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Welcome to the Tero International Monthly eZine
Everywhere you look in companies, you're seeing teams. There are accounting teams, sales teams, and special project teams just to name a few. The concept of utilizing teams in companies isn't old for most, as you'll read in this month's sidebar. Therefore, we're still learning how to best be functional in this format and how to maximize its potential.
This month, the focus is Team Communication. There are great systems and processes that lend to a team's strength, but without great communication, a team can become unglued in a hurry.
The characteristics of a fully functional team will be analyzed in the article. How does your team relate? Then, following the article, you're encouraged to complete the professional development exercise to assess your team. Also, the Q&A this month asks one of the most frequently posed questions to Tero: How does communication change if our new team leader was once our teammate? If you scroll further down, you'll find a list of popular movies with Teamwork as its central theme. Some of the movies are suitable for children and can lend to a healthy discussion about the purpose and importance of working together as a team.
Ask Tero
This section contains questions asked of the training professionals at Tero. Do you have a question for Tero? Let us know! If there is a topic or question you would like to see addressed in a future eZine, please make suggestions so we can give you the resources you need. Thank you for the continued responses we receive each month.
Question: How does communication change if our new team leader was once our teammate?
Tero says: The move from peer to leader is a challenging one for everyone involved. Self-perceptions and team-perceptions shift. The rules of the game are in question. A different dynamic is shaping. Successful teams meet the challenge with optimism and openness. As with many things that involve relationships, open communication is your most reliable tool. Take time to dialogue expectations, concerns, frustrations, hopes, aspirations, and disappointments. Recognize that people are complex and a single conversation is rarely enough. Address the topic openly before the transition and frequently throughout - especially in the early stages. Realize that the nature of the relationship is changing forevermore and that it is okay to mourn the passing of the old while embracing the promise of the new. Both team leader and team members alike are well on their way if they are open to joining a new peer group. Similar to the growth and change of the relationships we experience with our children over the decades, the relationships at work can be the same - for better or for worse. Keep the lines of communication open!
Question: Members of my team like to talk about politics, religion and other sensitive topics. I don't contribute because I know my views are different. How can I professionally remain outside of these discussions so as to preserve the relationship?
Tero says: Respecting the rights of others to hold their own beliefs does not require you to engage in uncomfortable conversations, nor does it demand that you silently stand by and listen - which can communicate agreement. Politely excuse yourself from these conversations by using the magic words that will get you out of any conversation "Excuse me, I have to go to . . ., I've enjoyed talking with you." In professional settings in particular, discussion around these topics is risky, regardless of the views presented. If this exit strategy does not achieve the objective of maintaining professionalism while preserving relationships, there is probably something deeper to examine that is placing the relationship in peril.
Feature Article - Team Lessons from the Flood of 2008
Crisis can create the conditions for a team to fully function with incredible success.
On Tuesday, June 10, I experienced being part of a crisis-driven fully-functioning team as I joined my neighbors in an effort to protect our condominium complex from the waters of the Des Moines River. Arriving home from work on a humid Tuesday evening I saw my neighbors already hard at work sandbagging. Glancing at the river I realized that while I was at work that day, life as I knew it on Water Street (an appropriate name!) had changed. I ran into my first floor flat exchanging my suit and heels for a uniform I would wear for what became four very long days of waiting for the river to decide our fate - jeans, a t-shirt and the sturdiest, oldest athletic shoes I could find. Running outside, I caught a few smiles of hello and joined the team.
It was easy to see that there were five jobs.
Professional Development Activity - Team Function Assessment
Assessing the different areas of team function can shed a lot of light on process improvement. This month's development activity poses five questions around the team "task" function to help a team assess their development opportunities.
1. Do we have clear outcomes by which the group and individuals will be measured?
2. Do we have timelines around when goals must be met?
3. Do we have a "Who's Doing What" list with names by every item?
4. Do we have clear procedures that identify sequence and processes of task accomplishment?
5. Do we have readily identifiable and accessible leadership? Reproduced from The Global Diversity Desk Reference: Managing an International Workforce by Gardenswartz, Rowe, Digh, and Bennett with permission of the publisher. Copyright 2003 by John Wiley and Sons. Published by Pfeiffer. Resources
There are a plethora of movies about working together as teams. From sports teams, to heist teams, to children's movies, strong teamwork never fails to inspire.
Some well-known flicks to ignite team inspiration include:
What's New at Tero
Tero Blog for the Des Moines Register
Rowena Crosbie's next blog posting for the Des Moines Register appears on Tuesday, June 24. The topic is Handling Internal Strife.
Click here to view Ro's blog.
Every Vote Counts
It is time for the Business Record's Annual Bests of Des Moines Readers Poll. Vote for your favorite leader, government, restaurant, service provider, cultural attraction - and training company. If you've enjoyed your Tero experience, we hope you'll recognize Tero as the Best of the Best in this year's poll.
Click here to access the on-line site. In the upper right corner of the page, you'll find a link to the ballot. Deadline is July 3. Vote for Tero in the Best sales training/executive development company category.
Urbandale AM Exchange Sponsored by Tero International
Tero will be hosting the Urbandale Exchange forum Thursday, June 26th, 7:30 am - 8:30 am at the Tero Learning Center. Urbandale Chamber members are invited to network with other business professionals and to introduce themselves and their business at this monthly event. The event is Free to attend, but RSVP's are requested to accommodate with a light breakfast and coffee. For more information, visit www.uniquelyurbandale.com
Time Management Workshop to be held July 24 - 25
If you've ever desired the skills to get more out of your day and to better identify your priorities, this is the workshop for you. Tero's Time Management Through Goal Setting workshop is about you and your style (you'll receive your personal Myers-Briggs Type Indicator report), and you'll learn how managing your time can be adapted to how you work best. This workshop is offered publicly only once each year.
For more information, Click here. To register, Click here
Image and Influence: Polishing Your Professional Look
IMPACT - How To Speak Your Way To Success
Time Management Through Goal Setting
Selecting Top Performers: Recruiting and Interviewing
Click here to register for a public workshop Online Resources
Are you a graduate of a Tero workshop? Your feedback is important to us.
Click here to fill out an evaluation of how your Tero acquired knowledge has impacted your everyday work and life. This opportunity is available in each eZine or you can visit the Tero website at www.tero.com to give us your feedback.
Inspiration - Things to Think About
Some final thoughts on teams
We are conditioned in the U.S. culture to pride ourselves on individual achievement. Individualism is a strong value. However, many times an individual's brilliance is seen most clearly and shines more brightly in composition with others. Think of a cast in a movie, one actor playing off the other to create something larger than a monologue could ever be. Think of a restaurant whose chef, wait staff, host, and busboy work together to create the whole experience of enjoying and appreciating fine dining. We gain more than we lose by giving our talents and uniqueness to functioning team environments. Added to others, our efforts create something larger than the sum of all of the wonderful parts. Nothing is lost, but much is gained.
The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime.
No one can whistle a symphony. It takes an orchestra to play it.
The ratio of We's to I's is the best indicator of the development of a team.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
The Tero International Monthly eZine is written for the graduates and friends of Tero training programs. It is published by Tero International, Inc., 1840 NW 118th Street, Suite 107, Des Moines, Iowa 50325. Copyright 2008, Tero International, Inc. All rights reserved.
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