Building A High Performing Team

(Note:  In my last blog I said I would be expanding on developing a "Shared Vision."  I am postponing that discussion for now but will address it very soon.)

As I was reviewing one of the group discussions on LinkedIn this morning I saw the question posted regarding advice on how to build a high performing team.  This is every project managers’ biggest challenge and greatest opportunity.  There is so much to share and explore on this topic so I will focus on just a few essentials to get started.  I will briefly address the following topics and expand on them in future blogs:

·        Looking in the mirror

·        Servant-leadership

·        Creating a vision

·        Stages of team development

·        Leadership styles and approaches

·        Habits of effective leaders

Looking in the Mirror:

First and of utmost importance in building a high performing team is to look in the mirror…yes, that means at yourself.  A gathering of individuals will never become high performing, a highly productive unit, unless the leader is high performing or at least open to learning and developing skills required of a leader.  Many people think they are leaders but in reality no one is following.   What does it take to get people to follow you?  Why would anyone want to follow you?  Advice…don’t focus first on “how do I mold this group into a high performing team” but rather on “what do I need to do to be an effective leader?”  So let’s start with you as the leader and later we will move onto the team members and their role in becoming a high performing team.

People want a leader who has vision and is worthy of earning their trust and respect.   A leader earns trust by giving trust, by being trustworthy, through consistency, follow-through, and by setting the example.  Establishing rapport and building relationships are essential.  As the expression goes, people will care when they know you care.  See it is about you first…getting your house in order before creating marching orders for others.  This requires personal reflection and an honest assessment of your ability to earn the trust and respect of others.  How do you earn trust and respect; how do you build rapport; how will people know you care?  Hmm…some good questions for reflection.   Let’s take a look at some strategies and practices that will help answer those questions.

Servant-Leadership:

Have you heard the expression servant-leadership?  Are you familiar with this concept?  It is a leadership philosophy and practice that has been around for centuries.  The term itself was coined in 1970 by Robert Greenleaf  to describe a leader who gives priority attention to the team members, customers, colleagues, and other stakeholders to whom they serve.  The servant-leader’s emphasis is not on increasing their own power but on increasing the growth and development of individuals in the organization as well as increasing teamwork, personal involvement, and accountability.  They use collaboration, trust, communication, compassion, and the ethical use of power to lead and serve others better.  Becoming a servant-leader requires self-awareness, a desire to serve others, and a commitment to lead. 

Creating a Vision: 

How can you get somewhere if you don’t know where you are going?  Ever get in your car and just drive with no destination in mind?  If you are a sailor, do you set sail without charting a course?  Probably not!  However, in my experience I have witnessed many “leaders” (so called leaders) who will embark on a project without creating and sharing a clear vision with the team.  I have seen and heard from many project managers who are stuck, with their team, in conflict and confusion and have no idea of how they got there.  Vision sets the direction and having a shared-vision ensures everyone is going in the same direction TOGETHER.  One of the exercises I recommend to teams stuck in “storming” is to have everyone write on a post-it note what they think the vision is for the project.  The responses can be eye–opening and will explain a lot about why the team is struggling to make progress. 

Stages of Team Development:  

If you want to be an effective leader and mold a group of individuals into a highly productive team you MUST understand the stages of team development.  These stages are predictable and necessary and all teams will go through them to become high performing.  The predictable stages are Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning.  This is also called the Tuckman Model.  At each stage of team development the leader can expect to see and experience certain behaviors and attitudes from the team members.  And there are certain things that must be addressed at each of these stages.  The leader’s understanding of the stages of team development and ability to navigate successfully, by employing the appropriate leadership approach and techniques, will determine the level of success the team has moving forward. 

Leadership Styles and Approaches: 

A number of years ago, back in the 80’s I believe, Ken Blanchard developed his model called Situational Leadership II.  I have had the privilege of teaching his material and highly recommend it to all in leadership positions.  Essentially situational leadership says that there is no one right leadership style to use in every situation.  That makes sense, intuitively, but the reality is that most people tend to use only one or two styles of leadership in all situations.  The majority do so because they know no better.  For example, ever had a boss who delegates everything, regardless of your level of understanding or expertise, because he or she couldn’t walk you through it if they tried?  Situational leadership describes four leadership styles and ties them to the stages of team and individual development.  Those styles are:  Directing (also may be referred to as telling or tasking), Coaching (steering), Supporting (encouraging), and Delegating (entrusting).  Using the appropriate style in the appropriate situation will facilitate and enable your team to achieve desired results.  Using an inappropriate leadership style will in fact hinder your team from being successful.  It will hold them back and result in frustration, mistrust, and confusion. 

