Blog - Page 48 of 55 - The Third Zone

Nov 20 2013

A Team in Name … or a Team in Game?

Growing up, perhaps one of the initial opportunities we have to gain a sense of ‘team’ is often through the sports that we play. For me that wasn’t really the case as the sports to which I was eventually attracted were ones where improvement involved me competing against me … the likes of competitive running and tennis. And yet, today I have had the ability to witness grandchildren participating in football, water polo, basketball and volleyball … all team sports wherein the success … or failure … was very dependent on how well the ‘team’ did or didn’t play together. Whereas each player had individual abilities that enabled them to be selected for the tea, so much of the practice and training was devoted to how they applied their respective skills to the coordinated team effort.

Our focus at The Third Zone is primarily within organizations. And whereas we often hear talk of “the great team we have” or “how strong our team is”, what we too often come to realize is that, in fact, organizations have often assembled strong and talented people to make up their teams. As good as that is, what we also witness is that they do little to develop that team to function as a well coordinated and oiled machine. And as such, they are potentially running on fewer cylinders than are available to them.

There are two approaches that organizations generally follow in working with their teams:

Approach # 1 – a team in name

Hire the best … in terms of knowledge, experience and skill
Define their responsibilities and expectations of performance success
Have them participate in appropriate team meetings to represent and provide input from their perspective
Hope, as the head of the company or the department, that everyone achieves their jobs successfully so that the company hits the intended mark

Approach # 2 – a team in game

Hire the best … in terms of knowledge, experience and skill
Define their responsibilities and expectations of performance success
(And now the differences)
√ Make certain that ALL on the team understand and are completely aligned with the overriding vision/goal of the organization
√ Have each team member bring down that vision to their respective area of focus … makingcertain that what they are doing is
clearly on the path leading to achieving the company vision
√ Have team meetings that are focused on a cooperative effort of all … helping all succeed in
their respective goals – if one loses the team loses
√ A constant awareness that reaching the height requires FULL TEAM success

The first approach creates a silo mentality. Yes, the organization has a team and yes, each person is primarily concerned about how well he/she does in their job. However, they leave the overall concern about company success to the person at the top.

The second approach is akin to the sports world’s approach to building a winning effort. All have a constant awareness of their being just one cog on a wheel. And they know that in order to drive successfully, they must be fully aligned with all of all others if they are to create a smooth and successful ride. This is a team in ‘game’ and that’s what achieving the greatest win requires.

As you look at your own organization, department or division, what kind of a team are you playing on? Maybe it’s worth exploring.
Your comments ALWAYS welcome!

Mike Dorman

Nov 07 2013

Losing the Individual in the Team

The surprise is on me. Our BLOG two weeks ago addressed the ‘right’ vs. the “wrong” way to function effectively as a team. Whereas we usually receive comments on some aspect of the message, this time it took on a different twist. It wasn’t a matter of agreeing or disagreeing with the blog content itself. Rather it was using the components that make for a successful team creation to evaluate their own organizational experience.

To reiterate in brief, the post provided four guidelines for creating an effective and well-oiled team machine as follows:

Never lose sight of the ultimate purpose and goal of the work being done.
Understand that your individual purpose is to present your perspective of the situation based on your knowledge and experience.
Know that your obligation and responsibility is to the team
Your ONLY true win is a win for your organization … not your department or yourself.

“Ok. So if these are components of being successful in achieving the overriding mission of an organization, how do I think we’re doing in the company where I work?” I am intrigued with the several readers who had a similar tendency to look internally to their own organization. One, in particular, expressed their view with true clarity and is representative of how others used the post to do some introspection of their own experience.

Having all heads of organization know and understand the importance of motivation to those they oversee.

Having heads of organizations embrace the reality that each employee is different as a person and often does different work. Thus lumping them together and treating them as clones of one another is not going to get the best result for the organization.

Having a successful team requires that company heads understand what motivates their employees as well as what de-motivates them.

