Here’s a reality check. There’s always more to learn.

Stanford University Psychology Professor Carol Dweck has done extensive research on achievement and success. In this work, she discovered that people tend to have one of two mindsets – a growth mindset or a fixed mindset.

People with a fixed mindset believe that their innate qualities, such as intelligence or talent, are fixed traits and that any success they achieve is directly attributable to those qualities. Conversely, people with a growth mindset believe that their innate qualities are just a starting point and that those qualities can be further developed through hard work and dedication.

Dweck found that cultivating a growth mindset can be transformative in various aspects of life, including personal development, career advancement, and — most importantly — leadership.

The best leaders are those who commit themselves to continuous learning and development. Great leaders commit to learning beyond just skills. It’s about identifying and developing the personal behaviors to help you lead effectively.

So how do you do it?

• Adopt the right mindset. Be curious and admit that you still have room for improvement. Recognize that investing the time to do so will not only benefit you but will also benefit your team.
• Reflect and identify gaps. What are the areas you need to develop to become the leader you want (and need) to be? Do some self-reflection to make a list, and then get some feedback from others (here’s where you develop “accepting feedback.”)
• Create a plan. Select one or two areas that you will focus on in the next three months. Do some research to find resources and opportunities to develop and practice those skills/behaviors. Carve out and schedule the time.
• Seek mentorship and coaching. Enroll in leadership development programs, workshops, and online courses. Find a mentor or coach who can provide guidance, feedback, and support in your leadership journey. Regularly engage in mentorship conversations to gain insights and wisdom from experienced leaders.

Remember that learning is an ongoing process, and there is always room for growth and improvement. As a leader, your commitment to learning not only benefits you personally but also positively impacts your team and organization as you continuously evolve and adapt to the changing landscape of leadership and business.

Till the next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post The Power of Learning – Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset! appeared first on PeopleThink.

Each generation brings its own particular strengths and “peculiarities” to the team. Stereotypes abound in today’s workplaces, and leaders struggle to determine how best to engage and retain team members from these five age groups.

I personally think it’s simple: value the differences.

As Stephen Covey said, “Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.”

Recognize that each individual brings to the workplace different experiences, knowledge, belief systems, ideas, skills, communication styles, fears, hopes, and dreams. No matter the age or generation, there are differences.

With that in mind, here are my tips for managing and working effectively on a multi-generational team.

• Focus on the VALUE each generation brings to the workplace. Respect the experience of older team members while also valuing the fresh perspectives that younger team members bring. Remember that it’s about talent…not age…
• Acknowledge and embrace the DIVERSITY of the generations. Celebrate birthdays, milestones, and achievements to build a sense of camaraderie and teamwork. Take the time to learn about the characteristics and tendencies of different age groups (Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, etc.) to understand their perspectives better.
• Use multiple communication streams to address each person’s style. Recognize that different generations may have varying work styles. Some may prefer face-to-face meetings, while others might be more comfortable with virtual communication. Be flexible and adaptable in accommodating these preferences.
• Learn from the other generations on your team. Create opportunities for team members of different ages to work together. Encourage cross-mentoring, where older employees share their knowledge and younger employees offer insights into new technologies and trends. This can help bridge generation gaps and foster a sense of unity within the team.
• Promote open communication. Create an environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas. Encourage open dialogue that respects each person’s viewpoint, regardless of age.
• Keep learning. Each generation has its own values, communication preferences, and work habits. Be open to continuously learning about generational trends and adapting your leadership approach accordingly. What works well today might need adjustments in the future.

Leading a team with people of different ages can be both rewarding and challenging. Remember, effective leadership involves understanding and respecting individual differences while fostering a cohesive and collaborative team environment. By embracing these tips, you can lead a multi-generational team to success.

Till the next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post Valuing Generational Differences appeared first on PeopleThink.

Many researchers have identified a correlation between an employee’s personal and professional development, and an organization’s growth as a whole.

Increased job satisfaction, higher employee engagement, improved retention, enhanced productivity, and a more skilled and adaptable workforce are some of the benefits of employee development.

Companies that invest in their employees’ development demonstrate a commitment to their growth, which can lead to a positive organizational culture and a competitive edge in the market.

If you want to keep your people and grow your business, you must provide opportunities for your team to learn and grow. The best way to do that is by creating and implementing effective employee development programs.

Here’s How.

