Positive interactions with our colleagues not only drive productivity, they also make us enjoy coming to work. While healthy relationships may appear to be a bonus, in fact, strong interpersonal bonds are the foundation of a high-performance team. These three conditions help us build healthy relationships.
What kind of team do you have? If you’re one of the lucky few, you are part of a high-performance team. A group of people who work well together is the biggest predictor of team success. And working with a wide variety of top performers is one of the greatest predictors of your career success. High-performance teams also make work, and life, a whole lot more fun. But what exactly is a high-performance team and what are they doing to help people thrive? Here, we share 3 core tenets embraced by all high-performance teams, and invite you to take our 2-minute quiz to rate your own team's strengths and opportunities.
As leaders, we like to believe we know our team really well. But do we? Even the best leaders may have blind spots worth exploring. Ever wonder what your team is longing to tell you? Here are six truths your team wishes you knew.
We know delegating is key to success as a leader. But it isn’t always easy. Sometimes our team members are simply too busy. Adding anything more to their bursting plate could prompt them to run screaming in the opposite direction. This is often when we think, “I might as well just do it myself.” Yes, once in a while, it is helpful to model team solidarity by doing tasks we would rather delegate. But this should be an intermittent approach to trigger action. Use these five strategies to avoid the pattern of doing it all yourself. Otherwise, you’ll be the one left running from your team.
A recent study shows people disengage from their work when they receive uncivil emails, then sadly, bring this email stress home and transmit it there. How can we protect ourselves from reacting so strongly? Modelling great email etiquette ourselves is a powerful way to positively influence others - and resolve this problem. I recently shared this, and other email etiquette strategies, on CBC Radio and I’ve compiled them here for you. These are helpful for us as senders and receivers.
Email is a powerful communication tool but like all good things, too much can turn downright onerous. From excessive reply-alls, to messages inappropriately marked as urgent, to convoluted requests, a small amount of email abuse adds up to a tremendous drain on a team. Is it time for your team to sign a Team Email Charter? Read on for some suggested email policies to ensure your team is using this valuable tool as efficiently and effectively as possible.
We all face challenges and set-backs. But what sets us apart is how we handle our stress. Olympic athletes are no strangers to pressure. Many spend their entire lives training for their events. Clearly, physical training is crucial. But athletes also recognize mental toughness is a key differentiator among the best of the best. Thankfully, this mindset isn’t simply something you’re born with or not. It can be developed over time and is within reach for all of us. Read on to learn more about the mental strategies elite performers use to stay at the top of their game.
Productivity drops when we don't feel connected at work. Connecting with others is a fundamental human need - and an integral quality of a high-performance team. We can see the value of fostering connections in all elite performers, and a great example is the gold-winning performance of the Canadian Figure Skating Team at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.
I love watching the Olympics because t is incredibly inspiring to watch people perform at the top of their field. There are many lessons we can learn from high-performance athletes about thriving in stressful situations. Here is a great example of how one coach "keeps things light" before competition.
One of the biggest benefits of working with an assistant is they can push us to plan ahead. What is the plan for today? Who do we need to follow-up with? What do we need to start working on? Yet many people struggle with how to partner with their assistant most effectively. Here are some more detailed suggestions.