Habits of Effective Leaders: 

If you haven’t read Stephen Covey’s book entitled The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Simon & Schuster, 1989) then let me recommend it now.  If you have and it was a while ago, pick it up again.  Those 7 Habits are timeless and essential habits of an effective leader. 

Habit #1 is Be Proactive.  Bottom line it means have a plan.  Without a plan you can plan to fail.  We should be creating effective solutions and not spending our time in reactionary mode putting out fires.

Habit #2 is Begin With the End in Mind.  This goes back to having a vision, a set direction so everyone will be on the same page.  Without clear direction your team will surely get lost and again will encounter frustration, mistrust, and confusion.

Habit #3 is Put First Things First.  Covey followed up the 7 Habits book with a book entitled First Things First (Simon & Schuster, 1994) This is about prioritizing and putting the important things first.  Anyone struggling with time management issues (which is almost everyone) will benefit greatly by following this quadrant approach to setting priorities.  A team will struggle without having a clear sense of priorities.

Habit #4 is Think Win-Win.  To be a successful high performing team you must collaborate and work together to meet common and shared goals and objectives to achieve the vision and mission of the project.

Habit #5 is Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood.  As a leader you must do more listening and seeking to understand the other party’s needs and expectations.  Ask open-ended probing questions, listen actively, and seek to understand the interests (basic human needs; Maslow) of the other person. 

Habit #6 is Synergize.  Leaders don’t have all the answers and they recognize that.  They engage others in joint problem-solving and joint decision making.  Respect, trust and rapport are built through engaging others and respecting their input.

Habit #7 is Sharpen the Saw.  Some leaders may be “born leaders” but most are not.  Most are individuals who are committed to building their skill sets and developing their people or team members.  This takes us back to where we started…reflection, looking in the mirror to see what skills, knowledge, abilities, desires and habits it will take for you to become an effective leader worthy of being followed.  What does the (wo)man in the mirror look like…would you follow him/her?

Look for expanded discussions on the topics above in future blogs...including developing a "shared vision."

For more information on Situational Leadership visit http://www.kenblanchard.com/.  And for offerings by Stephen Covey go to http://www.stephencovey.com/ 

Happy Thanksgiving

Turkey day is here...certainly my favorite meal of the year.  Thank goodness most of my family likes the dark meat, I prefer the white.  Today is a day to give thanks and count our blessings.  As I said in my blog yesterday, Thanksgiving should become a habit and not something we celebrate only one day a year.

Tomorrow is "Black Friday," a crazy shopping day and the official start of  the holiday shopping season. I personally stay home on the day after Thanksgiving, too many people and too much traffic for me.  (And I am an extrovert!)  The next 30 days is the ultimate push for materialism.  Wouldn't it be nice if instead of giving more stuff to people who already have too much stuff that we gave to those in need.  Here are some ideas of things you can do to give back this holiday season:

• Give money to the Salvation Army to feed the homeless during the holidays
• Make a donation to your favorite charity in the name of a friend or loved one
• Volunteer at a local soup kitchen
• Actually give to the "bell ringers" outside of WalMart and other stores (isn't that Salvation Army?)
• Buy a cow, goat, chickens, trees, seeds, or other items through the Heifer project/Heifer International at http://www.heifer.com/
• Buy a bag of groceries and take to a family in need or give to your church to donate
• Send a care package to the troops overseas
• Donate coats, hats, gloves, and/or scarves to a local homeless shelter
• Invite a family over for the holidays who may not be able to afford to cook the turkey, ham, and all the trimmings
• Buy a turkey or ham and donate it to an organization that distributes food to families in need
• Purchase and deliver a Christmas tree to a family who cannot afford the cost of a tree
• Contact your church (or a local church if you do not attend one) and see if they can give you the name of a family to adopt for the holidays
• Volunteer to help build a house with Habitat for Humanity
• If you knit or crochet, make gloves for our soldiers (my aunt did that last year)
• If you are a handyman, help a single mother or an elderly person do house repairs or basic maintenance
• Help a single mother or the elderly decorate their house for the holiday; put up the tree, hang the outside lights, etc.

