Team

21 posts



In the workplace, you can spot a great team by how well the members communicate and collaborate with each other. A team that regularly achieves its goals and exceeds expectations is irreplaceable. So, how can you build and manage a successful team, one that will take your organization to the next level?

We recently asked our executives how they build successful working teams.

Here are their responses...

Ana Smith, Talent Architect & Global Learning Strategist


One of the most important things for a leader to do is to build a working, well-orchestrated, and high-performing team.

  1. Start with clear goals and expectations. What do you want your team to achieve? Once you know your goal, you can start to build a team that is well-suited to achieve it.
  2. Hire/bring the right people. When you're hiring for your team, look for people who have the skills and experience to contribute to your goal. But don't just hire for skills and experience. Look for people who are also a good fit for your team culture.
  3. Get to know the team members. Once they become part of your team, make sure that you get to know them, their strengths, and their passions.
  4. Create a positive work environment. A positive work environment is one where people feel comfortable being themselves and where they feel valued. Make sure your team has a space where they can collaborate and be creative.
  5. Set clear expectations. Let your team know what you expect of them in terms of their work, their behavior, and their contributions to the team. This will help them to understand their role and to be successful.
  6. Provide regular feedback and feedforward. Feedback is essential for team growth and development. Make sure you're providing your team with regular feedback, both positive and negative. This will help them to learn and to improve. Feedforward focuses on the future rather than the past. It is a way of providing suggestions and guidance that can help improve their performance.
  7. Celebrate successes. When your team achieves a goal, be sure to celebrate their success. This will help to boost morale and to keep your team motivated.
  8. Address conflict head-on. Conflict is inevitable in any team. When conflict arises, be sure to address it head-on in a constructive way. This will help to prevent conflict from escalating and damaging the team's morale.
  9. Trust your team. Trust is essential for any team to function effectively. Make sure you're trusting your team to do their jobs and to make decisions. This will help to create a sense of ownership and responsibility among your team members.
  10. Be open to feedback. No one is perfect, including you. Be open to feedback from your team members. This will help you to grow as a leader and to improve your team's performance.
  11. Have fun! Work doesn't have to be all work and no play. Make sure your team has fun together. This will help to create a positive and productive work environment.
Ana Smith helps people & organizations achieve their full talent potential by developing and co-creating people strategies and customized solutions, and turning them into impactful outcomes and collaborative relationships, using coaching as the "red thread."

John Hoffman, Creative Producer


Team works on a project together

As someone who creates temporary teams to execute big ideas, building a highly efficient team with a minimal learning curve is vital for success.

It starts with understanding the project's mission, goals, and desired outcomes. From there, select the appropriate team members, focusing on a few solid leads in critical areas and support around them.

A clear mission statement in everyday language is essential for all team members to understand and take ownership of the outcome. When selecting team members, look for those with a strong work ethic, a collaborative mindset, dependability, flexibility, solution-oriented, candor, and a positive attitude.

Effective communication and budgeting skills are also necessary, but the key is how well the team works together, the fit, the trust, and the collective strength. A team that makes each other better and stronger is essential for success.

Creative team building and leadership are the most critical aspects of my job. Obsessing over who is on the team ensures the project's success.

John Hoffman has 15+ years of leadership experience creating and producing video content, branded entertainment, PR stunts, and experiential and live events. At his core, he's a storyteller who has mastered the creative map and can scale logistical mountains.

Michael Willis, Sports Business Operations Executive


Successful team meets at work

Just like in the world of sports, we should all want to field the best players for the team. That’s the job. We all want to win.

In building a team, I must have the same winning mindset. I want the project to succeed, and I like the team to win. Anything less, then I’m in the wrong place.

The Mission

My first step in building a team is to know the “mission.” I need to know what the team needs to accomplish. Once I know this important detail, I can build a pool of possible team members.

My first step in building a team is setting a standard for each candidate. I need to develop a tool to vent or filter to see who rises to the top of the standard.

The Team

Now that I have a properly vetted pool that should be on the team, I will now look at the diversity of the pool. I want to bring different perspectives, experiences, and demographics onto the team.

It is important to consider diversity in terms of not only ethnicity or gender but also in terms of age, education, background, experience, and skillset. This can help ensure the team has a wide range of perspectives.

The Work

Now that the team has been selected and assembled, I can begin meeting with each member to discuss their role and responsibilities. Then I would meet the entire group collectively to discuss how to work together. Then I would lay out the assignment and the mission. And finally, the expectations. And feedback.

Michael Willis has 18+ years of experience working with accounting & sports organizations and has managed P&Ls of $10M - $125M+ with budgets of $3M-$50M+. He worked for the NFL for 22 1/2 years, mainly with the game officials working on the financial/accounting side of the business.

Debra Shannon, IT Executive


Team meets to get to the performing stage of team development

When building a high-performing team, it’s critical to make sure the right individuals are in the right roles. Involve the team and build the team together. They typically will have a good idea of the type of individual who would be a good fit for the team, especially for hard-to-fill roles.

Starting at the beginning of the hiring process, does your organization have a referral program? The internal “referring” employee is already familiar with the culture so they can improve the quality of the hire for a better cultural fit. Also, create a special “referral” process for applicants to apply so that you can more easily identify and track those individuals. If successful, offer the “referring” employee a referral fee. You can reduce the time to hire and the cost per hire, which will outweigh the referral fee cost.

During the interview process, ask some team members to participate in the interviews. Let them ask questions to determine whether the applicant could be a good fit for the team and the overall team dynamic. In addition, the applicant gets to meet the team members.

So, solicit the team’s input during the hiring process. The more involved the team is, the more they will feel valued and engaged. This, in turn, can improve the employee retention rate.

Debra Shannon is an IT executive who is also a CPA, CIA, and CISA. Her passion is turning chaos into calm. With her unique blend of experience in technology, project management, and auditing, she can break down complex business problems, identify practical solutions, and lead executive teams and business partners to embrace the value of technology changes.

Carla Biasi, Personal Stylist


Successful team has fun during a work meeting

​First, start by hiring the right people. Ask individuals about specific examples of how they worked in a team environment and what they did and did not enjoy about it. It's imperative that individuals realize the importance of team building.

Secondly, set very clear objectives for each team member. Explain how their role affects the team and the overall goal.

Have fun by having team-building exercises or icebreakers! Let everyone get to know each other a little bit and enjoy each other's company.

Delegate responsibilities to the team and let them creatively work together.

Remember, a team is only as strong as the weakest link.

Carla Biasi is a personal stylist living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. She currently has her own business and works part-time at an upscale women's boutique and as a virtual and kit stylist for a women’s specialty brand.

Lisa Perry, Global Marketing Executive


Man leads his team at work

Teamwork is an underestimated tool that can help drive organizational success. Employees who collaborate at work are more engaged, have higher success rates, and are less tired. A good team leverages each person’s unique skills and talents, working together instead of against each other.

