5 Counterintuitive Techniques to Transform Your Team Meetings

Unfortunately, many of the basic meeting-management techniques that leaders use fail to result in effective meetings. Even with an agenda, and strong task leadership, there is one huge problem that gets in the way: people!  If there were robots in the meeting, well then it might all work smoothly.  But people don’t act like leaders want them to in meetings.  Distractions, group think, lack of comfort with conflict, overly quiet people, overly talkative people, and other things that are human nature get in the way of having a good meeting.

Here are 5… Read the full article >

Checklist for Change Messages

This checklist can be used while creating a change message. It is intended to help leaders ensure they create the highest impact message possible.

What kind of change is it?

*New Structure (i.e. Reorganizations, Layoffs, Outsourcing, Merger, New Teams)
*New Project (i.e. ERP/ Software Rollouts, Process Improvement, Innovation)
*New Leader (i.e. Succession, Merger/Acquisition, New Team Members)
*New Strategy (i.e. New Markets, New Positioning, New Products/Services)

What is the nature of the message?

*Announcing Change
*Identify what is changing and what is not
*Get clear on why the change is important to the business/team/customer/employees
… Read the full article >

9 Change Communication Best Practices

While there are no magic words that fit every situation, there are some best practices we have discovered over the years.

1. Build trust before change. The time to start building trusting relationships is before you need them! In times of change, the trust between you and your people is critical. If you don’t have trust, it may be too late to have real communication. Employees who trust you will hear the perfect phrases as you intend them. This will create meaningful dialogue. However, if your relationship with them is damaged from past errors, employees may hear any phrase… Read the full article >

Are There Bad Teams, or Just Bad Leaders?

Constantin Stanislavski said, “There are no small parts, only small actors.” It’s a way of saying that you get out of a role what you put into it. That “bit part” could end up being profoundly influential, so it’s important to give your best, whatever is required of you, big or small. Many top leaders believe in a similar concept, that there aren’t “bad” teams, but that bad teams are the creation of bad leaders.

If a team consistently underperforms, leadership may be to blame.

Much… Read the full article >

This is the Must-Watch Olympic Sport for Team Building Inspiration

Rowing made its modern Olympic debut in 1900. It wasn’t until 1976 at the Summer Olympics in Montreal that women’s events were introduced, but men’s and women’s events have enjoyed recognition and respect ever since.

A rowing crew in perfect harmony is a thing of beauty and power.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, fourteen different rowing events are being offered, including Men’s, Women’s, and weight-restricted Men’s and Women’s events. If you have ever watched a rowing event, you were probably struck… Read the full article >