Author: Michael Peiniger

The addition of an 18 month old labradoodle (pictured) to our family has taken us on a roller-coaster ride. The last 15 months have been an exercise in joy, commitment, frustration and persistence. When I think on the impact our new member has had on the rest of the family, I have realised that it is not very different to a new person entering a team in business. I have also realised that animals know an awful lot about being in a team – they have existed and survived in packs for thousands of years.

 

Here are some of the lessons learnt with Jake on being a good team member and being a good leader of a team.

1. The team rules need to be understood and applied by all members of the team / pack.

2. You need to protect your team from outside forces.

3. Listening and being present are important to your team.

4. Greet your team members like you are meeting them for the first time every day.

5. Consistency is crucial to trust and understanding.

6. Trust is built over months, not seconds.

7. Learn the things that you shouldn’t do in the team.

8. Remember that each team has different rules to live by.

9. Show respect for your team in ways that they appreciate.

10. Understand the unique behaviour and skill set you bring to the team.

11. Look after your team and they will look after you / You have to meet the needs of your team.

12. Breaks in discipline / performance can’t wait until later to fix.

13. Leading the team is not a half-hearted, part time responsibility.

14. The leader needs to guide the team clearly and precisely.

15. The leadership hierarchy needs to be understood by all of the team.

 

What are rules governing your team? Are they understood by everyone? Does everyone apply them? Consider the list and check to see if your team meets the criteria set out by Jake.

Leading the team is not a half-hearted, part time responsibility.

Owning a pet, much like deciding to have children, is not a decision to be taken lightly. You are responsible for the welfare, care and protection of something / someone other than yourself. This task requires you to perform many different roles requiring many different skills – some of which are innate and others that you learn as you go.

Having Jake in the family has highlighted the significance of consistently providing him guidance and leadership. There are times when I get frustrated by his actions, yet I can’t let that frustration manifest into actions or words that he doesn’t understand or deserve. There are other times that I want to play with him and forget what an influence I can have over him.

A most recent example was playing with Jake on our wooden floor with a ball. Simple game – I roll the ball on the floor and he fetches it back for me. There is a twist though; the wooden floor makes it very slippery for a four-legged animal with claws. Jake was slipping and sliding and he went for the ball, which looked very funny and probably prompted me to roll the ball further and further away. As Jake built up speed to get the ball, he would slide further until eventually, he slid right into the wall (not enough to hurt him, but enough for him to notice). Involuntarily, I laughed out loud (I hear your scolding thoughts – I did feel guilty – but in my defence it was unintentional and it did look very funny).

It was at this point that I realised that this wasn’t the type of game I should be playing with Jake. Not because Jake slid into the wall, but because my laugh caused Jake to feel very embarrassed. I didn’t think it was possible before owning a dog, but I now know that Jake can understand my moods and will react just like a human would, and he does not like to be laughed at.

How is this story relevant for you and your team? A leader needs to realise that when you accept a position of leadership, you have undertaken a responsibility for those that are in your team. As a leader of team, you need to recognize that:

• There are some things that you should and shouldn’t do (and those rules change from team to team).
• Your opinion and mood has a direct influence over your team, whether that be positive or negative.
• There are some things that you can do as a team member that you can’t do as a leader.
• Even if you want to be recognised as ‘one of the team’, you are always recognised as the leader of the team.
• Whether you want it to or not, your behaviour (good or bad) sets the example for the team.

Because of these points, leading a team cannot be a part-time responsibility. You are either committed to your team, or you aren’t. There isn’t a great deal of room for anything in between. As a leader you have influence, and it is your choice whether you want this to be positive or not.

This is probably the area that catches leaders by surprise the most. New leaders expect that there will be changes to what they have done before; they will work harder, they will have more responsibility and people will look to them for decisions. But the fact that the role is not 9 to 5 surprises many. Most leadership roles are not the type of job that you can ‘clock off’ from.

When you are interacting with members of your team, whether it is at work, at a social function, at a pub or a chance meeting shopping on the weekend, your team members will still ‘see’ the role that you fill at work and your behaviour will be judged accordingly.

It is probably for this reason that the motto of my last military unit has stuck the longest and for me, defines the role of leadership most clearly. Officers Training School has the motto ‘Accept Responsibility’. It is a simple statement but to be a successful leader, that is what you have to do. Assuming a role of leadership requires you to accept the responsibility of the role wholeheartedly. Your team expects nothing less from you.

In my case with Jake, that means not forgetting that he sees me as the leader, not one of the members fo the pack. My behaviour with him needs to reflect that.What does it mean for you?

Have you fully assumed the responsibility of your role? Do you understand the differences expected in your organisation between team member and team leader? Is the behaviour you exhibit the positive behaviour you expect of your team?

Breaks in discipline / performance can’t wait until later to fix.

Discipline has become a dirty word. The word itself brings up connotations of punishment and detention (at least in my mind anyway!). A new dog in the house has forced us to look at discipline in its truest form, that it, correcting behaviour that is not at the right standard.

A new puppy brings all sorts of discipline issues: toilet training, feeding times, barking, sitting. All of these basic requirements didn’t come ‘built in’ with Jake – they had to be taught and refined over time, with many mistakes along the way.

During that process, Jake ‘pushed’ the limits many times and the standard expected needed to be reminded to him. No, rubbing the dog’s nose in his business is not the most effective way to get him toilet trained – but correcting behaviour as close to when it happened seemed to be the key.

The same behaviour change process applied with Jake is also used by successful leaders managing successful teams.

As soon as you put two people working together, there are going to be opportunities for differences and conflict. This is perfectly normal; differing cultures, experiences and expectations result in all of us having differing standards of behaviour that we expect to be ‘normal’. The opportunities for conflict increase dramatically when you have someone new in the team, whether that is a team member or team leader. Lesson 7 and 8 discuss team rules and setting expectations, but sometimes these rules get broken.

What often happens when this occurs is for the behaviour to be left and not addressed straight away. Have you said (or heard) these phrases before?

‘It was just one time’

‘I am sure he/she didn’t mean it’

‘He/she is having a bad day, it wasn’t their fault’

‘He/she has so much on their plate at the moment’

‘I should have done it myself’

One or all of these reasons could be true, but it shouldn’t stop us from addressing the behaviour. Not discussing a break in expected behaviour is the same as accepting it.