Here are eight ways to build a working team:

  1. Set SMART Goals: It’s an effective approach to ensure clarity, focus, and measurable outcomes.
  2. Define Roles & Responsibilities: When team members have well-defined roles and responsibilities, they can focus on accomplishing their tasks within the allotted time frame.
  3. Set Clear Expectations: Communicate individual and team performance expectations, deadlines, and deliverables. Define measurable goals and provide regular feedback to help team members track their progress.
  4. Foster Effective Communication: Establish open channels of communication and encourage active listening. Promote a culture of transparency where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas, concerns, and feedback.
  5. Motivate With Positivity: I subscribe to two theories: “you get more flies with honey than vinegar,” and I serve the needs of others over my self-interests. I aim to encourage a supportive, positive, and inclusive team culture that values diversity, respects individual contributions, and recognizes and celebrates achievements.
  6. Encourage Collaboration: Promote a collaborative environment where team members work together towards common goals. Encourage brainstorming, knowledge sharing, and cross-functional collaboration.
  7. Give & Accept Feedback: Promote a culture where team members actively give and receive constructive feedback, fostering continuous growth and improvement.
  8. Provide Resources & Support: Ensure team members have the necessary resources, tools, and training to perform their roles effectively. Offer support and guidance when needed, fostering a culture of continuous learning and development.

Lisa Perry helps companies build leadership brands, driving loyal customers & delivering profitability. She does this through a process that builds brands consumers love. Her goal is to help companies develop, monetize, and grow their brands.

How do you build a successful working team? Join the conversation inside Work It Daily's Executive Program.

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Executive Spotlight: How To Build A Working …



When you look at your team, do you see diverse skills and perspectives, shared vision, and adaptability? If so, you have the key components that can turn a good team into a great team achieving higher levels of performance, productivity, and impact. Then you need to have a positive and supportive environment to cultivate a high-performing team (whether they be onsite, hybrid, or remote) including:

1. Clear goals – provide clear communication about the organization’s plans and goals. Ensure the team understands how their work contributes towards those goals. Then give them the latitude to do their jobs leveraging their strengths and interests. Have periodic check-ins to see if they need anything.

2. Open communications – the team must have meaningful conversations and feel safe expressing their ideas, opinions, and concerns to the rest of the team. Communication needs to be respectful, constructive, and solutions focused.

3. Collaborative spirit – the team works together to achieve its goals. Each team member is unique and brings something different to the table, so leverage their distinctive strengths. In the end, the team will have more innovative discussions and develop well-thought-out solutions.

4. Continuous improvement – the team needs to have a curious mindset enabling them to identify and address inefficiencies. Having a culture of continuous improvement will lead to improved efficiencies and better outcomes.

How To Support The Team


Team/teamwork concept at an escape room

Be intentional in your efforts to support the team by taking the time to understand their needs and preferences. How can you tell if the team dynamic needs to be improved? One way is to observe their performance. Is the team not embracing new initiatives, or is there higher-than-normal turnover? If you notice these types of symptoms, you may not be providing the support that the team needs to be successful.

Ask the team what type of support they need. Have you empowered the team to take ownership of their work and given them the autonomy to succeed? Nobody wants to be micromanaged! Or does the team need additional training or development opportunities to grow their skills? When you support employees’ personal development, they’re more likely to be and stay excited for what’s next (and potentially stay longer with the organization).

You may want to periodically have some fun team-building activities, which can be done either in-person or virtually. Organize a virtual coffee break or a volunteering event at a local charity or non-profit. If you have added some new team members, make the extra effort to welcome them into the team. For example, go to an escape room, which requires the team to work together to solve puzzles and escape a room within a certain time frame. The key is to choose activities that are fun and engaging that promote positive communication and collaboration among the team members.

Appreciate The Team


Team/employee appreciation concept

And last but definitely not least, take the time to acknowledge and show your gratitude, and celebrate significant achievements that the team has accomplished. The key is to be sincere even simply saying thank you or handwriting a note (because to me handwritten = personal). This will make the team feel valued and appreciated.

You must be employee focused, and genuinely support and take care of your team! For more information on the importance of a high-performing team, follow me on LinkedIn!

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Importance Of Cultivating A High-Performing Team



An essential part of being a leader is knowing how and when to delegate tasks to co-workers, direct reports, and other team members. The best leaders use delegation to be more efficient, increase team productivity and confidence, and give team members professional development opportunities. While delegating work is a sign of a good leader, how can you remain accountable when assigning responsibility to someone else?

We recently asked our leading executives for their expert advice on how to delegate while remaining accountable.

Here are their responses...

Michael Willis, Sports Business Operations Executive


As an executive, I always take the position that I am responsible for anything that happens, good or bad, in my operations. I am responsible for the outcome.

Unlike authority and responsibility, accountability cannot be delegated. I own accountability.

The Team

It’s my responsibility to build a team that can achieve the deliverables. My job as a leader is to ensure that the right people are in the right place.

I am responsible for each team member being equipped with the technical knowledge to perform to their full potential. But more importantly, leadership must let the team know why the task matters and how they fit into the big picture. The team needs to know what’s at stake.

As the company’s mission, goals, and competitors change, leadership is tasked to make the necessary adjustments to ensure the team can pivot to meet upcoming challenges.

Lastly, the team’s leader inspires the commitment of the team. People get excited about what’s possible but commit only when they understand their role in meeting challenges.

Michael Willis has 18+ years of experience working with accounting & sports organizations and has managed P&Ls of $10M - $125M+ with budgets of $3M-$50M+. He worked for the NFL for 22 1/2 years, mainly with the game officials working on the financial/accounting side of the business.

Ana Smith, Talent Architect & Global Learning Strategist


Delegation/leadership concept

Delegation is the act of entrusting tasks or responsibilities to others while still retaining ultimate accountability for the outcome. An effective delegation is a powerful tool for leaders as it helps to increase productivity, build trust among team members, and allows leaders to focus on higher-level tasks.

One critical aspect of delegation is ensuring that the delegated task is clearly defined. This means being specific about what needs to be done, the deadline for completion, and the desired outcome. When the person taking on the task fully understands what is expected of them, they are more likely to succeed, and there is less risk of misunderstandings or delays.

Choosing the right person to delegate the task to is also essential. It's important to consider the skills and experience required to complete the task successfully. When delegating tasks, choose someone who has the necessary skills and experience, which will increase the chances of a positive outcome and minimize the risk of errors or delays.

Providing the necessary resources is another crucial aspect of delegation. Leaders must ensure that the person taking on the task has access to all the resources they need to complete the task successfully. This could include information, tools, equipment, or budget.

Regular check-ins are also essential to ensure that the task is on track and that any issues are addressed promptly. Even if leaders trust the person taking on the task, it's important to set up regular check-ins to monitor progress and offer support if needed.

Leaders must also hold themselves accountable for the success or failure of the delegated task. As the leader, they are ultimately responsible for the outcome, and they must be ready to take responsibility and provide support if things don't go as planned.

Finally, learning from mistakes is essential when things don't go as planned. Leaders should take the opportunity to analyze what went wrong and identify ways to improve the delegation process for next time. By doing this, they can improve the effectiveness of their delegation skills and, ultimately, lead to better results for the organization as a whole.

In summary, effective delegation requires clear communication, careful selection of the right person, provision of necessary resources, regular check-ins, accountability, and learning from mistakes. By following these guidelines, leaders can delegate tasks effectively while still remaining accountable for the outcomes.

