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b y r i c k c o n l o wCEO & PRESIDENET | RICK CONLOW INTERNATIONAL

7 L E S S O N S F O R T E A M M A S T E R Y

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WELCOME!Teams in organizations are like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. They work and make progress. Then, boom, they materialize into a nightmare. Everyone talks about the importance of “team” so its become a worn out cliché. Together everyone achieves more (T.E.A.M.) is the spoken acronym, and nearly 2/3 of teams falter and fail. Most others fall far short of their intended objectives.

You can change that for any team you are a part of or lead. This EBook gives you seven legendary lessons related to great teams. Study and apply them; you will gain superb progress and acclaim.

Our firm has partnered with companies to achieve 48 quality service awards for superior service/sales and gain significant bottom-line progress. We have facilitated countless teams to achieve great results and exceed their goals. If you want these kinds of results, we would like to talk with you. Call us 612-868-8521or email RCI: rick@rickconlow.com.

The best of success to you.

Rick Conlow CEO/RCI

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INTRODUCTION The Art of Teamwork

LESSON ONE The 5 Stages of a

High Performance Team

LESSON TWO 12 Qualities of an Effective

Team Leader

LESSON THREE Closing the Gap Between

Leadership and Their Teams

LESSON FOUR 13 Troubles of Terrible Teams and

How To Avoid Them

LESSON FIVE 6 Turnaround Tactics for

a Failing Team

LESSON SIX The Top 10 Meeting Mistakes and

How to Avoid Them

LESSON SEVEN 4 Keys to Accelerating Results to

Create a High Performance Team

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INTRODUCTION: The Art of Teamwork and

the Value of Teams

THE ART OF TEAMWORK

Maybe for the project on that one day it was true; you are better than the team. But in most cases working with an effective team produces better, more complete, and more positive results. Teams offer a richness that one person can’t give to even a small project.

In corporate America there is often a resistance to teams. Over 60% of teams fail, and many others fall far short of intended outcomes. The resistance is usually stated as a bias toward individualism. We like the idea of being “The Best” and “The Brightest.” If there is a whole group, how will anyone know who’s on top?

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There’s also resistance because teams take time. It’s faster to make decisions alone. Teams are slow. Everyone wants to talk and share their knowledge, expertise and opinion. Organizations don’t always reward team achievement in the same way they reward individuals with accolades, raises and promotions. So why encourage teams?

A well-chosen team offers: ∆ More expertise and knowledge than even an exceptionally smart individual

can.

∆ Perspective from different levels and disciplines of the organization.

∆ Richness of ideas and thinking styles.

Make no mistake about it, all of this does take more time. But the product of a team far surpasses the contribution of a person working alone. Teams also change the dynamics of the entire organization through the collaborations that develop and the quality of projects delivered.

When we use the term “team” we are not talking about a collection of people who work in the same office or even people with the same titles who report to the same boss. A “team” implies people coming together for a common purpose. They may be from different departments, with different titles, different educational backgrounds, disciplines and expertise, but they come together to accomplish a specific goal. They are focused on a common outcome, committed to finding the best solution, and committed to each other.

THE VALUE OF TEAMS

In Antarctica the sun sets at the start of winter, and temperatures can dip below—100⁰. No planes can land at the Amundsen-Scott Pole Station; it is cut off from the rest of the world. Its crew members must depend on each other until the sun rises six months later.

Dr. Jerri Nielsen Fitzgerald was the only Doctor at the station in the winter of 1999. During a routine self-exam she discovered what she thought might be cancer but she needed a biopsy to be certain.

The National Science Foundation arranged for a U.S. Air Force plane launched from New Zealand to overfly the pole. As the plane neared, members of the station crew went on

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the ice and lit fires in barrels to mark a drop zone. Six parachutes drifted out the darkness, bringing bundles of supplies and medication.

With the help of stateside doctors consulting via satellite link, Dr. Nielsen trained a team to help perform the biopsy and the cancer treatments that followed, such as staining slides, using an electronic microscope, and administering IV chemotherapy. The members of the team had no prior medical experience—they included a welder, a maintenance worker, and a computer technician, among others.

The treatment helped, but what she really needed was a hospital. So several weeks before the official safe-flying date, when temperatures bobbed up to a balmy —60⁰, the New York Air National Guard refueled at McMurdo Station on the coast, and landed a specially equipped plane at the pole. Twenty-two minutes later, the doctor and another injured team member were en route to a U.S. Hospital.

How many teams played a role in this story? They include the NSF, the U.S. Air Force, the N.Z. Air Force, the crew that went out on the ice, the doctors back home, the “medics” at the station, the crew at McMurdo, and the New York ANG. No doubt there are many more teams behind the scenes who also contributed.

Most of us will never have to rely on such extraordinary life-saving teams. In fact, if you’ve ever been a part of a team, there were probably days when you wondered, “Why bother? I could do this faster myself.”

