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Communications for High-Performance Teams By Manya Arond-Thomas How many times have you been on a team where you felt that you weren’t all on the same page, or that the team wasn’t performing up to the level it could or should be, and yet.....you know that your team members are bright and highly capable? High-performance as the desired outcome forms the hub of the team wheel. Supporting the hub are four critical spokes, each of which must be built through explicit and clear communication. These four spokes represent phases of team development. The first spoke is that of membership, in which people are asking questions related to membership and group identity issues : What can I contribute? What is expected of me? What values and assumptions are we working under? What are our individual roles and responsibilities? These questions must be answered for participants to feel that they belong to and are committed to the team. The second spoke is that of team operating norms. Every group develops norms, either explicitly or tacitly. To be most effective, the team needs to create emotionally intelligent norms that intentionally support behaviors for building trust and group efficacy - both essential to a team’s effectiveness. Norms may include whatever individual members believe is important and valuable for effective teamwork. Norms that lead to high performance are numerous, but can and should include things like: • Using good listening skills to build on the on-going discussion and offering summaries of issues being discussed to make sure we have a shared understanding. • The willingness to explore and expose unhealthy work habits in order to build more effective group norms. • Standards for how we’re going to communicate in and outside meetings • Keeping us on track if we get off • Facilitating group members’ input • Permission for bringing feelings out in the open and dialoguing about how they affect the team’s work It’s the leader’s job to instill a sense of responsibility in individuals for the well-being of the team. In self-aware, self-managing teams, members hold each other accountable for sticking to norms. The third spoke is comprised of communication on issues related to control, which range from resolving issues of leadership style, decision-making and conflict management processes, as well as agreement on operating practices that support development, production and/or implementation. Lastly, to build the fourth spoke, the group must address and agree on the overarching team goals, addressing the questions of: “What do I want to see happen? What do we want to accomplish? And how will we know when we’ve accomplished it?” These spokes comprise a series of developmental stages that high-performing teams negotiate effectively. Lack of team alignment and high performance indicate that the group has not adequately addressed and clarified questions in one or more of the stages of membership, control, or goals. If you find yourself on a team that’s not delivering to it’s potential, it’s time to do a team assessment to uncover and bring to light the unresolved issues. When you do that, assuming you have the right players, your team can go from good or even very good to GREAT. About the Author Manya Arond-Thomas, M.D., is the founder of Manya Arond-Thomas & Company, a coaching and consulting firm that catalyzes the creation of “right results” through facilitating executive development, high-performance teams and organizational effectiveness. She can be reached at (734) 480-1932 or e-mailed at manya@arond-thomas.com. Subscribe to Emotional Intelligence at Work mailto:manya_list@aweber.com Print-friendly version

Hypnosis Downloads for Relationship Issues...

Fear of Commitment
Making a decision that will have an impact on the future - whether short-term or long-term - sometimes feels hard to do. But it is only by commiting to a course of action that life progresses and we are able to make the most of opportunities that come our way. The Fear of Commitment download will help you make decisions - including those concerning your relationships - more easily, without the anxiety that used to stop you commiting fully. Click here for more information...

Put the Spark Back Into Relationship
After a while the excitement and freshness can leave a relationship. Familiarity and the pressures of life can get in the way of the love you used to feel for one another. The 'Putting the Spark Back' download will help remind your unconscious mind of the excitement you used to feel. When you, or you and your partner use the session, those original feelings can come back powerfully, returning the fun and excitement and reminding you of why the two of you felt so attracted to one another in the first place. Click here for more information...

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