Categories
Teams

Great Teams Take a Leap of Faith

For those of you on the team journey, what I’m about to describe will probably resonate to your core. For teams not yet committed to the pursuit of high performance, it will sound strange.

Categories
Teams

Is Your Team Really a Team?

How’s the performance of your team? Are there days when you wonder if you’re accomplishing anything together? One of the problems some teams have is the assumption they are a team… when they aren’t. Although the determining factors of whether a team is really a team are many, one measure is the output of the team.

Categories
Teams Workplace Culture

Today's Challenge: Celebration

This is the next installment in the series in which I answer a question from a leader somewhere in the world. Today’s topic is not universal – by that I mean, some leaders I know don’t have an issue with this at all. However, many leaders, including myself, do struggle with celebrating the team’s accomplishments.

Categories
Teams

5 Things High Performance Teams Do

Last week, I wrote about the critical role of the team leader in a high performance team. The question often emerges, “So what does the team do?” The correct answer: it depends. It depends on the purpose of the team, their composition, their competency, their level of maturity, etc. However, you can often find some common behaviors in the best teams. I’ve written more extensively about this in my book, The Secret of Teams. For today’s post, here’s my top five list.

Categories
Leadership Today's Challenge

Today's Challenge: Leading Up

This is another installment in the Today’s Challenge series. These are issues that a leader somewhere in the world submitted, requesting that I comment on their situation. I feel compelled to offer this disclaimer… the brevity of my remarks does not mean that I believe the answer is simple. There are obvious and inherent limitations in a 400-word post. That said, my goal is to serve you. I hope this post will do just that. Today’s Challenge: Leading up.

Categories
Engagement Organizational Effectiveness Teams

6 Opportunities for the New Leader

I’ve worked at one of America’s great companies, Chick-fil-A, Inc., my entire career. During my time here, I’ve had 7 different jobs… so far! My latest assignment came just a few weeks ago; I’ll be leading a new team: Organizational Effectiveness. In a recent interview, I was asked about my approach to a new role. Prior to that question, I’d never tried to capture my thoughts on this topic.

Categories
Creativity Workplace Culture

Work Space Matters

I’ve long had a fascination with design – all types: architectural, graphics, products, interior design, all of it. I’ve also been a student of how work space affects our productivity and our creativity.

Categories
Leadership Organizational Effectiveness

Your Next Draft Pick

The 2012 NFL Draft is over. The Indianapolis Colts chose Andrew Luck in the first round. They knew exactly what they were looking for… they evaluated Andrew’s 40 Yard Dash, Vertical Jump, Long Jump, etc. How clear are you on what you’re looking for in your next hire?

Categories
Engagement

What Drives Team Member Engagement?

How can you tell if someone is fully engaged?  I’ve asked that question in workshop settings with leaders from around the world.  Would you be surprised that I get virtually the same answers everywhere I go?