in the UK and I was lucky enough to see two fabulous matches were the result required an absolute focus on winning. The game was as much a mental one as it was a physical one.

For those of you who are wondering which matches I’m thinking of, they were Serena Williams vs. Heather Watson match which went to 3 sets and Novak Djokovic vs. Kevin Anderson that went to 5 sets.

As a tennis fan, and observer, both of these matches were hard to call and for all 4 players I’m imagining the mental game was what saw them through.

I then read the following article by Patrick Cohn: http://www.sportspsychologytennis.com/?p=4349

Which looks at the mindset of champion players and talks about the choices you have, an excerpt is as follows:

Threat vs. Challenge

There are two mindsets a tennis player can choose heading into each match:

• You see matches as a threat: “If I lose, what will that loss say about me?”
• You view matches as challenges to overcome: “What can I do now to win this point?”

By viewing matches as challenges:

•   You will be motivated to go for it in tennis matches.

•   You feel psyched to compete, yet relaxed while playing.

•   You will be willing to put it all on the line and go for shots.

•   You will not become distraught by mistakes.

•   You will feel confident in your abilities to overcome obstacles.

•   You will be better equipped to focus on what you need to do in the moment.

•   You will have fun playing the game of tennis.

What mindset do you have?

Leadership is a 24/7 business and you are ‘on court’ all of the time. There are always people watching you. Some willing you on, some ambivalent and maybe some watching to see you ‘trip up’. 

How do you approach each day? As a professional tennis player focussed on this day and what needs to be achieved and how you need to play, or worried about what others may think, not wanting to make a mistake, playing it safe by keeping your head down?

We attract what we think about so if you are not getting the results you want maybe the first place to look is your own thoughts.

• What assumptions are you making?
• Are these assumptions enabling or limiting?
• Do you believe you can achieve what you have set out to do?
• If not what needs to shift, is it the outcome or your thinking?

We are programmed at an early age with some of our inherent beliefs and they are often outside of our consciousness. One way to uncover them is to take time to review your actions and your thoughts, particularly if you are not getting the results you want.

• What do you believe about the situation?
• What would you have to believe to get the result you want? 

I believe you can have everything you want out of life as long as you are prepared to do the work and have a positive mindset.

What can you do to have more of what you want? 

Where might you be limiting yourself with your thinking?

If you are struggling with this and know that you need to make some changes email me to set up a coaching clarity call and we can explore what action you can take.

“If you have the same damn thoughts, you’re gonna have the same damn day.”

Meadow Devor

3 signs that you are in a group not a team

Think about the last time you were part of a group, where someone proposed an idea that you thought was quite poor. However, everyone else in the group agreed with the person who suggested the idea and the group seemed set on pursuing that course of action.

When you see this happening it’s a pretty good indicator that groupthink is occurring and preventing creative thinking, effective decision making, efficient problem solving and goals being met.

What is Groupthink?

It is a psychological phenomenon in which people strive for consensus within a group. In many cases, people will set aside their own personal beliefs or adopt the opinion of the rest of the group.

People who are opposed to the decisions or overriding opinion of the group as a whole frequently remain quiet, preferring to keep the peace rather than disrupt the uniformity of the crowd.

Why does groupthink occur?

In many cases, people end up engaging in groupthink when they fear that their objections might disrupt the harmony of the group or suspect that their ideas might cause other members to reject them. Members place emphasis on everyone agreeing and want to be on good terms with the group no matter what the cost.

Situations where the group is placed under extreme stress or where moral dilemmas exist also increase the occurrence of groupthink, as does a strong persuasive charismatic leader.

Symptoms of groupthink

These fall into 3 broad categories:

Over confidence in the groups power
Limited thinking about a problem
Pressure to comply within the group

Over confidence in the groups power

You will see the group become overly optimistic and take big risks believing they are invincible. Alternatively you see members of the group rationalize thoughts or suggestions that challenge what the majority is thinking.  This causes them to ignore warning signs.

