Five Ingredients To Improve Team Performance
By Ryan Leibowitz

All great minds think alike, and so do great managers when it comes to managing their teams and employees. So what is the secret sauce that allows for world class team performance? It has nothing to do with numbers, tools, software, or latest business fads. It all boils down to the soft skills. Here are 5 ingredients to kick start your managerial skills along with team performance:

1. Motivation: find out what makes your employees tick, and then once that’s done, use it to boost their motivation level in a way that will encourage them to use their strengths for the task at hand.

2. Goal Setting: It’s not only important for you as their manager or leader to know the company vision or project vision. It’s important to communicate this from the onset and to constantly direct that towards the goal. Make them feel like they are part of the business and not merely hired hands.

3. Praise: It is in people’s nature to want to be appreciated, show your appreciation from anything as simple as a verbal acknowledgement to a bonus in pay.

4. Feedback: provide constructive criticism as necessary but be sure to throw in some great praise in between for the good points and the potential you see your employees reaching.

5. Management: have an open door policy in general; make yourself a resource and not just a manager of human resources. Become a model of that performance from which you want your employees and team to achieve.
Simple right? So is creating a fitness regimen, easy on paper, trickier in practice. But the more you do it, the better you become for yourself, for your employees, and for your business.


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12 Tips and Reminders for Team Members To Enjoy Their Team Experiences More
By Kevin Eikenberry

Warning: The ideas that follow work. Don’t be fooled by their simplicity. For experienced team members and team leaders some of these tips may seem obvious. Sometimes however it is the obvious things we forget about or don’t apply. As you read the list think about your past experiences and determine which of these ideas would have made your team experiences more effective and productive.

1. Know your roles, purpose, boundaries and resources. Teams need to first know their purpose, the role of each team member, what they are responsible for (and what is outside their scope) and what resources they have at their disposal. Once they know these things they need to remember them! Team Leaders can help by setting a clear purpose up front. The team can build processes to keep their roles and scope in focus. And as a team progresses, the resources required may change. Teams should try to succeed with their original resources, but should engage the team leader to provide additional resources when needed.

2. Assume the best about people. People on teams will do and say things you don’t understand or agree with. Always start from an assumption that their motives are team-based and their goals are consistent with team goals. Too often a comment or action will be misinterpreted leading to rifts, factions and dysfunctional behaviors. If you don’t understand a person’s perspective or comments, ask them for clarification rather than making your own assumptions based on your biases.

3. Be patient and caring. Teams sometimes need time to get going or get unstuck. As a team leader or any member of the team, be patient. Individual members of the team might not get on board with an idea or decision as rapidly as you so be patient and give them some time.

4. Maintain a sense of urgency. Patience is important, but teams also need to maintain a sense of urgency. Too often teams get bogged down in the process, spend too long on small points, or languish for any number of other reasons. Give the team time to work things out, but always keep the timeline in mind and move towards completion.

5. Take time to plan your meetings. Want the best way to increase the productivity of your team? Spend more time planning your meetings. Meetings cost time, money and emotional and physical energy. Improve the return on that investment by having clear objectives and plans for every meeting and by letting everyone see that plan (agenda) before the meeting so they can be prepared to succeed.

6. Be willing to ask for and accept help. Being on a team means being a part of the team. Be willing to ask for help on a particular task or decision. When help is offered don’t be proud - let people help. It will build relationships and help the team succeed more quickly.

7. Share. Your ideas, your thoughts, your experiences. Sharing these things are critical to a team developing synergy. Without the willingness to share, a team is just a collection of individuals. And as the work is completed, be willing to share the accolades and success as well.

8. Be willing to give feedback. Sometimes people will do something that bothers you or other team members. Be willing to give the person feedback on their behaviors. Equally important, when people shine or have done something very valuable, let them know that too! Effective timely feedback helps a team avoid breakdowns and provides the information needed for continuous improvement.

9. Fix the problem, not the blame. Problems will occur. Use them as a way to assess progress and as an opportunity for learning, rather than as a chance to assign blame. After learning what can be learned, let the situation go and focus the team’s energies forward, not on the problem or issue.

10. Involve the right people at the right times. Sometimes teams need outside help and expertise. Go get it! Get the right people involved to make decisions and the right people involved to implement those decisions.

11. Keep the big picture in view. Teams often get lost in procedures, small problems or on any other sort of "rabbit trail." Don’t lose track of the big picture. Remember the goals and purposes for the team and continue to bring yourself and the team back to those purposes. Keeping the big picture in view will smooth out many of the bumps in a team’s road and reduce the time and effort required to reach success.

12. Be proactive. These tips are for team leaders but not just for team leaders. Everyone on a team has a responsibility for team success. Be willing to ask the hard question, encourage the team to have better meeting planning, give the feedback and more. Highly effective teams are made up of highly effective, proactive team members.

As I mentioned at the top of this article, think about which of these tips you could apply with the greatest immediate impact. Resolve to take the appropriate action based on that determination and you will be taking positive step towards more effective teamwork.

Kevin is the President of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, a learning consulting company that helps their Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services.


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A "Must Do" Tactic to Improve Your Team Motivation Skills
By Alan Fairweather

Has this ever happened to you? You go to speak to your boss, or a colleague, a friend or even someone in your family and you feel they're not listening. How does that make you feel - not very good I suspect.

When I bring this up in a team motivation seminar, some managers start to feel a litle bit uncomfortable.

If you want to motivate and have a good relationship with the people in your team, your customers, colleagues, friends and family, then you need to be a good listener.
You need to look and sound like you're listening. When face to face you need to look interested, nod your head and keep good eye contact. Over the phone you need to make the occasional - "Uh-Huh - I see."

I've seen managers, when faced with a problem from a team member, start to do something else, like work on the computer. I've also heard managers say - "It's okay, I can do two things at once, I can listen to you and work on the computer."

Maybe you can, but the message your team member gets is - "My problem isn't that important, my manager just isn't interested."

When you're spending time with people you need to give them your full attention. You need to look them in the eye, concentrate on them and make them feel that what they say is important and deserves your attention.

As well as looking interested in your team member's or your customer's problem, it's a good idea to write it down. I've fallen into the trap of thinking - "I'll remember that when I get back to the office and I'll check on it." However, one person I was with said - "You wont do anything about what I've said Alan because you wont remember it." From that point on I wrote things down.
It's also a good idea to paraphrase - to repeat back what the person has said to ensure your understanding and let them know you've been listening.

It may seem like a simple thing but it's very important to use names. You could say in response to a problem from a team member - "I'll speak to the accounts department about that."
Its far better to say - "I'll speak to the accounts department about that Susan, thank you for bringing it to my attention." That's a much better way for a motivating manager to act.

A person's name is one of the warmest sounds they hear. It says - "I recognize you as an individual." However, don't overdo it as it may come across as patronizing.

So just some food for thought - many people believe that to be a good motivator you need to be a good speaker when in fact - you need to be a great listener.

Discover the "3" Secrets of team motivation. Alan Fairweather - "The Motivation Doctor" -is the author of "How to get More Sales by Motivating Your Team" To receive your free newsletter and free ebooks, visit: www.howtogetmoresales.com