Saber Coaching

Something new for those looking to develop their leadership skills.

LeadershipEDGE — Saber Coaching High-impact coaching with practical tools and support to help you level up your leadership, stay accountable, and grow your confidence.

A recent harebrained scheme.

Saberruns Ready to get faster?

Something fun and new! I love reaction videos and have fun finding "EDGE" moments in the movie love. So I added peanut butter and chocolate.

EDGE Movie Moments A series about moments of transitions - moments at the EDGE. I'll take a look at some of my favorite movies and tease out the EDGE moments. I'll add some col...

https://www.thecenteredcoach.com/post/expansive-intimacy-ep15-the-power-of-gentle-men-w-mike-sweeney?fbclid=IwAR2piS90cx8bmXdyrJwaznEke6orS2UI_C46nYU28lKsC4bqyPZSfY8YDW0

Expansive Intimacy EP15: The Power of Gentle Men w/Mike Sweeney When does a gentleman become more powerful? When he lets himself be both gentle AND a man. Jim is joined by a tough, gentle man to explain.

Accountability Deeper Dive Series - a consolidated list of distilled insights on building a culture of accountability. Accountability was the #1 requested team topic leaders were looking to learn more about.

❓How do I hold my team accountable? (from the original 12 Days of Teaming series) - https://lnkd.in/eFikRbcS
🔨 Accountability Deeper Dive | Empowering Leadership (1/5) - https://lnkd.in/ggHpiKSn
🔨 Accountability Deeper Dive | Modeling Behaviors (2/5) - https://lnkd.in/g4NBtYBm
🔨 Accountability Deeper Dive | Commitment vs. Compliance (3/5) - https://lnkd.in/gz9KBZng
🔨 Accountability Deeper Dive | Autonomy and Control (4/5) - https://lnkd.in/gKH6zMkt
🔨 Accountability Deeper Dive | Feedback and Follow Through (5/5) - https://lnkd.in/gqY_wXNv

If you'd like to continue to learn, check out Developing High Performing Teams - https://lnkd.in/edauFmv6

Developing High Performing Teams Learn practical skills to build high-performing teams - engage your team, enable learning & growth, improve the team experience, and get better results.

🔨 Accountability Deeper Dive | Feedback and Follow Through (5/5)

Accountability is driven by conversations – at the start, in the middle, and at the end. As a leader, the ability to provide feedback and follow through has the single biggest impact on a team’s culture of accountability.

Let’s assume the basics are in place – tasks/outcomes are clear, team members have the skills/support they need, and the timeline for follow-up is agreed in advance. If those are not in place, do not pass go and collect $200. Go back to the start and cover the basics.

Building on a previous post about feedback (see 12 Days of Teaming “How do I give feedback” 7/12), here are a few principles and reminders for effective feedback.

Principles to keep in mind:
➥Feedback back is not like revenge – it is a dish best served warm and often; keep most feedback positive (5:1) as negative feedback has a more significant impact; don’t save it up – share ongoing feedback
➥Keep quality in mind – employees crave sincere, specific, timely input on performance; keep comments focused to a precise situation and actions that are under their control; this applies to constructive comments or praise/recognition
➥Check relationship health – the Radical Candor model refers to challenging directly only when the leader cares deeply; it is important to be open, candid, and courageous, but be sure the leader has positive intent and relationship trust is established
➥Actively manage and don’t be a seagull – there are times when life gets in the way, so stay close enough to the team that you can support or help when team members hit roadblocks; no one likes it when the boss flies at a high level all day and then 💩s all over everyone
➥Pay attention to preferences - sometimes people are looking for reassurance, what’s missing, written, verbal, more direct, less direct, time to process, and sometimes just a pat on the pack
➥Encourage peer-to-peer conversations – the “strongest atomic unit of a team is a duo”, so encourage team members to have 1:1s and get into a routine of sharing feedback

A few reminders:
🎁 Check in at the agreed-upon time without fail
🎁 Ask if it’s an OK time for feedback
🎁 Consider their preferences
🎁 Coach using the GROW model if needed
🎁 Agree on timing for the next check-in
🎁 Lather, rinse, and repeat
🎁 Celebrate when it’s time

The best part about feedback and follow-through is that there is no need to dread a performance conversation. If feedback (and more broadly, accountability) is done right, the team member reads their review and remarks, “that’s pretty much what we talked about all year.”