Ana Smith helps people & organizations achieve their full talent potential by developing and co-creating people strategies and customized solutions, and turning them into impactful outcomes and collaborative relationships, using coaching as the "red thread."

Lisa Perry, Global Marketing Executive


Manager delegates tasks to his team members

Delegating tasks to others is an essential skill for leaders, but it's important to do so in a way that ensures accountability for the ultimate outcome. Here are some tips on how to delegate while remaining accountable:

  1. Clearly define the task: Ensure that the person you are delegating to understands exactly what needs to be done, the desired outcome, and any relevant deadlines. This will help to avoid misunderstandings and ensure that everyone is on the same page.
  2. Assign responsibility: Make sure the person you delegate the task to has the necessary resources, responsibility, and support to accomplish the task. This includes any training, equipment, or other resources that may be needed.
  3. Set checkpoints: Establish regular checkpoints to review progress and make adjustments as necessary. This helps to ensure that the task stays on track and that any issues or concerns can be addressed in a timely manner.
  4. Provide feedback: Provide regular feedback to the person you delegated the task to, both positive and constructive, to help them improve their performance and ensure that the task is completed successfully.
  5. Monitor progress: Keep an eye on progress and be prepared to step in and provide additional support or guidance if needed. This will help to ensure that the task is completed successfully and that any issues or challenges are addressed in a timely manner.
  6. Take ultimate responsibility: Ultimately, as the leader, you are responsible for the outcome of any tasks you delegate. It's important to take ownership of this responsibility and ensure that the task is completed successfully, even if you are not directly involved in the execution.

By following these tips, you can delegate tasks effectively while remaining accountable for the outcome. This not only helps to ensure successful outcomes but also helps to build trust and confidence in your leadership among your team members.

Lisa Perry helps companies build leadership brands, driving loyal customers & delivering profitability. She does this through a process that builds brands consumers love. Her goal is to help companies develop, monetize, and grow their brands.

How do you delegate while remaining accountable? Join the conversation inside Work It Daily's Executive Program.

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Executive Spotlight: How To Delegate While Remaining …



Do you find yourself wondering what's next in the experiential marketing world?

  • How can you cut through the clutter?
  • Why is change happening so fast?
  • How are you going to keep up?

    It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that the experience economy that is built on people's interests is constantly evolving. So if you are facing any of the following challenges, I'd love to chat with you.

    • Staying ahead of the curve with your idea for events and content.
    • How to get "more for your money"?
    • Do you have all the right players?

    1. Staying Ahead Of The Curve When It Comes To New And Cutting-Edge Trends In Events And Branded Content.


    Branded content concept

    If you face stiff competition and face it, everyone is, you need your events and branded content to stand out. But how? First, we need a competitive analysis of what's going on in your channel and a keen eye for trends. Then, you need to fill the gap with ideas that differentiate your brand, connect deeply with your consumers, and inspire your internal team. Your consumer has vast and multi-layer interests, so finding the universal hot button is critical.

    How can you go beyond the expected prominent elements and work as hard on the little things, the details that personalize and create lasting loyalty? Successful campaigns that lift everyone and propel growth and employee retention.

    2. How Do You Get More Out Of Your Budget?


    Man checks his budget at work

    First is understanding the big picture and knowing the desired takeaway from the audience. The ability to see the big picture, pay attention to detail, and connect the two is critical. Looking closely at the budget, understanding the time and money each element will cost and its impact on the consumer. What simple alterations can be made to one to afford more money for another? Creativity finding ways to get the most bang for the buck is an art powered by experience, problem-solving, communication, great contacts, drive, and passion.

    The early discussions on the idea's feasibility against the time and money are essential.

    3. Do You Have The Right Players? (Getting The Best Top Talent)


    Creative team works on an experiential marketing project

    We know there are many people in the job market, but you need an expert, someone who can take charge and allow you to think about the bigger picture—the brand's direction.

    Challenge you don't have time to search and find that talent. Maybe you need a ringer with a unique and wide range of knowledge. Someone who can step in with experience and confidence and enhance your strategy by bringing the right freelance player together for any given task. Or may you need an elite team, a seal team to tackle a myriad of initiatives.

    I often see internal teams that are bogged down with the day-to-day and trying to pull off their biggest event of the year. At the same time. These teams are extremely talented and just a few key positions shy of being able to truly excel. So, if you feel a few players need more time or want to hire a partner to make it all happen and better than expected, I want to speak to you.

    You should be able to stir the ship, not work in the engine room…be a guest at your big productions.

    Remember, the audience wasn't part of the planning; they will never know the things you didn't bring to life, only the ones you do. So make sure what you do is done well, on time, and within your budget.

    Maybe a fresh perspective or outside creative brainstorming is just the thing you need. I find that just speaking to other creatives and brand managers and not knowing everything they have planned help ask the obvious questions and details that might be overlooked. Let's face it: the "nuts and bolts" of any worthwhile endeavor are totally consumptive and it is only natural to hold back from the big idea because you're not sure you have the team to make it happen. Well, now you do.

      If exceptional execution of breakthrough ideas is your goal, we should talk.

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      Experiential Marketing: How To Overcome 3 Common …



      Most people think of how diversity affects and benefits the team. Embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in a team is critical when fostering an inclusive and effective work environment. When we build diverse teams that value and leverage different perspectives, we drive better outcomes. The more homogenous the team is, the more “group think” you’ll potentially have—because the group has a similar thinking style. If you don’t have enough diversity, you’re more likely to be missing valuable perspectives. But when you have a diverse team, there will be perspectives that you may never have considered.

      Not only does diversity (or lack thereof) affect the team, but that influence can be much further reaching and affect customer-facing products and services. How? By introducing biases (such as implicit/unconscious and conscious). If you have an unconscious bias, you’re more likely to make assumptions and assume that those assumptions are true when they’re not true. That bias can lead to marketing campaigns based on perceived customer preferences but reinforce existing biases and limit opportunities for your customers.

      There are several biases that can influence how customer-facing products and services are designed, developed, marketed, and delivered, potentially resulting in unintended or unfair outcomes.

      Types Of Biases


      Cultural bias can lead to misunderstandings, miscommunications, or the exclusion of certain cultural groups. For example, if you’re meeting prospects, did you know that prolonged eye contact is a sign of disrespect in some cultures while people who don’t look into someone’s eyes are seen as being evasive in other cultures?

      Language bias arises from differences in language, accents, or dialects. Language bias can impact communication, customer service, or product accessibility, leading to different treatment or exclusion of customers who don’t speak the primary language. For example, people who speak English have accents or pronounce certain words differently (especially regionally). How well does your voice response unit (VRU) interpret what is being said by your customers? If not very well, the customer could get frustrated if the VRU constantly misinterprets what they’re saying.

      If you’re using technology to create or improve a business solution, make sure you understand the customers’ needs/wants including the associated data. Otherwise, you may inadvertently introduce data-related bias. There is a saying that data is not agnostic, so you need to know where the data comes from and what the limitations are. You’ve probably noticed that grocery stores (within the same grocery store chain) stock slightly different SKUs in different neighborhoods. If you don’t understand the targeted customers for each grocery store and properly analyze the data, you may have limited products leading to poor customer experiences.