Ensure roles and responsibilities are well-defined.
Roles often morph over time as responsibilities expand or business needs change. This can be frustrating to the individual in the role – and detrimental to the team/organization – if training around new skill requirements and responsibilities isn’t included with the change. It’s also difficult to hire for, train for or promote someone into that role if you haven’t updated the current skills and responsibilities for the role.

Create career path outlines.
Employees want to know what growth opportunities are available in the organization. Create career path outlines for each job family to help employees build personal development plans.

Make performance management an ongoing process.
The annual performance review – dreaded by managers and hated by employees – typically focuses on weaknesses and rarely includes a development component. How inspiring is that? Effective performance management is a continuous process (not an event) and consists of a development component that builds on strengths and develops areas that are not strengths.

Develop for future needs.
Development plans should consider organizational goals and the skills and behaviors employees will need to contribute to achieving those goals. They should also take into account the skills and behaviors employees will need in the future to succeed (yes, even if it’s not in your organization). Make a list of top skills required and design training programs to help them acquire those skills.

Consider employee goals and interests.
It’s also essential that individual employee career goals and personal interests be considered. All too often, employees have skills and talents that are under-utilized. Take the time to identify, develop, and leverage those hidden talents and unspoken interests. Employees want to use their strengths and feel that they’re contributing to the organization in a meaningful way.

Implementing and supporting leadership development and training programs for your employees will help them grow and develop their style and prepare them to lead their teams in the future.

Till the next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post Employee Development: Building a CULTURE of Learning! appeared first on PeopleThink.

The truth is that Organizations and leaders have been forced to pivot on many fronts over the past 2.5 years. As a result, new business models like hybrid workplaces and creative delivery platforms have sprung up. What hasn’t kept pace is our thinking around employee engagement and retention.

Working with companies of varied sizes and industries, I’ve identified four key strategies that can help you retain and grow your team:

1) Help your employees feel valued by communicating how their goals align with team and organizational goals. Provide them with opportunities to build on their strengths, learn new skills and prepare for the future needs of the company. Development can happen in many different forms: on-the-job training, personal development, cross-functional projects, coach and/or mentor, special projects… The important thing is that it is available and encouraged.

2) Help them feel connected by communicating with them clearly and consistently. When leaders communicate regularly and build a sense of connectedness with their employees, those employees are happier and more productive.

3) Do you have career roadmaps and succession plans in place? If not, what are you waiting for? Help your employees feel challenged by communicating the next level in their career path and what they need to do to get there. Give them temporary assignments that will stretch their skills and comfort level.

4) In the leaner work environment today, most employees are feeling the brunt of doing more with less. Recognize their efforts by saying “thank you” early and often. Don’t wait until review time to tell them what a good job they’re doing. And be specific – what was the situation, what did they do, and what was the impact? Applaud the behavior you want to see repeated and emulated.

Don’t take your employees for granted. As a leader, you can help them believe that what they are doing has purpose and meaning. You can show them that their leader cares about them as a person and is equally invested in their growth.

And most of all, keep in mind that new and emerging leaders need the right training to succeed in the new role. Join my free webinar, Leadership Power Hour to learn how engaging with your team can set you up for success.

Till the next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post Strategies to Retain Your Employees appeared first on PeopleThink.

It doesn’t come naturally to her! She has to be intentional about it. She writes 20 appreciation cards per week and gives them to her team to show her love and appreciation.

Every leader will have their own preferred style of communication. Each style is a reflection of certain values a person holds and their strengths. It is important to understand what your communication style is and what the gaps are. With the right training you can develop the skills to fill the gaps and communicate effectively with your team.

Determine Your Style And Develop The Right Skills:

To determine your style, rank the following statements from 1 to 4, with 1 being “most like me” and 4 being “least like me” to determine your preferred style. Then read the corresponding tips to learn how to leverage your strengths and adjust your style for more effective communication. We’ve labeled the four styles A through D as a reference for the tips below.

(A). I tend to focus on facts and details, and take a structured approach to my work. I like to have all the relevant information before making a decision. I don’t do hugs at work.

(B). I am naturally informal and laid back. People often confide in me because I’m a good listener. I tend not to direct where a conversation goes. I’m uncomfortable with conflict.

(C). I am energetic and animated when speaking. I love to discuss creative ideas. I may switch from topic to topic within the same conversation. I prefer big picture, vision talk. Spare me the details!

(D). I get to the point quickly and appreciate others who do the same. I focus on action. I don’t shy away from conflict. If a meeting or project is stalled, I’ll get it going.

