You know we like the work of Lencioni on teams.
His work on meetings is helpful too…from this sort of video to ideas like these; from his early work in ‘Death by Meeting’ to the more recent book, ‘The Advantage’.
We note quite a lot of others like his work too, such as this model of meeting types – from the regular daily ‘check-in’s’ to rhythm of longer quarterly sessions.
See what you think……..
One of the truisms I hear a lot at the moment is about the importance of recruiting for values – be that in the NHS, post Francis inquiry, or even a leading men’s fashion shop in Cambridge that always fields a brilliant team of staff runners in the annual Chariots of Fire race! We agree with that focus, as per the 5th level in our values model: integrating desired behaviours into the choices about who is hired, let go, disciplined, rewarded.
We see how many organisations,who are now aware, recruit for aptitude and tend to fire for attitude – this is a huge motivator for getting selection right. However, we do note, there tends to be a bit less interest amongst senior leaders to develop the trust and systems for honest feedback – feedback that is at the heart of work to get the most important thing right: leaders themselves modelling the desired behaviours (level 4 in our framework).
For example, I do wonder how the NHS would be different if those at the top did model a passionate commitment to safety and compassion – and not just financial balance targets (which, by the way I think are important – the 4 hour trolley wait standard has served people I have been attending well, during my A&E visits over the last couple of years…and overspending is never a good idea).
Maybe the reason leaders in many industries like the focus on level 5 is it is about ‘them’, ‘the others’. Level 4 and Level 5 are a winning combination….but if I could only have one it would be 4, not 5. Like curiosity, if you get the level 4 going then rest falls into place.
Even as an ‘E’ in Myers Briggs I know the value of designing in individual tasks in events we run – providing time to think and for everyone to contribute.
This video does a really nice job of presenting what can seem like a tension between E and I as a polarity.
It raises important questions on how to design our working spaces and ways of working.
Tags: balance, communication
In our last blog we started to explore one of the many tools that help us consider the ways we can differ, Myers Briggs. Along with Belbin (on team roles), Strengths Finder (the Gallup version) and Thomas Kilman (on conflict) we use this framework a lot. As well as sometimes doing the ‘full MBTI monty’, we often use the framework as a checklist in thinking about how to best design a workshop for different learning styles and personal preferences. For example, are there times for individual thought and quiet reflection? What is the degree of structure to the programme and what is the space for spontaneity? We also use it as a mirror to check a group is working holistically in its decision making: are they considering the detail, as well as the big picture? What sort of factors are used to help decide (logic, intuition, analytical, people based)?
By the way, if you would like to work through your personal MBTI, please let us know in reply to this email and we will be delighted to help – any requests in direct response to this email will be totally complementary.
Tags: Difference
There is one tool to understand differences between people that we find clients have heard of most. That is MBTI – Myers Briggs Type Indicator. There is LOADS about this online. This summary here is what we use to refresh and introduce newcomers to the model. There are four things it covers in helping explore the preferences that contribute to who we are, and why we can find others so maddening or delightful.
As well as the reluctance to be pigeon holed, that some have against this model, there are a whole lot of ways we differ it doesn’t address too:
The standard sociological six: class, gender, ethnicity, disability, age, sexuality
And some others: creativity, curiosity, energy, perseverance, propensity to take responsibility, humour, drive for ego and power and status….
More on MBTI to come, but maybe first…thinking of home and work examples, what do you think your preferences might be….?
Tags: behaviour
Fitjof Capra in The Web of Life argues in Living Systems theory, that structure, process and pattern are three discreet but complementary parts of all of life – see the end part of the book review from the link. We find these three ideas useful – from thinking with a group about problems they are facing (what are the issues) to developing a holistic approach to improvement or organisational design. Try it as a checklist – to check you cover all the important angles…
Tags: Organisational design
Idenk is 6 years old this month…
So 6 online things – maybe lessons or refreshers
2 popular blogs: learning from events and thinking through options for action
2 business briefings that people like: on organisational purpose and planning meetings
And a couple of older best bits (we are told) from our web site: on ‘being your own consultant’ and getting desired behaviours into practice.
Tags: communication
We like the Lencioni model (outlined in this book “The Five dysfunctions of a team”) . One of the things that the framework calls for is honest, regular feedback all ways within a team – from a leader to their reports, between peers, to more senior staff. We have a simple Challenge Choice flow chart to help think about these options (available on request).
Practising giving feedback in a safe space (such as a team workshop with an external coach) can be useful. However, team members can be suspicious of neat solutions. The “start positive, then give the challenge, end positive” layered approach is regularly referred to as the ‘sh*t sandwich’ by client groups!
We like to think of practising feedback at 3 levels:
1) First, and simply, each member of the team lists one thing they appreciate about their colleague and one thing they would like to be different
2) Level two, allows for colleagues to list all that is on their mind, good or bad – a sort of ‘Personal Feedback Profit and Loss Account’
3) Level three, encourages colleagues to position themselves and each other on a 2×2 of aptitude (technical skill) by attitude (behaviours). This is gritty work and needs a well-developed level of trust.
If you want a couple of visuals to bring this to life (the Feedback Framework, The Challenge Choice Chart and the Aptitude x Attitude grid), let us know!
Tags: communication
What are the most important words in any team interaction?
IDK are the initials. “I don’t know”? That’s it!
Owning up to what isn’t known, what isn’t right, what has been done wrong gets the team working going on the right track. The spirit of vulnerability between team members builds the trust necessary for great group working.
So we have the first three of the idenk checklist of signs for great team work:
1.Continuously improve: Seize problems + curiosity = progress
2.Make time: to get the personal productivity habit… so you have time to think, for email, to meet 1:1, to meet as group, to do great work…
3.Be prepared to be a bit vulnerable: “I don’t know”; “sorry”; “I got that wrong”
Please email by return if you would like the other 7 in the list – or a bit more on these 3 (including some video clips from a 1 hour talk that brought ‘the 10’ to life with stories and examples).
Tags: organisation, working life
So if the first thing to invest in to transform your team is the desire to improve (seizing problems with a spirit of curiosity and determination), the second is pretty familiar to readers of these blogs:
2.Make time: to get the personal productivity habit… so you have time to think, for email, to meet 1:1, to meet as group, to do great work…
3.?…coming soon…
Tags: organisation, working life
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