Maybe for that project, on that day, it was true. But most cases, working with a team produce a better, more complete, more effective result. Teams offer a richness that one person can’t give to even a small project.

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LESSON 1: The 5 Stages for Creating a

High Performance Team

STAGE 1: FORMING

Teams are unique organisms possessing the potential to perform amazing work that no single member of the team could ever dream of accomplishing. But a team doesn’t just happen, rather it is developed.

In 1965 Dr. Bruce Tuckman created a model to describe team development. Many people have renamed his stages of team development over the years, but essentially the same descriptions of the challenges and the necessary tasks carry through today. Dr. Tuckman saw five stages in the development of a team. He named them: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Adjourn.

Forming is the startup stage. In this stage group members get acquainted with one another, begin to build trust among themselves, and check out the leader’s ability to manage the group. There is a mixed bag of feelings at this initial stage and they range from excitement and optimism to fear and apprehension. All of these wide ranging feelings are perfectly normal for this stage of team development.

F O R M I N G S TO R M I N G N O R M I N G P E R F O R M I N G R E F O R M I N G

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In order to complete this first stage and move on to the second stage the group must:

∆ Get acquainted and start building relationships.

∆ Agree on a common purpose that describes what they will do.

∆ Agree on how they will do that work-the process of their work together.

∆ Establish goals, roles, norms, and procedures.

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Most teams don’t do this. They just get to the work of the team. It is important to remember that these forming activities take time, and though the tendency is to want to get down to business and complete the project, these initial cannot be rushed and dare not be cut short. The initial tasks are the solid foundation upon which the team will be built and from which it will function.

STAGE 2: STORMING

Each stage of a team is equally vital in the development and must be completed before the next stage can begin. To cut corners or rush the process will only serve to reduce the team’s ultimate performance.

The storming stage of team development can produce three very different groups:

∆ PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE GROUP - These are unhappy, seething, uncooperative and no-progress groups. Group members are often individuals moving toward unclear goals. They choose not to share information and then complain about how unproductive the group is.

∆ AGGRESSIVE GROUP - There is also the group that loudly protests. They let everyone know how unhappy they are but they refuse to participate in the activities of the group. It is a conflicting group of stars, each of whom works without regard for the good of the group.

What these two groups have in common is conflict: sometimes loud and vicious and sometimes quiet and indirect. In both cases they are showing their unhappiness with the group. As the leader of such a group, it is your job to redirect its energy.

∆ ASSERTIVE GROUP - An insightful leader takes all the diversity of thought, experience and style in an assertive group and channels that energy toward finding wildly creative solutions. There will b e conflicts; however, such conflicts will be seen as catalysts for change.

TASKS FOR THE STORMING STAGE:

1. Work out ways of dealing with conflict and differences of opinion.

2. Use conflicts and differences in styles, expertise, and knowledge to create the

best possible outcomes.

3. Establish how “we” will work through our differences, and who will be

influential in the team.

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Teamwork is always more successful and productive than the work of single individual. But the development of a “team” is something that requires time and thought.

STAGE 3: NORMING

Norming is the somewhat peaceful stage that follows the Storm of the 2nd Stage. Norming is a time when the culture (“how we do things around here”) is clearly defined – rules, roles and relationships – and the leader works to provide the productive environment the team needs. The “Norming” stage happens

when a small group of people “have a variety of skills and are committed to a common purpose, set of performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable come together.”

TASKS REQUIRED FOR NORMING STAGE:1. Push ourselves to higher performance.

2. Begin making progress and accomplishing team tasks.

3. Begin collaborating for creative problem-solving.

4. Enjoy the new found peace and productivity, but do not get complacent.

5. In the Norming stage of development the team came together, relationshipsbegan to form, a purpose was agreed upon, and goals, roles and procedureswere established.

STAGE 4: PERFORMING

In the Performing stage, the focus is on achieving goals through collaboration among team members. At this point there is an urgency to get to the finish line, complete the project or assignment, and enjoy the relief and exhilaration of accomplishment.

TASKS FOR THE PERFORMING STAGE INCLUDE:

1. Produce outcomes that are consistent with the team’s purpose.Keep the energy level as high as possible.

2. Progress and harmony towards team goals

3. Creative insights

4. High Performance

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5TH STAGE: REFORMING

Reforming was not one of Dr. Tuckerman’s original stages. It was added later because the acknowledgment and celebration of the completion of a task is

also important. For “intact” teams, it is very likely that they will repeat this cycle (Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Reforming) many times over the course of their time together. So, having a celebration and reviewing “how we’re doing” is essential for ongoing team development and accomplishment of new goals.

For teams that come together for a single project, Reforming allows a sense of pride and accomplishment. But it also brings closure to the project camaraderie. That makes marking of reforming important for the team and for others in the organization. It sends a clear message that the organization values teamwork.