I am sure if I keep thinking I could come up with many other suggestions and I am sure you have plenty of ideas of your own.  There are so many wonderful charities out there who could use not only your money to help those in need but your time as well.  Here are some of my favorite charites (in no particular order):

• Make a Wish Foundation
• Special Olympics
• St. Jude's Childrens Hospital
• Heifer Project
• Canine Companions
• Local Animal Shelters (Don't forget the animals...a great place to adopt a cat or dog for your children)
• Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue (serving Eastern North Carolina...many rescue groups nationwide serving your local area)
• Salvation Army
• American Red Cross
• Women's Shelter of Wake County (check your local listings for a shelter in your area)
• Habitat for Humanity
• Any organization serving the military service men and women and their families

Your generous donation of time and/or money will be a blessing to you and to others.  Celebrate the season as it should be, by giving back to those in need...spend wisely!  Happy Holidays

(In my next blog I will get back to the topic of creating a "shared vision")

A Message of Thanksgiving: The Gift of Adversity is Personal Growth

It's definitely been a tough couple of years for many folks with job losses, layoffs, cutbacks, outsourcing, being asked to take pay cuts, and other cost cutting measures that have impacted our standard of living.  But still there has been a lot of positive that has come out of our economic slow down and the associated uncertainties.  Most importantly I believe that many people have reassessed their priorities in life.  I for one have created a budget and am following Dave Ramsey's program.  I put much more thought into what I buy and if I REALLY need it.  I waste less, want less, and appreciate more.  The true treasures in life are not in what you buy or what you own but in what you give.  Giving from the heart, giving to others in times of need, making a habit of giving thanks, will enhance ones self-worth and will provide more lasting joy and satisfaction than anything you can possibly buy.  Joy is not the absence of suffering but learning to enjoy life despite our problems. 

The gift we get from our personal challenges and adversity is the ability to grow and learn from the situation. The problems we encounter on a daily basis can cause immense frustration and irritation or they can produce maturity as we learn and grow in our knowledge and how we react to our circumstances. We learn more from our struggles and failures than from our successes.  Of course we all want to be successful but getting there is a process and there will be many hurdles along the way. Suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character.  Are you willing to learn from your failures?  What positive take aways do you glean from your daily challenges?  Do you have a vision for the future, a mission, goals and objectives to help you plunge ahead despite roadblocks along the way?  Is your focus on the past with all it's regrets or do you look to the future with its promises and hope?  An appropriate message from Rick Warren as it relates to our struggles and times of adversity is that "we can contol whether an experience makes us a bitter person or a better person."  I chose better, what about you?  Remember that tough times can be times of intense personal growth.

So during this week of Thanksgiving, the upcoming holiday season, and throughout the year let us count our blessings and focus on what we do have versus what we think we lack.  Thanksgiving should become a habit and not just something we celebrate one day a year.  Take time to express gratitude and you will enrich not only the lives of others but your own as well.  Make a habit of giving thanks and counting your blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving

A Compelling Vision...Setting the Direction

Having a compelling shared vision is an essential for success in any organization or business.  It is essential to ensure that everyone is heading in the same direction with a common set of goals and priorities.  One of the definitions of "vision" comes from Burt Nanus, an expert on the subject.  He defines vision as "a realistic, credible, attractive future for an organization." 

• Realistic - A vision must be based in reality to be meaningful to an organization.
• Credible - The vision must be believable to the employees and members of the organization (key stakeholders) if they are to buy into it.
• Attractive - The vision must be attractive in order to inspire and motivate others to achieve a level of excellence in pursuit of the vision.
• Future - A vision defines the future desired state and provides positive direction. 

A vision should describe a set of ideals and priorities.  A vision is a guiding principle that defines the direction of an organization or program. It keeps us focused on the bigger picture and should create a tangible, vivid image.  A compelling vision stirs passion within.  Some of the characteristics and benefits of a vision include:

• It is where we see ourselves/our program/our organization in the future
• Affects how we make decisions
• Affects how we spend our time
• Creates consequences
• Must be clearly and ceaselessly communicated
• Should be compelling and forcible
• Anchored in organizational reality
• Helps us transcend barriers and limitations
• Becomes a motivating factor
• Creates passion, imagination and creativity
• Establishes a standard of excellence

Viktor Frankl was an Austrian psychologist who survived the concentration camps of Nazi Germany in WWII.  He observed and documented what made it possible for some people to survive the experience while others died.  The most significant factor in survival was having a compelling future-oriented vision.  The primary factor in the survival and success of an organization is having a collective or shared compelling vision.

Many people throughout history have shared their vision for the future.  The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. shared his "I Have A Dream" speech on August 28, 1963.  This is an example of how one man's dream became a shared vision of a nation.   To turn a vision into a shared vision there are certain things that must be included to enlist others to buy into the "dream."

In my next blog I will expand on developing a shared vision and guidelines for evaluating a vision statement. 

"The task of a leader is to define the destination and the blueprint to get there."  (Peter Block)

Clearly...We Need Vision!

