Leader's Beacon | The Leadership Experts » Teambuilding

Allow Team Members to Find Their Place

Ian Cook — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:30:35 +0000

Edgar Schein, a titan of the field of organizational development, says in his recent book, Helping, that there are four questions on the minds of new members of any team. While these concerns operate at a subconscious level, nevertheless, any team member must become comfortable with the answers before he or she can relax and [...]

Don’t Clone Yourself

Ian Cook — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:30:37 +0000

A boss of mine early on in my career had a tough, almost bulldog, style. He was a pragmatic, no nonsense guy. He didn’t have a wide vocabulary and didn’t spend a lot of time talking about concepts. He was super loyal to the company and even more so to the branch of which he [...]

Tap into your Team’s Natural Leadership: Here’s How

Meryle Corbett — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:30:25 +0000

Have you ever watched a highly functioning department accomplish a goal or objective? The secret ingredient I have noticed is that “natural leadership” is encouraged from every team member or participant. Within groups, each participant brings a unique combination of skills, talent or style to the discussion. Great groups take advantage of this uniqueness. [...]

Trust the Process

Ian Cook — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:30:43 +0000

Years ago when I was taking courses from University Associates around how to facilitate groups, a wise instructor, Larry Porter, said these three words: trust the process. I have never forgotten them. They have been my anchor at critical times when in a team building session the conversation seems about to get out of hand. [...]

Team Process Makes All the Difference

Ian Cook — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 13:30:34 +0000

All teams must pay attention to their work: the task, the goal, the things to be done, the agenda items to be crammed into their meetings, the hurried decisions to be made by the group, the deadlines to be met, and so on. But the most effective teams also monitor how well the members are [...]

Don’t Neglect Team Maintenance

Ian Cook — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:30:47 +0000

You plan to drive your car from Boston to Denver. It’s a long trip so, before departing, you take your vehicle into your local service center for a tune-up. You have them check your tires and battery, top up the oil and brake fluid and take it for a spin on the highway listening for [...]

Teamwork requires conflict

Greg Schinkel — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 13:30:54 +0000

If the title of this article makes you scratch your head, consider for a few minutes the concept that a strong team with a high degree of trust requires its members to challenge one another. Ian Thomas, a professional speaker from South Africa was using the illustration of a pride of lions and the lessons [...]

7 Ways to Build Stronger Teams

Arnold Sanow — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 16:30:35 +0000

During a recent teambuilding and communication workshop I delivered one of my clients stated, “50% of all our obstacles to success center around team dynamics.” In other words you can have the best plans, strategies and initiatives, however if everyone is not team oriented, working well together and getting along, it will be difficult at [...]

Employee Engagement: Getting an ROI Out of Your Most Valuable Asset

Lisa Mattam — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 16:30:16 +0000

Our tumultuous economic climate is forcing many business owners to make many tough choices. But the bottom-line to remaining competitive is to stay committed to investing in your most important asset: your employees. Studies show that only 30 percent of employees are actually engaged at work. Of course, no two employees come to work for [...]

Being a Leader is All about the Group

Ian Cook — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 12:30:18 +0000

Professor Alex Haslam of the University of Exeter, in a recent presentation put on by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, took the following position in answer to the question, “What makes a great leader?” “The traditional models [of leadership] are built around an “I-based” model of identity, where the individual’s personality is so strong [...]

Your Group Doesn’t Have to Be a “Team”

Ian Cook — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 14:30:54 +0000

One of the best books written on teams and teamwork is The Wisdom of Teams by Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith. They make the distinction between a “team” and what they call a “working group.” The latter is the most common form in workplaces today: a VP with a group of managers, each in charge [...]

Orient Yourself Towards Others And Relieve Pressure In The Workplace

Eric Douglas — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 17:03:30 +0000

In my new book Leading at Light Speed I talk about the concept of leading through others to relieve pressure in the workplace. What do I mean? Think of flying on an airplane with an open seating plan such as Southwest. You’ve come across an aisle seat. The middle and window seats are open next [...]

Assessing Team Communication

Eric Douglas — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:16:13 +0000

You can use the following anonymous survey to assess team communication. Use the following scale to answer each question: A score of 1 means you do not agree with the statement; 4 means you agree with it; a 2 or 3 means your opinion falls somewhere in the middle. Your survey results are confidential. Keep [...]

What to Do When Your Team Gets “Stuck”: 7 Ways to Get It Moving Again

Ian Cook — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:21:43 +0000

There is no question about it. A team can be a powerful vehicle for accomplishing a major project, guiding a unit to superior performance, or bringing together diverse perspectives to solve a pressing problem. Have you ever been a member of a smooth functioning, high performing team? Those of you who have, no doubt, harbor [...]

What if We Brought in a Facilitator?

Ian Cook — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:39:31 +0000

Is your upcoming meeting a strategic planning session? A sales or project launch? A departmental communications day? Or, perhaps, teambuilding for an intact management or project team? Whichever it is, it undoubtedly involves a significant investment. “Facilitation is different from public speaking and training.” First you have the value of the participants’ time, more precious [...]

Kickstarting a Brand New Team

Ian Cook — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 03:41:58 +0000

Do you remember the last time you attended the initial meeting of a new task force or project team at work? No one could agree on the goals. A couple of people complained about all their other work demands. Someone was pushing a personal agenda to become the team “leader.” After a couple of hours [...]