Supporting research (a few foundational things):
- Radical Candor – Scott
- Dare to Lead – Brené Brown
- Succeed – Halvorson

That’s all folks! If there are other pieces you think are missing to create a culture of accountability, let me know in the comments!

The next post will be a final summary.

Mike Sweeney

🔨 Accountability Deeper Dive | Autonomy and Control (4/5)

Another lever when building team accountability is the extent to which leaders maintain or share control. I’ve worked for leaders who seek control and leaders who share control – and I have been both. Control has an interesting impact on both accountability and team experience.

In 1958, Tannenbaum and Schmidt wrote, “How to Choose a Leadership Pattern.” The article had such an impact that it is now an “HBR classic.” Tannenbaum and Schmidt provided a continuum with “manager power and influence” on one end and “nonmanager power and influence” on the other. They argue that there are degrees to which leaders maintain or share power rather than a black-or-white choice (e.g., authoritarian or democratic). As usual, we need to look to the AND.

The range of control moves from the leader holding power and decision rights fully to shared power and joint decision-making – with 5 scales of grey in the middle (see image). When choosing the right approach, it is important to consider the leader, the team, and the situation. Here were some of the key considerations the authors identified when determining how much control to keep and how much to share:

Leader
� Values – the leader’s belief in the best leadership approach in general
� Confidence in the team – the feeling that the team is competent and qualified
� Comfort with uncertainty – the leader’s need for predictability and stability
� Natural style – what’s most comfortable for the leader

Team
� Needs for independence and expectations – the desire for full autonomy and experience with full freedom
� Readiness and interest – feelings of comfort and importance with the given task
� Comfort with uncertainty – preference for a certain level of clear direction
� Skills, knowledge, and experience – level of competence and confidence

Situation
� Type of Organization – a general sense of typical leader behaviors, values, geographical dispersion, and size
� Team effectiveness – experience and confidence with the group bringing out each other's best
� Complexity – whether it is an adaptive challenge or a technical problem
� Pressure – the level of risk, magnitude, and time available

While all these factors influence how much a leader shares control, the steps I outlined in the original Accountability article seem to still hold up – clear outcomes and purpose, team member skills, deadlines, a clear ‘what if’, and a plan to follow up. But sharing control and power at the right time and in the right amount also plays a role.

How would you update the article for 2023?

Supporting research (a few foundational things I leaned on):
- How to Choose a Leadership Pattern – Tannenbaum & Schmidt
- The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People – Covey
- Leadership and Decision Making – Vroom

The next one up is…
🔨 Accountability Deeper Dive | Feedback and Follow Through (5/5)

Mike Sweeney

🔨 Accountability Deeper Dive | Commitment vs. Compliance (3/5)

As leaders build accountability, they need to know where motivation is coming from. When team members commit to goals, their motivation comes from inside. With compliance, motivation is external. A committed team feels a sense of responsibility and ownership. But it’s not that simple.

Compliance is necessary: when working in industries with legal, regulatory, or security requirements, compliance with standards may be critical to success. Maintaining ethical, social, and environmental standards helps avoid legal and financial consequences. In Six Sigma, statistical process control and defined standards are necessary to maintain quality. Work is performed consistently under strict compliance with standard operating procedures.

Commitment encourages growth: In Situational Leadership II, Ken Blanchard defined commitment as a combination of confidence and motivation. Confidence is “a measure of a person’s self-assuredness, a feeling of being able to do a task without much direction” and motivation is “a person’s interest in and enthusiasm for doing a task well.” When a team member is committed, they are more likely to take the initiative, demonstrate personal responsibility, and grow.