TASKS FOR THE ADJOURNING STAGE INCLUDE:

1. Celebrating and recognizing

2. Cataloging the ingredients for success for use the next time

3. Saying good-bye to the project and/or team members

4. Identifying new issues or challenges for the team to attack.

REFORMING allows a sense of pride

and accomplishment. But it also brings closure to the project camaraderie. That makes marking of

reforming important for the team and for others in the

organization.

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LESSON 2: 12 Qualities of an Effective

Team Leader Before you begin to lead others, it’s important that you have a complete picture of the qualities you will be offering the team through your leadership. Do a very basic 360 assessment. Ask people who report to you, your boss, and some of your peers to evaluate your ability to build or rebuild a team.

This can help you focus on some of the strengths and work area before you begin the team-building process.

Below you will find items related to effective team leadership.

1. Display self-awareness

2. Demonstrate the ability to communicate

3. Listens well

4. Expresses self well

5. Manages conflict skillfully

6. Acts with empathy

7. Displays ability to develop others

8. Engages role with self-confidence

9. Possesses organizational awareness

10. Acts as a catalyst for change

11. Maintains optimism

12. Is adaptable

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These are the skills that leader need for every team-building situation. Although all teams need a leader who has a strong sense of self, how that leader expresses it may be very different in each group. The new team may be so full of anticipation that the leader will have to both listen to the rapid-fire input and speak well enough to hold the attention of an eager group. The leader who is fixing a problem team needs optimism, organizational awareness, and self-confidence to demonstrate credibility and strength.

The leader of a team that needs to be revitalized requires skills for catalyzing change and energizing the members, as well as heavy doses of motivational expertise. What have you learned about inspiring people? How can you turn a group of “been there—done that” into spirited champions?

What have you learned

about inspiring people?

How can you turn a group of“been there—

done that” into spirited champions?

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The Virtual team requires a leader who had technical skills and exceptional leadership that will keep faceless participants engaged.

For all of these teams, having a title (for example, Senior VP of Marketing) may not be enough. Credibility is more than a title. It’s the subtext of the office grapevine that indicates you’ve done the work, you are to be trusted and you can deliver.

The leader of teams has to be and to do. The leader had to be many things to many people-a catalyst, a good communicator, and self-confident. They also have a long list of things to do. They need to create and inspire a common purpose for all members of the team to rally around. They need to be sure that the right people are on that team by either choosing them or developing the skills to make them good team players. They also need to be certain that the team had the tools and resources to get the goal accomplished. There is nothing more frustrating to a team than to be close to a great accomplishment and then find that the financial support isn’t there or the support staff isn’t available to help them.

Leaders create an environment for teams by pushing just hard enough to get the work done in a timely manner and providing a sense of play and accomplishment. They also run interference with the rest of the world so the team can concentrate. They make sure that input from the outside is integrates so the team isn’t seen as working in isolation. Then, by monitoring progress, the leader ensures that the goal is reached on time and as promised. Team leaders make a promise to deliver: what you promise to do, what you won’t take on, who will be part of that promise, how you will do that work, and how you will share that information. It’s you charter. It can apply to one project or to a team that works on several projects over time. It is a way of organizing your thoughts and keeping you in track.

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So, You’re Going to Lead a TeamCASE STUDY: THE NEW LEADER

Paul was hired by the organization that was first on his list after college.

After a little time spent in a small cube they promoted him, moved him to

an extra cube, and gave him an assistant and a direct report. Paul did so

well on a couple of projects they offered him a “real” office and promotion

and a team! He was thrilled. How hard could it be to put together a team

and produce a product in six months?

That may not be your story but the question still remains: Do you have

what it takes to lead a team? Do you have the skills to start from nothing

and build a productive, collaborative team? Are you up for the challenge

of repairing a damaged or weary team? Being asked to lead a team is

a big career step. For some it means going from peer or co-worker to

becoming the boss of those co-workers. It means you’ve been singled out

as someone who has credibility and leadership skills.

Historically, bosses got groups to work together by ultimatum. “We need

this—make it happen.” Or worse, the boss just gave the directive and

employees did her bidding. Because we now understand the wealth of

experience and knowledge a team can bring to a project or issue; we use

the team approach to resolve even the most difficult organizational issues.

The team approach requires a leader who understands the value of having

different voices come together to achieve a clear goal. An effective team

leader is an expert in encouraging participation and spirited debate to get

the best possible solution. A successful team leader isn’t concerned about

position as much as he or she is concerned about making use of all talents

to ensure the best outcome for the organization.

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LESSON 3: Closing the Gap Between

Leadership and Their Teams

Great leadership is the only way to ensure that everyone at your company is on board and striving for the same mutual success as a team. Or, for building and sustaining an effective project team.