In yesterday's blog I addressed some best practices of project management, specifically the fact that schedule should not be the sole focus in a project.  Too many organizations are putting their emphasis on the schedule as the primary driver with much lesser regard to other essential elements.  A successful project requires equal attention to scope/specifications, cost, quality, risk, and schedule (known as project constraints).  And taking time to PLAN and build a high performing team is essential for project success.  These things do take time to be done correctly but ultimately will pay off and be key to meeting the deadlines.  Lack of planning and team building can result in delays, poor quality, poor communication, and conflict to name a few of the negative consequences.

In addition to the above, reaching a successful project conclusion also requires having a clear vision of what success looks like.  A project is like a journey, there is a beginning and an end with a final destination (or goal) in mind.  It is hard to reach our destination successfully without direction.  In the words of Stephen Covey, we want to "begin with the end in mind." (Habit #2 - Seven Habits of Highly Successful People). 

Again, often project teams rush to get started with their focus and emphasis on meeting the schedule which may or may not be realistic.  They rush to start implementing (something) and moving forward without a clear understanding of the vision and without outlining in detail (known as planning) the goals and objectives and step-by-step activities (WBS/work breakdown structure) to achieve the objectives.  Without a clearly defined vision, and directions (roadmap) of how to achieve the vision, it is highly likely that the team will get lost along the way.  Without adequate planning the team will encounter numerous roadblocks, detours, potholes, and other obstacles causing delay and potential failure.

One of the exercises I recommend to project managers when their team seems stuck in the "storming stage," as witnessed by excessive conflict and lack of progress, is that they do a "vision check."  Call their team together, give them post-it notes (or use technology for virtual teams), and ask everyone on the team to write down the vision of the project.  Simple exercise but the results can be quite enlightening and predictable.  A very good reason that many teams get stuck is that they indeed do not have a common vision much less a shared vision.  If we head out in separate vehicles, without a map, with uncertain directions, we will almost certainly end up all over the map and fail to arrive at our destination on time. 

In my next blog I will get into more detail about creating a shared vision.  A vision should be compelling, clear, concise, and consistent.  A vision helps us to C where we are going and how to get there.

Speed Can Be Dangerous

Driving too fast can lead to mistakes, it causes accidents, can be deadly, and at a minimum excessive speed breaks the rules and can lead to ticketing or perhaps the loss of a license.  You have a better chance of reaching your destination successfully at an appropriate speed (and ofcourse without talking or texting on your phone!) 

One of the trends I have noticed over the years I have been delivering project management training is that more and more the focus in the private sector seems to be almost exclusively on the SPEED of delivery.  Some of the comments I hear are "We don't have time to plan, we have a schedule to meet."  "Spend time on team building, impossible, we have deadlines to meet."  "You don't understand, there is no time for that, meeting the schedule is our focus."  "Quality, does anyone do that anymore? Our management only seems to focus on the schedule." 

Now don't get me wrong...meeting a schedule is important, but have we forgotten about quality and meeting customer expectations?  Yes, timeliness is one of their expectations, but getting a quality product that meets specifications is also imperative if we are to keep our customers satisfied and coming back for more.  And no one keeps us in business like our customers :-)

No time to plan?  Really?  If there is no time to plan then where will you find the time when your product fails either before or after it reaches the customer.  If it fails before it reaches the customer it will take rework to bring the product into specifications or perhaps the product will be scrapped and a total loss.  If the product reaches the customer and then fails the consequences are even more significant.  The need for so many Call Centers is a direct result of poor quality which often is a by-product of poor planning.  Call centers and customer service reps are required to take customer complaints and provide support for products that have failed!  (No time to plan...hurry to meet an unrealistic schedule pulled out of the air...and now excessive costs to run our call centers...oh yeah, we saved money because we outsourced them overseas somewhere.)  Then there are recalls, loss of business, and loss of reputation.   And reputation as we all know is everything.  Without a favorable or exceptional reputation companies don't stay in business for long.  "Fail to plan and plan to fail." 

Planning does take time, absolutely.  But proper planning is not time wasted, it is essential to avoid the pitfalls and dangers associated with only focusing on the speed of delivery.  Meeting schedules are important but creating unrealistic schedules without planning time built in will eventually be fatal.  A successful project requires attention to cost, schedule, scope, quality, and risks. 

And...successful projects are only delivered by productive, high performing teams where people communicate and plan effectively.  Building a successful team requires time to establish trust and rapport so the team will not get stuck in "storming."  No time for team building?  Then plan to spend excessive time managing conflict!  How are your conflict resolution skills?  If meeting a schedule is truly important to you, then I suggest taking time to build a team that will move quickly through "storming" to "high performing."  Team building is time well spent and not wasted time; it is essential to meet a schedule, realistic or unrealistic.