Leverage Your Strengths:

If you rated yourself highest in “A” your strengths are ensuring that all details are covered so that nothing falls through the cracks. You like structure and process. You need to be aware, though, that overusing your strengths can turn off others, meaning you won’t be heard. Those who are higher “D” will want a quicker decision. Those who rate higher as “C” will want less detail.

If you rated yourself highest in “B” your strengths are promoting harmony and ensuring that everyone’s input is heard. Remember that conflict can be a good thing when managed constructively and often leads to innovative ideas. Engage those who are high “D” by discussing the tough topics.

If you rated yourself highest in “C” your strengths are creating a vision and bringing energy and a sense of fun to the task at hand. Recognize, though, that others may interpret your energy and fun as a lack of commitment and focus. Have details available for those who need them. Get to the point quicker when communicating with those who focus on action. And stay on topic for those who are strong “B”s.

If you rated yourself highest in “D” your key strengths are decisiveness and moving a conversation, a team or a project forward. You are direct in the way you communicate. Understand that others may interpret your directness as arrogance, or worry that a speedy decision will miss important details. To ensure that you are heard, slow your pace a bit for those who are high in “B”. Outline the decision process for those who need the details. And map to the vision for those who focus on creativity.

Want to learn more about your style and how to recognize and adapt to others? Register here for my free Leadership Power Hour webinar.

Till the next time, Keep it Real! Karen

The post Identify Your Communication Style to Improve Your Impact appeared first on PeopleThink.

A recent Forbes article explains how high-trust work environments enable team members to feel valued, heard, and capable of doing their best work.

Here are my tips for establishing trust:

Be willing to put in the work. Know that trust takes time to build and must be earned. Don’t expect people to trust you just because you are now their leader. Be sure that your actions align with your words and that you tell the truth. Always. Remember that trust can be easily broken and is very difficult to repair.

Communicate honestly. Communicate clearly and regularly. Share as much as you can, especially about business information that may impact the team or their work. Listen. Ask for feedback, ideas, solutions. Model open, honest and respectful communication so the team will mirror that among themselves.

Be accountable. Do what you say you are going to do. Be sure everyone clearly understands expectations and the impact of not meeting those expectations. Challenge your team to higher performance goals and establish an environment where they hold themselves – and each other – accountable for results.  Include regular progress reports, open sharing of mistakes and lessons learned, and team discussions on how to move through roadblocks.

Be consistent. Don’t keep changing the rules or make rules apply to some and not to others. When something changes, explain why and encourage a dialogue around it. Oh, and did I say, “listen”?

Model the behavior. To earn trust, you must show trust. Set clear goals and expectations and then trust your team to do what they were hired to do.  When something goes wrong, get all the facts before drawing a conclusion. Respond in a constructive, consistent way.

Be truthful. Always. Trust is the key ingredient to all successful relationships. Tell the truth. As my dad used to say, “One lie leads to another, and before you know it, you’ve forgotten the first lie you told.”

“Contrary to what most people believe, trust is not some soft, illusive quality that you either have or you don’t; rather, trust is a pragmatic, tangible, actionable asset that you can create.” – Stephen Covey

Till next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post Trust in the Workplace  appeared first on PeopleThink.

Warren Bennis, organizational consultant and author of Learning to Lead, with Joan Goldsmith, said, “Managers are people who do things right. Leaders are people who do the right thing.”

As you consider the following, think about how you approach your team, individual employees and expected results.

Managers seek stability and continuity and achieve power based on their position of authority. They work toward an outcome of employee compliance. Leaders, on the other hand, seek change and uncertainty. They focus on innovation and base their power on personal influence. Leaders work toward an outcome of employee commitment.

Management skills focus on planning and organizing, and controlling through standard operating procedures. Leadership skills include developing a shared vision, creating strategy and providing motivation. The management approach to performance evaluations comprises rewards and discipline. The leadership approach includes support and development. The management communication style is transactional with an exchange of facts and data. The leadership communication style is persuasive and transformational, focused on committing people to action.

Managers define success as efficiency and maintenance of quality. Leaders define success as effectiveness and mutual trust. Managers strive to avoid anarchy, employee disorientation and surprise. Leaders want to avoid inertia, lack of motivation or boredom.

So are you managing or leading?

“If there is a clear distinction between the processes of managing and the process of leading it is between getting others to do – managing – and getting others to want to do – leading.”    – James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner, The Leadership Challenge.