The business can only be healthy when your team is healthy in their attitude and purpose.

Finally, reports are management’s internal customers just as external clients are customers of the organization and for greatest effectiveness, need to be viewed as such.

So if we consider the top leadership as the governing body of the company and the constituents as those employed there, it appears that these guidelines indicated by some of our readers might just make for a more successful result. So maybe … just maybe, finding the individual in the team will enhance the drive and desire of the employees to project positive attitudes and efforts that, in turn, just might raise the level of success the organization will experience. You think?

Mike Dorman

Oct 24 2013

Pay Attention to D.C. and PROFIT Big Time!!!

Don’t you just love how the world puts lessons right at our feet? I’ve been fascinated by the huge lessons coming out of the recent government shut down, orchestrated by our elected representatives. If there was ever a perfect example of a dysfunctional team served up on a platter, I’m not sure where we’d find a better one.

Here we find a textbook example of a team losing sight of their real obligation and purpose. As U.S. citizens we all just came through a stunning and jaw dropping occurrence. We were all invited … no … forced … to witness a marathon performance of ego. It’s not like it was free – it cost our country billions of dollars. Too many, although it was supposed to be about us, it seemed like we were pawns in a game that we could only observe and in which we didn’t get our turn. And you know what? It was priceless learning that we can apply to business and our careers. How often do we get to witness how NOT to work together? How often do we get to see what being an ineffective team means … in terms of morale, wasted dollars and losing sight of our purpose and the bigger picture?

It really doesn’t matter what side you supported. Everyone bears some responsibility. And so it is when we are part of a team. What matters is that when we come together as a team we must focus on the decisions that will best serve the company mission, (in D.C.’s case, the citizens of the country) in the best manner.

So following this same approach, how does being witness to the high-stakes game in Washington inform us as to the right vs. the wrong way to approach teaming and decision making in our own organization? Here are a few to consider:

Never lose sight of the ultimate purpose and goal of the work being done. To achieve less than that is an unsuccessful effort
Understand that your individual purpose is to present your perspective of the situation based on your knowledge and experience. This is needed information that will lead to the best overall solution
Know that your obligation and responsibility is to the team … to really listen to input from all perspectives as your job is ultimately to help your company make the best and most informed decision
Keep in mind that your ONLY true win is a win for your organization as that is what you serve in your position … not your department/division or yourself.

That we all were taken on a course costing billions and without any meaningful gain is a gross waste of valued and needed resource … to which we all contribute. It’s safe to say that this kind of waste is one that no one is willing to shrug off when it comes to the company in which we are a contributing part. I can’t speak for everyone, however it sure appears that to the extent we all are willing to use the example of D.C. as a litmus test to judge how differently we are doing things in our job and/or business, the more successful we just might be.

Mike Dorman

Oct 07 2013

My Office Hours Are …

Almost without fail, every school open house I ever attended and almost every classroom visit I made found the teacher offering … no, encouraging … my child to come see them for help and feedback. It went something like this …

“I hold an office hour at this time every day of the week. PLEASE encourage your son or daughter to come see me when they need help … or want feedback on what they can do to learn and improve.” And then they would add … “I am always genuinely surprised as to how few of my students take me up on my offer and desire. Please encourage your child to do so. It can make a huge difference.”

This always made so much sense to me. First, it tended to demonstrate to the teacher that you really cared and wanted to do well. Creating this impression only made the teacher want to help you accomplish that goal. Second, to pass up on this opportunity was to wait until you received your course grade and then you had no ability to change anything. Sounds reasonable … right?

As I work as a coach within a business environment I meet many who wait for their annual review and the resulting ‘grade equivalent’. That they receive or don’t receive a raise is based on how the ‘boss’ evaluates their work since their last review. Perhaps it’s good and perhaps it’s disappointing. In either case it’s history.

