Well after a lengthy break from posting I feel compelled to discuss last night’s Apprentice on BBC one. What amazes me each week – although maybe I should no longer be amazed by this – is that the team that wins does so by just being a little less useless than the other team, rather [...]

When we address the issue of conflict in teambuilding sessions, people often tell me that there is no conflict in their team or organisation. I rarely believe them. Conflict almost always exists in one shape or form. Conflict can be very obvious, manifesting in arguments or open antagonism, but it can also simply be about [...]

There is something about the word teambuilding that conjures up images of everyone getting along famously and there being great harmony in the ranks. It is of course important that people get on and can rely on one another, yet it is equally important that teams can work through conflict when it arises.

Now let’s say right up front that we do not condone inappropriate workplace behaviour in any way, so take it easy and don’t misinterpret this headline! One of the characteristics of high performing teams is that they have great relationships and they recognise and reward one another, so what better day to remind your team how [...]

One of the key steps in team development that I strongly recommend to my client teams is to develop a set of ground rules for the team. It’s one of the steps in my team building model. Ground rules define a team’s expectations of its members, help new members to integrate quickly into the team [...]

I have just come from a five-star hotel where the customer experience left a lot to be desired. I have visited this property on numerous occasions and always found it to be well-run with a high level of service and hospitality. So what went wrong this time?

I was listening to Eddie Jordan on the radio yesterday talking about Lewis Hamilton and his outstanding achievements in his first Formula 1 championship on the McLaren Mercedes team. Eddie commented that both Hamilton and his team mate Fernando Alonso are so determined to beat one another that the team’s performance is improving with each [...]

I was interested in Bernhard Zimmerman‘s post about the storming phase of team development. It made me think of a team I know where the members were recently discussing the reasons for their not working together as well as they would like. The team has recently completed an important project and the members felt there [...]

Sometimes, clients tell me that their team members aren’t working together and they can’t work out what to do about it. One of the reasons is that the team members don’t see any reason to work together. It may in fact be that they don’t believe they really need to be a team. In their [...]

Well, between illness and attending a conference, I haven’t posted for over two weeks. It’s really easy to let things lapse, particularly when something unforeseen like illness takes you out of the picture. I was just thinking about how I could have better used my team to keep our blog up to date and how [...]