Imagine Jake has just done his business on the carpet in the lounge room (you have to imagine – I don’t). If I don’t take him to site of the crime straight away and express our displeasure at his actions, he will assume that it has been accepted as normal behaviour. From experience, it will take many more opportunities to correct the behaviour properly after the first time has been missed. You can almost see the thought and confusion on his face – ‘It was OK last time I did it, why not now?’

Knowing that an issue has to be addressed doesn’t make having the conversation any easier. It will always feel uncomfortable and awkward the first couple of times that you have to address behaviour that isn’t acceptable.

Here are a couple of tips that make it easier:

1. Pick the Location. ‘Praise in public and criticise in private’. I was taught this very early in my military career and it has held true for over 20 years. Pointing out when someone has done something wrong or inappropriate should never be done in public or in front of others.
2. Accept that Differences are Normal. Remember that misunderstandings and differences in standards are perfectly normal when working in teams – working out a common standard between people happens all the time.
3. Don’t Judge. It is very easy when discussing discipline issues to focus on your judgment of what has been done rather than focus on the action that took place. You may think that missing a deadline is unprofessional, but focus on the missing deadline. Judgments won’t fix behaviour – they just create resentment and add to the emotion of the situation.
4. Clearly describe what you want. Sometimes people fail to meet our expectations because we have not been clear about what we have wanted. Check to make sure that want you want has been clearly understood – this could involve getting the person to state what they need to do in their own words. Any misunderstandings can be clarified before the task has begun.
5. Explain the Consequences. Why did you set the standard or behaviour in the first place? What will happen to you / the team if it is not done? Make sure you aren’t keeping these reasons to yourself. If your team understands the reason for having a standard or behaviour, and they also understand the consequences if it is not done, they are more likely to do what you want.
6. Remember – you aren’t the ‘bad guy’. You have explained what you wanted clearly, it was understood, you explained the consequences of not completing and you have provided time to do it. If it isn’t completed or done correctly – guess what? – you are not the bad guy for pointing it out! You have provided every opportunity for someone to do what was required – they made a choice not to do it. That may seem harsh, but if all the tools were provided a choice was made at some point to miss the expectation. It could have been a lack of attention, a lack of time, a lack of effort or a lack of seeking help– none of which were your fault. When it comes to discussing the issue you are not being mean, you are merely discussing the differences between expected behaviour (what you wanted) and actual behaviour (what actually occurred). Addressing the gap between the two is a key role of every Manager.

What performance issues have you ‘let go’ recently? Are you judgmental when people don’t meet your expectations? Do you know what standards you expect?

Look after your team and they will look after you.

When Jake became the newest member of our household, we knew that some things were going to change. Walking, training and feeding have been added to the daily routine (some with more acceptance than others!) We anticipated that this little dog was going to worm his way into our hearts and we would care for him like any other member of the family; but what came as a surprise was the way in which Jake showed his care for us. If one of us is sick, Jake is there by our side to make sure we are OK, if there is a strange noise outside, Jake is there with a bark to alert us. The care we had shown for our new little team member was being reciprocated.

The same principle applies when working within or leading a team. While the concept of looking out for your team is not new, many people seem to forget that the process is ‘give and take’ rather than just ‘take’. A common mistake amongst new team leaders / supervisors is to assume that they can ‘take’ from their new team without giving anything in return.

A simple principle to remember when managing a team is the difference between a Savings Account and a Credit Card. Care and concern for the team is like having a savings account. Every incident of care or concern you demonstrate for members of your team is similar to making a deposit. The more deposits you make in good times provides you with ‘credit’ that you can use later. A Savings Account only works when the balance is positive – you can’t draw more from the account than you have put into it.

Many team leaders think of care and concern for their team like a Credit Card. They will take and take from the account (ensuring that the balance is negative) and top up the account once a month. Rather than bringing the account back into positive territory, they bring it back to zero, then start to draw against the account again.

Anyone with a credit card knows that there is more than just the balance to pay back at the end of the month, there is the interest payment as well. In this analogy, interest can be thought of as the resentment and lack of trust that results from a Team Leader taking more than they give from the team. Without constant care and attention, a Team Leader using a credit card approach can easily fall further and further into ‘debt’ and eventually will not be able to make the repayments required to manage the team effectively.

How much credit do you have with your team? Have you taken too much from the account? What are the ways that you use to ‘top up’ the credit account?

Lesson 10 – Understand the unique behaviour and skill set you bring to the team

Having Jake in our home has forced everyone to consider what role we have in the family. Jake looks to each of us to provide different things for him; what he expects from me is different to what he expects from my two children. Each of us has roles that Jake expects us to fulfil, just as we expect him to behave and act in a certain way. Each member of our family has a unique set of skills and characteristics that are appreciated and recognised by other members of the family. In fact, we wouldn’t be the family that we are without those skills and behaviours.

When it comes to the team that you work in, what are the unique traits, characteristics and behaviours you exhibit that are valued and admired by your team?

This is one of the questions that I ask team members to consider as part of the Building Effective Teams workshop, and it always provides profound results. Many members of the team have never considered what skills and attributes they bring to the team, let alone how much their skills and traits might be admired or respected by others in the team. Despite working with dozens of teams, many of whom have been at each other’s throats (one of the reasons a team development specialist is sought in the first place), not one person has found it hard to find genuine positive traits that they admire in other team members.

In fact, more often than not, team members are pleasantly surprised and appreciative upon hearing how the behaviour / skill they undertake is valued by the team. Hearing from other team members about what is appreciated does several things:

1. Reminds people that they are part of team,
2. Reinforces that each member of the team has an impact on someone else in the team,
3. Highlights to team members that what they do is noticed and recognised by others,
4. Provides positive reinforcement to continue performing tasks and behaviours that the team values, and
5. By extension, gets team members to consider the behaviours that are not respected and admired by the team.

So how do you find out what skills and behaviours your team admires in you? First, you could ask. This will probably sounds awkward at first, but ask everyone in the team to write down three traits that they admire in each of their team mates. The responses provided can easily be developed to a list that can be shared or debriefed in a team meeting. I find it most effective when each team member has to share with the team (one by one) what traits the team admires in them. Even after seeing this so many times, the positive reaction it generates in the individual and the team still surprises me.

