related_results_labels({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$georss":"http://www.georss.org/georss","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815505"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-12-21T16:37:29.123+08:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Anything HR by Ed"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":"Ed Shares his Opinions on Human Resource Management, Recruitment, Headhunting, Training, Organization Development, Team building, performance management, Leadership, Philippine Labor Code, Labor Practices and employment practices in the Philippines"},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://anythinghr.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8815505/posts/default/-/Team+Building?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026max-results\u003d4"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://anythinghr.blogspot.com/search/label/Team%20Building"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"},{"rel":"next","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8815505/posts/default/-/Team+Building/-/Team+Building?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026start-index\u003d5\u0026max-results\u003d4"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Ed Ebreo"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/16821972694832736436"},"email":{"$t":"edebreo@gmail.com"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"37"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"4"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815505.post-472404686423815815"},"published":{"$t":"2009-12-17T13:23:00.013+08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-12-17T16:58:53.205+08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Team Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Leadership"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Toastmasters"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Butter N Toast Lessons on Leadership and Teamwork"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Xrl8sY60k3w/SynDP00kGjI/AAAAAAAAAkM/bje1wxsp8mY/s1600-h/DSC-0014.JPG\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;\" src\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Xrl8sY60k3w/SynDP00kGjI/AAAAAAAAAkM/bje1wxsp8mY/s400/DSC-0014.JPG\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416074703534299698\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://butterntoast.blogspot.com/\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eButter N Toast\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e  is a Toastmasters Club running on it's fifth year. In the last four  years, it received one Select Distinguished Club award and 3  President's Distinguished Club award, distinctions given to clubs that are able to hit their goals. The jury is still out on this term, but as a member I am completely confident that we are destined for another banner year.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eA typical Toastmaster's club in the Philippines will have around 15 to 20 people in a meeting or less. On a good night, Butter N Toast can have as much as 40. The conversion of guests to members is also high. We attribute it to the quality of our meetings and the warmth and welcoming nature of the club members. At a time when some Toastmasters club struggle to keep members attending, what keeps Butter N Toast's meetings well attended and vibrant? The reasons, I believe are just about the same ones that keep employees engaged at work and performing well.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eA Shared Goal\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhen we found the club, Michelle Lim, our Charter President kept harping on achieving club goals ,which as a new member, I cared very little about. I mean, who cares about a club goal when all I was interested in was my own goals. Michelle's ability to communicate the importance of the goal to the club and to its members helped me appreciate it more. When it was my time to lead, I didn't have any difficulty rallying the club towards it and succeeding to achieve it because by then, I was completely bought into the goals.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eLesson:\u003c/span\u003e the leader's ability to communicate and get members' buy-in on goals enhance their commitment to it.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eHolding the other leaders and members to the same high standards you hold your self to\u003c/span\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003eOn the se\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Xrl8sY60k3w/SynDibjAMlI/AAAAAAAAAkU/alYwQmn0AUM/s1600-h/DSC_0011.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;\" src\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Xrl8sY60k3w/SynDibjAMlI/AAAAAAAAAkU/alYwQmn0AUM/s400/DSC_0011.jpg\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416075023167271506\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003econd year of Butter N Toast, Sheila Dela Cruz took the helm as President. I was Vice President for Membership and future President Gege Sugue was VP for Education. It was the same year when we had our first taste of the President's Distinguished Club award. I remember it to be a tough year for Sheila because she was still adjusting in her new job. She, however was able to keep her presence felt not only on meetings but online. She made sure that the other leaders were doing their parts and members were on their way to achieving their individual goals. When members were being remiss, sheila would call, text or email to make sure that members know that they were being missed. the communication was open and members were made clearly aware of what was expected of them. Those who were unwilling to commit to the club's goals and culture left or was let go, those who like what was going on stayed up to this day.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eLesson:\u003c/span\u003e keeping communication clear and lines open enhances accountability. It also keeps the right people in and the wrong people out.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eMake it happen\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhen it was my turn to be President, I had the fortune of inheriting a solid club brought about by two successful leaders before me.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eMy job was to enhance the already strong club culture. I did it by strengthening teamwork among leaders and continuing to strengthen the personal relationship among members through activities outside club meetings. When my term was done and we received our award, I can only attribute it to strong friendship and leadership teamwork.