Team Leadership Training: Day 1 - Self Awareness & Effective Team Functioning, Lecture notes of Communication

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Lead Your Team

Manual

INDEX

Day 1

1. Programme Overview
2. Get alignment
3. Exercises

Day 2

4. Gaining commitment and by in
5. Exercises

Day 3

6. Dealing with challenges
7. Exercises
8. Learning log and action planner

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION

Welcome to this three day programme designed specifically for team leaders in the institutions.

We are delighted that you able to attend this programme. Our intended aim is for you to leave at the end of the three days having gained some useful insights into your own and other people’s ways of working – whether it is leading, being a team member, communicating and influencing, or dealing with conflict. The programme will provide you with practical tools and techniques for making any changes you feel are necessary in the way you lead or communicate with your team.

The overall aim of the programme is to enable you to reach your leadership potential and increase your and your team members’ performance now and in the future.

The 3-day programme is divided as follows:

 Day 1: Get alignment – building awareness of self and others

 Day 2: Gaining Commitment and buy in

 Day 3: Dealing with Challenges

Objectives

The objectives are for you to gain the essential awareness and skills necessary to fulfil your responsibilities as a leader whether or not you have official authority at this stage in your career.

By the end of the programme you will:

 Have an understanding of your role as a team leader

 Have learned to “read” your colleagues and act accordingly

 Have obtained a range of tools that will facilitate you in performing the role of team leader and to help you overcome the demands that this role has for you

 Be able to “make your team work”

Programme Approach

The training provides a mix of theory and practice, and encourages you to take responsibility for their own learning and development. The programme combines theoretical content with an increasing emphasis on process, closely linked to your present job and position.

While providing you with an encouraging environment to share issues and experiences, it will focus on the importance of applying any tools and techniques in a way that suit your own personality and style.

By the end of the day, you will:

 Have an insight into the motivational drivers, which guide us in the work place

 Understand your own leadership behaviour and the leadership needs of others

 Apply flexible leadership styles according to the needs of your team members and your requirements in a specific situation

 Be able to apply some of the skills needed to influence others

 Have the steps in place to delegate effectively

Day 3. Dealing with Challenges

The objectives of the third day are to give you ways to handle various situations using communication and influencing skills, to motivate people, deal with awkward situations and handle conflict effectively it also sets the scene for action planning and transferring the skills when back in the work place.

By the end of the day, you will be able to:

 Apply some skills for effective influencing

 Identify the assertive styles

 Identify the way in which you can handle various degrees of disagreement

 Understand how some tense or difficult work situations can lead us to react in a non-appropriate way

 An action plan with development needs to take back into the workplace

Logbook

To ensure that you are better able to capture the learning during the course, you will be asked to record any key points or tips in a logbook throughout the programme and to reflect on situations where this learning could be applied to work situations.

Handouts

This training manual is intended to be a reference to be used back in the workplace. Notes can be made freely throughout the four days and kept in the manual for later use.

Some of the models have a fuller explanation in the manual which you may find useful to read if time does not permit further discussion in the training room.

We very much hope you enjoy this course

The EUSA Team

DAY 1

CHAPTER 1 - WHAT IS A TEAM?

WHAT IS A TEAM?

A team can be defined as 'a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable'. (Katzenback and Smith)

Research shows that an ideal size for a team ranges between two and twenty five, but that most teams at work number less than ten. Theoretically larger numbers of people - 50 or more - can be a team, but they rarely function as a single unit preferring to split into sub-teams that are more manageable and more allowing of individuals to make unique contributions and be recognised for such.

Definitions

What is a team? What is a working group?

“A small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable”.

“A collection of individuals who interact primarily to share information, best practices or perspectives and to make decisions that help individuals perform. They have no common purpose nor any wish for one and, therefore, no need for collective skills and mutual accountability" Jon R Katzenbach & Douglas K Smith

High Performing Teams have the following main components.

1. Mission & Goals – these are clear, understood and realistic.
2. Roles & Responsibilities – are individually & mutually understood. Everyone knows what is expected of them.
3. Team Relationships – people work well together. There is mutual trust and support and if this breaks down there are mechanisms in place to deal with them in an objective way.
4. Tools & Procedures – common rules and ways of working – these are there to smooth the way not to create complications or bureaucracy.

Number 5 is leadership – accountability at the top and responsibility for completion shared across the team.

DAY 1

CHAPTER 1 - WHAT IS A TEAM?

You can keep this in mind the next time you are sitting through a ‘bad meeting’. Simply look at your hand and remember the acronym “L-GRIP” – put a letter on each finger, and ask yourself, is it a problem with the L eadership? G oals? R oles & Responsibilities? I nterpersonal relationships? P rocedures?