Second, you could find out what your natural task preferences are within a team. An easy way to do this is by completing a Belbin Team role questionnaire. Dr Meredith Belbin conducted studies in the 1970’s asking the question ‘Why do some teams succeed and others fail?’ In his book ‘Management Teams – Why they Succeed or Fail’ (1981), Dr Belbin discussed 8 roles that a team must have to be successful. Who completes each of the 8 roles is not important, so long as the team has a way to fulfil each of the 8 roles. (If this interests you or you would like to complete a Belbin Team role questionnaire, email Michael@kameleons.com.au or add your comment to the blog post and we can help you out)

What unique behaviour or skills set do you bring to your team? What skills or attributes do you admire in the other members of your team? Do they know? Are there skills that you wish you had more of / less of?

Show respect for your team in ways that they appreciate

At the end of a hard day at work, it always good to get home. Not only because I get the chance to relax, but also because Jake (our dog) has a way of making your very presence feel special. As soon as you get home, he is there waiting, wagging his tail, hoping to greet you in the most excited way possible. He has the ability to make an average day feel pretty good (even if it gets excessive at times!). Jake shows his enthusiasm in a simple yet effective way, and it demonstrates to the rest of the family that they are appreciated.

Jake’s appreciation leads me to ask: ‘How do you show your respect and appreciation for your team?’

From the many, many examples that I have seen demonstrated, the simple things are often the best. How often do you do the following:

• Giving a pleasant, cheerful ‘good morning’ in the morning to your team mates
• Not letting little things get you down
• Ask about how people are doing – both at work and at home
• Say thank you for a job well done

The last point – saying thank you – seems to be so hard for so many people! It is either not said, or said in a way that has no impact on the recipient at all. This is ‘teflon- coated’ praise – just like the cooking surface, the praise ‘washes right off’ the person you delivered it to and is forgotten quickly. If you are going to go to the effort to praise someone – you want it to stick for a little while, don’t you?

Tips for saying than you:

1.            Get past simple words such as ‘thank you’, ‘well done’, great work, ‘top job’. Small throw-away phrases result in small throw-away praise.

2.            Go beyond ‘who’ and remember ‘when’, ‘what’, ‘why’, and ‘how’

•             When did they do it?
• What was it that was done so well?
•             Why did you like it so much? What impact did it have on you?
•             How will it help in the future? How is your job easier because of it?

Thank you 1:  ‘Great work Ben’ can be changed to,

Thank you 2:  ‘Ben, thanks for the report you submitted last Friday. It was very well written and saved me a heap of time – time I really needed to complete the end of year statistics. The table that you put in the report is fantastic, I am going to use that for future reports. Thanks for your help.’

Yes – it is more wordy than the first. Yes – you need to be specific and think about it for more than 5 seconds. But the effect on receiving the praise has a much greater impact. The first comment might result in a brief smile that lasts for maybe 5 minutes. The second comment will stick for much, much longer – you will appear to have taken the time and effort to really appreciate what was done. Further, Ben will go out of his way to do it again.

What are you doing to appreciate your team?

Do you praise your team enough for the job they do?

Could the praise that you provide be delivered in a more ‘sticky’ way?

It has been about a week since the last blog post – but I haven’t been wasting my time (or not getting out of BED – for those that read previous posts!)

The last week has been about tackling the things that I have left / ignored and not wanted to do. It has also been about facing up to my business weaknesses and making a plan to do something about it.

I was reminded of this when working with some of the great Managers at GE last week. Preparing to facilitate on the topic of ‘Leadership Essentials’, I noticed as soon as I walked in that the room we were to work in was set up in the traditional ‘U’ shape (not a favourite of mine). At the time, I left the room layout and focussed on the other preparation for the session. After about an hour, I realised that the room layout was holding back conversation and just wasn’t working. Just before morning tea, I advised the group to leave all of their work in the middle of the table, as I was going to move the room around at morning tea. I was told ‘The room layout is fixed – it needs to be left set up that way’, to which I replied ‘It will be back in the U shape at the end of the day’.

On return from morning tea, the room was set up in cafe style – a much more relaxed setting for the discussions and case studies that were being discussed. I was advised that I was the first person to move the room around to suit the style of the discussion. That surprised me – it felt like the most natural thing to do. I linked this idea in the training room to leadership – ‘How many tasks, set-ups, processes and systems have you noticed were inefficient or ineffective, but left them because others said it couldn’t be done?’ We also applied it to personal leadership – ‘How many things have you let go because they seemed too hard or insurmountable at first glance?’

As the group worked in small table groups to discuss the answers, I realised that my answer to that question resulted in a very large list. And that has been what the last week has been about.

1. Owning up to the skill deficiencies that I have (and are holding my business back) and doing something about them.

2. Addressing the gaps in my business plan and seeking ways to fix them.

3. Changing the environment that I work in to suit me, rather than living with the layout / set-up of the previous owner.

This week has been about not settling for the way that others have done things and finding the best environment, process and plan that works for me and my team.

Have you just accepted the environment that you have been placed in?

What should you change to suit the way in which you / your team works?

What will you fix / change / amend today that should have been done weeks ago?

What should you tackle today to make things better?

Teamwork doesn’t just happen. A successful team requires commitment, hard work, openness and honesty. In this regard, the skills that are present in a successful team are not dissimilar to those required for a successful relationship. In both, the expectations, desires and needs of the members will change over time due to increased knowledge, experience and changing circumstances. Successful team have the skills to adapt to these changing circumstances and continue to flourish.

“Not finance. Not strategy. Not technology. It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and so rare.”

Patrick Lencioni

There are many things that can make the difference between a bad team and a good team. But what about the differences between a good team and a great team? Patrick Lencioni’s book ‘The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team: a Leadership Fable’ discusses the 5 key ‘dysfunctions’ that make the difference between effective and ineffective teams. According to Lencioni, there are five things that can get in the way of this communication, which can then undermine the team:

 

1. Absence of trust

2. Fear of conflict

3. Lack of commitment

4. Avoidance of accountability

5. Inattention to results

 

Why we like the book:

1.            The 5 Dysfunctions described hold true for all of the difficult and troubled teams that we have worked with. In fact, the first 2 Dysfunctions and the impact that they have upon a team account for most of the difficulties we have found with teams.

