Insights | Team Effectiveness
5 Keys to Success for Leading Virtual Teams
With much of human interaction having moved to the virtual world, we have seen a plethora of ‘how to’ videos, tip sheets, webinars, and conference calls providing valuable information for how to hold a meeting and work in teams virtually. I participated in one such webinar with a group of colleagues who focus on team effectiveness, including Dr. Ruth Wageman (author “Senior Leadership Teams”, faculty Harvard University, and co-founder of 6 Team Conditions) and Dr. Krister Lowe (Senior Partner at Team Diagnostics, LLC and [...]
When the Middle becomes the Beginning: Why and How – you need to invest more in coaching your mid-level leaders
When the Middle becomes the Beginning Do you think it’s too costly to develop your middle managers as well as your executives? Think again. Many organizations treat middle management as a Darwinian proving ground by making a minimal investment and then waiting to see who survives. Meanwhile, the best development tools such as executive coaching, action learning task teams, and high fidelity simulations, are reserved for senior leaders and a select group of high potentials. These are often expensive and the size of their [...]
The Risks of Either-Or Thinking
Either-or thinking is a trap we can easily fall into that encourages us to believe there is only one right behavior and it blinds us to the opportunities of a more balanced, albeit more paradoxical, approach. Life is full of light-hearted paradoxical sayings: slow down to speed up, tough love, stability through change, and more. Most leaders easily understand that these behaviors sound like opposites ends of a continuum but are really very complimentary. We know there can be great benefits in using “both” [...]
The Purpose of Servant Leadership
The Purpose of Servant Leadership Leadership comes in many colors. In today’s world, we see leaders who demand respect by putting others down and elevating themselves. We see leaders who know something is right or wrong, but in order to keep the peace or achieve an agenda, they don’t speak up. We see leaders who drive their people for results at all costs. And, occasionally we see a strong leader who emerges as a true servant leader. In my experience it is far too [...]
Emotional Intelligence for Teams
Emotional Intelligence for Teams When we think about how to best develop leadership skills in those around us, we frequently encounter the need to strengthen Emotional Intelligence (EI). Likewise, most leadership development programs identify EI as a major objective. However, little attention has been given to developing the emotional intelligence of teams, despite the fact that organizations strongly rely on teams for delivering a wide range of results. We see this as a major oversight. Research has found a clear correlation between team emotional [...]
Successful Skill Secrets…Scream Top Executive!
Successful Skill Secrets…Scream TOP EXECUTIVE! The evolution of our best executive self is an ongoing, never-ending quest. As executives, we evolve with each new position, new responsibilities within a current position, or with new circumstance in our lives. If you are a freshly promoted executive, you will need to assess and adjust your existing skills to be your best in your new position. Sometimes this requires adding skill sets. I once worked with a Division President who had previously been praised for his ability [...]
The Veggies of Leadership: Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is not the cake, or even the icing on the cake: it’s the veggies of leadership. A decade ago, emotional intelligence was newly recognized as a characteristic of effective leaders. Today we know that EI is not only important, but it is also the very thing that distinguishes great leaders from the rest of the pack, especially at the highest organizational levels. (On Emotional Intelligence, Harvard Business Review Press, 2015, p.3.) Although EI seems intangible, specific EI competencies have been defined, and [...]
Why Your Team Needs a Coach
If you were on an Olympic Rowing team which of the following would have, in your view, the most impact on the team’s competitive ability? A team building event where the team makes chili together. A class on the physics of rowing and boat aerodynamics. A race with an expert coach, riding along-side, making real-time suggestions and providing tips on technique and strategy. While each of these could have benefit for the team, we believe that the most impactful and best ROI in terms of [...]
