BluStorm

Your team meeting just ended, and an important decision was made. Everyone agreed and said ‘Yes’ to the plan. And you also said ‘Yes’, but internally, you don’t entirely agree.

And now you start to think, “Why did I shut up? Why didn’t I say anything?” or “I am probably the only one to disagree. I’d better shut up. They must be right.”

You might not be the only one feeling this way.
When people are afraid to speak up, when people are hesitant to voice their diverging opinions, or even when team members are not looking for dissenting views, this can lead to:
• the wrong decisions for the team
• a lack of commitment later on

And the next Team Building where you will try to build the highest Marshmallow Tower with spaghettis will not help your team to solve that problem.
Only a dedicated conversation(s) with all teammates about “feeling safe to speak up” will help.

Start now:
• Write down what is holding you back when you have to speak in a group
• Share your findings with someone you trust
• Dare to express this to the whole group!

We know this will be more productive than a “fun and traditional” Team Building event!

So, how do you feel when going to work...
Fearful ... or Joyful?

Working in a team can sometimes frustrate us.
However, what does your reaction tell you - about you?

What makes people working together a true team – and not just a collection of individuals?
We’ve found that there are twelve elements to be(come) a Stellar Team.
And, of those twelve, these 4 THINGS YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED TO START BUILDING A TRUE TEAM.

1) PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY
Since the Aristotle project at Google, most of us know about the importance of psychological safety in teams – and we wholeheartedly agree. We even think that it is one of the 4 key building stones for any team and for every one of the team members.

⏩When do you have psychological safety? When every team member can say:
- I feel free to share my views, without fear or embarrassment.
- I am comfortable to raise any issue, no matter how hard, without fear of it coming back to haunt me.
- When I make a mistake, my teammates forgive me.

2) SELF-AWARENESS
A second element is self-awareness. This might be strange for some of you, but we are convinced that everyone on the team needs to have a sufficient level of self-awareness to be able to operate efficiently within the team.

⏩When do you have self-awareness? When every team member can say:
- I am fully aware of the value I bring as well as the shortcomings I have.
- I am aware of my biases and blind spots as well as my beliefs and values.
- I can control my emotions and remain respectful, even in difficult situations.

3) KNOWING ONE ANOTHER
Being a team is not just about ‘me’, it’s also about the others in the team. And to be able to work together, you need to know each other – professionally and personally.

⏩When do you (start to) know one another? When every team member can say:
- I am curious about the others in my team – as they are curious about me.
- We actively ask questions to understand what drives each of us.
- We know each other’s likes, dislikes, how we work and think, …

4) MEANINGFUL GOAL
However, no team can become and stay a team without wanting to achieve something together : a common and meaningful goal. And no, it’s not the same thing as a set of shared targets, typically imposed from higher up in the organisation.

⏩When do you have a common and meaningful goal? When every team member can say:
- We are all motivated and driven by our objectives.
- What we stand for inspires me to give it my best, every day.
- We understand how we contribute to the objectives of our organisation.

And you, do you feel that your team has these 4 elements covered?
If not, contact us to get the conversation going and discover how we can help you and your team.

As a Leadership Team, are you a collection of (individual) Super Stars?
Or are you truly a Strong Leadership Team?

Strong Leadership Teams – Why do we need them?
Easy … to lead the organisation, right? True, but this is only part of the story.
Below are 5 reasons why we need Strong Leadership Teams.

STRONG (As in: Strength in turbulent times)

Navigating the organisation through the business waters is not always calm sailing – it can be very turbulent. Therefore, we expect our leaders to be strong, not to get stuck in uncertainty but to be steadfast and have the strength to take decisions – especially the difficult ones.

⏩And the ability to take strong and clear decisions is important, since it provides us with certainty, conviction and confidence that we have what it takes to come out on top.

LEADERSHIP (As in: Lead tomorrow’s transformation)

We don’t want to be a ‘one hit wonder’ – we want to be in an organisation that is there to stay. Therefore we expect our Leaders to have a clear picture of what the future holds in store for our organisation – where we need to be in 3, 5 or 10 years’ time and how to get there.

⏩And providing this clear image of the future is important, since it provides us with direction and a sense of purpose.

LEADERSHIP (As in: Lead today’s performance)

There can be no future for our organisation, if today’s performance does not generate the means to support tomorrow’s transformation. Therefore, we expect our leaders to be clear on what we need (to achieve) today so we can prosper tomorrow.

⏩And setting clear objectives is important, since it provides us with clarity on what is needed now and what to do to achieve this.

TEAM (As in: One Team – One Voice)

It’s no easy task to get anything done, if you are told different (and maybe even conflicting) things by different people. Therefore, we expect our leaders to be aligned, committed and speak with one voice – regardless of the discussions they had between them.

⏩And providing us with consistent and aligned messages is important, since it provides us with commitment and focus.

TEAM (As in: Our Team is more effective together than apart)

We face enough challenges as it is – challenges that become ever more complex. So much so, that it becomes increasingly difficult to handle them alone. Therefore, we expect our leaders to collaborate with each other and seek for complementarity between them – not competition.