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eLesson\u003c/span\u003e: high performing leadership teamwork reflects on the whole organization. Friendship among team members create a desirable working environment.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eMake the most of your organization\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\"Make the Most of Butter N Toast\" was the mantra of the fourth president, Gege Sugue. She made clear to us that the club's success can only come through the members' individual success. She motivated the members to take their goals seriously and the officers to do whatever they can to help the members succeed. During Gege's term the club enhanced it's coaching and mentoring practices and increased it's membership two-folds due to positive meeting experience by guests who turned into members. New members were taken care of and given mentors to help them through their basic projects.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eLesson:\u003c/span\u003e create an environment that is conducive to success. If people know that they are in a desirable environment, they are most likely to pursue success.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhat is common among the four past Presidents is their ability to be present.  Half-way through her term, Michelle had to go to the US. She left management of the club to the officers. Mind you, I said she left the management of the club, but she didn't leave leadership. She continued to be present virtually to give directions, make decisions and step in whenever needed. This club continue to benefit from the presence of the past Presidents. Whenever we have elections, we don't really change leadership, we just add more.\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xrl8sY60k3w/SynEjs-SIeI/AAAAAAAAAkk/WSnbopkTmnA/s1600-h/BnT+Meet1-Jan2008+028.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;\" src\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xrl8sY60k3w/SynEjs-SIeI/AAAAAAAAAkk/WSnbopkTmnA/s400/BnT+Meet1-Jan2008+028.jpg\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416076144536592866\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eStay on top and keep it coming\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis is the battle cry for this term with Pat Pascua at the Helm. To most of us this simply means keep the success flowing. Today's Butter N Toast Leaders are doing the best they can to make it happen. As a student of leadership, I can't wait to learn what lessons this year is going to teach us as an organization. I'll be sure to blog about it.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eClick \u003ca href\u003d\"http://butterntoast.blogspot.com/\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003ehere\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e to find out more about Butter N Toast, Toastmasters Club.\u003cbr /\u003eClick \u003ca href\u003d\"http://exeqserve.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/teamculturebldg_ExeQserve.pdf\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003ehere\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e to find out how we can help you strengthen leadership and teamwork for your organization.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003eVisit Anything HR so that we can share views on matters concerning HR, Leadership, Management, Training and Teams. I'd love to hear from you so please leave me a feedback.\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8815505-472404686423815815?l\u003danythinghr.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://anythinghr.blogspot.com/feeds/472404686423815815/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d8815505\u0026postID\u003d472404686423815815\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8815505/posts/default/472404686423815815"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8815505/posts/default/472404686423815815"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://anythinghr.blogspot.com/2009/12/butter-n-toast-lessons-on-leadership.html","title":"Butter N Toast Lessons on Leadership and Teamwork"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Ed Ebreo"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/16821972694832736436"},"email":{"$t":"edebreo@gmail.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"09665855214378586454"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Xrl8sY60k3w/SynDP00kGjI/AAAAAAAAAkM/bje1wxsp8mY/s72-c/DSC-0014.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815505.post-363087119579708036"},"published":{"$t":"2009-11-13T10:21:00.007+08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-11-13T11:43:54.918+08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Team Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Training"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"A Leader's Check List for Building High Performance Teams"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xrl8sY60k3w/SvzRq2Cq-FI/AAAAAAAAAhw/st98eBr1248/s1600-h/teamhuddle.JPG\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 308px; height: 231px;\" src\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xrl8sY60k3w/SvzRq2Cq-FI/AAAAAAAAAhw/st98eBr1248/s400/teamhuddle.JPG\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403424186929182802\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003eI have been conducting training for 14 years and facilitating team building workshops for more than 10 years. I have done all sorts of team building approaches. I facilitated indoor and outdoor activities, ropes course, paintball, amazing race types and a mix of everything. I followed most of the teams I worked with to see  if they succeeded in building teamwork or not. And just like not all those who buy self-help books really get to help themselves, not all of those who go to team building workshops help themselves to become effective teams.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhat differentiates those who succeed from those who fail to fully harness their team strength?\u003cbr /\u003eTwo things; leadership and execution (although the latter also boils down to the former)\u003cbr /\u003eLeaders area able to follow through, relentlessly on whatever is needed to build the team.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI've always said that going through a team building workshop and then not following through is worse than not going at all. Why? Because it erodes trust to a much lower level than before you did your team building activity. That's definitely not a good thing.