Leadership Team Development
Building High-Performing Leadership Teams
You may be thinking, "Oh great, another guy teaching us how to do trust falls and rope courses that purport to promote teamwork ... but don't." These activities are trying to address a real problem that exists on teams - that of trust. But what does trust look like on a leadership team?- Each member does their part.
- Each member is clear, open and direct about needs, challenges and confusion.
- There is no concern about reputation sabotage of team members because conflict is addressed in the open.
- The team leader maintains a vision that is informed by the team.
- Pursuit of that vision will benefit all of the members of the team, not merely the boss.
The Foundations of Trusting Leadership Teams
The foundations of a trusting team are in their ability to communicate and their ability to respect one another as team mates. From my experience facilitating leadership teams, trust is built through vulnerability and open critique, as highlighted in this story of leading programmers:
My programmers were all around the table as we had been so many times before. I was the head of the company and as such performed much of the customer interaction and sales. We had a particularly vexing problem. I had relayed the problem to the team a couple days earlier but had not pressed them for answers or solutions. I am a strong believer in subconscious problem solving. This day was the day to put our ideas out for peer critical review. I brought the meeting to order and rehashed the problem on the whiteboard. At the same time, I noted the end goal. 'Guys, we are going to go around the room and explain how we would each solve this problem if it were up to us.' I started off. I sketched out my idea in broad strokes. The room was silent. I prompted 'Feedback?'. Steve piped up. 'That won't work.' he quickly found a flaw in my plan. I responded, defending my idea and offering a workaround. This went back and forth for a few minutes until I stopped the argument and gave Steve the floor. Again, a similar routine. Critical analysis of each others ideas that would make an insecure person cower in fear.Trust. The word itself makes one think of the feeling you get when Mom, lover or partner hold you. Trust however, is not just a feeling. Trust is also a noun. In a team setting, it represents the behavior that occurs when you know that every member of the team values the team higher than themselves. When you know that the gunner is watching your six and that he will give his life to protect you. It's knowing that you will in turn put yourself at risk to make certain his ammo can has been prepared and that you will take his place if he falls. The team will know trust when they see the leader's harebrained idea and tell them that it is harebrained. The leader will know trust when they accept that it is harebrained and don't feel a need to defend their ego or intelligence. Oh, and no body get's fired. This approach fosters healthy conflict and leads to better decision-making, essential for leadership team development.
Why Invest in Leadership Team Coaching?
Effective leadership teams drive innovation, resolve conflicts productively, and align on strategic goals. Without trust and clear communication, teams face issues like decision bottlenecks, lack of buy-in, and missed opportunities. My services help address these by focusing on team dynamics, problem prioritization, and collaborative strategies. True leadership involves self-awareness and prioritizing meaningful goals over expedient ones. In my article "Sacrifice: Choosing What Matters", I highlight that worthy sacrifices, like investing in team development can unlock potential.Our Leadership Team Services
Team Workshop Facilitation
Improve your team collaboration, get everyone on board, develop a strategy with your team, and crowdsource great solutions that work for your team and your company. If you have a challenge, stop trying to solve everything yourself. Pool the intelligence of your team and get natural buy-in for the solutions.Team Challenge Discovery Workshop
This is a workshop where we discover what is working for a team, and what is holding them back from a common, overarching general business goal for their team. You will end with the top 2-3 priorities for the team stated in a way that makes them a goal/challenge to be overcome.- The leader doesn’t have to guess at what should be prioritized; they will gain the insight and intelligence of the team to make this choice more accurately.
- The leader gains respect from the team for including them and ‘hearing them.’
- The leader gets buy-in by default since the team has determined the path.
- No meeting merry-go-round.
Team Leader Coaching/Consulting
Improve yourself and how you interact with your team. Designed for Entrepreneurs and leaders who are responsible for a team, department, or company.
- Business Model review
- Strategy review
- Team building
- Core values and Vision development
- Core focus
- Hiring for attitude
- Set metrics
- Setting boundaries
- How to have difficult conversations.