Limited thinking about a problem

There is a belief that whatever the group does it will be right as they all know the difference between right and wrong. This leads members to ignore possible moral problems and ignore consequences of individual and group actions.

You may also get members stereotyping. This leads members of the in-group to ignore or even demonize other group members who may oppose or challenge the group’s ideas.

Pressure to comply

The majority directly threaten the person who questions decisions by telling them that they can always leave the group if they don’t want to agree. Direct pressure to conform is often placed on members who pose questions, and those who question the group are often seen as disloyal or traitorous.

Alternatively, members of the group take it upon themselves to discourage different ideas from being expressed in the group. These "Mindguards" act as self-appointed censors to hide problematic information from the group.

This can result in people who have doubts to hiding their fears or misgivings.

How to Prevent or Minimise Groupthink

There are steps that you can take to minimize this problem when you see it occurring or prevent it from happening:

• Breaking up members into smaller independent teams can be helpful.
• As the leader of the group avoid stating your opinions or preferences when assigning tasks. Give people time to come up with their own ideas first.
• Discuss the group’s ideas with an outside member in order to get impartial opinions.
• Encourage group members to remain critical. Don't discourage dissent or challenges to the prevailing opinion. Encourage alternative views and challenging of ideas.
• As the leader be absent from many group meetings to avoid overly influencing decisions.
• Have a process in place for checking the fundamental assumptions behind important decisions, for validating the decision-making process.
• Utilise group techniques like brainstorming and six thinking hats when exploring a problem. 

It would be great to hear your stories on where you have overcome groupthink, so please share them. We can all learn from your success.

"The important thing about groupthink is that it works not so much by censoring dissent as by making dissent seem somehow improbable."

James Surowiecki

The single most common mistake of team development

The most common mistake I have come across is people saying they are part of a team when in fact they are really a working group and the difference between the two is palpable. You’ll understand this if you’ve ever been part of a high performing team!

When you are on a true team there is an energy and enthusiasm that can be felt, they are clear about their purpose and there is a commitment to deliver individual as well as collective results. 

Katzenbach and Smith define a team as a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves accountable.

• Do you consider yourself to be part of a team?
• If yes, do you ever spend time reflecting on how you are performing, or how you can make significant performance improvements?
• Do you hold yourself individually accountable and mutually accountable with your team mates? 

If you don’t consider yourself to be part of a team you’re likely to be a member of a working group where you interact with team members primarily to share information, best practices and make decisions to help each individual perform within his or her area of responsibility.  There is no common purpose that binds people together or joint work products that call for a team approach or mutual accountability.

So What?

All teams start out as a working group, an array of individuals coming together to get a job done. As a leader it’s important to recognise this as the development journey from working group to high performing team takes time and effort not just from you, but from every member in the team.

The question is do you want to harness the collective energy, skills and experience you have to deliver outstanding results? If you do then the journey is worth taking.

There is no one best place to start, or one best thing to do. What I would say is hire an experienced facilitator or team coach to support you and the team to get there.

As the team leader you need to be seen as part of the team which is why using an external facilitator is worth it – it also demonstrates that you are prepared to be led which signals to the team that any one of them can take the lead when necessary

Indicators of High Performing Teams

So where are you and your team on the scale from work group to high performing team?

Use these indicators as a starting point and use a 1 to 10 scale where 1 is low and 10 is high. It will hopefully give you some idea of where to start if you want to enhance performance.

1. Trust – the team trust one another to get things done
2. Healthy Challenge – the team are prepared to challenge each other to achieve the optimum result possible and accept this as an essential way of operating
3. Commit to action – when a decision is made they all commit to delivering and deliver what is needed when it’s required
4. Accountable - they hold each other accountable and are ready and willing to give each other honest feedback on contributions made
5. Focus on Results – they focus on what collectively has been agreed

If you know there is work to be done and you are not quite sure where to start email me and we can explore options to move forward.

 “When a gifted team dedicates itself to unselfish trust and combines instinct with boldness and effort, it is ready to climb.”

Patanjali