Till next time, keep it real.

Karen

P.S. Check out PeopleThink’s new service offering: Keep it Real Leadership. Be the Leader only YOU can be!

The post Are You Managing or Leading? appeared first on PeopleThink.

Keep it Real Leadership has been in the works for my entire career. I am so excited to finally unveil it to the whole wide world!

Here’s the Keep it Real story…

I’ve been working with leaders at all levels for…well, a long time. I’ve implemented leadership development programs across organizations large and small, and I’ve worked one-on-one with senior leaders and executives.  I’ve been a leader in the corporate world, on boards and in my own business.  And here’s what I’ve learned. While there are a bazillion laundry lists of the “top” leadership skills, it’s time keep it real about what makes a leader truly extraordinary. It’s not rocket science. It’s what I call the Keep it Real Leadership Principles (or Leadership According to Karen).

Before we get to those principles, though, I need to say something about integrity.  You’ll note that it’s not included on the list. Why? Because for leadership INTEGRITY should be a no-brainer! There is NO negotiation on integrity. If people don’t trust you, they are not going to follow you anywhere. Be accountable and tell the truth. Do what you say you’re going to do. Show up whole and be YOU and no one else.

Now. Here are my 6 Keep it Real Leadership Principles. Picture them revolving around “integrity,” which, again, is the core of leadership.

BOLD. Have a backbone, state your opinions and hold strong to your beliefs. Be courageous. Protect your team and staff – make them proud to be part of your team. Be accountable – do what you say you’re going to do. And have the hard conversations. Putting them off helps no one.

TOMORROW. What is your vision? Share it. Where is your team and the organization headed? Let them know what’s next, how “we’re” going to get there, and what they can do to help. Give your people a reason to believe in the future and to want to participate in building it. Provide them with development opportunities that will grow their capabilities to help achieve the vision.

TAWK. That’s New Jersey-speak for talk. Communicate, communicate, communicate. People need to hear things multiple times in multiple ways before they really “hear” it. Adapt your communication style to the listener – everyone takes in information differently. Remember it’s about them, not you. Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them. Oh! And don’t forget to listen!

LEARN. You cannot stop learning! Be self-aware: know your strengths and be willing to admit (and work on) your blind spots. Make the time to get to know your team. Be curious. Cultivate a growth mindset and set an example of continuous learning. Provide learning opportunities for your people and encourage them to keep growing. As John F. Kennedy said, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to one another.”

PLEASE & THANK YOU. Say it. Always. No excuses. Always be courteous and kind. Express your gratitude and mean it. No one gets tired of hearing: “Please” and “Thank You.”

JOY. Create a culture where people want to come to work, where people enjoy their projects, their colleagues, their stretch assignments, their team. When people enjoy their environment, they’ll be more engaged and creative, and they’ll want to stay in your organization. Culture starts at the top. Create the team YOU want to be part of.

“A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader.  A great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.”  – Eleanor Roosevelt

Click here to learn more about Keep it Real Leadership.

Till next time, keep it real.

Karen

The post It’s Time to KEEP it REAL about Leadership! appeared first on PeopleThink.

Unfortunately, that lack of accountability trickles down into the workplace.  As I work with different organizations, I hear a common complaint: “there’s just no accountability anymore.”

When things don’t get done – emails and texts returned, reports submitted on time, projects completed on time and within budget – instead of people owning the problem, they make excuses or shift the blame.

“I don’t know how it happened.”

“I think Sally is the bottleneck.”

“It’s not my job.”

“I didn’t have time to do it.”

“It’s not my fault.”

“No one else got theirs in on time.”

Sound familiar?

It’s time to ditch the excuses and create a culture of accountability. And it takes leaders, teams and individuals working together to create and maintain that culture.

Leaders: it starts with you.

Set the example by owning up to your mistakes, oversights, missteps. If you never accept personal responsibility for something, how can you expect your team to?

Find (and share) the lesson in the failure. What could you have done better, what will you change? Acknowledge the impact that your actions (or lack of action) had.

Create a trusting environment with open communication where all team members are encouraged to share successes and failures for the purpose of learning and continuous improvement.

Be clear about expectations. Employees are responsible for tasks and activities and accountable for outcomes. Be sure those are clearly defined and understood.

Hold people accountable. Be clear about both expectations and consequences.