2.            The use of story or ‘fable’ to get the message across. This is a very easy read because the messages are so easy to understand and relate to; there are so many examples in this book that will have you thinking ‘I have seen that’, ‘That is just like when….’ or ‘I do that’.

3.            It is not bogged down with research / models / theory that cannot be applied to the workforce or your team.

4.            Too often leadership and team writers get carried away with their own cleverness, confusing their readers as often as clarifying areas to improve. That is not the case with the 5 Dysfunctions.

5.            It is not a long read. Cover to cover you can complete this book inside 3 hours. Be careful though, we found the book so full of ideas and ‘aha’ moments that we spent a lot of time taking down notes to apply to our own teams.

6.            Rather than leaving you with a problem (or 5 problems!) to ponder, the fable takes you through how a Manager deals with and overcomes the 5 Dysfunctions of her team in a realistic fashion.

7.            It can be applied to new or existing teams and leaders with both small and vast experience will be able to learn and apply the material to their teams.

In short, this is the best team development book we have worked with so far. In fact, we have designed a 2-day Team development workshop to help Managers implement the 5 Dysfunctions with in their teams Maximising Team Potential.

Well worth the read.

Lesson 8. Remember that each team has different rules to live by.

Working with a large variety of teams under development has reminded me of one small but crucial detail when working with teams – they are all different.

This was highlighted with Jake on the weekend at the beach. While we were happy to let Jake frolic on the dog beach, other dog owners were not. While just is scolded when he tries to jump up on people, other dogs were not. While there are some common sense rules to follow when owning dogs, the nuances are what makes each of us different.

The same can be said of teams. While there are some common sense rules for being a good team member, the nuances of how that is applied and regarded is different from workplace to workplace.

I believe that this rule is forgotten when people have worked in a team for a while. People wrongly assume that the behaviours that worked in their old team will automatically work in their new team. As soon as there is a change of workplace, culture, leader or personnel in the team, chances are the dynamics of the team are going to change.

Even in an established team with defined rules of acceptable / non-acceptable behaviour, the team dynamic can change either positively or negatively with the addition of just one person.

Every time a new person is added or removed from your team, it is an opportune time to ask a simple question: ‘What team behaviour does everyone believe will make a successful team?’

So what are the accepted behaviours for your team? Did they change with the addition of a new team member? Does everyone in your team know what you regard as good / poor behaviour?

A different style of post today. I thought I would include one of my favourite inspirational video clips on Youtube. I use this video as a basis for discussion on team coaching, development, goal setting and personal leadership style.

I think I love this video so much because of a question the coach asks an individual player on his team – ‘Are you going to give me your best?’

 In the video, the coach blindfolds his player and undertakes a drill without the player seeing what he has achieved, asking him to ‘give his best’. He pushes his player, and encourages him to go beyond what he thought was possible, inspiring not only himself but the rest of the team that is watching.

It got me thinking about two things:

1.            When was the last time you forced the best out of yourself?

2.            When was the last time that you asked for the ‘very best’ out of your team members?

Have we forgotten to ask for the best and will accept ‘OK’, ‘near enough’ and ‘a pretty good effort’?

I had to have a good think about this and look at what I had achieved in the last couple of weeks to answer this question. When I was truthful with myself, I can say that I have accepted good and perhaps even above average, but I haven’t given my best (in my opinion) very often recently. In my facilitation and interactions with team members, ‘my best’ was delivered on some very specific occasions. While other people have rated performances as good and very good (which is pleasing!), the effort, preparation and execution have not been my best.

Consider your team at present. Are they giving you their best effort? If not, have you asked for it?

I was reminded on the weekend about good and best efforts from a 10-year old soccer team. I was fortunate to coach the team in the absence of their regular coach, and I asked them the question ‘Are you going to give me your best?’ Needless to say I didn’t get the reaction I hoped for until I elaborated. I told them very clearly what I thought their best effort would look like, how they would play and how they would treat each other on the pitch. I also told them, one by one, what their individual best effort would look like. I them asked for permission to tell them when they were playing their best, and advise them when they weren’t.

It was one of the most exciting games of soccer I have seen. The boys on that team gave me their best effort, beating a two-year undefeated side 3-1 (after losing 3 months ago 6-2).

I would love to say the win was based on superior coaching and tactical skill, but that would be very far from the truth! The boys played so well because they were asked to give their best, and their efforts were recognised and reinforced. All I had to do was ask for it and gain permission to tell them if they were / weren’t delivering it.

When was the last time you asked for the best from your team? Equally, when was the last time you did the best you could for your team? What is holding you back? Ask for the best – you might be surprised by the results.

Lesson 7 – Learn the things that you shouldn’t do in the team

There are many disadvantages to running your own business, but one advantage is being able to work the way you want; particularly when the subject of this blog is asleep at my feet.

Lesson 7 follows on from Lessons 1, 5 and 6, and relates to behaviour that is not accepted by the team.

As Jake has developed from a puppy in our house, we have had to teach him what is accepted and not accepted as part of our team. In Lesson 5 I highlighted how Jake’s development needed to be embraced by all members of the team; this is particularly important when it comes to inappropriate behaviour. A rule set by one member of the team (no dogs on beds) and then broken by smaller members of the team (‘we were just playing on the bed with Jake’) creates not only disharmony (and raised voices!) in the team, but also causes confusion for Jake.

In the same way that positive behaviour in the team needs to be discussed and agreed upon, so too does negative behaviour. As always, the common sense rule should not apply; just because you assume that something is inappropriate does not mean that everyone agrees with you. It is important that areas of non-performance (and the consequences) are discussed and agreed upon because a lack of agreement can undermine the best laid plans.

So how do you do this? Here are some simple ways to get started:

1.            In the same way you though about what you love team members to do, also consider ‘What do team members do that really annoys me or wastes my time?’

2.            Consider why you don’t like that behaviour and how it makes you feel. (It doesn’t need to be around the campfire, deep and meaningful emotion – does it make you feel annoyed, frustrated, unprofessional, out of control etc)

3.            Tell the people in your team what annoys you, how it makes you feel and the impact that this has on you, the team and/or the business.

4.            Once you have worked out what annoys you, get the rest of the team to discuss the same thing. Ensure that team members focus on actions and behaviours, not on individual team members.