We were recently reading this great article on Inc. about extraordinary bosses - which seemed timely, considering our recent release of The SuperSTAR Leadership, Geoffrey James, the writer of 8 Core Beliefs of Extraordinary Bosses, made some really great points. As we were reading it, we found ourselves ruminating over some questions that leaders could ask to dig deeper into each point he outlined. Whether you’re a leader or hoping to become one someday, these questions would be worth your time to wonder about.

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PART I.

1. How would you define your workplace? What words would you use to explain your experience?

2. How would you define your role as manager? How do you determine what responsibilities you delegate and which you own?

3. How would you define the role of your reports? How do you view them? Treat them?

4. How do you inspire change? What’s your vision, process and source for initiating change?

5. How do your employees react and respond to your invitations for change?

6. How would you explain the morale and climate of your workplace?

PART II. After answering these questions, attempt

to answer the same questions, but from an employee’s perspective. Even better, ask one of your employees to answer

these questions on his own or in your presence, whichever he feels more comfortable doing.

I’ll let you in on an insider’s secret to PART II: if you’re scared to invite an employee’s insights into the process,

that’s a sure-fire sign you’re unwilling to consider how others are experiencing

you as a manager. This is always a red flag. If you’re worried about what they

might say, ask yourself WHY?

PART III. The last part of the process is to become

aware of where each of your answers differ, so that you can work to close the gaps that are getting in the way. You are bound to have different answers, so don’t get discouraged when you do. It’s more a matter of making sure they’re on your radar, so that you can work to make your

experience and your employees’ more aligned. The similar the experiences, the

more in sync you’ll all feel.

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LESSON 4: 13 Troubles of Terrible Teams

and the Antidote

While there is no “I” in team, it is really not true. Teams fail every day because of selfish and uncooperative people. It happens in the board room, on the manufacturing floor, during engineering projects or IT initiatives, and in the sales arena.

As described, research shows that 60% or more of teams fail. Too many teams are in terrible shape. If you are the leader of one of these troubled teams you are in peril; the odds aren’t good for your success.

Research shows that teams do less well-not better-than the total potential of the individual members of the team. Companies are wasting a tremendous amount of money and time by allowing this to happen. Here are the thirteen troubles.

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What are Your Concerns?LETHARGIC LEADERSHIP

Most managers lack the people skills and facilitation skills to create notable teamwork. In fact, too many managers are masquerading as leaders while clamoring up the corporate ladder to really care about learning how to do it. In addition, few teams ever consider shared leadership.

TACKY TEAM MEMBERS Participants on teams also don’t know team processes, and expectations. Also, interpersonal issues derail many team outcomes and create a dysfunctional environment. The selection of team members is crucial. Research suggests that a mixed and diverse group is often more successful as a team.

RAGING ROLES One new manager recently described how one of his team members is sabotaging progress because she wants to lead the team. This is not uncommon. One manager said of his employee engagement team, “I am all for employee involvement as long as they come up with what I want.” Roles need to be rectified and clarified.

GOOFY GOALS

New teams often begin with a lack of clear purpose and goals. They also underestimate the complexity of their issue. I was brought into one team setting with fifteen members

because they were making no progress for months. It took me 3 hours to facilitate consensus on what their goal really meant. Performance on the team became positive overnight.

POROUS PROCESSES

Teams need to focus on the content or task of the group. However, most fail because they minimize the process of the group-how we work together. This is too often given superfluous attention. The dynamics and methods of how a group works needs to be understood and honed for teamwork to materialize.

PLANNING PARALYSIS Some teams “deep dive” the data and never get to possible solutions. Meetings go on and on and on. Do you know what I mean here?

NONEXISTENT NORMS Few teams determined their norms and values for cooperating. The lack of consensus and buy-in generates distrust. Norms become the anchor for navigating hard issues, dealing with poor performing team members and resolving differences.

CHAOTIC CONFLICT

Contrary to popular opinion conflict is good. It brings creative thought and avoids group think. Constructive confrontation is needed to deal with heated points of view or difficult personalities.

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TRIVIAL TRAINING Since most people lack team skills they need specific training related to roles, expectations, facilitation methods, communication, problem-solving methods, conflict resolution, and planning approaches. A thirty minute PowerPoint presentation isn’t enough.

PROBLEM PERSONALITIES

Many teams have prima donnas. If it’s the leader, the team needs to learn how to respond. If it’s a team member the leader needs to act. One team leader I saw in action started meetings by saying, “You are either on the bus, or you are off the bus.” He was the driver, and if you weren’t on the bus (meaning you had divergent views), you’d be thrown under it.

RIDICULOUS RESOURCES

The mantra in many organizations is: “Take us to the moon, but you have no budget.” Many teams are set up to fail. The team leader and members need to be bold in asking for what they want. Otherwise, they will over promise and not deliver.

PLASTIC PURPOSE

A department is not a team. A task force is not a team. A division is not a team. Senior executives aren’t a team. One study showed that only 10% of senior leaders knew one another. All of these are groups of people fulfilling their job functions, not teams. Companies often say, Together Everyone Achieves More. This doesn’t happen through platitudes and speeches.

