Building

TEAM

Relationships

EXPECTATIONS

Webster’s Dictionary Definition of Expectation:

1. The act or state of expecting.

2. Eager anticipation of something coming to be

3. Future prospects

4. Looking forward to be probable

5. Presumptions, to suppose

What are your EXPECTIONS of your “role” with this team?

Are You A Team Leader?

A Team Leader is a “Get-it–done-and–then-some Person”.

WHAT ARE YOUR CHARACTERISTICS?

Rate yourself on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the Leader

  1. Intuitive- Leaders sense things that others don’t sense, turn a disadvantage into an advantage, smell an opportunity, sense the gifts in others to help the team succeed.
  1. Communicative- Leaders say things that other teammembers don’t say, but are thinking, to get the team moving. They inspire or incite and know when to give a boost or a boot to get the team rolling.
  1. Passionate-Leaders feel things that others don’t feel, they share love, sometimes explode as controlled fury, display contagious enthusiasm.
  1. Talented- Leaders are capable because their talent is equal to their passion, they have mastered the skills, and they excel in their performance and training.
  1. Creative- Leaders think things that others do not think get the team out of a rut, look for fresh new ways of doing things, can change the tempo of the team.
  1. Initiating- Leaders are great at implementing; they do things others cannot do because they are self-disciplined, offer incentives for change, move the team as they move themselves.
  1. Responsible-Leaders carry things that others do not carry; they act as if it is up to them. They just DO IT. They take responsibility to make things happen.
  1. Generous- Leaders give what others do not give, use their resources such as time, money, and sacrificing personal gain to create success on the team.
  1. Influential- Leaders are able to lead teammates in a way others cannot, the team follows them, they lead by example and are highly respected by their teammates.

35-45 - Congratulations! You are a Leader!

20-34 - You are on the way to becoming a Leader!

0-19 - You have some personal growth ahead of you and how can I help you become a leader? Or Do you even want to lead?

Responses to Conflict

Note: Both High D’s & I’s “vent” and

Both High S’s & C’s “suppress”

“High D” (DEMANDS)

  • Over-assertive
  • Unbending to others
  • Strong willed with others
  • Attempts to impose one’s own thoughts and feelings onto others

“High I” (ATTACKS)

  • Explosive, screams, yells, may become belligerent
  • Emotionally attacks others and their ideas, tries to discredit them
  • Makes others feel “less than”
  • Tells people how he or she feels about things

“High S” (AVOIDS)

  • Gives in to keep peace and harmony
  • Appears to agree with others, then flees or stirs the pots quietly
  • Looks quietly to get even or revenge
  • Tolerates things up to a point then brings up things that have been brewing forever

“High C” (WITHDRAWS)

  • Keeps thoughts and ideas to self
  • Becomes more controlled, may become aggressive
  • Plans out their next move, will try to prove any person wrong, except themselves
  • Withdraws from others, will not move forward again, threats to leave but usually does not

ARE YOU MAKING YOURSELF UNDERSTOOD?

Perhaps you have had the experiences of trying to put over a point or express an idea only to discover that it was totally misunderstood or misinterpreted.

If you have had this experience, you may be comforted to know that this has occurred often enough that John C. Marshall, who has written more than thirty books on human relations and leadership, has provided some excellent advice on how misunderstandings can be avoided.

He says that the basic problem is that we judge ourselves on the basis of our intentions and are measured by others based on our actions, or how what we say is perceived.

Here are four points John Marshall says will help us in solving this human relations problem or challenge and in making more successful social interchanges:

1. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes. This will help you in being sure you don’t figuratively step on the other person’s toes. The key is to LISTEN to other people’s concerns, study their cultures or professions and get acquainted with areas of interest outside of your own.

2. Think carefully about what the other person’s viewpoint might be before you speak or act. Do not ATTACK or REACT! Your viewpoint isn’t always right just because it’s yours. If you work to understand the other person’s viewpoint, it will broaden your thinking.

3. Check your ATTITUDE. Be sure you are not more interested in having your way than in preserving a relationship. Be willing to change your viewpoint. Do this by looking for similarities in viewpoint rather than differences.

4. Ash other what they would do in your situation. Do Not Gossip when asking for advice. When you have empathy with others’ points of view, it is easier to connect with them. This is because you know that they care. You send this message when you ask, don’t tell.

Now you have the formula, hopefully it will help you to understand that while your intentions may be the best, you will only be understood after you understand. Does this make sense to you better now?

The Five Challenges of a Team

The Overview of the Model of a Challenged Team

  1. Absence of Trust: This stems from team members unwillingness to be vulnerable within the group. They are not genuinely open with one another about their mistakes and weaknesses and make it impossible to build a foundation of trust.
  1. Fear of Conflict: Teams that lack Trust are incapable of engaging in unfiltered and passionate debate of ideas. Instead, they resort to veiled discussions and guarded comments. Or they zone out all together, they are present in body but not in their mind.
  1. Lack of Commitment: If team members do not air their opinions due to lack of conflict, how will they ever commit to anything? They won’t buy in and commit to decisions, though they may pretend agreement during the meetings.
  1. Avoidance of Accountability: Without committing to a clear plan of action, even the most focused and driven people often hesitate to call their team members on actions and behaviors that seem to counterproductive to the good of the team.
  1. Negligence of Results: This dysfunction occurs when team members put their own individual needs before the needs of the whole team. This is called the “I”, “ME” syndrome, not “US” or “WE” syndrome. This is occurs due to the lack of trust, the number one dysfunction of a team.

TEAM ASSESSMENT

HOW FLAWLESS IS OUR TEAM?