I recently listened to a YouTube video presented by Brandon Smith on “Three Critical Conversations” to have with the boss. It encourages one to address these things outside of the yearly review in that the responses will help you to channel your efforts in directions that will improve your performance and along the way, the impressions you create with that boss. The questions are:

What do you expect from me?
~ takes the guess work out of where you put your focus and efforts
How am I doing in my work?
~ may or may not love the answer however it helps you remain on track
What are your priorities and objectives?
~ to understand these help to bring your focus and efforts in-line

Just imagine what you might be creating in addition to getting important feedback.

The awareness of yourself as being one determined to succeed
Making certain that your focus and efforts are aligned with those of your boss and the company
Making all aware that you are, above all, determined to be a team player.

Get curious. Ask yourself … “By doing this …

How would I enhance the perception of me as an employee and team player?
How might this differentiate me from the general employee base?
How would this help me to achieve a better annual review and how might that translate to my greater success?

Come on. I challenge you to ask the person to whom you report … “So when are your office hours?” Do it … ultimately you might just like it!
Mike Dorman

Sep 24 2013

The Flavor of the Month … That Lasts!

As a coach, one of the most frequently expressed ‘warnings’ I hear from the head of the organization thinking of hiring The Third Zone is what they don’t want as an outcome in our working with their leadership team. “I don’t want a new flavor of the month. We have done that before and it doesn’t last. If we’re going to invest in you I want to be assured it will last indefinitely”.

Okay. I get it and this is a requirement that, frankly, I like. What it allows us to do around their issues is two-fold. First we get to create and present a plan that will last. It is one designed to restructure processes that will take the organization to their vision … faster, more efficiently and in a long lasting manner. Second, we get to convey that longevity of what we will achieve together is dependent on their active involvement in the effort from the beginning and the commitment to ongoing focus of what we will achieve together.

It is very exciting is to witness the transformation that takes place … transformation that is accompanied by enthusiasm and excitement from those responsible for making it happen. There is a sense of “We DID it!”. There is a sense of pride and knowing that things will be not only different but better. So far, so good. And yet … in some cases we see evidence that the ‘lasting’ flavor is beginning to melt. Oh no! Flavor of the month … here we come.

This week I was told about two cases of a ‘melt back’. In one case, business had gotten better and people were busier. Without realizing it, the team was pulled back to somewhat of a silo-ed environment that they had broken out of 3 years ago. This wasn’t by design. Rather, it was the result of losing focus of the changes they had made … ones that were slipping to the back burner. We resolved this by bringing the team together and they actually debated the issue. The question? Do we regroup as an effective and well-oiled team or do we continue down today’s path of reconstructing silos and remain a team in name only? Each ‘side’ did a terrific job of presenting their case and at the end, it was unanimous … returning to that favorite and long-lasting flavor was the decision. That means regrouping and doing what was necessary to get back on their successful track

The second situation was different. A “disconnected” team was really excited about coming together to learn, practice & then leave as a well oiled machine. This was 2 years ago. Energy was terrific and generally speaking every member of the team embraced the ‘new game’. This was about the time that the economic tsunami was in full force and survival ruled the day. Oh they did survive it. However, today they have reverted to a divided group. To some this is very frustrating because they know they can do it better. Their intention is to raise this issue and hopefully regroup around what they had previously learned so that they can be a genuine team once again.

So what does this mean? Can an organization really and permanently change their ‘flavor’ and if so, what is required? Here are some key things that a team must do:

Above all, own the job of maintaining the changes
Continue to reinforce & reward the ‘changed’ behaviors and interaction in all of the work they do
Continue to evaluate how it is working; be open to tweaking it as the situation requires
Identify the signs that signal that the team is sliding back to old ways
Finally, team members must feel individually empowered and responsible for raising their voice if and when they believe that they are slipping back to the old and less effective ways.

It’s a great first step to hire an external coach to help bring about changes that will make a company more effective and successful. However it can’t end there. Make the above ‘requirements’ a part of your ongoing process and you stand a very good chance of enjoying the new and winning flavor for a very long time!

Mike Dorman

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