Tags |
|
|
Links |
|
|
Will You Add? - 7 Deadly Sins Of Team Building
Last month we looked at what you need to do before you spend money on marketing brochures, a website, advertising or even go out to network. During Phase 1, it’s all about crafting your message. Key steps include getting clear about your market niche, developing a clear message about how you solve your target clients’ problems, articulating what makes you their best choice, packaging your services so clients will buy, and demonstrating why they should trust you.Skip Phase 1 and chances are you'll do a really good job at spreading the wrong message about your firm in the marketplace. Not only is this confusing for prospective clients, it's a waste of your firm's time and resources. You can learn more about these crucial steps in last month’s e-newsletter at http://www.turningpointemarketing.com:8080/icms/icms.php/cs/9/Articles.html.So let's say you've done your Phase 1 homework and are ready to communicate with your marketplace. Where do you start and what should you consider? In Phase 2 you have a number of communication channels to tap, all of which should be working together. The basics include a busin
Sin #4 Not speaking up.
The value of the team is having opinions from every point of view. Balance is what makes the team most effective. You must be prepared to state your opinions even if they might be contrary to those of others. You are not
Incredible as it sounds, you have a goldmine of free business advice and resources available to you for starting an online business. Many entrepreneurs are taking advantage of the unbelievable opportunity of financial independence by starting an Internet business.Over 300,000 individuals already are on the Internet earning enough income to quit their regular jobs and live a lifestyle of their choosing. You can too!How do you start? First ask yourself a question, “Would I jump into the middle of the ocean if I didn’t know how to swim?” No matter what your background is or what kind of business you intend to start online, you absolutely have to obtain enough knowledge relating to Internet business to be successful.Almost all online newsletters that you can subscribe to are free and come in your e-mail. They contain pieces of the Internet business puzzle that will enable your success. This is a fact --- believe it. All Internet experts (gurus) are stumbling over each other to get you on their sign-up list. This ultimately permits them to promote and sell their products to you.But, in o
What does the word team mean to you? Webster’s defines it as a number if persons associated together in work or activity. Makes sense, right? That would define all of us as team members of one sort or another. By that definition, we may not even know we are part of the team.
Well, sooner or later you are going to be asked to serve on a team. At that point you will know you are a team member and it will be important to understand the team rules so that you don't commit the any one of the seven deadly sins of team building.
Look at the team from a personal perspective when evaluating these seven sins. Make it personal. Ask yourself what's in it for me. It’s a team right? Stop and think. If you don't get something personal out of it why are on the team anyway?
Consider this little league analogy. One kid is on the team because he loves baseball and wants to play. Another kid is on the team because his dad loves it and wants him to play. The latter boy has to make the best of it. If you don't have a choice, you better make the best of it! To go back the personal part of the team, ensure membership enhances (and does not detract) from your career objectives.
Sin #1 Not understanding the purpose of the team.
The team is not just a bunch of people getting together to make everyone's life easier. There is a mission and there are goals in mind when setting up the team. Make sure the mission is clearly articulated. Have it committed to paper so you can revisit regularly. Make sure you clearly understand the objectives and are personally aligned with the overall objective. Now is not the time to be a yes person. If you have reservations about what the purpose of the team is then clarify them before the team moves too far along. Make sure the goals are accomplishable. There is nothing worse than a team brought together to accomplish something that cannot be achieved.
Sin #2 Not contributing your share.
The team by its very nature should divide up the workload. You must be prepared to do your part. There is a fine line between distributing the workload evenly and sharing the responsibility. Clear ground rules should be established in advance to address who does what and when. This also includes the reporting mechanism during the process. If reports are due, make sure to prepare adequately. Winging-it is not an acceptable option for team performance. It’s also up to you to make the other team members do their share. If the workload becomes unbalanced then people will start to feel put upon or resentful.
Sin #3 Not attending meetings.
It’s always hard to schedule meetings. If you have a conflict, notify the team early. Even if you cannot stay the entire time, it’s best to make an appearance even for a short time. If you are expected to contribute at this meeting send your notes to the team leader in advance. It’s important to determine up front when a meeting is scheduled for and its purpose. There is nothing more disheartening to a team's efforts than sitting through a non-productive meeting. Make sure the number of meetings you miss is nominal. You don't want other team members to think you are not doing your share.
Sin #4 Not speaking up.
The value of the team is having opinions from every point of view. Balance is what makes the team most effective. You must be prepared to state your opinions even if they might be contrary to those of others. You are not t
As I work with clients to strengthen their teams and to make their businesses more profitable, I often encounter some serious misunderstandings of human nature. These misunderstandings usually lead business leaders in the wrong direction when they attempt to inspire their employees to perform at a higher level. Fortunately, you can avoid these pitfalls if you understand a few key points about the people you lead.1) They are not motivated by money aloneIn numerous studies conducted over the last fifty or sixty years, researchers have concluded money is not the prime motivator for most people. Yes, people work for money -- but it is not their biggest motivator.One famous model of behavior – Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – yields a clue as to why this is true. In summary, Maslow’s hierarchy says that all of us have five basic needs (physiological, safety & security, social, esteem, and self-actualization). According to Maslow, “a need once met no longer serves to motivate.” If you have your physiological needs met (food, shelter, & clothing), more of the same will not inspire you to work ha
Look at the team from a personal perspective when evaluating these seven sins. Make it personal. Ask yourself what's in it for me. It’s a team right? Stop and think. If you don't get something personal out of it why are on the team anyway?