CALLOUS

COMMUNICATION

Teams need to over communicate and practice respectful communication. Often team communication

mimics the political combatants in the latest

election.

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THE ANTIDOTE TO TEAM FAILUREThe definition of a high performing team is

a collaborative group of people with complementary skills, highly committed to achieve a compelling goal.

Teams have the potential to revolutionize organizational performance. The problems is effective teamwork takes hard work and expertise in: group process, change management, conflict resolution, team development and training, and leadership facilitation skills. Few companies or leaders want to invest the time, effort or money for this to happen. So they settle for mediocrity or failure. So, how do you get there?Leadership is the antidote to the troubles of terrible teams. Former Chrysler Chairman, Lee Iacocca adds, “The speed of the boss is the speed of the team.” One multi-billion dollar company I worked with needed to improve their customer experience. They tried for four years to move forward and showed no gains. After understanding their situation and problems, I helped train and coach their leaders in team development. Within four months they gained 4-6 points across their customer surveys. Why?The leaders learned how to engaged theirteams for process improvement.

Airline pilots have a checklist they review before they take off. They also attend regular training to sharpen their skills. Flying safely depends on these protocols.

As a team leader, consider these five questions as a precise checklist for obtaining higher performance. If you lack clarity, commitment or competence in any of these areas you have

significant preparation work that needs to be completed before your team succeeds.

∆ What is the purpose and goal for our initiative?

∆ What resources are needed to win?

∆ What changes need to be made among our team members in order to win?

∆ What training is needed for improved collaboration and execution?

∆ How will we track our plan and measure success?

By considering the team troubles as described above and answering these questions, and by learning group process facilitation skills most leaders can dramatically change their team’s results. Diligent preparation and proactive planning increase the opportunity for success.

Famed basketball coach Phil Jackson aptly said, “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”

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LESSON 5: 6 Turnaround Tactics for

a Failing Team

Team failures, which sit at about 60%, demoralize employees, reduce productivity, cost companies billions of dollars, and inhibit innovation. If you are the leader, besides the personal frustrations and disappointment a failing team causes, it is also a potential career buster.

Here are other roadblocks to get out in the open. Team failure is exacerbated by three inter-related reasons:

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Only 13% of employees are engaged, based on employee

engagement studies. In other words, they don’t like what’s happening

at work and aren’t really ‘plugged in’ or giving it their best.

Over 50% of managers fail according to leadership derailment

studies. Besides a lack of people skills, a key reason for the failure is

the inability to lead teams.

Only 21% of employees have attended a company

sponsored training program in the last five years. Companies

don’t prepare employees to work well as a team.

The stakes are big, whether you move the needle or you don’t. When you achieve a breakthrough with a difficult team you become invaluable to your company. You become a proven performer. In addition, you inspire the team members and establish a credible relationship with them and others connected to the team.

When I use the word ‘team’, I refer to either a department or work group. I will share six proven turnaround tactics that I use during consulting projects. I have learned that success is possible in nearly every case. Why? Most people want to do a good job. Most people think they are performing better than they are, and most can perform significantly better than they are. However, too often they lack the knowledge, tools and expertise to deliver effective teamwork.

1. Jump the Gun

Don’t wait for your boss to tell you to do something differently to improve. If you do, you add to your woes. You have to act. Many teams get in a routine and keep banging their head against the wall.

One large retail company tried for four years to improve their customer experience to no avail. A few people were fired as a result. Yet, they kept doing the same things. With a change of pace and new strategies that I brought, they made significant gains in four months. (With the same product, policies and people)

13%

50%

21%

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2. Peer into the Looking Glass

If you haven’t done so, take an unemotional look and analyze the team, including yourself. Ask, what’s holding the team back? What are the team’s strengths and weaknesses? Review the contributions of each person. Consider, who might have to go? The reasons for team difficulties are well-documented. Use this as a checklist to find your issues. Also, take a personal inventory; what do you have to do better or differently as the leader? Create a 1-2 page summary of your findings. The antidote to terrible teams is better leadership.

3. Create a Mars Plan-- but NOW!

Can you imagine the years of detailed of planning, the time commitment, and the team effort that’s going into the Mars Mission? Think as if you are the leader of that mission, be that focused but do it now. You can’t wait. Get your team involved in planning to rejuvenate your efforts. Don’t share with them all that you came up with in the above, not right away. Get some of their input and ideas first. Then share your thoughts as part of the discussion.