So, which is better? As a proud graduate of the San Francisco Comedy College Improv Level I Training, I believe in “Yes, And”. Whenever there is an OR, I look for the AND. In Lean, compliance with standards works complementary with employee commitment to process ownership, continuous improvement, and problem-solving. Maintaining compliance is important, but commitment has the greater impact on accountability.

Here are a few steps a leader can take to earn commitment from the team (in SLII, these are supportive behaviors):

🔗Involve & Delegate – bring team members into decisions (even if you “disagree and commit”), let them have a say in goals, leave the “how” to them, and be a good follower
🔗Listen & Learn – take the time to hear people out and leave conversational space for improvement ideas as the team is closer to the tasks
🔗Support & Care – the job of a leader must include team members’ wellbeing, so jump in and serve or connect people to resources when needed
🔗Praise & Encourage – try to “catch people doing things right”, provide positive feedback, and recognize outstanding performance
🔗Coach & Inspire – ask great questions, bring out their best, and model bringing your strengths to your work
🔗 Develop & Challenge – provide opportunities for growth and encourage team members to stretch beyond their comfort zones

What would you add to the list?

Supporting research (a few foundational things I leaned on):
- Leadership and the One-Minute Manager – Blanchard
- Primal Leadership – Goleman
- Drive – Pink
- Good to Great – Collins

The next one up is…
🔨 Accountability Deeper Dive | Autonomy and Control (4/5)

Mike Sweeney

🔨 Accountability Deeper Dive | Modeling Behaviors (2/5)

Employees engage in “leader watching” as a pastime
and they look to leaders to set the accountability standard for the team or organization. My (borrowed) definition of culture is the output of leadership behaviors demonstrated and tolerated over time. And teams are always watching what behaviors their leaders are modeling.

When leaders seek to create a culture of accountability or improve accountability on their teams, the first question I ask is, “How is your personal accountability – to yourself, to the team, and to the organization?” A leader’s ability to model personal accountability has a direct impact on culture. Trust, credibility, influence, and reputations are built slowly over time through consistent follow-through and good habits.

A culture of accountability starts at the top. When everyone is held accountable for their actions and performance, teams get better results and experience a more positive work environment.

As I’ve partnered with leaders to improve team and organizational accountability, I’ve observed several consistent practices:

✅Set goals and commitments with clear outcomes – make these visible to others so the team has access (when possible)
✅Think about capacity before you commit – estimate the effort required for major commitments versus time available (spot a future miss early); throughput is a function of work in progress (WIP)
✅Choose the where and when – task completion increases when we consider details and schedule the activity; use lessons from habit formation - (1) make it obvious, (2) make it attractive, (3) make it easy, and (4) make it satisfying
✅Find a tracking system that works for you – honoring commitments requires awareness, so take control of time and tasks to prevent accidental missed commitments
✅Manage commitments, don’t just complete them – life happens, and things change, so keep key tasks visible, renegotiate deadlines, and communicate updates as needed
✅Engage accountability partners – we care what others think about us, so share deadlines and ask others to help maintain accountability
✅Invite inquiries and conversations – accountability goes up, down, and across in organizations so model a willingness to have conversations about commitment status
✅Own it when you miss – be vulnerable and call out when you err; apologize to the team, make it right, and learn

I’d love to hear from leaders who feel they have nailed personal accountability (or have struggled mightily). What is missing from the list?