      Recognizing And Reducing Bias


      Be conscious of your unconscious bias. When you’re aware of your unconscious biases and why you have them, it’s easier to notice when you’re acting on them.

      So how do you recognize if there is bias? Start by examining the decision-making process for potential biases. Are there patterns of favoritism, or are certain groups consistently being overlooked? Are there patterns of differential treatment based on characteristics such as race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, or neurodiversity? Question the assumptions and consider alternative perspectives. Each person has a perspective based on specific knowledge which is shaped by our personality, background, and even our childhood. All of these things give us a unique and valuable perspective and make each of us different. Maximize different perspectives by having a diverse team.

      Foster diversity, equity, and inclusion on your team and use it to their advantage. When you have a diverse team, there will be a much wider variety of perspectives. In addition, educate the team about different types of biases and raise awareness about unconscious bias and its potential impact on decision-making. When the collective team has a better understanding of what the various types of biases are, they have a better chance of recognizing and mitigating them when designing, developing, marketing, and delivering notable customer-facing products and services together.

      For more information on the importance of a diverse team for notable customer-facing products and services, follow me on LinkedIn!

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      Importance Of Diversity For Customer-Facing Products And …

      3 Ways To Replace A Member Of Your Team



      The average turnover rate currently is ~47%. If the entire team isn’t feeling engaged and appreciated, your team may be affected and part of this statistic. If so, there are things you can do to efficiently fill that vacancy with an individual who is a great fit for the team.

      Where To Find Potential Job Candidates


      Referral program concept

      Let’s start with where the potential individuals will come from. The typical pools are:

      1. Internally – can you hire someone from within the organization? Internal promotions and transfers show existing employees that there are career advancement opportunities within the organization. Even when there isn’t an opening, you can help explain the skills and training needed for potential internal candidates who are interested in joining your team.

      2. Externally – via a job posting, the use of a recruiter (contingent or retained), etc.

      3. Referral Program – which is the best of both worlds. A “referring” internal employee is already familiar with the organization and culture. As a result, this will improve the quality of the hire for a better cultural fit which will improve the employee retention rate. This will typically reduce the time to hire and, as a result, reduce the cost per hire. And to take your referral program from “good” to great,” consider the following:

      • Offer the referring employee a referral reward, bonus, and/or recognition
      • Create a special “referral” process for applicants to apply (separate from the “regular” application process) so that you can more easily identify and track those individuals

      If you have an opening on your team, ask for a referral from the team. A team member will have a better idea of the type of individual who would be a better cultural fit for the team, especially for hard-to-find roles.

      What You Should Consider When Replacing A Team Member


      Onboarding/welcoming new employee concept

      No matter what avenue(s) you use, below are four considerations:

      1. You’ll need a good relevant job description (JD). If the position has multiple levels, make sure it correctly ladders (e.g., Analyst I, Analyst II, and Analyst III) so that there is a clear path to growth. Sometimes less is more. If a JD is too detailed, then it’s unlikely that you’ll find an individual who matches 100%. Are all of the skills listed really requirements or can some be taught?

      2. The team should be made up of diverse individuals. Hopefully, you have a diverse set of applicants. Diverse individuals have diverse perspectives. As a result, a diverse team will have more innovative and productive discussions and develop well-thought-out solutions. So be prepared to think outside the box when reviewing the resumes.

      3. During the interview process, determine whether the applicant is a good cultural fit for the team dynamic. Ask team members to participate in the interviews and solicit their opinions about the applicants. They’ll have a good idea of the type of individual who would be a good fit for the team, especially for hard-to-find roles. In addition, not only does the team get to meet the applicants, but each applicant gets to meet the team and get a feel for the team’s dynamics.

      4. When getting ready to make an offer, be empathetic and open to requests the applicant may have for a good work-life balance such as:

      • Workplace – to work remotely or hybrid (instead of onsite)
      • Different work schedules – they may want to have a non-traditional workday (such as a four-day workweek, 6-3 pm, 10-7 pm, etc.)
      • Be open to their personal development investment requests. For more information on personal development, check out my article "Personal Development For Lifelong Learning."

      When you’re intentional and take the time to build your team together, the entire team is more likely to feel and be engaged. You’ll be one step closer to having a high-performing team. For more information on building a high-performing team, check out my article "3 Ways To Retain Members Of Your High-Performing Teams."

      For more information on replacing a team member for the best fit, follow me on LinkedIn!

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      3 Ways To Replace A Member Of …

      How To Appreciate Your Team Members



      Is the Great Resignation (and/or quiet quitting) still happening? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over four million workers have quit every month, creating an average employee turnover rate of ~47%, so the answer is yes. Some individuals are burnt out or looking for security or more money, but many just want to be valued and appreciated.

      Have you heard the saying “people don’t leave jobs; they leave bad bosses”? You don’t want to be that “bad” boss taking your team for granted. Instead, be authentic and genuinely care about each of your team members.

      Ways To Appreciate Your Team Members


      Appreciation quote by Margaret Cousins

      You’ve empowered the team to change the world, and now they are working together and meeting the company’s plans and goals. Alfred North Whitehead said, “No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledges this help with gratitude.”

      There are many ways to show your gratitude and appreciation and to make the team feel valued and special. Note: It’s important to remember that everyone is different so tailor and customize to the individual’s preferences. For example, some won’t like public recognition so do something more private.

      Below are some scenarios to consider:

      • When a new employee starts, do you provide a “welcome box,” branded gear, branded backpack, and/or other swag on their first day? Scheduled lunch with the team?
        • Make new hire announcements on social media (such as LinkedIn) or newspaper.
      • Do you routinely walk around and greet each team member and see how they’re doing and feeling? See if they need anything.
      • Does the company announce major milestones such as promotions, work anniversaries, monthly birthdays, etc. on the intranet or company newsletter?
        • Work anniversary letter signed by the CEO/President.
        • Employee Appreciation Day is observed on the first Friday in March.
      • Do you provide positive feedback or other verbal recognition (often)?
      • When you’re wrong, do you apologize?
      • Can any employee submit a “shout-out” for another employee on the intranet?
      • What do you typically do when the team successfully implements/completes a project or meets a major sales goal? Reward with a bonus or additional paid time off?
      • Do you celebrate personal development goal achievements? Holidays? TGIF? Or for no special reason?
        • If so, with food, certificates, cards, balloons, flowers, swag, or other items?
        • Off-site events (e.g., escape room, Topgolf, karaoke, volunteering).
        • Gift exchanges like a white elephant or secret santa.
        • If you’re not sure, ask the team.
        • I love to bake cookies and other treats. For me, homemade = heartfelt.

      Sincerity Is Key


      Thank you cookies

      The key is to be genuinely sincere. One of the easiest forms of appreciation is to simply say thank you. How often do you say thank you to each team member? Daily? Or when is the last time you handwrote a thank-you note? Yes, handwritten because for me handwritten = personal.

      Remember how special you felt when your boss gave you a handwritten thank-you note—like a true Hallmark moment? These types of simple yet sincere gestures can go a very long way.