Consider this little league analogy. One kid is on the team because he loves baseball and wants to play. Another kid is on the team because his dad loves it and wants him to play. The latter boy has to make the best of it. If you don't have a choice, you better make the best of it! To go back the personal part of the team, ensure membership enhances (and does not detract) from your career objectives.
Sin #1 Not understanding the purpose of the team.
The team is not just a bunch of people getting together to make everyone's life easier. There is a mission and there are goals in mind when setting up the team. Make sure the mission is clearly articulated. Have it committed to paper so you can revisit regularly. Make sure you clearly understand the objectives and are personally aligned with the overall objective. Now is not the time to be a yes person. If you have reservations about what the purpose of the team is then clarify them before the team moves too far along. Make sure the goals are accomplishable. There is nothing worse than a team brought together to accomplish something that cannot be achieved.
Sin #2 Not contributing your share.
The team by its very nature should divide up the workload. You must be prepared to do your part. There is a fine line between distributing the workload evenly and sharing the responsibility. Clear ground rules should be established in advance to address who does what and when. This also includes the reporting mechanism during the process. If reports are due, make sure to prepare adequately. Winging-it is not an acceptable option for team performance. It’s also up to you to make the other team members do their share. If the workload becomes unbalanced then people will start to feel put upon or resentful.
Sin #3 Not attending meetings.
It’s always hard to schedule meetings. If you have a conflict, notify the team early. Even if you cannot stay the entire time, it’s best to make an appearance even for a short time. If you are expected to contribute at this meeting send your notes to the team leader in advance. It’s important to determine up front when a meeting is scheduled for and its purpose. There is nothing more disheartening to a team's efforts than sitting through a non-productive meeting. Make sure the number of meetings you miss is nominal. You don't want other team members to think you are not doing your share.
Sin #4 Not speaking up.
The value of the team is having opinions from every point of view. Balance is what makes the team most effective. You must be prepared to state your opinions even if they might be contrary to those of others. You are not
Today with the internet you can find numerous work at home data entry jobs opportunities, all you need is to know how to search them. If you have some typist skills, then you can easily get some work at home data entry jobs, but you do not need to have typist skills for all data entry jobs.There are some employers who may want you to type an specific number of words per minute, but there are others who just want you to enter the data. In order to be successful with work at home data entry jobs you need to have a good eye for the details and you need also to have the ability to enter data correctly and quickly.If you are not sure of your typist skills, then you can take some continuing education classes to help you to get the skills that you need. People can build on their computer skills so that they will be able to work with many different programs like Microsoft Word, Excel and Note Pad. The people who are able to work within a different range of programs and databases are much more marketable for work at home data entry jobs.When you search for work at home data entry jobs, yo
The team is not just a bunch of people getting together to make everyone's life easier. There is a mission and there are goals in mind when setting up the team. Make sure the mission is clearly articulated. Have it committed to paper so you can revisit regularly. Make sure you clearly understand the objectives and are personally aligned with the overall objective. Now is not the time to be a yes person. If you have reservations about what the purpose of the team is then clarify them before the team moves too far along. Make sure the goals are accomplishable. There is nothing worse than a team brought together to accomplish something that cannot be achieved.
Sin #2 Not contributing your share.
The team by its very nature should divide up the workload. You must be prepared to do your part. There is a fine line between distributing the workload evenly and sharing the responsibility. Clear ground rules should be established in advance to address who does what and when. This also includes the reporting mechanism during the process. If reports are due, make sure to prepare adequately. Winging-it is not an acceptable option for team performance. It’s also up to you to make the other team members do their share. If the workload becomes unbalanced then people will start to feel put upon or resentful.
Sin #3 Not attending meetings.
It’s always hard to schedule meetings. If you have a conflict, notify the team early. Even if you cannot stay the entire time, it’s best to make an appearance even for a short time. If you are expected to contribute at this meeting send your notes to the team leader in advance. It’s important to determine up front when a meeting is scheduled for and its purpose. There is nothing more disheartening to a team's efforts than sitting through a non-productive meeting. Make sure the number of meetings you miss is nominal. You don't want other team members to think you are not doing your share.
Sin #4 Not speaking up.