Supporting research (a few foundational things I leaned on as I wrote this):
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Covey
- The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team – Lencioni
- Atomic Habits – Clear
- The Power of Habit – Duhigg

The next one up is…

🔨 Accountability Deeper Dive | Commitment vs. Compliance (3/5)

Mike Sweeney

🔨 Accountability Deeper Dive | Empowering Leadership (1/5)

After your input from my recent poll, I’ve created 5 deeper dives on Accountability. These topics complement my post from December 2022 and provide context to improve accountability with teams. The five deeper dives:
🤝🏾Empowering Leadership
🥇Modeling Behaviors
🔗Commitment vs. Compliance
🙌 Autonomy and Control
🎁Feedback and Follow Through

Empowering Leadership & Accountability – the chicken and the egg. Can’t people do what they are supposed to? I would empower them if they were accountable! And so it goes. Empowering leadership may sound “soft” to some taskmasters. But as I researched, I found empowering leadership sets the conditions for accountability to thrive.
Empowering leaders are likely to share power, give decision-making authority, and express confidence. Leaders grant authority or power to the team (when appropriate). An employee is more likely to be accountable when they feel “liberated”. This style of leadership results in intrinsic motivation and a proactive approach to work where employees experience an increase in four components of empowerment:
🙌🏽Meaning – fit between role and individual beliefs, values, and behaviors (The work I do is meaningful)
🙌🏽Competence – belief in the capability to complete skilled work (I am confident about my ability to do my job)
🙌🏽Self-determination – a sense of choice and decisions about how to do the work, work rate, and level of effort (I have significant autonomy in determining how I do my job)
🙌🏽Impact – the degree of influence on strategy or outcomes at work (My impact on what happens in my department is large)

🤝🏾Empowering Leadership is a set of behaviors that increase the likelihood that employees feel empowered and demonstrate accountability. It takes leadership to set these conditions. Here are a few behaviors studies have shown as effective at empowering team members:

📌 Decrease role ambiguity – clarify responsibilities, expectations, and decision authority to help people understand what needs to be done
📌 Stay hands-off on “how” – employees resist too much oversight and prefer bosses who have their own work to do (decrease micro-managing behaviors)
📌 Provide social support – open channels for getting help from leaders, peers, and other team members
📌 Share information – be open about company strategy, competition, productivity, and workflows so they can see the “big picture”
📌 Encourage a participative climate – value acknowledgment, creation, and initiative over command and control

I’d love to hear from leaders who feel they create a culture of accountability. What would you add to the list?

Supporting research (a few foundational things I leaned on as I wrote this):
- Work from Chris Argyris in the late ’90s
- Spreitzer on Empowering Leadership

The next one up is…
🔨 Accountability Deeper Dive | Modeling Behaviors (2/5)

Mike Sweeney

12 Days of Teaming Summary - a consolidated list of distilled insights on FAQs leaders ask about working with teams.

Reconnecting with purpose - shorturl.at/cpr59
❓How do I hold my team accountable? (1/12) - shorturl.at/eklW8
❓How do I set a vision for my team? (2/12) - shorturl.at/djmR3
❓How do I handle conflict on my team? (3/12) - shorturl.at/diVX6
❓How do I discover my strengths? (4/12) - shorturl.at/cu268
❓ How do I set goals for the team? (5/12) - shorturl.at/BMO39
❓How do I know if my team is “healthy”? (6/12) - shorturl.at/hrxLO
❓How do I give feedback? (7/12) - shorturl.at/jmxY4
❓How do I make decisions without being too ‘bossy’? (8/12) - shorturl.at/chDLZ
❓How do I keep the team on the same page? (9/12) - shorturl.at/ioBMX
❓How do I really take a break over the holidays? (10/12) - shorturl.at/mIO89
❓How do I align with my boss? (11/12) - shorturl.at/JKR07
❓How do I appreciate or recognize great performance? (12/12) - shorturl.at/no245
❓What did I learn from the ’12 Days of Teaming’? - shorturl.at/kxHPZ

If you'd like to continue to learn, check out Developing High Performing Teams -

Developing High Performing Teams Learn practical skills to build high-performing teams - engage your team, enable learning & growth, improve the team experience, and get better results.

❓What did I learn from the ’12 Days of Teaming’?