      For more information about appreciating your team, follow me on LinkedIn!


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      How To Appreciate Your Team Members

      Executive Spotlight: Tips For Team Goal Setting & Business Planning



      It's that time of year again! Companies are setting goals and finalizing their business plans for the next 12 months. Business leaders might have high-level goals for their organization, but each team within the organization must have its own goals it wants to achieve to make the high-level goals a reality, and a detailed plan on how to accomplish them.

      We recently asked our leading executives to share their best tips for team goal setting and business planning.

      Here are their responses...

      John Schembari, Senior Education Executive


      Have the team review performance data. What does the data say? Why is this important? What should we do next? To help in this analysis, the team can review its organization's mission, vision, and/or brand statement. Once the team has determined two to three main goals on which to focus within its strategic plan, consider department—or organizational—strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, and threats. What strengths does the team currently have to meet these goals? How might the team seize new opportunities to achieve success? How will the team compensate for its weaknesses and mitigate the potential impact of threats?

      After, consider the milestones/benchmarks—data, artifacts/evidence, etc.—that will determine progress toward each goal, articulate what ultimate success for each goal will be, define who is responsible for each goal, and the time stamp when each goal will be met. Goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely (SMART).

      John Schembari is a current K-12 teacher/school leader academic improvement coach and former school building and district administrator. He loves to draw, travel, swing dance, and read nonfiction.

      Kathleen Duffy, Founder, CEO, And President Of Duffy Group


      SWOT analysis concept

      We began planning for 2023 in August. Our session was facilitated by an outside consultant who sent our 2022 plan to all participants and asked us to look at the SWOT. We met in person to update the SWOT; critical strategic issues were identified from the "W" section, and our strategic initiatives to support the critical issues were developed. A work plan was created for each strategic initiative with target dates for completion; we meet monthly to review the dashboard coloring our progress—red, yellow, or green. We also reviewed and updated our three-year metrics of success, such as company revenue, client retention, quality, and efficiency, to share a few metrics we collect.

      Kathleen Duffy is the founder, CEO, and president of Duffy Group. The company's vision is to elevate recruitment research as an alternative to contingent and retained search. Since its founding, Duffy Group has been a remote workplace and a culture of work/life harmony.

      Ana Smith, Talent Architect & Global Learning Strategist


      OKRs (objectives and key results) concept

      A quite popular and effective goal-setting framework for teams is OKRs (objectives and key results). They are an effective method for not only planning but also for measuring success on a team level. One shortfall at a company level is when they try to apply OKRs at an individual level.

      The complexity that comes from setting individual OKRs generally leads to goals that are either not indications of meaningful progress or easily gamed. Instead, individual contributors should be assessed based on the extent to which their work contributes to team goals that add real value to the company and its customers.

      Objectives and key results, or OKRs, have become one of the most popular frameworks for teams looking to plan and measure the success of their work.

      With this system, leaders at each and every level of the organization start by:

      • defining high-level, qualitative, inspirational goals, called “objectives”
      • defining who will be the consumer of their team’s work, and
      • determining what behavioral changes, they would expect to see in those consumers that could be used to quantify whether the team is achieving its high-level goals.

      Ana Smith helps people & organizations achieve their full talent potential by developing and co-creating people strategies and customized solutions, and turning them into impactful outcomes and collaborative relationships, using coaching as the "red thread."

      Michael Willis, Sports Business Operations Executive


      Woman creates a budget plan at work

      I believe every employee should know three things about the company they work for:

      1. Mission
      2. Goals
      3. Competitors

      While we work in teams, our goals and business planning should align with the company’s objectives. Everyone must be working toward the same outcome.

      Team setting goals and objectives should be measurable. This is my favorite part. As a part of the accounting/finance world, I am heavily invested in the company’s annual budget. The budget can drive an opportunity to develop metrics.

      Budget Comparisons:

      Ø Prior year actuals to current year’s budget

      Ø Current year’s budget to current year’s forecast

      I like to calendarize the budget. This means that I spread the budget out over 12 months. So I don’t have to wait until the end of the year to realize a problem or opportunity. This kind of analysis will drive something to talk about every month.

      By capturing trends in your analysis, you can visualize past performance versus how you are pacing in real time.

      Michael Willis has 18+ years of experience working with accounting & sports organizations and has managed P&Ls of $10M - $125M+ with budgets of $3M-$50M+. He worked for the NFL for 22 1/2 years, mainly with the game officials working on the financial/accounting side of the business.

      Mark Taylor, Product & Operations Executive


      Team members set goals and create a business plan during a work meeting

      It seems reasonable to assume that the tsunamis of work pushed our way in 2022 will not abate in 2023.

      Setting goals and planning will be ineffective—the equivalent of holding one’s hand up against incoming tidal waves.

      If planning is an attempt to manage overwhelm, a more effective practice is self-prioritization. Consider it the ongoing art of identifying and understanding those tasks that need to be done right now—and ensuring you stay half a step ahead.

      Similarly, if goal setting is the company making sure they get value from you, delivering your tasks on a timely, accurate and complete basis—and presenting the results in an easily digestible form—will address this need.

      Come the end of 2023, if you’ve identified and delivered strongly on those tasks that the business deemed important, you’ll be considered effective…

      …and live to do it all again in 2024.

      Mark Taylor has 20+ years of risk, technology, and product management experience working in global and regional financial services firms in the UK and the U.S. He's managed teams of 40+, successfully addressed 100+ regulatory issues, and has saved companies $15M+.

      Sarita Kincaid, Tech Media & Influencer Relations Executive


      Team talks about goal setting and business planning during a work meeting

      The most important rule of thumb when creating goals is to always align with the top business goals in your organization. These CEO-level goals are usually around revenue and market share growth but may also be, to a lesser extent, about brand, customer experience, or thought leadership.

      Analyst and media relations professionals should always, especially in challenging economic times, ensure that their planning process starts with business goals to ensure that the value they bring contributes directly to C-level priorities. If top-level business goals aren’t being cascaded through the organization, interview relevant C-level executives to find out what they are being tasked to achieve.

      Other than starting with organizational business goals as the guiding light of the planning process, I advise analyst relations professionals, in particular, against setting “counting” goals. These are metrics around the amount of outreach. Conducting 100 briefings a year isn’t significant if it doesn’t result in an increase in analyst perception, likelihood to recommend your company/product, or improved positioning in landscape vendor reports.

      More on best practices for building an effective analyst relations plan.

      Sarita Kincaid is a tech media executive with a demonstrated ability to build and grow award-winning programs. She brings a data-driven approach to influencer relations with a focus on developing strong brand advocates and aligning them with sales programs.

      Lisa Perry, Global Marketing Executive


      Goal setting and business planning concept

      With the new year approaching, it’s time to set your business goals for 2023. Here are five things you can do to get ahead of the new year.

      1. Analyze Past Performance - Before developing your business goals, it’s crucial to analyze past performance to determine the health of your business. The results can help provide a snapshot of what’s going on with your business. The time spent analyzing, strategizing, collaborating, and building consensus is a valuable part of the process.

