Archive | High Performance Teams

The “perfect” solution to a problem varies greatly depending on whether you happen to be the person designing and building the product, the person selling the product, or the person using the product. Seems obvious, right? Despite being obvious, however, the problem keeps recurring. But sometimes, there really is a perfect solution.

The NY Times article, “Driven to Distraction” discussed the practice of turning cars into mobile offices. The dangers of this practice I will leave to others to debate, although I will mention that the Car Talk Guys are definitely Not Happy about it. What I found particularly fascinating in reading this article was the justifications […]

Why do the same issues keep coming up over and over again in meetings? Why is it that some things never get resolved while other issues that have apparently been resolved keep returning from the grave? Perhaps more to the point, what can be done about it?

The leader who has to constantly tell people what to do is not doing a good job of leading. The leader who has to get out of the way so that his team doesn’t run over him in their rush to accomplish the goals of the team is the true successful leader. What sort of […]

Once upon a time, the late and unlamented Soviet Union decided to grow wheat in Siberia. Their logic was simple: by growing wheat in the inhospitable conditions of Siberia, the wheat would become stronger. The wheat, however, was indifferent to Soviet philosophy. Despite speeches, threats, and promises from the government, the wheat stubbornly refused to […]

The great benefit of teams is that they provide a variety of skills and perspectives. The great weakness of teams is that they provide a variety of skills and perspectives. In order to reap the benefits of having a team, the members of the team need to learn to work together. This involves more than […]

By now, many HR professionals and team leads are familiar enough with team dynamics to start teams out on the right foot. Despite the important groundwork, teams usually hit rough spots as individuals clash and pressure to perform builds.

New team leaders can harm morale and drag down a high performing team if they aren’t integrated properly. Taking the time upfront to establish rapport and understanding on both sides can help maintain team effectiveness and remedy potential conflicts before misunderstandings ensue.

More and more work is being done by teams. The ability to build effective teams is a critical leadership skill. Team leaders have to focus both on the task to be accomplished and how team members are working together. Team leaders must use the appropriate management style to help the team consistently achieve its best […]

Despite best team building efforts, many organizations are still operating on low power when it comes to producing desired results. They’ve invested time and dollars in events that supposedly help team members bond and function coherently, yet results are short term at best.