Teamwork implies the intention to work cooperatively with others. It means working together as opposed to working separately or competitively.

This Means... This Doesn’t Mean...

 soliciting and utilising the skills, ideas and opinions of team members

• preferring to be left alone to get on with your own work

 keeping others informed and up-to-date about any relevant or useful information

 attending team meetings without contributing

 when taking action, keeping in mind the concerns of other members as well as your own concerns

 engaging in win-lose competition with other members of the team

 supporting and encouraging team members; defending the team’s reputation when others criticize

 laying blame or making judgements about other team members and keeping quiet or ignoring critical comments about your team members

DAY 1

CHAPTER 1 - WHAT IS A TEAM?

Intimacy, Signs of Recognition, Understanding

After having shared different points of view without jeopardising relationships, individuals are then ready to form a good professional understanding (happy to say anything, as long as it concerns work). They also become more able to exchange signs of understanding.

Solidarity

Progressively, the team members enter into a relationship of trust towards one another. This solidarity is a process of exchange. The team leader must ensure that these exchanges are fair; if not there will be an immediate loss of confidence.

Clearing or Releasing Blockages

Only when a group has achieved solidarity can certain situations become resolved or unblocked. Without the confidence that accompanies solidarity, each person can retreat behind his own point of view, so as not to work together towards the success of the team.

Achieving Results, Feedback

This solidarity allows the achievement of results beyond the norm. The team draws a lot of satisfaction from it and therefore motivation.

(Vincent Lenhardt)

DAY 1

CHAPTER 1 - WHAT IS A TEAM?

Balance - individual/group

One of the cultural dimensions reflects the preference of a group to orient its decisions either in favour of the group or of the individual.

It is very important to not view these two ‘poles’ as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Each dimension has its advantages and its drawbacks.

In a culture that favours the group, one is ready to sacrifice the individual for the group and no one sees the drawbacks of this, not even the individual concerned.

These cultures rely on the strength of groups: e.g. family, clan, religion, workplace, political party, trade union. The groups provide individuals stability and a framework and therefore, security. In these cultures, we speak of duties and loyalty towards the group

In a culture that favours the individual, no one is ready to sacrifice an individual for the benefit of the group. Such an idea would be shocking. These cultures rely on the power of the individual. That stimulates competition. Individuals may find themselves very alone, with no group to support them at difficult times. In these cultures, we speak of rights and each individual may insist on their rights, sometimes without considering the consequences for the group.

In our western cultures, we were in a culture of the group until the Second World War.

It was the Declaration of Human Rights (UN 1948) that confirmed the swing towards the culture of the individual.

Fons Trompenaars Michel Crozier

Favour the group

Favour the individual

DAY 1

CHAPTER 1 - WHAT IS A TEAM?

 That all the ‘standard’ leadership roles can be delegated to the rest of the team- running the team meetings etc. Everything can be divided among the members

The leadership challenge is striking the right balance - between providing guidance and giving up control, between making tough decisions and letting others make them, and between doing difficult things alone and letting others learn how to do them. Just as too much command will stifle the capability initiative and creativity of the team, so too, will too little guidance, direction and discipline.

The leadership approach differs from team to team, each of which has its own unique characteristics. No two teams have the same mix of people skills, choice of purpose and goals, best approach and hurdle of mutual accountability. How would you describe your team? How mature is it? How well does it work together?

As the potential team grows into a real team and possibly a high performance team, the leader’s job will change markedly. Team performance almost always depends upon how the critical balance is managed between team leaders doing things themselves and letting other people do them. The key to the leader’s evolving role always lies in understanding what the team needs and what it does not need from the leader to help it perform.

Six essentials for good team leadership:

1. Keep the purpose, goals and approach relevant and meaningful

All teams must shape their own common purpose, performance goals and approach. The team leader will play a varying role in setting these goals depending on the maturity of the team.

2. Build commitment and confidence

The leader needs to keep both the individual and team in mind as they try to provide positive, constructive reinforcement. Positive constructive reinforcement fuels the mutual accountability and confidence critical to team performance. John Adair writes about the need to focus on the task, the team and the individual – it is a fine balance.

3. Strengthen the mix and level of skills

Effective team leaders recognise that ultimately, the most flexible and top-performing teams consist of people with all the technical, functional, problem-solving, decision-making, interpersonal and teamwork skills the team needs to perform. To achieve this, team leaders encourage people to take the risks needed for growth and development. They continually challenge team members by shifting assignments and role patterns.