5.            Agree on the things that annoy and frustrate all members of the group.

Now for the two most important points:

6.            Get the team to agree on what should be done if the team rules are broken. This ensures accountability by everyone in the team, as well as ownership. It also means that if one team member pulls up another for inappropriate behaviour, it is not personal – they are just adhering to the team rules that everyone agreed to.

7.            Ignoring a break in the team rules is the same as saying the behaviour is appropriate. Team rules are rules that have been agreed to and should not be broken. If someone makes a mistake it should be owned – the person should accept responsibility or the team should ensure that they do. Referring back to lesson 6, this is how trust is confirmed.

As a team leader, supervisor or Manager, sometimes we need to tell people when they have performed badly or have done the wrong thing. Trust me, it is much easier when the entire team knows what the rules are and what the consequences will be. You go from being the bad person to being the person who is just enforcing the rules that have been agreed upon by the team – a big difference. Once agreed, the team rules don’t always have to be enforced / reviewed by the leader – if everyone knows the rules, it can be reminded and enforced by all members of the team. Clarity around what should and should not be done in teams provides a sense of surety, calm and trust between all members of the team.

For some reason, the idea of agreeing what is right and wrong within the team seems to have been forgotten by middle Managers – either it hasn’t been taught by Managers above them or there is fear in regards to stamping their authority over a team. So long as your team rules are agreed by all and within appropriate business rules / laws, why can’t you set the standard for the team?

Does your team know what they should and shouldn’t do in your team? Have the consequences of poor behaviour been agreed? When was the last time you turned a blind eye to a team member’s indiscretion? You now know what you can do to fix it!

Lesson 6. Trust is built over months, not seconds.

It took me quite a while to realise this, but the relationship between a dog and its owner is all about trust. There are certain things that I expect Jake to do, and there are certain things that he expects of me. When those expectations are met and not broken, we have started to build trust. For me, trust is a fairly simple thing to define:

Trust – the knowledge that someone is going to do what they say they are going to do.

Jake has certain expectations of us as a family. He expects to be fed in the morning, he expects to get a pat when he comes over to you, and he expects to go for a walk every day. There are plenty of others, but this is a blog post, not a novel. In return, we expect certain behaviour from Jake; not doing his business in the house, not jumping on people, not chewing things.

During particularly busy weeks, it is easy to forget that I have an obligation to Jake to maintain his trust. The last thing I want to do when I get back from a difficult day of training is go for a walk with the dog. Often there is not enough light, and there are requirements for the rest of the family. On days when I have haven’t taken Jake for a walk, you expect to see the consequences – a shoe could be chewed, paper is taken out of the bin and chewed, or worse, he does his business on the rug. He is expressing his displeasure in the only ways that he knows how. I can look at the results as his bad behaviour, but it has stemmed from my lack of meeting his (not unreasonable) expectations.

So many of the teams that I work with have trust issues caused by Managers / supervisors failing to meet the trust expectations that they have with their staff. It can start with the smallest of things:

a.         Stating that you will have a catch up once a week with your staff. It lasts for the first few weeks, then slowly becomes once a month or whenever you feel like.

b.         Promising to speak to your boss about the great job your staff member did, but never quite finding the opportunity.

c.         Saying that you will be somewhere or do something, but doing it far later than you expected.

Each time you complete one of these actions, you break the trust that you have with the people that work for you. Yet, we are surprised when those same people don’t meet our deadlines or expectations. Their behaviour is blamed on poor attitude or ‘they are just difficult to get along with’ – if only Managers could see that their staff members are mirroring their own behaviour.

Consider your own team. What do your staff expect of you as a Manager / supervisor? If you don’t know, why don’t you ask? Is the negative behaviour that you see from certain team members due to their lack of drive or passion, or are they just mirroring the lack of trust you have demonstrated to them? Lesson 5 was all about consistency. Lesson 6 is following through with what you have said that you would do. Meeting your obligations to the team consistently every day; quite simply, that is how trust is built.

What do you do each day to maintain the trust of your team? Do you know what your team expects you to do to maintain their trust? Are you seeing the effects of not meeting your trust obligations?

Lesson 5. Consistency is crucial to trust and understanding.

As you may have gathered with previous posts, having Jake in our house has been a learning experience. One of the greatest areas of learning has been in the art of consistency across all members of the family. Like most dog owners, we wanted Jake to be able to sit on command; when he is on the lead and at the side of the road, before receiving his meal etc.

What we noticed very quickly was that while I was clear on the command and the way I was teaching this step to Jake, so were the other 3 members of my family. The problem was that each of our methods of teaching Jake to sit were slightly different. This caused confusion for Jake, and he became unsure of what to do when.

This also became a problem when we wanted Jake to sit before we cross the road. Did we want him to do it at every road? Just before busy roads? Only with the children? Clearly Jake wasn’t going to be able to read our minds and work out what we wanted, so we had to be clear and work out the standard we wanted as a family and then make sure that the way that we demonstrate this to Jake is consistent.

Team members within our workplace require the same type of consistency. One of the key traits of a high performing team is their ability to trust one another. Trust is a big concept that means many things to many people, but in this case I will use a very literal definition: Trust is built by doing what you say you are going to do.

High performing teams trust in each other’s abilities and the consistency that comes with knowing what the other person will do. I work with many different teams from many different industries that are seeking to become better at what they do, and trust is the most consistent and crucial factor that is discussed again and again as missing from their teams.

To build trust, you have to make it very clear what you want in certain situations and what is expected of others.

For Jake, we have some constants:

1.         Before receiving food, you have to sit.

2.         At the side of the road, you have to sit and I have to stop and look before crossing.

3.         If we are heading for the park, you have to sit before I will take the lead off.

For my team, I have some similar consistent behaviours:

1.         If you are late to work by 5 minutes, I won’t be annoyed – traffic happens.

2.         If you are late for a meeting (particularly with clients), I will be very annoyed. Call me ahead of time to advise me of problems.

3.         If I have asked for a report by Friday, I will be very annoyed if on Monday you tell me it hasn’t been done. Tell me on Thursday, and we can work together.

These are just three points – I have a very long list! When a new member joins my team, I make a point of very being clear in what I expect the people in that team to do. I provide them with my list and discuss the points within them; this is how you get the best out of me. I also encourage them to do the same – how can I get the best out of you?

