All Posts in Category: Team Building

“Encourage” Change

Have you ever done anything stupid, knew at the time that it was stupid, and did it
anyway? Have you ever done anything you knew was stupid, said you would never do it
again, and did it again? Most, if not all of us, would have to answer “yes” to each of these
questions. What does it prove? It proves we are human and we are creatures of habit.

The good news is that most habits are good because they save us time, energy, and
effort. Once we turn something into a habit, the habit takes over and allows us to perform it automatically. The bad news is that the biggest threat to habit change is the habit itself. The old habit fights for its life and makes it more difficult for the new habit to take over. That is a primary reason that most people resist change; the old way is comfortable and known and the new way is threatening and scary.

If you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always gotten. If you
want outcomes to be better, you need to do something different — and that requires
change. Effective leaders and coaches must expect change, encourage change, and
embrace change. What worked yesterday won’t necessarily work today. To meet the
challenge of change, leaders must turn to their most important asset: people.

Leaders need to develop strategies for:

  1.  Enhancing communication. Growth is more likely to occur when clear
    communication is taking place on a regular basis.
  2.  Promoting continuous learning and development. When people learn to
    handle new responsibilities or develop new skills their self-confidence gets a boost
    and they will be capable of better performance and will accomplish more.
  3.  Improving leadership skills. Even people who do not perform a formal
    leadership role can improve their performance by developing leadership skills. It
    will also prepare them for future opportunities.

Meeting the challenge of change is easier when you use your most valuable tool:
encouragement. Everyone needs and responds to encouragement. Encouragement
brings out the best in people, helps people believe in themselves, and helps them
accomplish more. It is amazing what people can accomplish when they believe in
themselves and when the important people in their lives give them encouragement. The
effective use of encouragement will work wonders and the best part is that it doesn’t cost
anything other than a little time and effort.

Think about someone who encouraged you and influenced your leadership ability. How is your life better because of that person? Think about people you can encourage and
influence in a positive way. Then, systematically give them encouragement on a regular
basis. When you do this, you will be well on your way to meeting the challenge of change.

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Improving Performance and Results

Performance is critical in sports, the arts, investments, business, and every area of life. To win a NASCAR event the performance of the car, driver, and pit crew are all vital to success. In team sports such as baseball, basketball, football, hockey, and soccer performance of each player and the combined team performance are crucial. In individual sports such as bowling, golf, or tennis the performance of the individual determines the results or outcome. When you spend your hard earned money to attend a concert, the performance of the artist or act is critical in determining if you had a good time and feel it was a good investment of time and money.

The way you and your teammates perform in business also determines the results you and your organization get. There are four major things that impact your ability to get results on your team:

  1. Clearly defined goals
  2. Attitudes
  3. Skills in respective areas of responsibility
  4. Your coaching ability.

Assuming you have the right people in the right jobs and they have the necessary skills, the better you clarify goals, develop appropriate attitudes, and improve your coaching skills, the better your chance of improving performance and results.

Once you determine your goals, i.e. what you want to accomplish, you need to determine what performance is needed by you and your teammates to accomplish these goals. Identify what extraordinary performance would look like in specific, observable behavior terms. No one wants to be average. Therefore, when you think of performance, think of it in terms of what extraordinary performance would look like.

New goals and better results will not be achieved without improvement in individual and team performance. Extraordinary performance, outstanding utilization of skills, is mainly determined by how people think (attitude) and how they act (behavior). There is a direct correlation between the way people think and the way they act. And, there is a direct correlation between the way people act and the results they get.

You cannot necessarily “see” an attitude, but you can observe a person’s behavior and make a pretty accurate assessment of his or her attitude. Yogi Berra, the Hall of Fame baseball player, is reported to have said, “You can see a lot by observing”. You can learn a lot about a person’s attitude by observing his or her behavior. Is the person dependable or unreliable; prompt or tardy, careful or safe; neat or sloppy; etc.

A long-term change in performance or behavior will not occur without a change in attitude. People will not change their attitude because we want them to change it or because we tell them to change it. People change three ways: slowly, rarely, and never. To accelerate the changes needed to achieve improved performance and results, you need to help people see the benefits they can gain or the losses they will avoid by changing. This takes time and it takes a concentrated effort on your part to get to know each person individually so you can personalize your coaching.

The most important coaching skill needed is the ability to help players adjust their attitude in line with the performance needed to achieve the pre-determined goals.

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What Makes A Leader Different?