      2. Set Goals - Eighty-three percent of the population does not have goals. Fourteen percent have a plan in mind, but goals are unwritten, and 3% have goals written down. The 14% who have goals are 10 times more successful than those without goals. The 3% with written goals are three times more successful than the 14% with unwritten goals. Source. I recommend using the SMART or OKR framework. A SMART goal is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. OKR stands for "objectives and key results."

      3. Align With Company Objectives - Ensure your goals align with the company’s overall objectives.

      4. Prioritize - Now that you have developed your goals, it’s time to prioritize them based on their urgency, value, and importance. Allocate your resources, time, and effort where they’re needed the most.

      5. Track & Measure Results - Evaluate your progress towards your goals by tracking and measuring your results on a weekly or monthly review. Look at the progress you’ve made, what challenges you’ve encountered, and what you need to change or do next. Most importantly, celebrate the wins!

      Lisa Perry helps companies build leadership brands, driving loyal customers & delivering profitability. She does this through a process that builds brands consumers love. Her goal is to help companies develop, monetize, and grow their brands.

      What are your best tips for team goal setting and business planning? Join the conversation inside Work It Daily's Executive Program.

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      Executive Spotlight: Tips For Team Goal Setting …

      Monday.com: Project Management Made Easy



      As an educator together with administrator, I enjoy assisting young adults as nicely as adult learners along with their academic journey. Inside my role, I oversee guidelines and procedures that assist support student learning and additionally success. Therefore, I apply multiple innovation projects to back up students and meet all of them where they are.

      Monday. apresentando Is good for Managing Projects


      Monday. por meio de, task management management platform

      The solution is Monday. contendo. The Work OS function management platform helps our team manage projects not to mention workflows more efficiently. The particular project management includes this scope, time, and spending budget.

      What My partner and i like about Monday. junto de is that is a new very simple and intuitive helpful work platform that utilizes apps and integrations to be able to create a custom work flow for the project. The versatility helps me (as well as my team) keep on track and the integrations with apps such since Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Googlemail, and Excel, permit me to very easily continue working with the best tools from within often the platform.

      Wednesday. com Capabilities


      Project manager purpose project management software

      Since My spouse and i work on several tasks, Monday. com software allows me assign tasks and also prioritize what's most essential for the team for you to execute. To do this particular, I break down your components by color as well as timeline. For example, our own digital badge project any short implementation timeline, breakthrough, and deliverables. The software allowed me to control the entire workload almost all in one space.

      Conclusion


      Man uses anxiety attack software during a yanks meeting

      ​My biggest takeaway: the exact platform fosters creative effort with my team and then other departments. More significantly, the collaboration is smooth and supplies visibility into the very progress of our own work. This saves time. You might want to give this a try!

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      Monday.com: Project Management Made Easy

      Dealing With Uncertainty: 3 Stand-Out Capabilities You Need In Every Team



      One of the biggest issues in managing large, complex, or high-profile pieces of work including change and transformation projects is that you have to continually be on the lookout for, what I will call, half-baked problems or early warning signals that indicate challenges may be on their way—this while simultaneously leading, building, and delivering what is in your remit right now.

      If you are a change project leader or tasked with leading and delivering big change in all or a part of your organisation, while balancing your many (read many!) day-to-day activities, you must also balance monitoring for early warning signals.

      What do I mean by early warning signals?

      As an example, any activity, new piece of information, or behaviour from a senior stakeholder that catches your attention because the information is at odds, surprising, or inconsistent with your current understanding of the context (and details) of your transformation work.

      For instance, if there is a sudden change in senior leadership in the organization, pay momentary attention and ask yourself, ‘What does this mean for the transformation work in my remit?’ The answer decides if there is impact, no impact, or a need for action by you, such as continuing to monitor closely.

      Early warning signals are one of the best sources of information on potential problems, risks and threats to your work’s success. Signals are indications of potential, unexpected change that might hit your work, project or complex activities. You need to monitor the horizon continuously to know what might be coming ‘down the barrel at you.’

      What To Do?


      Team meets at work

      So, what to do when you are so busy with your day job to also fit in this extra layer of horizon scanning or monitoring?

      If you are able to and your budget allows, surrounding yourself with a team of capable colleagues will help you build additional capacity to get the work done and to help monitor these half-baked problems and early warning signs.

      It’s important to work out how to monitor what might be coming at you and your project because being prepared will mean you will likely nail anywhere up to 9/10 problems and mean you will rarely be caught off guard.

      While not 100% fail-safe, monitoring the horizon for early warning signs of what might be coming means you stay more in control of your project overall and are able to reassure your stakeholders and sponsor of the same as well.

      Stand-Out Capabilities You Want In Your Team


      Team members discuss a problem during a work meeting

      In my experiences in the trenches working on distressed or big complex projects in multiple industries, where uncertainty rules, there are three recurring stand-out capabilities in people I have worked with that can make a difference to your success including pre-empting half-baked problems. You may want to read more about distressed projects and teams by reading my blog post "6-Point Checklist For Taking Over A ‘Distressed’ Project & Team" here.

      The stand-out people are those with the motivation to do a good job, are able to join the dots in the project without full information, and are great at pivoting in uncertainty.

      You might be surprised that I don’t mention, out of the gate, stand-out skills like knowledge or experience. In truth and in my own experience these are not the most important, at least initially. Skills and experiences can often be acquired including during high-pressure, big, complex, project work. I know because I had a brand new team start with me as part of the Brexit Transfer—choosing people who were not the most experienced but were motivated, could join the dots, and were able to pivot quickly and regularly.

      So, let’s go through each of the three stand-out capabilities in a bit more detail:

      Stand-Out Capability #1 - Motivated


      stay motivated, motivation concept

      What I am talking about here is what drives the person in their day job. Some are driven to do their day job and others are driven by doing more than their day job without being asked. These people are what I would call natural-born problem solvers who are driven beyond just doing their day-to-day activities.

      Nothing is externally imposed on creating this person’s motivation; rather the motivation comes from a place deep within the individual. They are driven beyond usual incentives rather they are driven by a higher-order goal that is beyond a paycheck (although this is important). I would best describe these people as going the extra mile without being asked to.
      This is not necessarily about asking people to constantly go the extra mile. Your job as a leader is to make sure things remain as balanced as possible within the team and effort, but having the attitude tells you something about the sort of person you could potentially have as a colleague and on your team. And when you are restricted by size of the team, you have a small, tight-knit team, and in truth, there is little room for people who are not prepared to go the extra mile.

      Stand-Out Capability #2 - Able To Join Dots


      connect the dots geometric concept

      People who join dots (connect information that doesn’t look like it connects but eventually you see it does) are able to join together information from different sources to build a clearer picture of something that is yet to reveal itself completely (like a half-baked problem or material risk that is yet to gain momentum).

      This skill is invaluable in helping to pre-empt and deal with problems that are yet to ‘grow legs,’ that is problems that could become much bigger.

      Colleagues with the ability to join the dots are able to see what may be almost invisible to most others. These are people who can work comfortably even without full information and yet have a sense of what to scan, what to ask ‘why’ about, what to watch out for, and how to act if things change, that is more or pivot quickly. They are able to see the small silver balls of mercury and are able to look and sometimes find the energy that may push each individual silver ball into a larger pool of silver mercury—that is a problem with legs in our analogy.

