how to build a high performance team thru meetings you would normally have anyway

HOW TO BUILD A HIGH-PERFORMANCE TEAM

…through meetings you would normally have anyway

Lois Raats MEd CCC BCC

Founder & Principal Consultant Ready2Grow Associates

© 2015 Ready2Grow Associates Twitter: @ready2growlois

Lois Raats MEd CCC BCC Founder, Ready2Grow Associates

Focused on:• Strategic planning & support.• Leadership & team development.• Process improvement & innovation.• 30 years’ business and people development across

all sectors & industries.


Learning Agenda1. Warm-up.

2. Define and explore:– Culture.– Performance.

3. Making meetings “High-Performance”.


Warm-up

Your name.

One thing you love, or one thing that drives you crazy, about construction.

One thing you’d like to take away from this session.


1. CULTURE: “how we do things around here”


thought

attitudefeeling

ACTIVITY

feeling

CONVERSATION

thought

BEHAVIOUR

values BEHAVIOUR

attitudeACTIVITYNORMS

standards

Healthy…


…or unhealthy


Does your business / team need a culture shift?

Business symptoms: Low productivity, low profits, high # of complaints, low resolution of complaints, high turnover.

Team Symptoms: Low morale, low engagement, lack of trust, poor communication, confusion,

duplication, anger/sarcasm, gossip, tribal warfare - individuals vying for same space

Personal Symptoms: Stress, anxiety, sense of failure or incompetence, long-term: low self-esteem© 2015 Ready2Grow Associates

Twitter: @ready2growlois

Why organizations can be slow to shift their culture.

1. Culture is invisible.2. It’s not easily measured.3. The forces that shape culture are shaped by beliefs & feelings. 4. Culture change is created through conversations.5. People may not have developed skills in communication and influence, or know how to increase their skills.


Challenges in construction leadership

1. To define team culture: • Clarify Values and Purpose: the “WHY?”• Clarify Vision, Mission and Goals: the

“WHAT?”


Challenges, cont’d

2. To shape team culture and performance:• via Heart: help team members connect and

trust each other.• via Head: ensure team members have the

skills and tools they need to do the job right. • via Soul: Create a bigger picture that they

aspire to.


CULTURE CHANGE happens…

1. from the inside out.

2. from the top down.

3. by creating a new shared story that we live together daily

(i.e. through “meetings”).


The Leader’s job is to…• Figure out the main points in the story.• Figure out who will play all the parts.• Build the story in a way that people can relate

to. • Share a consistent story over and over across

many situations. • Including every meeting.


PassionsValuesIdeasInklingsConnectionsOpportunities

Components of Our Shared Story

© 2015 Ready2Grow Associates Twitter:

@ready2growlois

VISION – Dream“We are committed to (Vision) …PURPOSE Why we want this

dream…because (Values & Passions)GOALS Dream with a

Deadline “We plan to…by…”Supporting PROJECTS

Clusters of activities“…We’ll group these activities together & create a project”DAILY NEXT STEPS Daily

tasks and action steps“…We’ll do these specific

activities today”MISSION Concrete Statement of Intention

“Here’s HOW we serve, as a result of our Values, Purpose, and Vision”

STANDARDS Behaviours necessary to accomplish

Vision, Purpose, & Mission “Here’s how we will behave a daily basis to accomplish our purpose.

CORE VALUES

The enduring principles we will never give up that help us decide whatto do on a daily basis.

© 2015 Ready2Grow Associates


Core Value Tests:We would hold this value even if:• We started another company• It is 100 years from now• It becomes a competitive disadvantage• We are not rewarded for holding itAlso:• It’s such an important part of our identity, that people who don’t hold this value really couldn’t work for us.


CORE PURPOSE

• The underlying reason why we do what we do each day• Reminds us what we are committed to• Answers the question “Why?” (To figure out Purpose, state what you do, then keep asking

“Why?”until you can’t answer any more)


e.g. Why?“To build into people and communities…”

• To help people build better lives.• To help people know they are supported.• To create a better life for everyone.


MISSION • Our WHAT and HOW

• WHAT we do, and HOW we do it differently

from others.

MISSION


Client Example

NOT:e.g. We design and build comprehensive renovation solutions.One stop shop.We listen. We’re honest. We get it right.Great job, great price, great service.

Instead…We design and build to our clients.

STANDARDS Standards flow out of Values, Purpose, Mission and Vision… …and shape our attitudes and behaviours. e.g. Core Value: INTEGRITY - We take responsibility. - We do what we say we are going to do. - We do our best work at all times. - We always seek the best for our customer.


GUIDING PRINCIPLES• Short taglines that encapsulate Standards and help

people know “how we do things around here” on a daily basis.

• “Find a way.”• “People first.”• “No excuses.”• “Good judgment”.• “Be honest.”• “Golden Rule.”