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIf you are an HR Manager or  a Team Leader and you want to build a high performing team, I have five suggestions you might want to add to your to do list:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eFirst\u003c/span\u003e, understand the role you play as a leader  in building your team. Some managers send their teams to team building workshops expecting that it would turn them into droids who will follow every command without complaining. Some think team building workshops are attitude adjustment events suitable only to their staffs and not to them. They go to the workshop, give an opening remarks then leave or stay in the sidelines. All these come from lack of understanding of the nature of teamwork. As far as I am concerned, it is the leaders who need to make the biggest attitude adjustment if they want better teamwork. If you need help in equipping your managers and supervisors for building high performance teams, click \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.exeqserve.com/training.php?post\u003d597\u0026amp;cat\u003dTeam%20Culture%20Building\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003ehere\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e. I'll be more than happy to help.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Xrl8sY60k3w/SvzSXvo9GNI/AAAAAAAAAiA/DaOFTQW8TNc/s1600-h/drum1.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Xrl8sY60k3w/SvzSXvo9GNI/AAAAAAAAAiA/DaOFTQW8TNc/s400/drum1.jpg\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403424958304819410\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eSecond\u003c/span\u003e, pick a team building intervention that is not only fun but one that allows your team to agree on a set of norms to build trust, manage conflicts, demonstrate commitment, be accountable for their actions, and focus on results (Patrick Lencioni, 5 Dysfunctions of a Team). A good team building workshop will not only help participants learn about team working principles, it should help them take specific actions after the workshop to work more effectively as a team. Check out \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.exeqserve.com/training.php?cat\u003dTeam%20Development\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eExeQserve's team building workshop design\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e based on this framework.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eThird\u003c/span\u003e, follow through on whatever action items were committed during the team building workshop. Managers should meet their team at least a week after the workshop and talk about implementation of norms. Setup a number of review meetings to assess execution of commitments. I believe that team work is not achieved overnight. It takes some painstaking nurturing and shaping from the leader to make it happen. As John Maxwell said. Everything rises and falls on leadership, hence, the leader must actively pursue this.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eFourth\u003c/span\u003e: In my experience, particularly with Filipino teams, having norms for open communication is not always enough. Our culture have a very different definition of respect for authority.( See my post on creating a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://anythinghr.blogspot.com/2009/05/note-not-all-filipinos-are-passive-or.html\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eculture of candor and assertiveness in the Filipino Workplace\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e)  To be assertive in a Filipino workplace is to risk being branded as disrespectful, griper  or too radical for one's own good. To increase the amount of productive collaboration in the team, it helps for every team member ( yes, including the leader) to learn assertive communication skills. If you see your team as having the need to communicate more effectively, please check out this \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.exeqserve.com/training.php?post\u003d36\u0026amp;cat\u003dTeam%20Culture%20Building\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003elink\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eLast\u003c/span\u003e but not the least, it helps to have systems and processes that harness the power of teamwork. Programs like Kaizen, Quality Circles and the likes help teams put more structure and regularity to team collaboration. It also helps teams focus their energy towards improvements. If you like this idea, please see our program for implementing the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.exeqserve.com/training.php?post\u003d42\u0026amp;cat\u003dTeam%20Culture%20Building\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e8D approach\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e to team problem solving and decision making.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLet me reemphasize that everything rises and falls on leadership. The success in building a high performing team depends on the leader's ability to lead. Kouzes and Posner ably encapsulated leadership as inspiring a shared vision, modeling the way, enabling others to act, challenging the process and encouraging the heart. These are all learned skills. Have your leaders learn them.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eYou may download ExeQserve's complete Team Culture Building Program \u003ca href\u003d\"http://exeqserve.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/teamculturebldg_ExeQserve.pdf\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003ehere.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003eVisit Anything HR so that we can share views on matters concerning HR, Leadership, Management, Training and Teams. I'd love to hear from you so please leave me a feedback.\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8815505-363087119579708036?l\u003danythinghr.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://anythinghr.blogspot.com/feeds/363087119579708036/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d8815505\u0026postID\u003d363087119579708036\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8815505/posts/default/363087119579708036"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8815505/posts/default/363087119579708036"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://anythinghr.blogspot.com/2009/11/leaders-check-list-for-building-high.html","title":"A Leader's Check List for Building High Performance Teams"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Ed Ebreo"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/16821972694832736436"},"email":{"$t":"edebreo@gmail.