The value of the team is having opinions from every point of view. Balance is what makes the team most effective. You must be prepared to state your opinions even if they might be contrary to those of others. You are not
Many business people who are quite successful wish to franchise their businesses and sell additional outlets under their business name; brand name. It is an obvious method of expansion and makes a lot of sense, but it is not easy to build a franchise company, especially with all the rules and regulations, lawyers and bureaucratic debris out there. It might be easier to defeat Hezbollah than to franchise a company.You want to know a few tips and secrets from someone who has done it? Okay, well then let us consider upfront capital. You will need between one and two million dollars to do it correctly. Next you need to keep your goals regional, as there will be time later to conquer the world, but you need to keep your sphere of influence as regional as possible, the further you get away from your home base the further away from reality you get.You will need some expert help and beware of lawyers. Have your franchise documents done by a compiler of sorts and then take it to a lawyer. Do not register in every state, as they often share the Uniform Franchise Offering Circulars with your competition. Only franc
The team by its very nature should divide up the workload. You must be prepared to do your part. There is a fine line between distributing the workload evenly and sharing the responsibility. Clear ground rules should be established in advance to address who does what and when. This also includes the reporting mechanism during the process. If reports are due, make sure to prepare adequately. Winging-it is not an acceptable option for team performance. It’s also up to you to make the other team members do their share. If the workload becomes unbalanced then people will start to feel put upon or resentful.
Sin #3 Not attending meetings.
It’s always hard to schedule meetings. If you have a conflict, notify the team early. Even if you cannot stay the entire time, it’s best to make an appearance even for a short time. If you are expected to contribute at this meeting send your notes to the team leader in advance. It’s important to determine up front when a meeting is scheduled for and its purpose. There is nothing more disheartening to a team's efforts than sitting through a non-productive meeting. Make sure the number of meetings you miss is nominal. You don't want other team members to think you are not doing your share.
Sin #4 Not speaking up.
The value of the team is having opinions from every point of view. Balance is what makes the team most effective. You must be prepared to state your opinions even if they might be contrary to those of others. You are not
“Why reinvent the wheel?” your boss may ask. “Use a template instead. We’re running a little behind schedule, and we need that thing up right now.”These lines may irritate many creative workers. But the fact still rings true. You do not have to reinvent the wheel. If a template exists build on it.Remember that your creativity is not stifled by templates. In fact, they provide a basis for your creativity by freeing you from the tedium of organizing the needed structure. You can now focus on content instead!However you still have to be careful of your use of templates. The improper use of such will definitely make your work substandard. Here are a few tips to help you avoid this occurrence.Choose the Right TemplateChoose the right template for your work. To accomplish this you must have a clear understanding of the output you wish to achieve. After this, choose a template that outlines or resembles that output you visualize. Using such a template will take care of most of the menial work involved in drafting a document.If you cannot find a document template that matches your des
Sin #4 Not speaking up.
The value of the team is having opinions from every point of view. Balance is what makes the team most effective. You must be prepared to state your opinions even if they might be contrary to those of others. You are not trying to win a popularity contest. You are out to achieve measurable goals. Different perspectives help the team retain their objectivity. The teams should not consist of yes men-what's the point? Speaking up does not mean speaking out. Express your opinion and stick by it, but don't turn it into an area of contention.
Sin #5 Not supporting the team efforts.
This isn't grade school. You may not like every outcome of the team efforts; however, you as a team member are obligated to support the team as a whole. It's OK to have differences of opinion but keep them within the team. The team must be a cohesive unit in its message and performance. You can state your opinions to the group, but that's all. Don't badmouth the outcomes, the results or the team itself to anyone else. In this instance, it’s about the group functioning as a whole not about your personally.
Sin #6 Not handling conflict right away.
There are bound to be differences of opinions and disagreements. Make sure that you handle these in a business like manner. Discuss the issues and then move on to the next issue. Don't get bogged down in arguing small points and lose the impetus of the overall objectives. Know the limits of the team’s responsibilities too. There are some things that team cannot change so establish those rules up front.
Sin #7 Not taking credit where credit is due.
Sure it’s a team and you are a part of it but guess what. It’s OK to take credit for ideas and success. This is a part of the learning and growing process. Utilize it to your advantage.
There are many ways to toot your horn and still be inclusive of the team. The secret to being a "shining star" and have others sing your praises is to improve your visibility within the team.
There are several ways to do this while maintaining a team player status. This is a soft sell approach. When someone thinks of your team, you want to be positioned in the forefront. You should be the #1 team player. There are a myriad of ways to accomplish this objective; it just takes a little additional initiative and creativity on your part.
As a team is formed do one or more of the following:
1. Volunteer to be the team leader. This entails getting to know everyone. It might be a thankless job, but remember, yours will be the first when people talk about the team. That being the case, your name will be first on reports or documents coming from the team.
Caution: If the team’s efforts are not going well, remember that your name still appears first.
2. Volunteer to take the notes-not just secretary responsibilities. Be the conduit to the ongoing efforts of the group. All communications funnel through you. This has endless possibilities to improve your visibility. Every memo should have your name on it and include your contact information. You should include your tag line (not just note taker/secretary but something memorable that will remind people about you and your role within the project).<
HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.atriclecheck.com/article/45739/atriclecheck-7-Deadly-Sins-Of-Team-Building.html">7 Deadly Sins Of Team Building</a>
BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.atriclecheck.com/article/45739/atriclecheck-7-Deadly-Sins-Of-Team-Building.html]7 Deadly Sins Of Team Building[/url]
Related Articles:
Marketing 101: Reliability Counts
How to Finance Your Small Business Start Up
Bookmark it:
|