“Teaming for Success”

“Teaming for Success” April Rodgers Vice President, Human Resources

Why worry about our teams and team building? • Activity: “Best vs. Worst” - share your experiences. • How research defines “the best.” • The big (not so) secret to successful teams. • Understanding that “This is Work.” • Focus on your role. • What can you do about it? “Activities” and helpful tips. • “Team Building without Time Wasting.” • Questions? Tell ‘em what you’re gonna tell ‘em..

The Toxic Team The Healthy Team Engaged Highly Productive High Retention Patient Satisfaction Growth Profit Quality Safety • Inefficient • Expensive • Poor Productivity • Weak Morale • High Absenteeism • Prone to Error • Conflicts • Wasteful Turnover Why worry about your team?

Pay Attention - What gets managed, gets fixed. • Apathy = Decline - If no one is paying attention to the health of your team, it may slip. • Action = Impact - There are steps you can take to help your team thrive. Why worry about team building?

Best vs. Worst Activity: • Introduction: Name and where you are from • I am… and when I’m not at work I fill my time… • Describe the worst team you were ever on. • Why was it the worst? What contributed to the team’s inability to thrive? • Describe the best team you have been on. • Why was it the best? What factors contributed to the team’s ability to thrive? • Designate someone to share. What does a well functioning team look like?

MIT’s Human Dynamics Laboratory set out to document the behavior of teams that “click:” • 2,500 individuals wore electronic sensors that collected data on communication behavior, i.e., tone of voice, body language, etc. • The data showed that the most important predictor of a team’s success was its communication patterns. What the researchhas to say…

Competence • Mutual Purpose • Communication • Trust • Expectations This is what it looks like…

The key to high performance was not in the content of the team’s discussions, but in the manner in which it was communicating. • They found that the best predictors of productivity were a team’s energy and engagement outside of formal meetings. Here’s the big secret! Write this down…

Benefit from one of my “Life Lessons” “No, April, This is Work”

Who’s boss is a bad communicator? • Who here is a bad communicator? • So convenient to blame others, isn’t it? • Focus on your contribution. • Hone your self-awareness. • You are always in control of your reaction and response to every situation. How do you contribute?

Eat lunch together • Have breakfast when someone new joins the team • Celebrate birthdays, work anniversaries, etc. • Smile, Laugh, Share, Listen • Say Good Morning, Please, Thank you, and You’re Welcome • Express Gratitude and Appreciation • Express Congratulations on a Job Well Done • On Friday, genuinely care to ask what your co-workers are doing over the weekend. On Monday, care to find out how it went. • Write Thank You cards when it’s least expected • Increasing healthy and positive informal communications will increase individual and group trust which is fundamental to a healthy team Mind Blowing Team Building “Activities”

Model the behavior you expect in others • Set and manage the expectations of others. When people are clear on what is expected of them, they are clear on how they can succeed. • When making recommendations, speak collectively and tentatively, e.g. “We may want to consider the possibility of changing the date, what do you think?” vs. “I’m saying the date has to be changed.” • Leverage the resources in your network. • Don’t criticize, condemn or complain. • Areas of opportunity should always be discussed in person. Email is great for praise, not for constructive criticism. • Keep it clean. No Facebook, don’t mix work and your personal life, trust me… No Fail Tips and Pointers

The steps in the process are: • In a team meeting ask each team member to rate "How well are we doing?" vs. "How well do we need to be doing?" in terms of teamwork. Have each member do this on paper. Have one of the members calculate the scores -- without identifying anyone. One a 1-10 scale -- with 10 being the highest score -- the average evaluation from over 1,000 teams is "We are a 5.8. We need to be an 8.7." • Assuming there is a gap between "we are" and "we need to be," ask each team member to list two key behaviors that, if each other individual team member improved, could help close the gap and improve teamwork. Do not mention people -- only behavior -- such as listening better, clear goals, etc. Then list the behaviors on a flip chart and have the team pick the one that they believe will have the biggest impact. • Have each team member conduct a three-minute, one-on-one meeting, with each of the other team members. (Do this while standing and rotate as members become available.) In these sessions each person should ask, "Please suggest one or two positive changes I can make individually to help our team work together more effectively." Then have each person pick one behavior to focus on improving. • Begin a regular monthly follow-up process in which each team member asks each other member for suggestions on how to continue their improvement based on their behavior the previous month. The conversations should focus on the specific areas identified for improvement individually as well as general suggestions for how to be better team members. When asking for input the rules are that the person receiving the ideas cannot judge or critique the ideas. He must just listen and say "thank you." The person giving the ideas must focus on the future -- not the past. “Team Building Without Time Wasting” Exercise

When resources don’t allow for Adventure Associates or an overnight stay at the paint ball course, create a productive exercise for your team with these three tips: • Acknowledge tough times. Recognize the difficulties but don't let things devolve into a gripe session. Instead, refocus on the path ahead and your mutual purpose. • Keep it relevant. The best exercises involve real-world problems, not just fun activities. Have your team solve an immediate or pressing organizational or departmental issue and be sure they can build on what they've learned when they return to work. • Customize the program to your team. Don't use an off-the-shelf model for your team-building activity. Use an approach that fits your company and team culture. Customize your own exercise…

A healthy team is vital to an engaged, effective and prosperous organization. • You have to actively pay attention to the health of your team and continually assess your contribution and role in the team. • Informal, open and positive communication is one of the most important factors in nurturing a healthy team. Don’t forget “This is Work.” • Team building can be a natural and regular part of your work life, and when the time is right, you may want to plan a more structured intervention. Tell ‘em what ya told ‘em…

“The New Science of Building Great Teams” • HBR, April 2012 • “How Can I Improve Collaboration Within My Team?” • HBR, January 2008 • “Three Essentials of an Effective Team” • HBR, Jan 01, 1997 • “How to Win Friends & Influence People” • Dale Carnegie • “Crucial Conversations” • Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, Switzler • “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” • Patrick Lencioni References & Inspirations

“Teaming for Success”