      So, this capability to join the dots will always surpass knowledge and experience in my book. Of course, it would be ideal to have both types of colleagues in your team—those that are new, with fresh eyes on a problem, and those who might be more experienced and knowledgeable. This would then, however, require all to get on as a team to build trust to share information freely otherwise having all this knowledge and ability won’t bring out a great result. This bit, managing a team well, is up to you as manager or leader. By the way, skills can be trained but attitudes like motivation and an inner drive to understand and do a great job are not so easily trained or found.

      Hence why I would always go with motivation over skills when selecting a team.

      Stand-Out Capability #3 - Able To Pivot


      pivot, strategy change concept

      I define pivoting as an ability to turn or rotate fast. Pivoting is like watching velvet that moves. The feel of velvet is soft and sophisticated for some, and this is what I mean by pivoting in this context. People who can pivot are essentially able to effortlessly move from one task to another, from one piece of work to another, without any angst or stress. Velvety. Rather they appear as soon as they are needed even though they may have been very busy already.

      Final word

      As motivation is the hardest to recruit for and identify in your colleagues, the best way to find out what motivates a person is to ask them: ‘What are the top five things that motivate you?’ You will find that while money or financial reward is in the top five, it is not necessarily number one of the top five. Interesting, right?

      Another important success factor is to make sure you select people who are naturally comfortable with change. Make sure you spend time understanding if your potential team member does not like or deal well with uncertainty in the workplace or in their day job; rather they prefer stability—nothing wrong with this by the way—but this means they may not necessarily be suited to the energetic demands of pressure and uncertainty coming out of a big project.

      So, keep this in mind when building or assessing your potential team members. Make sure you match a person’s personal environment preferences (busy, stable, chaotic, calm) with their preferences. These are important factors in successfully embedding someone in your team and an important factor in the project’s ultimate success.

      Summary


      Team members shake hands after a work meeting

      As a leader or manager of large pieces of work that are surrounded by uncertainty, it is important to continually scan the horizon for emerging risks and impending problems. This is a vital capability that needs to sit alongside your many other responsibilities and skills.

      It is in your best interest to surround yourself with a capable team that can provide additional capacity to you either to scan the horizon with you or for you to delegate some of your other work so you can dedicate more time to scanning, assessing, and mitigating problems that might be coming your way.

      I would love to hear what you think and how you handle scanning for early warning signals in your change work and projects.


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      Dealing With Uncertainty: 3 Stand-Out Capabilities You …

      6-Point Checklist For Taking Over A ‘Distressed’ Project & Team



      I will assume you believe people can make a bigger, faster difference toward success when engaged well and respectfully. No matter what you find on the ground when you arrive to help, people can solve problems faster when treated this way rather than when they are told, pushed, directed, and treated as dispensable.

      If you feel people are a means to an end and you don’t value the individual as a human being but rather more as an asset only, then this blog is probably not going to be of help to you.

      As part of my work as a business change consultant and coach, I have had the privilege of helping organisations and their teams when projects get into trouble. I call it a privilege because the people I come across on the ground when I arrive are invariable hard working, keen, and really want some help. And they are now confused and uncertain and don’t know how to deal with where they are.

      This is an incredibly humbling position to be in. People are in a state of stress and feeling vulnerable; there is usually a strange sense in the air when I arrive, a sort of mix of both loyalty and fear because action has been replaced with dread and bewilderment asking ‘how did we get here’ as realisations hit that the team, function, project or company is suddenly (or so it appears) not where it should be and that consequences may now be serious—both for the company and people on the ground.

      As An Example...


      Team tries to recover a distressed project

      A project sponsor, for example, usually calls me in as a kind of last resort. Frustrated by the situation, they decide enough is enough after assessing from afar with a watchful eye that things aren’t going the way they should be. Sometimes the sponsor can be closely linked to the person directly responsible for the situation now in distress.

      Most of the time, my arrival into a distressed project is greeted with a kind of hopeful hesitation by those involved. You may find this too if you arrive in a situation, for example, a project where changes are likely, and you are the one recommending and leading those changes (for a time anyway). How long a company took to decide to act to address the distressed situation has major implications for the likelihood of success for your work to get things back on track. You can read '#1 Thing That Breaks Projects (And Is Likely In Your Control)' here about the one big thing that if handled well initially makes a big difference to a project’s ultimate success or failure—and usually this one thing, to a certain extent, is in a company’s control. Worth a read!

      This initial situation of a sense of vulnerability particularly, which as I said is what I often find when I first arrive to help with a project in distress, motivates me greatly to get things done in double quick time, to rough out a mud map toward clarity so that both the company and people involved know where they stand and what the likely next steps are. Where possible I try to reassure quickly. If you find yourself in a similar leadership situation responsible for getting things back on track, get things done as quickly as you can. I guess we’d call these quick wins.

      So, what are the things that you need to focus on when dealing with a distressed company, team, or project situation?

      So, I wanted to share my approach for when I hit the ground in these sorts of project situations, a sort of standard checklist I have in my mind when I first arrive and in the early days. The list is born out of over 25 years of experience and success (and not) and serves me well when it comes to getting a project (or team or function) back on track to clarity and positive momentum.

      The very first thing you need to do is you must demonstrate you are ‘hitting the ground fast’ toward helping everything get back on track to clarity and forward momentum.

      Note I didn’t say back on track to success. Clarity first. Forward momentum second. Success may be third. Please do note that although success is often the case, there are some situations where the project or the team or the circumstances have been left for too long without care and attention and the situation is almost irretrievable.

      If you find yourself inheriting or becoming aware of a distressed project, team, or function, here is what to do in the initial stage. Do it in this order and quickly.

      My 6-Point Checklist


      Checklist concept

      Here is my 6-point checklist that guides my initial entry into a distressed consulting assignment:

      1. Define the problem & how it came about. Consult widely and quickly.
      2. Define the level of sponsor, senior support for your work. How important to the company is this?
      3. Regarding the actual team or function involved, connect with them fast by email, group meeting, and face-to-face or individual Zoom in this order with little time gap between each form of connection.
      4. Ask ‘Who else?’ Who else is impacted or impacts this project/situation? Find out. Meet them. Understand.
      5. Timing — give yourself 30 days maximum to make inroads and bring things back to clarity if no deadline given.
        • Meet with all key stakeholders regularly, getting the difficult decision over quickly (e.g. reducing headcount) and importantly handle the decision implementation with the dignity of those affected top of mind and informing your approach.
        • No matter what.
        • This is not only the right way to go about this sort of implementation but if this reason alone doesn’t do it for you then remember those left behind in the company after your decision is implemented. That is the remaining team, and colleagues will be watching and will hear about how others were treated and take this as the company’s general approach going forward.
        • This can influence their decision whether to stay on in your company, team, or function. These people are likely your key resources that you need. This makes good business sense.
      6. Finally, use this checklist as the basis for a high-level plan to share with all stakeholders so they can see what you are doing and in what order. This builds trust and helps people feel reassured things are progressing forward. Note this plan is not about promising anything. It is about showing there is a structured process to resolution. This will help everyone no matter what the outcomes.