INSTRUCTIONS: Use the scale below to indicate how each statement applies to your team. It is important to evaluate the statements honestly and without over-thinking your answers.

3= Usually2= Sometimes1= Rarely

_____ 1. Team members are passionate and unguarded in their discussion of issues.

_____ 2. Team members call out one another’s deficiencies or unproductive behaviors in a non-threatening way.

_____ 3. Team members know what their peers are working on and how they contribute to the collective good of the

team.

_____ 4. Team members quickly and genuinely apologize to one another when they say or do something inappropriate or possibly damaging to the entire team.

_____ 5. Team member willingly make sacrifices (such as staying late, arriving early, helping each other when running late, etc) in their departments or areas of expertise for the good of the team/practice.

_____ 6. Team members openly admit their challenges and mistakes to each other.

_____ 7. Team members are open to “constructive criticism”.

_____ 8. Team members leave meetings confident that their peers are completely committed to the decisions that were agreed on, even if there were initial disagreements.

_____ 9. Morale is significantly affected by the gossiping within the practice.

____ 10. During Team meetings, the most important—and difficult—issues are put on the table to be resolved.

____ 11. Team members are deeply concerned about the prospect of letting down their fellow team members during team meetings or anytime at work.

____ 12. Team members know about one another’s personal lives and try to give positive support to each other.

____ 13. Team members end discussions with clean and specific solutions and action plans with deadlines.

____ 14. Team members challenge one another about their action plans and approaches to the solutions agreed upon.

____ 15. Team members are quick to finger-point to another that they are not happy with an issue, they do not go directly back to the source and gossip begins....

©Roz Fulmer “Making a Difference…Today”!

Scoring: Combine your scores for the preceding statements as indicated below:

Challenge 1:Challenge 2Challenge 3Challenge 4Challenge 5

Absence Fear of Lack of Avoidance of Inattention

of Trust ConflictCommitmentAccountability to Results

Statement 4: ______Statement 1 _____Statement: 3 _____Statement: 2 ______Statement: 5 ______

Statement: 6 ______Statement: 7 _____Statement: 8 _____Statement: 11 _____Statement: 9 ______

Statement: 12 _____Statement: 10 _____Statement: 13 _____Statement: 14 _____Statement: 15 _____

Total: _____ Total: _____ Total: _____ Total: _____ Total: _____

A score of 8 or 9 is a probable indication that their challenge is not a problem for your team.

A score of 6 or 7 indicates that the challenge could be a problem and needs to be addressed.

A score of 3 to 5 is probably an indication that their challenge needs to be addressed immediately and solutions found.

Regardless of your scores, it is important to keep in mind that every team needs constant work, because without it, even the best ones deviate towards challenge.

CHALLENGES MEAN WHAT TO EACH TEAM MEMBER? DO WE WANT TO BE A “FUNCTIONAL” TEAM?

© “Making a Difference…Today!” Roz Fulmer2008

SAMPLE OF

THE TEAM AGREEMENTS FOR THE OFFICE OF

  1. I AGREE TO BE ON TIME, READY TO GO, PREPARED FOR ALL MEETINGS, INCLUDING MORNING HUDDLE.
  1. I AGREE TO CHOOSE THE POSITIVE, ETHICAL ATTITUDE AND WILL SEE CHALLENGES AS OPPORTUNITES.
  1. I AGREE TO FOLLOW-THRUON ANY ACTION PLAN THAT HAS BEEN ASSIGNED TO ME.
  1. I AGREE TO ZERO-TOLERANCE OF GOSSIPING
  1. I AGREE TO TREAT PATIENTS THE WAY THEY WANT TO BE TREATED, NOT THE WAY WE WANT.
  1. I AGREE TO PULL MY OWN WEIGHT AND DO WHATEVER IT TAKES.
  1. I AGREE TO BE COACHABLE AND APPROACHABLE.
  1. I AGREE TO RECONGNIZE AND ACKNOWLEDGE MY FELLOW TEAM MEMBERS DAILY.
  1. I AGREE TO BE HUMAN AND COMMITTED TO MY TEAM MEMBERS.
  1. I AGREE “TO DO WHAT I OUGHTA DO WHEN I OUGHTA DO IT WHETHER I WANT TO OR NOT, NO DEBATE!”

EACH TEAM MEMBERS SIGNATURE ACKNOWLEGES

THAT THEY AGREE TO ABIDE TO THESE AGREEMENTS AND AGREE TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE BY EACH OTHER IN REGARDS TO THESE AGREEMENTS.

Dated: ______

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Positive Outlook

Do you have one?

Did you know that a positive outlook does not depend on any particular circumstance? A positive outlook cost you nothing, and yet it can bring you so very much. How can you be positive if everything is going wrong? A positive outlook is a great way to get things going right. You have to begin somewhere, don’t you? Why not positive, instead of negative?

The reason to be positive is not because of what has or has not already happened. The reason to be positive is because of how your positive outlook will shape the future, were you aware of that? It will enable you to see possibilities that exist amidst the problems and obstacles. It can energize your actions and keep you focused on moving forward. Isn’t that where you want to go, forward?

Is it naïve to be positive, or just wishful thinking? Most certainly not! Though it’s foolish to ignore reality, it’s even more foolish to give in to negativity when the reality gets too difficult.

Every life is filled with positive possibilities. The more you acknowledge, accept and pursue them; the better off you will be, won’t you?

Write down daily for 21 days, 3 positive things that happened to you at work and share them with a team member!

TODAY!

NOTES

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© “Making a Difference…Today!” Roz Fulmer2008