An easy way to start is to observe your team and your interactions for a week. When someone does something that you love in a team environment, put it on your ‘good’ list. When something bugs or annoys you, put it on your ‘bad’ list. You will be surprised how quickly the list builds!

Working out what you like and don’t like and discussing it with your team is a bit like providing your team with an instruction manual on how to get the best out of you. Imagine if you knew on Day 1 at a new business what the key ‘touch’ points were for your new boss? How much easier would it be?

Knowing how you will react and what you expect makes life much simpler for your team and builds trust quickly, particularly when your actions match what you have said.

How consistent are you with your team? Does your team know what you like and don’t like? Is the response they get from you consistent? What ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’ are part of your instruction manual? Does your team know them?

 

Greet your team members like you are meeting them for the first time every day.

This lesson sounds over the top and cheesy, but give me the opportunity to explain.

I am sure that you have seen dogs like Jake before; as soon as I get home there is a huge wag of the tail, more jumping than I would like, and a desperate need to be patted. There is no doubt in my mind that he is happy to see me. Jake also has the advantage (or disadvantage?) of having a tail that completely reflects his mood – if the tail is wagging he is happy, wagging furiously and he is excited.

To state the obvious, humans don’t have tails that can give away our mood. Often I work with team’s that struggle to understand each other, finding it difficult to read each others expressions, let alone their intent. What I love about my dog Jake is no matter what type of day he has had, he always manages to cheer me up when I arrive home.

I think we can take a lot out of Jake’s demeanour and apply it to where we work. Over time, I have worked with several clients that struggle to deal with the negativity of staff; they criticize everything and the general mood of the business is one that can be unpleasant to work in. It is the type of negativity that you can feel as an outsider to the business – it just feels wrong.

Positive attitudes can be beaten down in environments like this if they are not maintained and vigilant. A simple way is to greet people in your team in a positive manner. It may sound trite, but it is amazing how your own smile and positive attitude can have a direct impact on those people around you.

Imagine a simple case of a Manager so absorbed in what he is doing that as he walked down the corridor, deep in thought, he was ignoring the people that he walked past. He wasn’t trying to be aloof or distant, but staff members he worked with (in this negative culture) could perceive that behaviour as being ignored. (Imagine if he had a tail like Jake, there would be no need to say anything.

If his tail was wagging, people would assume that he was in a good mood and think nothing more of it). So individually, the team decide to ignore him too – a negative culture will do that. You can see how this can spiral out of control. Sadly, in the past I have been the type of person who has exacerbated this attitude, expecting everyone to treat me well before I decided to treat them accordingly. (Perhaps I am attuned to this now because I have been that negative person in the past and can recognize the early signs)

Negative cultures require us to break that cycle and treat everyone how we expect to be treated regardless of the impact. Imagine again my corridor walking manager, and instead of ignoring the behaviour or judging it, a staff member comes out with ‘Good morning Joe (Bloggs), how is your day going?’ They might often know the answer, but they can break the lack of communication and the possible spiral it could cause. This is a very simple example – but it highlights how perception of communication and sending out what you want can have a great impact.

To paraphrase a quote that I read a few days ago ‘It is not the force of the rain in a single drop that created an indentation in stone, it is the persistent effort of many drops over many storms.’

I love this quote because it relates to people’s behaviour and negativity so well. A single effort will not change behaviour. Neither will several efforts. Many efforts over time build to become a habit, which in turn drives behaviour and attitude change. This is exactly what dealing with negativity requires – constant effort and a desire to change for the good.

It is certainly not easy, sometimes the negative energy saps up the energy of good people and can drag them down. The question is ‘Is the negative behaviour something that you want to live with?’

In short, negative behaviour can be broken down with many simple acts of friendliness, kindness and trust over periods of time. Jake has taught me that consistent positive response can change my mood every time I come home.

Is your team filled with negative comments and behaviour? Are you adding to the negativity or steering a positive path? What have you done to lift the mood of your team?

Listening and Being Present are Important to you Team

Having a team leader that is motivated, passionate, driven and excitied by making change are all wonderful things to have when you are in a team. Equally, it is very comforting to know that your Team Leader is there to listen and provide advice when you need it – it provides the ‘steady hand’ that is required to guide a team through difficult times.

There are times with Jake when he just wants to be near you; I wouldn’t say that he craves attention but it is clear that he feels more comfortable when we are around and a spontanteous act of care and affection (a pat for no reason) goes a very long way.

It is very easy to get caught up in the day-to-day hustle and bustle of team activity and the multitude of requirements that need to be completed. It is good for the team to take the time to show that you care – just listen to what your team has to say. I am not talking about half-listening; nodding your hear and making it look like you are listening. Nor am I talking about cutting off a team member before they can finish and provide a solution to their problem (I can be very guilty of that one).

Take the time to see how members of your team are progressing – What are they finding hard?, What is their most difficult task?, What can you help with?, What hinders them from being able to do their job better?, What do they enjoy?

The more listening you do the more likely you are to have the knowledge to help when it is required, as well as respond to the challenges that lie ahead.

When was the last time you took the opportunity to truly ‘listen’ to your team?

You need to protect your team from outside forces

Being the leader of a team brings with it certain responsibilities. The responsibility and accountability of leading others is one of the greatest privileges that can be asked of a person. It can also be one of the greatest challenges.

With Jake in our family, it has reminded me of the requirement to look and act like the leader at all times. A simple example of behaving like a leader involves playing with Jake. Pulling on a rope, throwing a ball and chasing a Frisbee are all great games to play with Jake (with varying success), but getting down to his level and wrestling is a no-no. It is confusing for Jake and he gets very boisterous – he sees that he has the opportunity to be dominant and it confuses him. It is a metaphor for understanding the need to be friendly with the people that work for you, but a reminder that you are not their best friend. The role that you are required to play within a team ensures that you are equally part of the team, but also apart from the team.

I have also been reminded by Jake of the need to protect your team. There are all sorts of forces at play within an organisation and external to it that can have a detrimental affect on your team. As a leader of a team, it is your responsibility to look after the welfare of your team. When Jake barks at something outside our house, he is trying to display his protection of the family. Yelling at him for doing so again confuses him; he needs the reassurance that you know what is going on outside and it is under your control.