4. Manage relationships with outsiders, including removing obstacles

Team leaders need to manage the team’s contacts and relationships with the rest of the organisation. This requires leaders to communicate effectively the team’s purpose, goals and approach to anyone who may help or hinder it. They must also have the courage to intercede on behalf of the organisation when obstacles might demoralise the team.

5. Create opportunities for others

The leader’s challenge is to provide performance opportunities for the team and the people in it. Stepping out of the way, however, does not mean abdicating responsibility for guidance, monitoring and control.

DAY 1

CHAPTER 1 - WHAT IS A TEAM?

6. Do real work

Everyone in a real team, including the leader, does roughly equal amounts of ‘real’ work. Team leaders must contribute in whatever way the team needs, as they would expect from any other member. Team leaders should not delegate the nasty jobs to others.

Two things that a Team Leader should never do:

• Blame or allow specific individuals to fail
• Excuse away shortfalls in team performance

Questions to ask yourself as a team leader - your attitude, behaviour and effectiveness:

Have I as the team leader adopted a team or a working group approach? Do I:  Make all the important decisions?

 Set all work assignments?  Ensure that work is conducted primarily on the basis of individual accountability?  Do any “real work” beyond decision-making, delegating, and agenda setting?

Do I as the team leader strive for the right balance between action and patience with the team?

Do I:  Promote constructive conflict and resolution?  Use distance and perspective to keep the team’s actions and directions relevant?  Intimidate anyone in the team?

 Constantly challenge the team to sharpen its common purpose, goals and approach?  Inspire trust in people by acting in concert with the team’s purpose and the team?  Create opportunities for others, sometimes at the team leader’s own expense?

Do I as the team leader articulate a team purpose and act to promote and share responsibility for it? Do I:  Think about and describe their assignment in individual or hierarchical versus team terms?  Identify and act to remove barriers to team performance?

 Blame individuals for failure to perform, either within or beyond the team?  Excuse away performance shortfalls by pointing to “uncontrollable” outside forces?

DAY 1

CHAPTER 1 - WHAT IS A TEAM?

Action centred leadership approach

John Adair, one of the world’s leading authorities on leadership and leadership development, has developed a model to demonstrate what he calls the action-centred leadership approach. This model comprises three levels:

 Achieving the task  Managing the team or group  Managing individuals

Achieving the Task Managing for the Group Managing each Individual

 Identify what is to be done  Set standards, quality, time aims and vision for the group; purpose and direction - define the task  Identify resources, people, processes, systems and tools (incl. financial resources, communications, IT)  Create the plan to achieve the task - deliverables, measurements, timescales, strategy and tactics  Establish responsibilities, objectives, accountabilities and measurement, by agreement and through delegation and reporting parameters  Control and maintain activities against parameters  Monitor and maintain overall performance against plans  Report on progress towards the group's aim  Review, re-assess, adjust plan, methods and targets as necessary

 Establish, agree and communicate standards of performance and behaviour  Establish the style, culture and approach of the group – the ‘soft’ skill elements  Monitor and maintain discipline, ethics, integrity and focus on objectives  Anticipate and resolve group conflict, struggles or disagreements  Assess, and change as necessary, the balance and composition of the group  Develop team-working, co- operation, morale and team-spirit  Develop the collective maturity and capability of the group - progressively increase group freedom and authority  Encourage the team towards objectives and aims - motivate the group and provide a collective sense of purpose  Identify, develop and agree team and project leadership roles within the group  Enable, facilitate and ensure effective internal and external group communications  Identify and meet group training needs  Provide feedback to the group on overall progress; consult with, and seek feedback and input from the group

 Understand the team members as individuals - personality, skills, strengths, needs, goals and fears  Assist and support individuals – recognise their plans, problems, challenges, highs and lows  Identify and agree appropriate individual responsibilities and objectives  Provide recognition and praise to individuals - acknowledge effort and good work  Reward individuals with extra responsibility, advancement and status  Identify, develop and utilise each individual's capabilities and strengths  Train and develop individual team members  Develop individual freedom and authority

DAY 1

CHAPTER 1 - WHAT IS A TEAM?

Based on practical work with leaders, John Adair explored the idea of leadership being a functional relationship between these three variables. He developed training programmes which focused on the interaction of the three areas. The three levels interact, and John Adair suggests that the three levels of responsibilities are all equally important for the leader: If you place a disc over one of the circles, e.g.; task, it will immediately cover segments of the other two circles as well. So a lack of tasks or a failure to achieve tasks will affect both team maintenance and the area of individual needs – lowering team member satisfaction. The same applies whichever circle you cover.

These three interlocking circles therefore illustrate the point that each area exerts an influence upon the other two.

Source : John Adair