Before the holiday break, I shared a post about reconnecting with my purpose and launched a series of distilled posts answering the most common questions I hear from leaders, coaching clients, and friends when they share their work frustrations.

This was an experiment as part of my coaching practice, Saber Coaching.

Initial goals:
🎯 Share insights about leadership that others find valuable
🎯 Learn what topics resonate more/less with leaders
🎯 Push myself out of my comfort zone
🎯 Grow quality LinkedIn connections and increase biz page follows
🎯 Develop new habits in 2023 (more writing and more experimentation)
🎯 Maybe sell an online course or two

Results (highlights):
🏆 >15K impressions over 13 posts (1.1K average)
🏆 Most popular topics
① How do I hold my team accountable?
② How do I set a vision for my team?
③ How do I align with my boss? (also most comments)
④ How do I discover my strengths?
⑤ How do I really take a break over the holidays?
🏆 5% growth in overall LinkedIn connections (and some amazing conversations)
🏆 2 new page followers
🏆 Highest weeks of organic traffic to coaching site, course page, YouTube channel
💩 0 course sales

Lessons Learned from the experiment
📣 Commit publicly: you will feel the pressure to deliver (it pays to consider capacity before making the commitment which I – of course - did not)
🤣 Pick something fun: I enjoy writing so that made this easier (helpful when I feel like people are getting value)
👊 My network is supportive: I experienced help from unlikely editors, people rooting me on, and commenters (see below)
🚨 Fear shows up: I had to deal with the typical saboteur inner dialogue (what if it’s not good, what if I make mistakes, what if no one comments, etc.)
🔔 People notice: Friends, clients, and colleagues mentioned the posts in our interactions
📆 Weekends off: people don’t look at LinkedIn a lot on the weekends (duh)

I am continuing to connect with my purpose:
👉Inspiring leaders to master their craft. 👈

So, what’s next?
★ Post a summary of all 14 of the posts in one place (next week)
★ Post a request for other FAQs that I can explore, distill and share
★ Launch a poll to see which topics are most popular

Mike Sweeney

❓How do I appreciate or recognize great performance? (12/12)

“Raise your hand if you are getting too much appreciation at work?”
I ask that question at leadership keynotes, and no one ever raises their hand. We all could use more appreciation and recognition to feel respected and valued. Sometimes we forget how meaningful it is when someone says thanks.

Look to recognize day-to-day actions, above and beyond effort, career milestones, or life events. The best part of leadership is catching people doing things right and it helps the +/- feedback ratio stay 5:1. Here are a few things to consider:

⏲️Memorable recognition lasts a long time: I still remember handwritten cards with movie tickets, a career conversation, Mule glasses, a knitted hat with “Really?”, and my Cavalry saber. What do you remember? How can you create memories for others?

💎Deeper connections motivate more: Dan Pink writes about “Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose” to drive motivation. Connecting recognition with someone’s purpose, letting them own a big project, or investing in their skills is impactful

❤️Love Languages at work…work: we have a primary style for giving and receiving appreciation so consider the individual. Some want praise in public and others in private. From a 10-year study, “The best reward is always personal, and tailored to employee interests and lifestyle, given by a manager who cares enough to find out what motivates each individual.”

🔔Regular opportunities encourage appreciation: provide a ‘container’ for recognition in a team meeting or online to build appreciation into the culture

Here are a few ideas if you want to start recognizing and appreciating more today:

👍Say a simple thank you: share positive feedback, leave a sticky note, praise in Teams, or write a note

🎤Express a public thank you: spotlight at an All-Hands meeting, submit for a Values award, ask a senior leader to call, feature thought leadership, or write a LinkedIn recommendation

📅Provide time off: give the team a vacation day, offer early in/out, use summer hours, or support sabbaticals for long-term employees

🤜Encourage peer-to-peer appreciation: create a rotating team trophy, implement formal peer recognition, or use kudos