      As I am called in when usual actions to fix a situation in distress don’t work (or haven’t worked)—even actions like replacing or firing people may have been tried in an attempt to not get this far gone into distress and non-performance, lack of productivity—often there are earlier warnings than the one that led to the phone to me.

      Another way for you to reduce the chances of distressed projects and teams in your company and on your watch is to scan for what I call the early warning signals—signals that triggered your gut feeling in the first place and now demand more investigation.

      Don’t ignore your gut feeling. It is always right. Just sometimes the interpretation of that gut feeling may be off and is what lets you down in the end. So, learn to surround yourself with good factual evidence like impartial data and seek out relevant subject matter experts ideally who are critical thinkers and respectful disagree-ers (you want people who are technically strong not people who are without critical thought) from in and outside the company ideally.

      This information and help from others will help you make sure your interpretation of what your gut feeling is saying is as accurate as possible.

      Then you decide whether you ignore or act on that gut feeling because now you have both data and impartial external input from others you trust and know or seek out that can help you in your decision making. This approach saves me time and continues to serve me well, particularly when it comes to identifying early warning signs well before a situation, team, function or project get into a distressed and difficult situation.

      Summary


      Professional woman looks at documents at work

      ​If you find yourself appointed to help resolve a distressed work situation, team, or project, use the 6-point checklist as a guide.

      Pay attention to the ‘how’ you go about implementing each step as much as doing each step quickly and effectively. There is more at stake here than meets the eye. If you believe people are the critical resource and central to your organisation’s ongoing health and success, the ‘how’ you handle the implementation to address the distressed work situation is equally important as to the structure and steps in the approach and actually getting it done.

      Good luck. I would love to hear what you think and about your experiences in dealing with distressed situations.

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      6-Point Checklist For Taking Over A ‘Distressed’ …

      Daily Management Meeting — For An Engineering (Or Any Professional) Team?



      Why do I talk to my team every day?

      In lean principles, many manufacturing teams have a daily management or “stand-up” meeting at the beginning of a shift. The purpose of this meeting is to have daily contact with employees, set objectives, review metrics, and simply communicate what is happening within the team. Common goals for this meeting include setting the tone for the day and helping employees feel connected.

      Can this work for professional teams as well?

      They Will Hate It… At First.


      Team meeting in the office

      I have been conducting a daily management meeting with my engineering teams for more than 15 years now. My meetings are NEVER perfect, and I have found them difficult to start with a new group.

      Engineers do not behave like production, so these teams have been very resistant to my implementation of the daily meeting. “Why do we need to do this?” “We know what’s going on.” “We know what to do.” “This is a waste of my time—I could be coding right now.” Regardless of the words, these professionals resist the need to meet.

      What I have found is that these daily meetings take several months to take hold. At first, everyone is resistant to taking 15-30 minutes every day to “talk.” Over time, you win over a few early adopters because they see the value of getting information. On a small team, this period is shorter. The larger teams always have one or two true naysayers who dig in.

      The truly resistant teammates in the process are sometimes the very best reason for the meeting. They complain the most and get the most from the discussion. As the weeks pass, the biggest haters often convert into the greatest advocates. They tend to be the first to complain when a meeting is canceled because they had something to say. They feel engaged despite not “liking” seeing everyone each day. I find they secretly have learned to like these meetings.

      Tips For A Successful Meeting:


      Team has a daily management meeting

      ​To begin, I have adopted my format based on each individual team. Time, place, duration, and content are dependent on the needs of the team and will change over time. The following are simply a few things I have found successful.

      • Same time and place — every single day: at first, you need to meet every day to build a habit, and I will not relent on this for at least a year. Location and time must also have consistency for the habit.

      • Minimize the agenda to a few key topics — initially, I begin with announcements for the day, a review of major projects, key milestones, and open concerns. If you have more than five topics, you will not be effective. Be concise.

      • Limit meeting time — always limit the conversation. Twenty minutes is my average, and I am consistently less than 30 with very few exceptions.

      • No one is permitted to skip the meeting without asking prior permission. I usually ask for 24 hours’ notice, and you are expected to participate unless you receive a pass for the day. Myself included.

      • Promptness is key — meetings begin at 11:30 am and make that known. Enforce it. Having the team show up on time is a level of respect for your teammates. Don’t allow tardiness to go unnoticed.

      • Allow for sidebar and silliness… to a point — not everything in a team needs to be transactional or business oriented. Many of my meetings have gone off the rails early and ended with good team building. If everything is transaction based, the team will have a robotic feel.

      • Allow the team to form the meeting — in the beginning, commanding control is necessary to build confidence in the process. Over time, allow the team to morph into what it needs to be successful. Many of my teams have abandoned my original agenda within four to six months and developed their own feel. The purpose of the meeting is for the team—not your own agenda.

      (P.S. I used this very effectively during COVID-19, and when my team works from home, we still meet virtually to remain connected. These meetings do not need to have a physical presence to work.)

      How Does This Benefit Me And My Team?


      Employees have a daily management meeting

      Connection—teams need to know they are connected and feel part of something greater than themselves. A good team builds rapport over time and learns to feed off one another.

      I have built some strong teams in my career. My first team where I employed this process was very disjointed, and I had many lone wolves asking to be left alone. Give me my work, and get out of my way. Each person was great and a true expert in their niche. However, they did not work together to learn, grow, and become better.

      I made many mistakes with this process, and after the first year, we still were finding our stride. In the second year, we began to gel. In year three, our meetings became more than expected. Problems were solved in minutes, not days. Issues were in the open versus the behind-the-back discussions. We won internal business challenges between teams by orders of magnitude. Everyone was in it for the benefit of the group—even the lone wolves. Years late after I moved on, two of my “toughest” engineers actually thanked me and missed those meetings in their career. They agreed they still hated the meeting, and they remembered how great our team performed.

      Can you do the same? I say yes. The secret sauce is the discipline to push beyond the initial hatred and allow the process to grow. My mentor who asked me to begin this process knew I hated it as well, and he pushed me to keep trying. He could see the benefits before I could.

      When a team communicates well, shares the same objectives, and solves problems openly, no one can stop their performance. Would you like to have this same experience?

      Summing Everything Up...


      Team members support each other at work

      As I hinted earlier, I was an initial skeptic. I did not want to “waste” time with a 20-30 minute meeting every day. Add all our hours up over a year, and my lean mentor would show me the thousands of seconds lost! I persevered.

      Remember, the key to the process is communicating. At first, you will be the leader doing most of the speaking hoping someone listens. Eventually, others will open up and share as well. Even the naysayers will pick up on some of the discussion allowing it to seep in slowly. Regardless, be consistent. Push the team to interact and develop the habit. Use command/control initially, and give the team room to breathe. See how it grows.

      The first few meetings will be 100% for you as the leader. Eventually, the tide will shift and become about the team members. If you have an exceptional team, the discussion will become something even greater than imagined. You will see your team care for one another, discuss issues respectfully, and perform better than you imagined… all because you made them talk to each other for 20 minutes a day. Stating it like that, it is such a small investment with immeasurable returns!



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