Then, explain the challenge, goals and what has to change. If you have a large team break them into smaller groups for discussion purpose. Basically, facilitate a dialogue related to:

∆ Current Progress: Goals,

Performance

∆ Strengths and weaknesses

∆ Problems: Task and process

related

∆ Problems: People related

∆ Problems: Resource related

∆ New ideas

∆ Prioritizing changes with

action steps

∆ Measuring success

∆ Responsibilities and

commitment

Keep in mind that it takes skill to manage team dynamics, and to do it with openness, sensitivity, involvement and purpose. If you are the leader you will need to know how to do this or you need to engage a trained facilitator to help you. Finalize your initiative in a 1-2 page game plan.

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4. Professionalize Your Team

A common problem on teams is that nobody knows how to work together as a team. Employees need to learn: planning tools, handling conflict, group process, listening skills, consensus seeking, constructive communication, demonstrating reliability, collaborating skills, problem-solving approaches, and respect for others. Whether you have resources for this or not is not an excuse. You can find complimentary or reasonably priced information and materials online in a heartbeat.

Your team needs group dynamics training or they will stumble unnecessarily. It’s challenging enough to do well with it, and often impossible without it. For example, one organization I worked with had no training and were last in their market. With training for multiple process improvement action teams, they won the JD Power Award. Many IT team projects fall short of their goals because they dig right into the technical stuff, and forget about how they need to work together.

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5. Do What Most Other Managers Don’t Do

The first four steps are crucial. They lay a foundation for progress. Yet, without coaching, (Few managers coach well) each team member, or the subgroups will under-perform and fall short of expectations. If employees could operate as a well-oiled machine without training and coaching, you would not be in the mess you are in. By the way, cross functional team members need coaching even if you are not their direct supervisor.

6. Innovate and Accentuate

You have to innovate by pro-actively communicating with your boss or other managers across your organization, to build bridges and positive working relationships. No team works in a vacuum. You will need support from others to win. This is often defined in terms of resources: budget, time and expertise.

Next, accentuate, by reinforcing your planning, training, and coaching. One-time events on any of these steps are almost useless. You have to do them consistently. For example, you may schedule training at the formation of the team and then at regular intervals. Regular coaching involves one-on-one sessions in a weekly to monthly time-frame. Depending on the complexity of the team’s goals, plans should be tracked daily and reviewed weekly to monthly.

Great team leaders creatively renew the energy and focus of this team, this takes reiteration. This may be changing the meeting place, assigning new task leaders, bringing in a special speaker, creating a contest, giving unexpected recognition, or going out to socialize.

Creating a high performance team takes work. If you are consistent and effective as a leader, it is doable and enjoyable. Ultimately, any leader needs to learn that to achieve your dream, you need a team.

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LESSON 6: The Top 10 Meeting Mistakes

and How to Avoid Them Have you ever been in a team meeting that seemed like a slow death? Who hasn’t? Don’t be the manager of that kind of meeting. You do have a choice. According to research, over half of all meetings are a waste of time. Why? Many managers don’t know how to conduct an effective meeting. They make the same miserable mistakes day in and day out and never take the time to learn how to conduct them better.

A Microsoft study found people spend an average of 5.6 hours a week in meetings-double or triple this for managers- and 69% felt the time is unproductive. Worldwide 13 billion meetings happen every year, and they waste billions of dollars in time and productivity yearly-Wow! Successful teams have productive if not inspiring meetings.

Managers need to be mindful of this. Effective managers learn to communicate powerfully, positively and purposefully in any meeting they lead. By doing so, they will propel their teams to new heights in performance achievement. If YOU hold better meetings you will:

∆ Gain higher morale from your team

∆ Receive invaluable input from your team

∆ Make more effective decisions

∆ Motivate your team to achieve higher performance

∆ Become noticed by others in your company

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Team meetings fail for many reasons but here are my top ten. Where do you need to improve? (These apply to in person and phone conference meetings.)

No agenda - Create a meeting agenda ahead of time and communicate it with your team. Be clear on your purpose and what you hope to accomplish.

Poor agenda - Some managers who do have agendas try to rewrite world history during the meeting. You have to focus. There are different types meetings such as: staff, department, quality improvement, or training. Be clear on your reason for getting together.

Lack of participation - Ban or minimize PowerPoint slides and don’t be the only one who talks. Managers need to learn facilitation skills to engage their teams in the meeting. (See point 8 below). In addition, get other team members on the agenda to contribute as well. More engagement creates more commitment and energy.

Doesn’t start on time - This is a common occurrence in meetings today. Let your team know upfront that you will start on time. When someone comes late, acknowledge it and remind them of your expectations. However, YOU start on time. Also, focus and aim to complete most of your meetings in 30 minutes or less.

Doesn’t end on time - Make a commitment to a certain time-frame and stick to it. If you don’t accomplish everything get permission from the team for more time or set another meeting time if you have to.

No record - Keep a record of what happens in the meeting. Ask someone to be a recorder and take minutes. Share the minutes through a timely email as follow-up.