🎂Offer food or treats: surprise employees with meals, food trucks, ice-cream carts, birthday celebrations, or host the team at your place

🎁Support charitable contributions: match employee donations, provide time for charity work, or plan time for the team to help the community

Supporting research (a few foundational things):
- The Five Love Languages – Gary Chapman
- The Carrot Principle – Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton
- Drive – Daniel Pink

That’s all folks! I hope these posts have been valuable – it’s fun to hear what resonates. I’ll post a summary of the experiment on my LinkedIn coaching page – check it out! https://www.linkedin.com/company/saber-coaching/

Mike Sweeney

Saber Coaching | LinkedIn Saber Coaching | 106 followers on LinkedIn. Inspiring leaders to effectively master their craft | coaching and developing individuals, teams, and organizations. | Throughout your life, you'll navigate transitions in your personal life and business. It helps to have an edge to embrace transitions...

❓How do I align with my boss? (11/12)

Honestly, I haven’t always done this well. I do my best to be a great follower, but sometimes the alignment is off. This can be a source of stress and frustration so it’s important to go slow initially (or reset) to ensure you’ve ‘designed an alliance’ that can bring out everyone’s best.

Here are some of my favorite tips for creating (or rebuilding) alignment with a boss:

🦅 Be curious and know thy boss: think like a bird watcher and study your boss; learn their preferences, how they interact, what they sound like in different environments, where they nest/hobbies/family life, and typical flight patterns

🔉Ask peers for advice: seek out others who have worked with this person before (especially if they’ve been successful and have a strong relationship); solicit advice

🤝 Discuss working styles: ideally have an intentional conversation up front to clarify assumptions and expectations where you discuss work schedules/boundaries, electronic communication preferences and responsiveness, communication style (e.g., more dialogue or debate), personality styles, energizers/stressors, decision-making styles, strengths/growth edges, and pet peeves; ask ‘what are the conditions that need to be in place for the two of us to work together effectively?’ and ‘what are the obstacles or potential obstacles?’

📆 Identify a meeting cadence: think about 1:1/update meeting frequency and agenda, feedback sessions (and how candid/direct they will be), career discussions, other meetings attendance/expectations (team, department, etc.), preferences for scheduling/working with their assistance, and advanced notice for pre-reads

🏹 Learn about their direction/dream/vision/goals: figure out what’s important to them, what they are hoping to accomplish, the KPIs that matter, and any legacy they are hoping to leave (eventually); examine how you can plug in and support them

⏳ Take the time to build trust: cover their back, share bad news early, keep them informed, offer your opinion when relevant, act on feedback they’ve shared; be proactive, help them where you can, honor commitments, and be accountable; over-communicate early to move from “recommend then act” to “act then advise”

🚨Get help early if you need it: sometimes you might not match, so seek help from a coach, a peer, or HR early enough to get things back into alignment

Supporting research (a few foundational things):
- What Got You Here Won’t Get You There – Marshall Goldsmith
- Primal Leadership: Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence – Daniel Goleman, et al.
- The First 90 Days – Michael Watkins
- What the CEO Wants You to Know: How Your Company Really Works – Ram Charan
- Co-Active Coaching: Changing Business Transforming Lives – Karen Kimsey-House, et al.

The next one up is…

❓How do I appreciate or recognize great performance? (12/12)

See you tomorrow…

Mike Sweeney

❓How do I really take a break over the holidays? (10/12)

In a perfect world, this post will receive the lowest engagement of the 12 Days of Teaming series. This one goes out to all the people leaders because how you approach the next 1-2 weeks sets the tone for your team. Although some people may still head into the physical/virtual office next week, many are taking the bulk of the time off.

Here are a few tips to encourage you to take a full break and come back recharged.