Teams/Individual employees:

Understand what accountability means. A lot of people use responsibility and accountability interchangeably. A responsibility is something you are required or expected to do, such as an activity or task. Accountability is you owning up to the consequences if you don’t do it or the outcomes are less than expected. Accountability is after the fact.

Avoid the blame game. Children often deflect blame because they are afraid of getting in trouble. Some adults do it for the same reason. Others because they are embarrassed and want to save face. Still others (one particular example in the news a lot lately) because their POV is that nothing that goes wrong is ever, ever their fault. It’s always someone else’s. Pulease! Be a grown up. Accept the blame. Apply what you learned. And do better next time.

Ditch the excuses. Instead simply say: “Yes, it was my fault. I dropped the ball. Here’s what I learned. Here’s how I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

As a team, hold each other accountable. Get clear about interdependencies and the impact of mistakes and missed deadlines. Work on creating an environment of open, honest communication that will support this.

“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” – Ben Franklin

Till next time,

Karen

The post It’s Time to Reignite Accountability, and Leaders It Starts with You appeared first on PeopleThink.

Research indicates that while individuals’ functional roles (skills, experience) are important to the success of a team, their psychological roles (personalities) are equally if not more important.

According to a recent Harvard Business Review article, scientific evidence shows that an individual’s personality affects their role within the team, how they interact with the rest of the team, and whether their values align with the team’s values. These psychological factors determine how well people work together.

Now it might be tempting to think that this means we should build our teams with individuals of similar personalities. Like equals harmony, right? Wrong! In the true sense of the word, “harmony” is NOT about everyone singing the same note. It’s people singing different notes that creates harmony.

To put this in a team / personalities perspective, if everyone on the team is “people focused” and no one is “outcome focused” your meetings may be very congenial, but you’ll have a hard time achieving results. By creating a balance of personalities on the team – different ideas, strengths, approaches, views – you have a much better chance of success.

Consider this scenario.

Mike is about to meet for the first time with a temporary project team he’ll be heading up for the next several months. The members were assigned to him, so he had no input into their selection.  He’s disappointed that he wasn’t asked to pull together a team from “his” people, who think just like him. Life would be so much easier. He hasn’t met any of the team yet, but he’s spoken with four of their managers and has made some notes.

Robert. Quick-thinking. Direct. Not afraid of conflict or challenging the status quo. Confident and decisive. Track record of meeting deadlines and staying within budget. Competitive. Task-focused.

Yolanda. Lots of ideas. Good at creating a vision and inspiring others to follow. Outgoing and friendly.  Likes variety and flexibility. Tends to change topics quickly during discussions. Relationship-focused.

Gary. Quiet and reserved. Great listener. Works to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to be heard. Good at coordinating efforts and maintaining strong relationships. Strong focus on values.

Barb. Analytical and detail-oriented. Excellent at ensuring all bases are covered. Processes information by asking questions. Lots of questions. Takes a systematic approach to decision-making.

Mike wonders how he will ever be able to meld these diverse styles together to complete the project.  He worries that Robert will compete with his leadership, and that Barbara will get too caught up in the details to get anything done.  And how will Yolanda and Gary work with the other two?

Mike decides that the only way forward is to embrace the differences instead of fearing them. And a magical thing happens. Yes, there are some conflicts at the start – as there are on all teams – but those conflicts, and the different approaches, perspectives, talents, ideas, and strengths harmonize into a final product that is far superior to anything Mike in his monotone world had ever seen.  Because…

Yolanda created a vision.

Robert kept them on track.

Gary ensured they were heard.

Barb let nothing fall through the cracks.

So how do you, as a leader, figure out whether your team has the right balance of people-focus, outcome-focus, creativity, discipline, etc.? Through a personality assessment. The one I use is Lumina Spark.

Want to learn more? Contact me at kcolligan@PeopleThink.biz.

Till next time,

Karen

The post Personalities Play a Key Role in High Performing Teams appeared first on PeopleThink.

Survey respondents represented more than 10 different industries across the US and Europe. Industries included Technology, Life Sciences, Financial, Professional Services, Learning and Development, Nonprofit, and others.  Leadership roles represented ranged from Mid-Level Manager (17%) to Senior Leader (31%) to Founder/Entrepreneur (21%) to C-Level Executive (18%).  The average length of respondent leadership experience was 13+ years.

Here are some highlights of what the leaders collectively shared from their Leadership Journeys.

