Leaders Institute (R) Insider Newsletter |
- Communication is a Key to Teamwork
- Alacrity Services Fosters Teamwork with Build-A-Bike Event in Portland, Oregon
- Small Build-A-Bike Event Yields Large Results for Northrup Grumman in Fairfax,VA
- Newell Rubbermaid Philanthropic Bike Team Event in Chicago, Illinois
| Communication is a Key to Teamwork Posted: 31 May 2012 08:44 PM PDT
Teamwork is a captivating concept. It means different things to different people. I recently worked with a man who wanted a team building program for a group of individuals. When I asked about the team and how well they currently worked together his response was that they communicate well. I asked what he meant by that and he said, "Well, we talk to each other."  When a group of people talk to each other it is the lowest level of teamwork. How many teams have complained about their situation when the only quality to describe them is that they talk to each other? If a group of people are working together with goals and mission but yet the best description of their team work is that they communicate, or talk to each other, they are at the lowest level and their team work will not be very productive. I recently heard a story of a man and woman in church. The pastor asked for all the golfers to stand. The woman's husband stood up, then sat down. He looked around at those standing and then stood back up again. When the man and his wife got home after the service the woman queried about her husbands activity. His response was something like this, "When the pastor asked for the golfers to stand I thought I don't golf very much but I do enjoy it. Then after standing I thought I haven't been in a couple years- I'm certainly no golfer. But then I looked around at some of the men standing, including our son, and if their standing I should be standing to, I can golf as good a many of them even if I haven't been in years." The wife began laughing. It seems the pastor hadn't asked for the golfers to stand but rather for the fathers to stand. His conspicuous behavior had left several people wondering. Communication is important to teams, but it is only the beginning. For communication to work there has to be understanding. Steven Covey admonished to seek first to understand and then to be understood. Good advice. Make sure that you understand the pictures others want you to see. Make sure you are not jumping to conclusions, taking things for granted or making assumptions that were never intended. Listen intently, ask questions to clarify and understand and make sure you have all the information necessary and intended by the deliverer. Once you are sure and confident that you understand the other person, then take responsibility for making sure you are understood in the same way you understand. ] Too often people say that their team has a communication problem when in reality they have a responsibility problem. With cell phones, texting, email, and all the modern technological gadgets that make us reachable at all times, communication is not the problem, taking responsibility to make sure adequate communication takes place is the problem. For teams, communication is level one. It is the foundation that team work can be built upon. Many of the failings of a team can be traced back not to communication problems, but rather responsibility problems- some one didn't take responsibility for correct and effective communication. Communication is the first level of team work. For it to happen effectively each team member must commit to two things… First- the commitment to understand. Each individual must be willing to do the work necessary to make sure they understand what others are saying and what they mean by what they are saying. This is the commitment to listen intently, ask clarifying questions, taking time to prevent misunderstandings, and guarding one's self from jumping to conclusions. Second- the commitment to be understood. Each individual must take responsibility to speak clearly, understandably, and make sure that the audience, whether 1 or many, completely understands the meaning that is to be conveyed. Great communication can be a terrific foundation for a team to be built upon. Craig Wagganer | ||
| Alacrity Services Fosters Teamwork with Build-A-Bike Event in Portland, Oregon Posted: 31 May 2012 08:24 PM PDT Alacrity Services wanted to host a memorable event that would help them improve teamwork within the company so they decided to participate in the Build-A-Bike® team building event. Alacrity is a high performance insurance services company that manages an extensive contractor network and claims management systems. Many of the third party insurance company's employees work from their homes so many had never met face to face before the event. The main goals for Alacrity Services were to improve leadership skills and teamwork while having a fun and memorable event. The Build-A-Bike® team building event helped the Alacrity employees see first hand how their team or department is connected to and affects the entire company despite the distance that separates them.
The employees had to work on their teamwork and leadership skills to receive all the materials they needed to build their bicycles. Alacrity Services wound up building 8 bikes that were donated to lucky children from the Boys and Girls Club of Portland. The charitable nature of the Build-A-Bike team building event goes to reinforce one of the programs main ideas that all parts of a group can dramatically affect the outcome. Whether that means departments working together to accomplish company goals or people helping others’ within their community so everyone has the same opportunities. At the close of the event after the children had arrived to receive their bikes, a participant was asked to comment on the team building event. He was unable to do so because he was so moved by the children’s gratitude. Thank you Alacrity Services for creating a truly memorable event! | ||
| Small Build-A-Bike Event Yields Large Results for Northrup Grumman in Fairfax,VA Posted: 31 May 2012 08:11 PM PDT 11 senior leadership members of one of operating units at Northrup Grumman Came together in Fairfax, VA, for a Build-A-Bike Team Building Event. The end result was four new bicycles being contributed to boys and girls from the greater Washington, DC YMCA youth programs. The main focus of this group is providing technical support to the intelligence community and during this 2 hour program team building concerns such as strategy, leadership and control were addressed in a fast-paced, fun-filled event. The end result of the four bikes being given to children from the community was a nice and special touch. This great team of individuals enjoyed a great event and made a great contribution in giving back to the community. Many times as teams we tackle a problem without doing much analysis or strategic planning. Often times we just get started and work out the details as we go along. But things aren't always as they seem and before long we are having to double our efforts to work out the original problems as well as the problems we've created. One key is to thoroughly evaluate the problem and the parameters so that a strategy can be developed before the actual work begins. Some careful planning can facilitate a better coordinated effort for reaching the goal. The Build-A-Bike® Team Building Event demonstrates this important lesson in an entertaining, engaging way. Among the fun there are lessons to be learned. Thanks to Northrup Grumman for their special event and giving to children in the community. By giving to the children they gave to families and thus also gave to the community. Great job! Craig Wagganer | ||
| Newell Rubbermaid Philanthropic Bike Team Event in Chicago, Illinois Posted: 31 May 2012 08:04 PM PDT Newell Rubbermaid gave back to their community with a Philanthropic Bike Team Building Event in Chicago, Illinois. This division of the parent company,(whose brands include everything from home storage to Irwin Building tools) puts Sharpies, and Paper Mate products into our hands. In the Build-A-Bike® Event, engineers and designers laughed, learned to better collaborate and communicate, and in the end, made some kids smile.  Engineers, generally quiet and shy, were pushed out of their comfort zones, to exchange ideas, share cultures, and solve some tricky problems. Who knew that such creativity and fun could evolve from such seriously studious folks? They let loose, and exchanged ideas, cultures, put creativity before logic, and became a stronger team. They learned the value of collaboration, communication, and getting to know each other. Individuals were no longer an email, or a title to each other. They became breathing, caring, funny people to each other, opening lines of better communication.All the learning and fun lead to the reinforcement of the company's philanthropic-platform. "Getting involved in our communities is the corner stone for all we do." Today they invested in the community's future – its children. They built bikes for kids who have none.
By Connie Timpson/Sr. Instructor/Performance Coach/The Leader's Institute |
Even though many of the participants had never participated in anything like the Build-A-Bike® team building event they were very enthusiastic and eager to dive into the challenges of the program. The participants were broken down into teams and this ignited their competitive spirit. Eager to complete the tasks at hand and be the first to “win” they failed to see how going beyond their small teams would be the most effective use of their efforts. Like their name suggests, it did not take them long to work together and build their bikes in record time.
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