The path to building a high performing team begins with establishing trust, which is based on an ability to understand, respect, and value differences in others. Once team members trust each other, they are able to use conflict constructively, become committed to team goals, hold one another accountable, and obtain desired results. It’s a challenging journey, yet as high performing teams have discovered, it is well worth the effort.

• Gain knowledge and/or improve your understanding, and then consider the application of the following concepts:
  • Indicators of potential team dysfunction
  • Characteristics of high performing teams
  • Leader’s role in building and maintaining a high performing team
  • Processes and tools available for enhancing team effectiveness
• Participants will identify an improvement goal for building a high performing team and draft a brief action plan for the goal.

When organizations go through change, many employees often experience a sense of loss. The reasons behind such feelings are usually unclear, yet the effects can be profound—for the employee and the company. Change Management, like Time Management, is an oxymoron. We don’t manage change; we manage ourselves within, and lead others through, the process of change.

• Gain knowledge and/or improve your understanding, and then consider the application of the following concepts:
  • Effect of mental models on a person’s ability to change
  • Five different behavior responses to change
  • Role responsibilities needed on a team for change
  • Process models for facilitating organizational change
  • Strategies for managing yourself within a change as well as leading others through change
• Participants will identify an improvement goal for managing change and an improvement goal for leading change, and draft a brief action plan for each goal.

Extensive research has attempted to come up with specific styles, characteristics, or personality traits of great leaders. However, none of these studies has produced a clear profile of the ideal leader. Rather, much evidence supports leadership emerges from one’s life story. Understanding who you are at your core helps discover the purpose of one’s leadership.

Gain knowledge and/or improve your understanding, then consider the application of the following concepts:

• Learning from your life story
• Identify your key influencers
• Knowing your style and its impact on others
• Processes and tools for enhancing your leadership
• Building your support team
• Committing to a lifelong process of development

When disagreements are well-managed, the outcome can be a more creative and effective solution, and an improved relationship. To effectively manage potential disagreements, a person must understand their style of conflict management and its impact on others, plus possess the skill, desire and energy to tackle the challenge together with the other party.

• Gain knowledge and/or improve your understanding, then consider the application of the following concepts:
  • To consider the value of conflict
  • To think about what’s influenced your perspective on conflict
  • To consider the five conflict-handling modes and their applications
  • To understand supportive behaviors to utilize in conflict situations and to practice using them
• Participants will identify an improvement goal for engaging in healthy conflict and draft a brief action plan for the goal.

There are many reasons why it is difficult to provide performance feedback in a way that we feel comfortable and that the recipient does not become defensive or hostile. If done poorly, an individual can become demotivated and their performance can continue to suffer. If done effectively, employees grow in motivation and passion, knowing that they are valued and supported.

Gain knowledge and/or improve your understanding, then consider the application of the following concepts:

• Understanding and then overcoming resistance to giving feedback
• Prerequisites for effective feedback
• Four types of feedback
• Six steps to giving effective feedback
• Learning to receive feedback

Organizations are flattening. Leaders continue to have increased span of control. As a result, success in leading others without having authority or power is an essential skill in today’s business world.

• Gain knowledge and/or improve your understanding, then consider the application of the following concepts:
  • Advantages of leading without authority
  • Characteristics of individuals who lead effectively without authority
  • Four “I’s” of Transformational Leadership
  • Making emotional deposits with proper relationship currency
• Participants will identify an improvement goal for leading without authority, and draft a brief action plan for the goal.

You can’t motivate people. Yet you can create an environment in which they choose to become motivated. Motivation is a very personal thing. There are at least 16 different variables to motivation. The key is to identify the most important variable(s) for each employee and then ensure that it’s available to them. RE: Motivation is a mnemonic device for remembering the 16 variables.

• Gain knowledge and/or improve your understanding, and then consider the application of the following concepts:
  • The challenges of motivation
  • The 16 variables of motivation
  • Assessing your knowledge and skill for each variable
  • Predicting the top variables for each of your employees
• Participants will draft an action plan for utilizing the 16 variables of motivation with their employees.