Primary purpose of a leader. The majority of respondents said that the primary purpose of a leader is to 1-Build a Strong Team.  Other purposes that rated highly include (in order):

2-Focus on the people (coach, develop, grow)

3-Achieve results

4-Set the vision

5-Shape the culture

Since one of the goals of the survey was to capture insight that I could incorporate into my leadership development and coaching work, I wanted to understand what respondents believed were some of the key actions that helped them achieve their purpose as a leader. Here are some responses:

“Hire the right people” (Build a strong team)

“Learn to listen” (Focus on the people)

“Hold yourself and others accountable (Achieve results)

“Communicate the vision” (Set the vision)

“Build trust” (Shape the culture)

Leadership competencies. Respondents identified the following as the competencies that most helped them succeed as leaders (in order)

1-People focus (coach, develop, grow)

2-Communication skills

3-See the big picture

4-Honesty/transparency

5-Innovation

Personal development. A rather alarming result from the survey was that while 74% of respondents said they believe that leaders should carve out time to develop their leadership competencies, 40% spend LESS THAN 15% of their time developing those competencies. Competencies they identified as important to work on:

1-Active listening

2-Seeking feedback from others

3-Being comfortable with change

4-Building trust

5-Having difficult conversations

Developing others. 86% of respondents said they believe that leaders should carve out time to help their people grow and develop. The top resources they currently make available to their people:

1-Conferences

2-Mentor

3-On-site training

4-Stretch assignments

5-Networking

Some of the greatest insight from the survey came from the open-ended questions where respondents were asked to reflect on what they would have done differently on their leadership journey, and what their key lessons learned were.

Self-reflection

“I would have invested in myself earlier in the journey.”

“I wish I had taken more risks.”

“I was once told that if I felt like an ‘imposter’ in my leadership role, then I didn’t understand my true value. So, I began to ask what value I provided, and in all my years as a leader that has made the biggest difference for me.”

“I would have started sooner to take more time to work on my leadership competencies.”

Lessons learned

“Hire the right people and invest in their development.”

“Focus on the people and the results will follow…This is now my leadership philosophy and it has proven true many times.”

“To make critical decisions, always keep in mind the mission and vision of the organization. When you lose sight of that, it never turns out well.”

“Delegate and empower people! It’s the only way to achieve multiples of what you can achieve on your own.”

“See the future, believe the future, feel the future.”

If you didn’t have the opportunity to complete the survey, but would like to share some insight or lessons learned from your leadership journey, please complete the The PeopleThink Leadership Journey Survey.

Thank you!

Till next time,

Karen

The post Voices of Experience: Lessons from the PeopleThink Leadership Journey Survey appeared first on PeopleThink.

They establish and adhere to Rules of Engagement.

Think back, for a minute, to when you were in school. No, not college. Think waaay back to kindergarten or elementary school. Most likely on the first day of class your teacher shared with you “the rules.” No talking in class. Raise you hand to go to the bathroom. No fighting. Turn your homework in on time. You knew what the expectations were upfront, and you knew (and, yes, perhaps even experienced) what the consequences were if you didn’t meet those expectations. The goal of the rules was to create a harmonious and productive environment for learning. Without establishing and enforcing those rules, the classroom could have been chaos.

And so it goes with teams. In fact, we’ve seen (or at least read about) that chaos on a nearly daily basis with one very, very visible team. Don’t let that happen to your team.

Allocate some time – as a team – to establish your team Rules of Engagement. These should align with your company values and culture. As you think about what to include, consider things that have been an issue for the team in the past – what guideline can you put in place that will prevent that issue in the future? Here are some topics your rules can address:

Communication. What is the preferred method – email, phone, in person – for sharing information vs. decision making vs. resolving conflict?

Meetings. Is there a limit on length? How will you handle chronic late-comers? How will you ensure that everyone is heard (at the meeting rather than post-meeting in a hallway discussion)?

Decisions. How will you make them? A vote? Who’s the tie breaker?

Conflict. What’s your process for managing it? What will you do when it escalates?

Other potential topics are prioritization, accountability, coordinating task hand off, reviewing each other’s work. And certainly don’t forget to include a general rule about good behavior – kindness, respect, integrity.

Diversity of ideas, opinions, skill sets, experience and background enhances a team’s ability to innovate, and to provide the full complement of capabilities to achieve desired results. The best way to leverage those capabilities and to increase your team’s performance is by defining and maintaining your Rules of Engagement.

Till next time,

Karen

The post Ignite Team Performance with Rules of Engagement appeared first on PeopleThink.