I will tell you what wasted time is...it is focusing only on the schedule; "the need for speed."  In the haste to move quickly without regard to planning and building a team where people trust each other and communicate openly, honestly, and work together effectively, there will be mistakes.  There will be errors, there will be rework, there will be scrap, there will be waste, there will be frustration and conflict, and ultimately it will take more time!

Understanding Our Comfort Zones

As I write, I have a young lady downstairs completing an inventory that we will use to discuss various options and ideas related to her future career choices.  She will be graduating from college in a little over three weeks.  (Her mother and I met in college many years ago and have remained friends.)  She is completing a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and in a few minutes, upon completing the instrument, we will discuss the results and potential application.  Like myself, my friend's daughter was not given much guidance in college regarding career choices.  She majored in something she enjoyed, English.  I wish I had had this session with her four years ago.  That is not to say that she made a poor choice of majors, just that she has had little to no guidance up to this point, not unlike most college students! 

The MBTI is an instrument that measures preferences.  A good example of a preference would be if you prefer to write and eat with your left hand or your right hand.  I have a "right-hand" preference and I was born with that preference.  And unless something drastic happens, I will always grab for things with my right hand before using my left hand.  My left hand is my backup hand.  I use it everyday and would find it difficult to do things without my left hand.  Eating and writing and even catching things with my right hand is my comfort zone.  I can do things left-handed like eat or write; but it feels awkward, uncomfortable, not natural, and I have to put a lot of effort and thought into it...it is "outside the comfort zone." 

So what can knowing our preferences (or personality type) do to help us be better employees, friends, workers, spouses...?  To begin with, it can give us some clarity around our comfort zone.  Once you understand "Type" you can start to understand why some people are comfortable in some environments and situations and others would find the same circumstances uncomfortable.  It gives us more capacity to step into the shoes of the other party and try to see things from their perspective.  When understood and applied properly, knowledge of MBTI or "Type" can bring new perspective to situations and perhaps allow us to step out of our comfort zone with confidence and achieve even greater results. 

The MBTI is an invaluable tool whether it is used for career coaching, team building, to communicate more effectively, building relationships, or reading the other party in a negotiation.  Many HR departments have certified practitioners, or if internal resources are not available, consultants can be found through a local APT Chapter (Association of Psychological Type). 

I know many of you have taken the MBTI in the past, perhaps in college, in a leadership class, or in premarital counseling.  My question to you is do you remember your training; do you remember your type; are you applying the knowledge?  Knowledge without application has little to no value.  Application of the information gained from the MBTI can yield more effective and satisfying results.

For more informtion on Type (MBTI) you might want to check out these websites and references:

http://www.capt.org/                                    (Center for the Application of Psychological Type)
http://www.apt.org/                                      (Association of Psychological Type)
http://www.typetalk.com/                             (Otto Kroeger & Associates)

Do What You Are                              (Paul Tieger & Barbara Barron-Tieger)
Type Talk At Work                            (Otto Kroeger)
Looking At Type:  The Fundamentals  (Charles Martin, Ph.D.)

There are hundreds of resources regarding the Myers-Briggs indicator; I have given you a few to get started.  You can find many other books and resources listed on the websites above.  Happy "Typing"!

Uncertain Journey

Today is an uncertain journey as I attempt my first blog not really certain which direction I will take.  Most likely I will use this site as a place to discuss various leadership and management issues with my focus audience being project managers.  Although, as I have often said in my training classes, we are all project managers.  Life itself is a project to be managed...or...left to chance.  A well developed plan, goals and objectives, clear vision, and an understanding of your stakeholders is a good start for a successful project. 

Yes I will talk about project management strategies, tool, and techniques.  Within that realm I will address a number of elements critical to any project's success.  Many of my discussions will revolve around leadership and management skills and challenges.  I will address topics such as building relationships, effective communication, managing conflict, interest-based negotiations, and strategies to build strong teams.  I will provide more details and topics in a future blog. 

I also want to use this site to discuss purpose and passion.  I have developed a course entitled "Discover Your Passion" and will be sharing bits and pieces to help those of you who are on your own journey to discover your passion and purpose in life.  Some of you know what you are passionate about but perhaps have not been able to take it to the next step, whatever that might be. 

Also on this site I want to talk about personal growth and development.  I will introduce career planning tools and techniques to help with decision making, problem-solving, and idea generation. 

So many possibilities...I should have plenty to write about.  Well my cat is tugging on my arm right now and making it difficult to type.  So I will close by saying I am looking forward to the journey and I hope I will have some people join me!  Looking forward to hearing from you.