Similar ‘noises’ are heard by members of your team; rumours of change, changes of client bases or different work procedures. You need to be able to convey to your team that you are aware of these forces and that you are in control of both circumstances and outcomes. With this comes the appropriate demeanour of calm and control.

A good team leader stays aware of the outside forces that are at play and knows how to keep the team informed but not alarmed.

What outside forces are at play in your organisation? What have you done to stay informed and protect the members of your team?

Lesson 1 – The team rules need to be understood and applied by all members of the team.

The addition of our dog Jake to the household has forced us to consider our house rules and what will be tolerated / not tolerated by all members of the family.

• Would Jake be an inside or outside dog?
• What rooms will Jake be allowed in?
• How do we deal with discipline issues with the dog?
• How do we react when he jumps up on people?
• What are the rewards for good behaviour?

These questions and a myriad of others have had to be discussed and decisions made regarding the behaviour of our dog and the way that he integrates into the family. To make the rules work they have to work for everyone – not just the ‘master’ or the adults; our children have had to be involved in the decision process (the best intentions in ensuring the dog does not go into bedrooms can be broken down very quickly by a 9-year old wanting to have a new fluffy dog at her feet at bedtime). Every new dog owner knows that despite the best intentions, all of these ideas and rules get pushed and tested with the addition of dog in the house (chewing shoes and accidents in the house have tested our rules!).

For a good team to function effectively, team members also need to understand the team rules and codes of behaviour. Contrary to an opinion I heard recently, this does not mean a quick look at the values of the business and saying that we should all apply ‘common sense’.

Each team is different – just like each family is different. Good teams take the time to discuss what is accepted and appropriate and what is not; from behaviour at meetings, providing feedback to each other, how often you expect feedback from the Manager and when are the best times to get core work completed.

Failure to understand what is appropriate for the team causes confusion for all team members, as well as the team leader. Team members can feel insecure regarding what behaviour is right and wrong, what will be praised and what will be questioned. This is exacerbated for new team members who spend the first few weeks / months trying to work out what is appropriate for different team members, the team manager and the team as a whole.

So how do you address this? Here are 5 simple steps:

1.            Take the time to consider two questions: ‘What do you really appreciate your team members doing?’ And ‘What do your team members do that frustrates and annoys you?’

You may never have considered this question, so it might help with some examples.

My top 3 likes and dislikes:

Love:

a.            Team members that when finished their tasks, ask their peers if they need help and provide it.

b.            Team members that provide options for dealing with problems.

c.            Team members that aren’t afraid to question decisions, but will accept a decision when one is made.

Dislike:

a.            Whingeing about a person / decision without raising the issue with the person.

b.            Being late for meetings and being unprepared for meetings.

c.            Criticising the business or a business unit in front of clients / customers.

My list could go on for quite a bit! But by providing this list to my team, they have a very clear understanding of what I like and what I don’t like. If they question my decisions, I won’t be annoyed.

If they are late for team meetings, I probably will be. Your list could be similar or very different; the point is by discussing your likes and dislikes you start a conversation about what is acceptable and not tolerable within the team.

2. Get your team members to consider the same questions and be honest in their answers. You may find that some of the things that you do are appreciated by your team, others things they may find difficult. Most people, once they know your preferences, will try to do what you like and avoid what you don’t. Will you do the same for them?

3.            In a team meeting, get all team members to discuss their likes / dislikes.

Many people come to meetings like this with very small lists – but they grow as they listen to what others have said and consider the points for themselves. Importantly, all team members must be encouraged to ‘play the ball, not the man’. In other words, discuss behaviour that they like / don’t like, not the people that do it. This process does not need to take hours; in fact, it can be just 10 minutes at the end of a regular meeting.

4.            Develop a team charter.

There is no point discussing all of these points if it is forgotten a few days later. A team charter reinforces the accepted behaviours within the team.

5.            Review and adapt your likes/dislikes whenever a new team member becomes part of your team.

Every one in business knows when a Manager changes, accepted business practises and behaviours change as well. Meeting styles, information flow, communication and management styles all change and require us to adapt. The same applies when a new team member is added to the team.

Applying this process successfully ensures that new team members feel like an important addition to the group, as well as providing them with crucial information regarding appropriate behaviours in their new role. Imagine not having to guess how to treat your Manager in your first days on the job? With ‘relationship with my Manager / Boss’ stated as the reason why 57% of people change jobs and roles, understanding your team and Manager can have a dramatic impact on not only the harmony of your team, but their retention as well.

Do you understand what behaviours you like and don’t like in you team? Does your team know? Have you told new team members what behaviours are positive and negative? Consider applying the steps above for an effective and harmonious team.

Jake is the newest member of our team / family. He is an 18 month old labradoodle (pictured) and the last 15 months have been an exercise in joy, commitment, frustration and persistence.

When I think on the impact our new member has had on the rest of the family, I have realised that it is not very different to a new person entering a team in business. I have also realised that animals know an awful lot about being in a team – they have existed and survived in packs for thousands of years.

Here are some of the lessons learnt with Jake on being a good team member and being a good leader of a team.

1. The team rules need to be understood and applied by all members of the team / pack.

2. You need to protect your team from outside forces.

3. Listening and being present are important to your team.

4. Greet your team members like you are meeting them for the first time every day.

5. Consistency is crucial to trust and understanding.

6. Trust is built over months, not seconds.

7. Learn the things that you shouldn’t do in the team.

8. Remember that each team has different rules to live by.

9. Show respect for your team in ways that they appreciate.

10. Understand the unique behaviour and skill set you bring to the team.

11. Look after your team and they will look after you / You have to meet the needs of your team.

12. Breaks in discipline / performance can’t wait until later to fix.

13. Leading the team is not a half-hearted, part time responsibility.

14. The leader needs to guide the team clearly and precisely.

15. The leadership hierarchy needs to be understood by all of the team.

Each lesson will be expanded on within the blog in the coming days.

What are rules governing your team? Are they understood by everyone? Does everyone apply them? Consider the list and check to see if your team meets the criteria set out by Jake.

I must admit to feeling disappointed. As a leadership and team development facilitator, I look for examples in media / corporate life, politics and personal experience to illuminate key points I want to discuss and raise in training.

I have been reviewing the key examples that I use for points on vision, personal ethics, integrity, trust, responsibility and have come to realise that not only are some of the examples I have been using a little dated – I have found it very hard to find up-to-date replacements.