All of us know leaders who stand out in a crowd, who have risen to the top and who accomplish significantly more than their peers. Let’s examine some of the characteristics that make these leaders different:

  •  VISION – Leaders have a clear picture of what they see their group becoming or doing in the future. There’s a difference between eyesight and vision. Vision is the ability to get MEANING from eyesight. Effective leaders have vision.
  •  GOAL-DIRECTED – Leaders know where they stand, where they’re going and how they’re going to get there. They realize that no one ever accomplishes anything of consequence without a goal. Leaders also realize that in order to fulfill their vision, they need a series of goals that will help them do so. Effective leaders are goal-directed.
  •  CLEAR PURPOSE – Leaders know why they exist, what they believe and what their values are. Having a clear purpose gives them the energy and focus they need to accomplish their goals and fulfill their vision. Effective leaders have a clear purpose.
  •  SELF-CONTROL/SELF-DISCIPLINE – Leaders are many times required to do things that ordinary people don’t like to do. The truth of the matter is, leaders probably don’t like to do them either. The difference between a leader and an ordinary person is that a leader does whatever it takes to accomplish the goal, and many times this requires self-control and self-discipline. Effective leaders have self-control and self-discipline.
  •  ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE – To achieve their goals and fulfill their vision, leaders need to persuade others to take action on their ideas. This requires that they think clearly, speak clearly and listen carefully. Effective leaders have the ability to communicate.
  •  ENERGY – Leaders need the physical vitality and mental alertness that comes from a high level of energy. Hard work, clear thinking, commitment and persistence require a high level of energy. Leaders boost their energy through proper diet, nutrition, exercise, positive thinking, rest, relaxation and an outside hobby or interest. Effective leaders have a high level of energy.
  •  PERSISTENCE – There are only two reasons why most projects fail: not starting and not finishing. Leaders finish what they start because they remember their vision, focus on their goals and visualize their goals as already accomplished. They have the staying power and persistence to follow through on their goals regardless of circumstances or what other people say, think, or do. Effective leaders have persistence.
  •  POSITIVE ATTITUDE – Leaders look at how things can be done, not why they can’t be done. They look for ways over, around, or through obstacles. They have an “I will not be denied” attitude. To paraphrase W. Clement Stone, “There is little difference between ordinary people and leaders. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether the attitude is positive or negative.” Effective leaders have a positive attitude.

To be a more effective leader, clarify your vision and purpose. Develop a written and specific goals program. Develop your self-control, self-discipline and ability to communicate. Maintain a high energy level by taking care of your mind and body. Persist in all you do, and approach every challenge and opportunity with a positive attitude. Do these things and you’ll not only be different, but you’ll also MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

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Building a High Performance Team

Effective coaching requires that you:

1. Know what you want your team members to do.
2. Make sure they know what you want them to do.
3. Train them how to do it.
4. Motivate them to want to do it.

Signs of success: At the start of a career, desire can make up for a lack of skills. People with initiative will watch how you do things that work well and will pick up good ideas on their own. Stress that they can control what happens to them. Emphasize that they’re responsible for their own actions and results and that you will support them in direct proportion to
their commitment.

Work habits: The major goal of developing good work habits is to stretch – to accomplish progressively larger goals. Train people to schedule high-payoff revenue-producing activities in prime time slots. Get them to do other activities in non-prime time

How to grow people: The goal of effective coaches is to “grow” people. People tend to concentrate more on their failures than on their successes and on their weaknesses more than their strengths. This induces self-doubt. When this occurs, don’t commiserate with them; help them look for solutions. Worrying about negative issues uses energy in a non productive way. People suffering from this negative syndrome may begin to procrastinate and become defensive and afraid that whatever they do will fail. They literally don’t know what to do next and relive their past failures over and over. Help them focus on future success.

Look for positive things to praise people for, and remind them of the good days they’ve had. Point out progress no matter how slight it may be. Affirm their efforts to keep them from getting discouraged. “Inspect what you expect” to make sure the people you manage know what’s expected of them in activity, performance and attitude. Being a good role model is one of the best ways you can help someone. Remember, the speed of the leader is generally the speed of the team.

How to motivate people: If your team understands what you want them to do, they know how to do it and they have the competence to do it, there’s only one reason why they aren’t doing it: They don’t want to. This is a motivation problem.