A few people dominate - A few people will often dominate a meeting because they like to talk or because of their expertise. Use group discussion methodology to get all people involved. For example, instead of getting blank stares when you ask a question: suggest participants write down their answer, share it with a partner and then do a round robin where participants take turns giving their ideas to the whole group.

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Poor facilitation skills - It takes training and practice to run effective meetings. Key facilitation skills include: listening, dealing with problems, giving feedback, designing group input, problem-solving, dealing with disruptive people, keeping the meeting on task, and creating consensus.

No conflict resolution - Conflict isn’t bad. It just means people have differences in opinion. Over time team meetings without conflict lose innovation and trust. Leaders must create openness and learn how to constructively deal with issues when they arise.

No summary at the end - Near the end of every meeting you need to recap key points, what was agreed to and the next step responsibilities. When you do this you reaffirm the meetings outcomes and who is accountable for what.

Oh yeah, one more key mistake, the meeting should never have been held in the first place. Why? Because there is no meaningful reason, you aren’t prepared, it’s redundant, it’s not the right timing, or everyone already knows what’s up.

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LESSON 7: 4 Keys to Accelerating

Results to Create a High Performance Team

Do you need a breakthrough with a team that is “stuck”? Has your manager challenged you with bigger goals this next quarter? Do you want to better results with your team this year? Here is a simple but powerful model for creating a high performance: HP= CE (C+C+C). This High Performance Formula is a road map to help you focus on leadership practices that matter. It evolved from working with over 100 companies in diverse settings and summarizing what the best managers did to outperform others. Let’s get into it and define each part.

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HIGH PERFORMANCE

This means exceeding your goals not just reaching them. It also means finding ways to become consistently better so your reach new heights. The best managers know that people who are “turned on” can achieve extraordinary results. They studiously facilitate the elements of the High Performance Formula (whether they know the framework or not) to bring out the best in their teams.

CLEAR EXPECTATIONS

All good performance starts with clear expectations and goals. It is all about working together to achieve priorities. It is also about doing better, and what the payoff is for everyone. The best managers communicate this on an individual level, and team level. This is important because 80 percent of performance problems come from the lack of clear expectations and recognition. Once goals and plans are established, these leaders review and reinforce outcomes regularly.

One excellent manager used large colorful goal charts-that tracked performance daily-for her department of forty employees. Team leads supervised smaller groups. When she began this process, she offered her teams pizza for lunch when they exceeded their goals. (She had a limited budget.) A few months later, she called and said, “Rick they are getting tired of pizza what should I do?” I said, “How about Subway?” She goes, “Good idea.” Her

department regularly outperformed peer groups. Her manager’s boss couldn’t believe what was happening. The other managers thought her approach was childish. She received the promotion; they didn’t.

So, how do you do this so it works? Meet with each employee one and one. Do a planning meeting with your team, use their input to create a better plan. Follow-up on the one on ones at least monthly. Update results daily, weekly and monthly. Re-engage your team planning at least quarterly. In addition, communicate about results and give rewards for progress. A district manager in Chicago applies this relentlessly but constructively with his store leaders. His team consistently outperforms other districts, which do goals and planning annually following the company policies.

Done well, setting clear expectations have a multiplier affect on the other areas because employees are positively focused on what’s most important.

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COMPETENCE

Competence is about the employee’s job skills and knowledge. In any profession, the best performers continually practice and train to get better at their career. A concert pianist puts in untold hours to play with effortless grace. Baseball players work-out during the off season to prepare for the regular season. They also go to spring training, and continue to practice before games throughout the year.

Why isn’t this done more in business? At the most, everyone is “trained” once a year and you are done. The best managers train their own employees more than others do. They use the services of their HR group, but they don’t totally rely on them because the training department usually has a tight budget. A sales manager in Minneapolis conducted three 30-60 minute training sessions for his sales team a week. He regularly led his market in sales, and customer satisfaction surveys. In a business in Montreal, the regional vice president had his managers taught how to do deliver weekly customer service rep training. For three years in a row his division led the company in service sales.

Fortune magazine’s 100 best companies to work for consistently provide an average of 50-60 hours of training or more per employee per year. You might not have that kind of budget or training department capability, but don’t worry about this. Learn and equip yourself with a basic understanding of training lessons. Managers who do this are the best trainers of their teams. It’s not always teaching people what they don’t know; it’s also reviewing their current skills and refining what they are capable of doing.

Think about these first two parts of the High Performance Formula: clear goals/expectations and competence. You have to focus on these as a leader. If not, it’s like an athlete preparing for the Olympics without measuring his or her performance, or training every day. That would be a recipe for failure. As a manager, if you do these two steps well, over time you will gain a positive impact, and begin to set yourself apart from other managers.

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COMMITMENT

Commitment involves employee willingness and desire to do the job well. Most people have this to a certain degree, because they want a paycheck. People go to work for their reasons and most people want to work to fulfill their career desires. The work itself creates the motivation to do the job. This is only a starting point for the best managers.