While I use many references to coaches and players of particular sporting codes (I have highlighted my sport obsession recently), I find that my love of sport is not enjoyed by everyone – in fact it can alienate some groups. For some people, the great examples of courage, teamwork and discipline can be overshadowed by lack of personal ethics and behaviour that are often demonstrated off the field.

So where to find the examples? Business?

While I can think of fantastic examples of creativity, ingenuity, quality and persistence in the business world, great examples of leadership and personal example to look up to are harder to find.

Can you think of a business leader that provides an example that others should follow?

Which brings me to politics – and sadly my greatest disappointment when it comes to leadership. I had the unfortunate opportunity to watch ‘question time’ in the Australian Parliament at the end of last week. The examples displayed – childish behaviour, not answering questions, jeering each other, ignoring the presence of people and deriding the comments of women – left me feeling deflated, disappointed and angered all at once. How can these people be our leaders? While sports people could decry that they play professional sport and should not be held up as role models (a separate article could be created on this debate), I don’t believe that can be said for our politicians.

They should be our role models! In any successful business, the examples displayed by Australian politicians would not be tolerated. In fact, the examples would not only generate performance management action and formal warning, you would expect most to be removed from the business all together before they created a lawsuit with their behaviour.

Vision, values, integrity, honesty, responsibility, accountability, lead by example – are these words now only found on motivational posters? Are these not the traits that we expect our leaders to display? If so, these qualities appear to be sadly lacking from the leaders of our political parties. Should we expect more? Am I naïve in expecting our political leaders to provide guidance and an example that I look up to? I shouldn’t be too harsh on Australian politics, the poor example set by politicians goes beyond national borders – French and American politics has provided plenty of poor examples of late.

Were the politicians of the past as bad as the current crop, or did they just face less personal scrutiny in a time without a 24-hour news cycle and social media?

For now, I am happy for some of my examples of good leadership values / behaviours to be a little dated.

Where have all the great role models gone?

Can you think of a great modern-day leader that demonstrates values / ethics / personal qualities that can be set as an example for others? I would love to hear from you!

I must confess to being slightly sport obsessed, using sporting references in training and facilitation, so it is no real surprise that it ends up in my blog as well.

Last night saw the Queensland Maroons defeat the NSW Blues again, resulting in a 6^th straight series win for Queensland. It also marked the last time the Maroons captain, Darren Lockyer, would play in a State of Origin series. A very proud night to come from Queensland! (A separate article could be ‘Why does the performance of a team I have no direct involvement or influence over –despite my cheering – make me feel so good?’)

After the game, several of the Queensland players said that they wanted to make the night special so that ‘they could send ‘Locky’ out on a high’ or that they were ‘doing it for Locky’. These comments stood out for me, because they weren’t coming from a rookie player that idolised the hero that they were lucky enough to play with in his final game. These comments came from NRL captains, Grand final winning players and captains, including the Australian rugby league captain.

My point is, ‘What makes you put in selfless effort for the boss, and have you felt the same thing for your boss?’

Being an officer in the Air Force provided me with the opportunity to work with some amazing people. Due to the posting cycle, it also afforded me with the opportunity to work with and observe 12 different Commanding Officers. Of those 12, there was only 2 that made me feel the way those Queensland players feel for Darren Lockyer.

The business unit that I worked in (my dream job) was not well regarded in the Air Force and had been led poorly for a number of years. Yet after less than 1 year, Wing Commander Paul Way had instilled a ‘fire in the belly’ for all that worked for him, rallying the unit to work together in a way that I hadn’t seen before. Everyone had ‘got on board’ with his vision for the future, and his style was such that everyone not only liked him, but respected him as well.

The amazing thing is, looking back, I don’t think Paul Way was an exceptional visionary leader. What he did do was a large number of small, personally important things, very well.

I heard renowned chef Marco Pierre White say (on Masterchef – but it is a great quote!) that perfection is a number of small things done exceptionally well. Paul Way provided me with a first hand demonstration of leadership perfection.

He did the small things like:

–       remembering everyone’s name on only his second day at the unit (a unit of more than 60 people).

–       Tapping into and rekindling passing conversations he had with staff weeks before and remembering every detail, and following up with progress.

–       Providing a day of leave (where operationally possible) for people on their birthday to spend with their family.

–       Asking each and every staff member what they thought worked and didn’t work in the unit and then putting in a plan of action to address them. Simple questions, like:

• What is working at the unit and shouldn’t be changed?
• What isn’t working?
• What is one annoying thing that, if I could take it away, would make your life easier?

Not a new concept, but Paul actually did it, and then fed back the progress to the person that suggested it as well as the unit as a whole. He also followed through and got rid of a lot of those ‘annoying things’ and made you feel like what you thought mattered.

Even my wife loved him! Formal military dinners can be awkward sometimes – the person you refer to as ‘Sir’ or ‘Maam’ at work has a first name that your partner will use during the evening, but you won’t. After our first formal dinner with Paul Way, my wife said ‘he is the first person to do that’. After enquiring, my wife loved him because he was the first person to try and make the formalities seem less awkward, and introduced himself simply as Paul, and referring to her by name. Simple I know, but more impressive because I hadn’t spoken to him about my wife – he had taken it upon himself to learn partner’s names before the event.

I realised that when I worked for Paul Way, I actually wanted to go to work. I felt a drive and energy to do a better job that I had felt only once before (working for a similarly inspirational leader) – it was almost as if I wanted to do a better job to please him. When he left the job less than a year later, it almost felt as if a death had occurred in the family and sadly, the next 2/3 Commanding officers couldn’t fill that inspirational void in the way that Paul Way had. My hope is that the Queensland players don’t feel that same void when Darren Lockyer leaves their team.

I used many of the techniques that Paul demonstrated to try and be a better leader myself, and use many examples and simple ideas he introduced when I facilitate leadership training for Managers. I owe a large debt to Paul Way for showing me that you could be a tough, uncompromising leader in a demanding industry, yet still show your human side and demonstrate genuine care for your people.

So my question is: Do you feel about your boss the way that I do for Paul Way, or the way the Queensland players feel for Darren Lockyer? What could your boss start doing / stop doing to inspire you to do better and work selflessly for them?