The first step in overcoming this motivation problem is to know your people. Keep a journal on what you learn about each of them: goals, strengths, weaknesses, progress, setbacks and daily activities. Regularly meet with your people one-on-one to discuss obstacles, how their week ahead is shaping up and how their short-range goals are coming along. When you know what your people want and why they want it, you will enhance your ability to build a high performance team

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Motivating People to Produce

Most people have an unlimited potential to produce great results in their chosen field. Their only limitations are usually ones they place on their own mind. People can change; they can be motivated to be more and do more. Unfortunately, most people will not change because we need, want, or even when we tell them to change. They will only change their behavior when they change their attitude. If you want to change what people are doing, you have to change what they are thinking. To change what they are thinking, you have to change what you are saying and, perhaps, how you are saying it.

Motivating people to produce must be affected through attitude change if it is to be permanent. The commonly used methods of fear and incentives have been proven to be temporary.

Fear is based on threat or punishment. Sooner or later, people become totally subjected to fear and won’t do anything without first being told. Or, they become immune to fear and only do enough to get by. Either way, people will not give you their best effort, use their full potential, or get the results you want when fear is predominant in the culture.

Incentives are external rewards. They are designed to “lure” people to do something that they should have done in the first place. Incentives can work up to a point, but they will not provide long-lasting motivation. You will find that you have to give more and more for less and less.

Basically, an attitude is the way people think about themselves and their circumstances. When, you, as a leader or coach, help people change the way they think, you help them change their attitude, which affects their behavior and influences their results. Here are some things you can do to motivate people to produce:

  1.  Help them crystallize their goals. When people have a clear picture of exactly what they want, they do not need to be forced or rewarded externally to accomplish the goal.
  2.  Focus on their strengths. People will grow quicker and accomplish more when they concentrate on their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses rather than being reminded of their weaknesses.
  3.  Use positive reinforcement. Point out people’s accomplishments and progress. Catch them doing things right. When you see it, say it. What gets noticed and reinforced gets repeated. Make sure you recognize what you want repeated, not what you don’t.
  4. Expect their best performance. People tend to live up or down to a leader’s expectations. Expect little and you will receive little. Expect great performance and results and you are more likely to get them.

When you help people develop the attitudes necessary for peak performance and success, they will develop the confidence to reach for higher and more meaningful goals and will be more valuable to you and your organization. They will discover solutions for themselves and not depend on outside circumstances. They will understand that in order to change their circumstances, they must first change themselves.

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Improving Morale on Your Team

Good team morale is one of the most important outcomes of a successful coach. Successful coaches take great pride in high morale and team spirit. They know when people work together as a team, their capacity for improving performance and results are dramatically expanded. They also know that high morale starts with them. Business leaders are, in essence, coaches. Their job is to bring out the best in their employees and help their team win. Getting and keeping the morale at a high level is one of the most important jobs of an effective leader.

Here are eight things you and your coaches can do to improve morale, performance, and results in your organization:

1. Know Your People. It is difficult to motivate a stranger. The more you know about your people, the more effective you will be at improving morale. What are their unique abilities; likes and dislikes; wants and needs? Do you know their goals? If not, why not? Do you know about their families? What are their hobbies and interests? What’s most import and to them?

2. Keep People Informed. Being in on things is one of the most powerful motivators for most people. When management fails to provide information the dangerous rumor-mill kicks in.

3. Make People Feel Important. Let them know, in as many ways as possible, that their contributions are important to the success of the organization.

4. Listen to People. One of the easiest ways to make people feel important and increase their contribution is to listen to them.

5. Keep Score.Uncertainty contributes to low morale. If players don’t know how to win on a daily basis, they will think there is no way to win, which leads to why try,which leads to low morale.

6. Always Celebrate Improvement. Look for improvement, no matter how small, and reinforce it with positive recognition. What gets rewarded gets done.

7. Conduct Regular Coaching Sessions. Focus on desired results and the behaviors needed to produce those results. Each coaching session needs to include the status of current results, the desired results, behaviors needed, by coach and player, to reach the results, and action steps that will be taken between coaching sessions.

8. Give Appropriate Feedback. Give frequent feedback. The severest form of criticism is not to find fault but to ignore someone. Give positive feedback. Positive feedback encourages and builds up. Negative feedback destroys initiative and morale. Give specific feedback that reinforces the behavior you want repeated for success.

Look for the following warning signs of a need to improve morale in your organization:

In-fighting/friction/stress

Turf protection

Excessive meetings

Low Productivity/profitability

Turnover/absenteeism

Working at cross-purposes

Majoring on minors

Quality issues

Safety issues

Lack of new ideas/innovation

Lack of teamwork Missed deadlines

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