Greg is a General Manager in Bismarck. His team routinely outperforms offices in bigger cities: LA, Atlanta, and Minneapolis. How does he do it? He says, “It’s all about my people.” Everything he does is purposely designed to encourage, and motivate his team to do well and to be their best. And, he does it with genuine care, enthusiasm and relentless focus. He expects to be #1, he trains and coaches religiously, and he does it with energy and fun. A wonderful thing happens, his employees respond with extraordinary results. Actions like Greg’s inspire people to engage their work with passion and joy.

Never forget this, how employees are treated determines if they go the extra mile, most people don’t automatically do this. If you treat people like stones, they will act like it. If you treat them as champions; they will become champions. Steven Covey said, “Always treat your employees exactly how you want them to treat your best customers.”

Never forget this, how employees are treated

determines if they go the extra mile, most people

don’t automatically do this. If you treat people like

stones, they will act like it. If you treat them

as champions;

they will become

champions.

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CLIMATE

This is all about the work environment. Is it supportive or not? Climate involves:

∆ A positive or a negative atmosphere

∆ Clear goals, not ambiguity

∆ High standards or mediocrity

∆ Listening, not telling

∆ Recognition, not criticism

∆ Teamwork, not isolationism

∆ Defined values, not confusion

∆ A sense of purpose, not business as usual

∆ Fun and having a good time, not boring and routine

∆ Innovative, not same old same old

∆ Integrity, not disreputable practices

The climate you create in your department or team sets the tone for overall employee behavior and attitudes. The best manager’s prep their team’s climate like a maestro tuning their Stradivarius violin. Their effort trumps what the company does. A manager at a recent leadership seminar explained it with this negative example:

In my department nobody likes their jobs. The manager comes in every morning, goes straight to his office and slams the door shut. He comes out a number of times during the day about a problem. He issues commands and yells at everybody. It’s the same every day. One day, I stopped the manager before he made it to his office in the a.m. and said it would be nice if he could talk to us and say hello. He responded by saying he didn’t have time for that trivial bull____. Everybody hated the place and couldn’t wait to get home at night.

What do you think? Which group of employees will perform better: the team that is consistently challenged, trained and supported, or the team that is treated poorly or indiscriminately? John Buchan, former Governor General of Canada said, “The task of leadership is not to put greatness into people, but to elicit it, for the greatness is there already.” Now, how can you use the High Performance Formula to help you bring out the best in your team and accelerate their results?

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OUR CLIENTS INCLUDE:

AND MANY MORE INCLUDING A NUMBER OF NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Our Success

Ford’s President’s

Award

JD Power Award

for customer service

48Quality and customer

service awards

57%Reduction in

customer complaints

8%Positive gains in

retail sales growth

75%Gains in sales to

existing customers

5-7%Gains in transaction

counts

53% Improvement in

sales

To learn how you can do amazing things, visit us online at:

www.rickconlow.com or contact Rick at 1-612-868-8521

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There aren’t many who’d argue the fact that Rick is one enthusiastic and results oriented guy. Even the titles of his books,

articles, speeches and initiatives reflect his drive and positive energy.

A quick glance at his professional resume leaves you with the strong impression that effort and optimism are a winning combination. Case in point: with Rick by their side, clients have achieved double- and triple-digit improvement in their sales performance, quality, customer loyalty and service results over the past 20-plus years and earned more than thirty quality and service awards.

In a day and age where optimism and going the extra mile can sound trite, Rick has made them a differentiator. His clients include organizations that are leaders in their industries, as well as others that are less recognizable. Regardless, their goals are his goals. While many

consultants talk about consistent and sustainable results, Rick helps his clients achieve them.

Rick’s life view and extensive background in sales and leadership – as a general manager, vice president, training director, program director, national sales trainer, business owner and management consultant – are the foundation of

his coaching, training and consulting services. Participants in Rick’s experiential, live action programs walk away with aha’s,

inspiration and skills they can immediately use.

These programs include “BEST Selling!”, “SuperSTAR Customer Service”, “Excellence in Management!”,

“SuperSTAR Selling!”, “The Greatest Secrets of all Time!”, The State of the Art in Improving the Customer Experience, and “SuperSTAR Leadership, Good Boss/Bad Boss – Which One Are You?”

Rick has also authored Excellence in Management, Excellence in Supervision, SuperSTAR Customer Service, SuperSTAR Selling, Designing a SuperSTAR Customer Experience, SuperSTAR Leadership and Returning to Learning. He and his business partner, Doug Watsabaugh, published six new books together. Their newest book is SuperSTAR Leadership, A 31 Day Plan to Motivate People, Communicate Positively and Get

Everyone On Your Side.

When he’s not engaging an audience or engrossed in a coaching discussion, this proud husband and father is

most likely astride a weight bench, or a motorcycle taking on the back roads and highways of any state.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rick Conlow CEO/President

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