There’s a Dilbert cartoon I like where Pointy-Haired-Boss concludes a presentation on the company priorities for the year. One of his team asks whether it matters that none of his projects relate to any of those priorities, and Dilbert tells him he is overthinking again.

I often find that when people are trying to write their objectives they find it difficult because they can’t see how they fit in, or indeed why they should fit in with the company’s goals and objectives.  Read more »

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 and create discipline. They help to address undesireable behaviour in an objective way. In short, they are one of the keys to developing high performance.

Maureen Moriarty writes here about how ground rules can help keep a team on track, and she includes some examples you might like to use: Read more »

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? Read more »

…well, here we are starting into another year. Someone asked me just yesterday why the website appeared to have ‘dried up’ since June last year; “Dried up????” I shrieked, horrified. The point, however, hit home. We have indeed been somewhat indisciplined about posting for the last six months. And so, with the new year comes new resolve and determination to post at least once every week, and to try to keep it interesting, at that.

So that’s my first resolution of the year made and kept – so far at least. Maybe if I make it an objective I’ll be even better at keeping to it…of course two-way communication enhances the process, so comments welcome any time! Thanks for reading, please check back each week or set up an RSS feed. Happy New Year!

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 race. Although the two drivers are on the same team, they are both fighting really hard to win the championship. As a result they are both pushing really hard and the bar is gradually being raised for everyone. There has been media commentary that Alonso may feel Hamilton is being given preferential treatment and it would seem that all is not particularly harmonious within the team. That said, the team is doing exceptionally well, currently leading the championship by thirty-five points, with the two drivers well ahead of those from other teams. Read more »

Newsflash: it’s almost the end of April. That means one third of the year is already over!

A good time to take a step back and review how things are going for you and your team. Two suggestions: Read more »

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 were lots of areas where they could have performed better. Once they got to discussing it, they agreed that they are all far too polite with one another, and this results in problems in a few areas: Read more »

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 book entitled ‘Do You Really Need a Team?‘ Michael E. Kossler & Kim Kanaga say that teams often run counter to an organisation’s culture and reward structures, and that these challenges can prevent teams from achieving their full potential. Read more »

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 I could make sure the show stays on the road next time I go on the road.

How do you use the skills of your team members to make sure your objectives get delivered on time, to the required standard, regardless of whether you are there or not? What processes have you put in place to keep your show on the road?

Let me know – post a comment!

I met a group of forty-six people yesterday, the majority of whom currently lead teams. When I asked the group if there was anyone who believed their team is currently performing as effectively as it could be, no-one raised their hand. I can’t say I was all that surprised as it is difficult to maximise the effectiveness of our teams and maintain it, but what I didn’t have a chance to understand from them was why they felt that way and where they felt their own teams were failing to achieve high performance.

I want to understand the challenges that my readers are facing with their teams so that I can make sure I write posts and articles that address those challenges, and hence make your reading more relevant to you.

So what I’m asking you to do is post a comment or email me, telling me:

“What is the biggest challenge you face in your efforts to develop your team to high performance?”

That’s it. That’s all I need. Thanks for your help!