⏩And providing us with a shining example of teamwork is important, since it provides us with insights and inspiration on how to strengthen our collaboration with others.

Are you part of a Leadership Team but feel that you’re not there yet?
Contact us to get the conversation going and discover how we can help you and your team.

If you are in a Leadership Team, you probably aspire to drive the organisation together as ONE team.

As such you might feel the need to be a top team, not only an average team.

⏩ Take some time to read that article and get some insights on
how to build a leadership team that is up to the challenge.

⏩ If you want to know how to do it for YOUR team, you might want to start with measuring how things are going.

⏩ BluStorm have a team survey (+ team building journey and tools) to support you, so don't hesitate to contact us!

Reinventing Your Leadership Team Digitization may be necessary for many businesses’ continued success, but in our increasingly complex world, what companies really need to do is build new forms of competitive advantage and transform themselves for the future. And that requires fundamental changes in their top leaders—not just i...

When was the last time you showed vulnerability?
(e.g. by saying things like "I need help on...", "I am feeling...", "I admit that...")

What was the impact on your relationship with others?

Let’s State The Obvious: There Is “Building” In Team-Building.
But we neglect this too often.

Below are 5 tips to consider when planning your next Team-building activity.

TIP #1: DEFINE WHAT YOUR TEAM NEEDS
Not all team-building activities will be relevant for your team:
• Some activities will be too basic and won’t be building anything
• Others will be too soon (the team is not ready, or prerequisites are not there yet)
• Other activities will be off-topic (not covering the right issue) or perceived as not relevant
To make sure your event will have an impact, try to identify what your team needs.

⏩Spend some time to think about:
• What is already working well
• What is the biggest problem in your team (the one that is slowing you down)
⏩Discuss and share your analysis with others (to see the situation from different angles)
⏩Find out the possible root cause of that problem (no team goal, not knowing each other, no psychological safety, no appreciation, no good conflict management,…

TIP #2: CHECK THE AGENDA
Sometimes, the agenda does not contribute to the team-building goal. And you don’t realise it.
Example: Let’s take a team activity which aims at getting to “know each other better”. If you ask people to form smaller groups freely, people will typically go with people they already know… This rule is counterproductive.

⏩Check that every item on the agenda and every rule or instruction contributes to the goal. Adapt them if necessary.

TIP #3: PLAN A BEFORE
This is a team event.
As such, you probably want to maximise its value by dedicating most of the time to group discussions. These will be deeper and more efficient when they are prepared.
Furthermore, it sets the tone of the activity: you are serious about this and expect engagement from all team members.

⏩Ask people to come prepared by sending an assignment that will be used as input (e.g. Self-reflection…)

TIP #4: PLAN AN AFTER
Remember that team-building is a journey, not a one-off event.
As with training, things tend to be forgotten rapidly after the event.
However, research shows that people will learn more if there are regular reminders and content-sharing afterwards.
It helps people to absorb and apply.

⏩Give homework at the end of your event
⏩Send additional content to continue the learning 1 day after, 1 week after and 1 month after, with increasing difficulty
⏩Plan the next team discussion

TIP #5: FUN IS OK. LEARNING IS KEY.
Fun can be a component of your activity, of course.
But if you want to build a team seriously, it shouldn’t be the only component. The focus should be on the content and on what people will learn/discover.

Any other tips you would give?

You are manipulated... by your own brain!

Unconscious bias can hold you back...
and it can also cause you to hold others back. https://cnto.io/048OIr7DB

Even if you think that you are someone very rational and logical, there are situations where you make decisions based on your emotions and bias.

You can find some tips in this article to identify & manage your bias, which is a crucial element when you want to become a great team player!

Is Unconscious Bias Holding You Back? - Teigan Margetts | Procurement & supply chain news and insights Read Is Unconscious Bias Holding You Back? by Teigan Margetts on Procurious to stay up to date with the latest procurement & supply chain news, trends, analysis and thought leading insights.

"An era of fast-paced teaming" - What's this?

It seems like a buzzword/expression from Amy C. Edmonson, but I am sure some of you will recognise this: it is very likely that you are part of multiple teams or projects and change teams frequently.

What about "fast-paced"?
As stated in the article, we are living in a world where most organisations and teams have to be agile, flexible and responsive. "The time between an issue arising and when it must be resolved is shrinking fast", said Amy C. Edmondson here.

In essence, it means that we will need strong and flexible team players.

If you read further this article, Amy C. Edmondson talks about 3 elements that describe great team players:
- curious,
- passionate,
- empathic.

It reminds me of something similar in the book "The Idea Team player" by Patrick Lencioni. He describes these elements as being "Humble, Hungry and Smart".

What would you say are the pillars of a Great Team Player?
And a more tricky question: how would you develop these traits?

https://hbr.org/2013/12/the-three-pillars-of-a-teaming-culture

The Three Pillars of a Teaming Culture Curiosity, passion, empathy.

https://cnto.io/D1O9fDaP9k

The simmering tension between remote and in-office workers Companies are calling employees back to the workplace – but not all of them. This is stoking resentment among workers and employers.