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"09665855214378586454"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xrl8sY60k3w/SvzRq2Cq-FI/AAAAAAAAAhw/st98eBr1248/s72-c/teamhuddle.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815505.post-8020014063774152958"},"published":{"$t":"2009-07-07T15:10:00.002+08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-11-22T09:24:57.243+08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"teambuilding"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Team Building"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Leadership"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"You Can't Have Teamwork If You Can't Manage the Change"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Xrl8sY60k3w/SlBmSBhg6yI/AAAAAAAAAdg/lg_K-QHszPA/s1600-h/edtalking.JPG\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 346px; height: 260px;\" src\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Xrl8sY60k3w/SlBmSBhg6yI/AAAAAAAAAdg/lg_K-QHszPA/s400/edtalking.JPG\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354892416776203042\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003eIn my opinion, the reason why many efforts to build teamwork go to waste is because managers fail to manage the change. I often get inquiry about team building and when I inquire back about how far they want to go with it, I get silence.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eMany managers are convinced that they need to improve teamwork but are unwilling to do the necessary work to have it. They think (or wish) that a one or two-day off site will create some magic that will suddenly turn the backbiting off. That it will suddenly make people more committed to the goals and do their fair share in improving organizational performance. Sadly, this rarely happens or if it does, the improvement is short lived.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eNo wonder some people are skeptical about it and have lost hope that a team building intervention will help a team work better. I know at least one person who declare that team building is for suckers. I can't blame all those who think the kind of solutions that proliferate out there are not real solutions. I'm of the opinion that a lot of the things people learn from a decent team building workshop are valid. The problem lies in how the whole thing is set up and how follow-through is given.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eBuilding Teamwork is pretty much about managing change. Let's listen to what Change Management Guru John Kotter has to say:\u003cspan class\u003d\"fullpost\"\u003eHe said first \u003cb\u003e\"Create urgency\".\u003c/b\u003e This to me means make a case for the change. Do you need it? Or do you need an excuse to go on a company outing? Be sure that you need it and are willing to go towards great lengths to achieve it.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eKotter then said, \u003cb\u003e\"Form a powerful coalition\".\u003c/b\u003e This means that the journey from no-teamwork to with-great-teamwork is bought into by the leadership of the organization and are committed to championing the change. Since we are talking about building teamwork here, they should also be committed to modeling the way by showing teamwork among themselves.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe third step is \u003cb\u003e\"create a vision for change\".\u003c/b\u003e This is important. We don't have a common understanding of what it is like to have teamwork. For some it's unbridled collaboration and empowerment, for others it's allowing the boss to herd the rest of the team like cows. So what do you really want to see into the future when the team succeeds and becomes a high performing team? This has to be expressed in vivid terms.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eNext, \u003cb\u003e\"communicate the vision\u003c/b\u003e. This can be part of the preparation for an off site activity or can be done in the early part of the event. I prefer the former. I think everybody should be clear about why they are camping out. I tell you I've had more than enough of participants mistaking the offsite activity for  company outing and the team building activities mere parlor games! I hate it, I hate it, I hate it! ( Sorry, got carried away there)\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe fifth action is to \u003cb\u003e\"remove obstacles\".\u003c/b\u003e This is why people go out for a two-day off site team building. This is so they can identify what get's in the way of teamwork and decide how to overcome them. Patrick Lencioni identified five dysfunctions that get in the way of teamwork and prescribed some ways to overcome them. I use his prescription in my workshops.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eYou can't go home from a team building event without doing Kotter's 6th step and that is \u003cb\u003e\"create short-term wins\"\u003c/b\u003e. You need to identify the things you can do right after the workshop that will pave the way for building a stronger, more cohesive team. These quick-win activities should be clear, specific, actionable and observable.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis will be the subject of step seven, \u003cb\u003e\"Build on the Change\"\u003c/b\u003e Which is following through on the norms set in the workshop and see to it that they all happen. Managers should not let up until all the agreed changes in behavior become habits and that quick wins are pursued and achieved.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe last stage is \u003cb\u003e\"anchor the change in the corporate culture\".\u003c/b\u003e Let it grow roots. Build your policies around strengthening and rewarding teamwork and discouraging, even prohibiting the absence of it.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSee? You build your team building effort around John Kotter's 8-step model and I tell you, there's hardly any reason for it to fail.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHere's one more thing. I'll be more than happy to help you use this model to facilitate an organizational culture change for your company if you let me. Forget the one-day or half-day sessions that lead practically to nowhere.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIf you want teamwork, manage the change.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eRelated download: \u003ca href\u003d\"http://exeqserve.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/teamculturebldg_ExeQserve.pdf\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eExeQserve Team Culture Building Program\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003eVisit Anything HR so that we can share views on matters concerning HR, Leadership, Management, Training and Teams. I'd love to hear from you so please leave me a feedback.