For your team:

📩 Send a clear message about boundaries: let the team know to turn on the OOO messages and delay emails until after people return from break

🏆 Model the behavior you expect: if you told the team to focus on their families and stay off email, make sure you are doing the same; they will look to you as the example

🙏🏾Express your gratitude: take a moment to send an email, call someone, send a Teams post, or pen a short-handwritten note; express your gratitude for the hard work over the last year

☎ Plan for on-call coverage: if you do need to keep an eye on critical business, work out a coverage model so everyone knows who is on point; clarify an emergency channel if needed so those off can be fully off

For you:

📵 Turn off the ‘interruptions’ and put down the devices: ‘notifications’ sound important, but they rarely are; see if you can survive with everything silenced and pay attention to your emotions when you feel the urge to check in (is it boredom, FOMO, something else?); replace the urge with other things like getting outdoors

📅 Leave the morning of January 3 open until after lunch: if you can make this happen, you will thank me for it; give yourself the space and time to reenter work slowly

💭 Allow time for doing nothing: spend time in nature, take a nap in a hammock, spend time daydreaming, or reconnect with whatever nourishes your soul

🤣 Laugh often: smiling and laughing relieves stress, so watch something funny, learn a few jokes, or play silly games with people you care about

🤩 Reflect on 2022 and be proud: everyone has been through a lot in the last few years, so give yourself permission to feel good about your growth, relationships, and accomplishments

🏖 Take care of yourself: read, meditate, hydrate, eat well, move your body

🎁Be present: When you are with friends and family, be “here now” and engage in the moment

🛑 Stop checking LinkedIn: I mean, after this post…

Supporting research (a few foundational things):
- Assorted findings, experience, and input from many others over time
The next one up is…

❓How do I align with my boss? (11/12)

See you after the break on Jan 3 (gotta follow my own advice)…

Mike Sweeney

❓How do I keep the team on the same page? (9/12)

In a world full of constant change, periodic chaos, and increasing complexity, high-performing teams need enough “shared consciousness” to make effective decisions and stay aligned. A leader has two roles with communication (1) architect a plan that democratizes access to key information and (2) cascade any information you have access to based on your position.

A lesson from “Team of Teams” is to “share information until you’re afraid it’s illegal.” Leaders can no longer afford to keep information “close to the vest.” Outside of salary and progressive discipline, shoot for full transparency.

To democratize information, it’s important to think through these key questions and develop a plan with the team:

📢 Where is the information for the team?
- File storage – SharePoint, filing cabinets, google docs, etc.
- Performance data – real-time KPI tracking and dashboards
- Search-ability – efficient access to key data, processes, and files

📢 Who has access to team information?
- Permissions – inclusive team chats, CC’s on key emails, performance data
- Catch ups – meeting minutes, recordings
- Artifacts – team mission, vision, values, org charts

📢 What’s the cadence of communication within the team?
- 1:1 meetings – leader-team members, team member-team member*
- Team meetings – check-ins, team/trust building, goal updates, customer data reviews, celebrations
- Team asynchronous updates – periodic team posts, progress updates

Another part of a leader’s role is to cascade messages from senior teams:

📢 How is broader organizational information shared and how can you reinforce key messages?
- Reinforce organizational culture/messaging – CEO messages/videos, department leaders, All Hands meetings, Initiative leader updates, Quarterly goal updates
- Connect the dots with outside groups – contact with adjacent teams, customer feedback, regional performance
- Influence messages in non-traditional communication – ad-hoc conversations (water cooler talk), after work gatherings, periodic blast emails, gossip

The keys to keeping the team on the same page are to enable access to information and repeat/reinforce key messages to move closer to shared consciousness.

Supporting research (a few foundational things):
- Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World - Stanley A. McChrystal
- HBR: The New Science of Building Great Teams – Alex “Sandy” Pentland
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable - Patrick Lencioni
- Primal Leadership: Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence - Daniel Goleman
- Wired to Connect: The Brain Science of Teams and a New Model for Creating Collaboration and Inclusion - Britt Andreatta
The next one up is…

❓How do I really take a break over the holidays? (10/12)

See you tomorrow…

Mike Sweeney