\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8815505-8020014063774152958?l\u003danythinghr.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://anythinghr.blogspot.com/feeds/8020014063774152958/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d8815505\u0026postID\u003d8020014063774152958\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8815505/posts/default/8020014063774152958"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8815505/posts/default/8020014063774152958"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://anythinghr.blogspot.com/2009/07/you-cant-have-teamwork-if-you-cant.html","title":"You Can't Have Teamwork If You Can't Manage the Change"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Ed Ebreo"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/16821972694832736436"},"email":{"$t":"edebreo@gmail.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"09665855214378586454"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Xrl8sY60k3w/SlBmSBhg6yI/AAAAAAAAAdg/lg_K-QHszPA/s72-c/edtalking.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815505.post-3675386550317880787"},"published":{"$t":"2009-05-31T21:59:00.007+08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-06-01T18:17:11.908+08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"teambuilding"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Team Building"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"A Culture of Candor and Assertiveness in the Filipino Workplace"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xrl8sY60k3w/SiKQm8T4rqI/AAAAAAAAAdI/zujClQup1Ak/s1600-h/collaborate2.JPG\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 436px; height: 291px;\" src\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xrl8sY60k3w/SiKQm8T4rqI/AAAAAAAAAdI/zujClQup1Ak/s400/collaborate2.JPG\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341991106713792162\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c/b\u003e Not all Filipinos are passive or have the tendency to avoid conflicts or confrontations but most are. In this blog, I'm talking about most Filipinos, not all.\u003c/i\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThere's not enough of it in most Filipino work places. We Filipinos are not big on saying it as it is.We are non confrontational. We are specially timid around bosses. Geert Hofstede's research on power distance index puts us at top 4. That means that we are among those who have the most tendency to avoid contradicting or challenging a boss' opinion. This go both ways. I've seen managers go ballistic at small hints of challenge. We don't expect to be corrected by subordinates. We see it as an upfront, an uncomfortable, ego busting upfront.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe world is changing. The amount of education and information being absorbed by team members and their talents and intelligence would easily go to waste if they are not given the chance to speak up and speak their minds as freely and whenever possible.\u003cspan class\u003d\"fullpost\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI propose, that we change the way communicate in the workplace. Let us encourage candor and assertiveness. There are so much benefit for doing so. It will help managers make more informed decisions. It can save us from making expensive mistakes. Most importantly, it can increase engagement and teamwork.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHere's the difficult question, how do we go about it? How do we turn around ages of programming? How do we make unassertive people, assertive? How do we change a workplace that subscribe to hierarchical relationship?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis is what I tell my employees.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\"I can't possibly be right all the time, hence I appreciate being corrected. Whenever you feel that I am making a bad decision, try to stop me. But don't expect me to just change my mind just because you tried. I'll put up a fight and I expect you to do the same. If I see you taking the coward's way out, I will call your attention until you realize that it pays to have a healthy exchange of ideas with me.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLet me tell you however, that saying those things is not enough. You cannot have that litany and then expect things to change right away. Leaders need to put their money where their mouth is by putting people to task about being open with their ideas, feelings and opinions.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThat too however is not enough. Two interventions are necessary to establish a culture of candor and assertiveness. One requires establishing team cohesiveness by building trust, open communication, commitment, accountability and focus on result. The other one requires building the team's including the managers' assertiveness. They should be able to shift from passive or agressive to assertive style of communication.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThere are dozens of available interventions out there on team building and assertiveness training. They will help you build a  highly interactive and high performing team. If you need my assistance, call me at (63918)939-9294.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003eVisit Anything HR so that we can share views on matters concerning HR, Leadership, Management, Training and Teams. I'd love to hear from you so please leave me a feedback.\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8815505-3675386550317880787?l\u003danythinghr.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://anythinghr.blogspot.com/feeds/3675386550317880787/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d8815505\u0026postID\u003d3675386550317880787\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8815505/posts/default/3675386550317880787"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8815505/posts/default/3675386550317880787"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://anythinghr.blogspot.com/2009/05/note-not-all-filipinos-are-passive-or.html","title":"A Culture of Candor and Assertiveness in the Filipino Workplace"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Ed Ebreo"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/16821972694832736436"},"email":{"$t":"edebreo@gmail.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"09665855214378586454"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Xrl8sY60k3w/SiKQm8T4rqI/AAAAAAAAAdI/zujClQup1Ak/s72-c/collaborate2.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"1"}}]}});