How Do Values, Purpose, Mission, Vision, and Standards Get Communicated?

• NOT just an annual town hall meeting.• Rather…• ALL meetings.• Leader attitudes, words, and behaviours.• Company brand.• Recruitment, selection, and hiring.• Policies and procedures.• Employee handbooks and onboarding.• Leadership and team training.


Meetings Transmit Culture.• What kind of culture do you have now?• What kind of culture do you want to create?• Small shifts in the way you do meetings can profoundly

affect your organizational culture over time.


2. Performanceper·for·mancep r fôrm ns/ ə ˈ əNoun

1. an act of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment.• "Don Giovanni had its first performance in 1787"

synonyms:show, production, showing, presentation, staging;

2. the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function.• "the continual performance of a single task reduces a man to the level of a machine"

synonyms:carrying out, execution, discharge, accomplishment, completion,fulfillment, dispatch, implementation; "the continual performance of a single task"


https://www.google.ca/search?espv=2&biw=1440&bih=757&q=define+show&sa=X&ved=0CB4Q_SowAGoVChMI3b-qmYv6xwIVBlmSCh1rQQuq

https://www.google.ca/search?espv=2&biw=1440&bih=757&q=define+production&sa=X&ved=0CB8Q_SowAGoVChMI3b-qmYv6xwIVBlmSCh1rQQuq

https://www.google.ca/search?espv=2&biw=1440&bih=757&q=define+showing&sa=X&ved=0CCAQ_SowAGoVChMI3b-qmYv6xwIVBlmSCh1rQQuq

https://www.google.ca/search?espv=2&biw=1440&bih=757&q=define+presentation&sa=X&ved=0CCEQ_SowAGoVChMI3b-qmYv6xwIVBlmSCh1rQQuq

https://www.google.ca/search?espv=2&biw=1440&bih=757&q=define+staging&sa=X&ved=0CCIQ_SowAGoVChMI3b-qmYv6xwIVBlmSCh1rQQuq

https://www.google.ca/search?espv=2&biw=1440&bih=757&q=define+execution&sa=X&ved=0CDcQ_SowAGoVChMI3b-qmYv6xwIVBlmSCh1rQQuq

https://www.google.ca/search?espv=2&biw=1440&bih=757&q=define+discharge&sa=X&ved=0CDgQ_SowAGoVChMI3b-qmYv6xwIVBlmSCh1rQQuq

https://www.google.ca/search?espv=2&biw=1440&bih=757&q=define+accomplishment&sa=X&ved=0CDkQ_SowAGoVChMI3b-qmYv6xwIVBlmSCh1rQQuq

https://www.google.ca/search?espv=2&biw=1440&bih=757&q=define+completion&sa=X&ved=0CDoQ_SowAGoVChMI3b-qmYv6xwIVBlmSCh1rQQuq

https://www.google.ca/search?espv=2&biw=1440&bih=757&q=define+fulfillment&sa=X&ved=0CDsQ_SowAGoVChMI3b-qmYv6xwIVBlmSCh1rQQuq

https://www.google.ca/search?espv=2&biw=1440&bih=757&q=define+dispatch&sa=X&ved=0CDwQ_SowAGoVChMI3b-qmYv6xwIVBlmSCh1rQQuq

https://www.google.ca/search?espv=2&biw=1440&bih=757&q=define+implementation&sa=X&ved=0CD0Q_SowAGoVChMI3b-qmYv6xwIVBlmSCh1rQQuq

In the 1990s the Gallup organization researched employee engagement, asking:

• What do people need from their workplaces?

• How do the world’s great managers find, focus, and keep talented employees?

• What are the core issues that distinguish a great workplace from all the rest?

Source: Marcus Buckingham, First Break All the Rules © 2015 Ready2Grow Associates


Gallup’s 12 Questions• Gallup created a 12-question survey that has now been administered to

more than 25 million employees in 189 countries.

• Respondents answer “true” or “false” to a dozen statements.

• Gallup’s 12 questions were originally selected from hundreds of questions in hundreds of surveys that were found to measure the aspects of employee engagement that directly impact business outcomes.

• According to many experts, these 12 questions constitute “the best predictors of employee and workgroup performance.”


Three parallel processes build high-performing teamsHEART processes (emotional energy & engagement)

HEAD processes(clear thinking and problem-solving)

SOUL processes (contributing to, and being transformed by, a bigger picture)

These elements should incorporated into every meeting.© 2015 Ready2Grow Associates Twitter: @ready2growlois

HEARTIntrinsic human need:

“I care about you, and you care about me.”

Dimensions:Basic TrustRespect Mirroring AffirmationBelonging


HEART questions:• Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about

me as a person?

• At work, do my opinions seem to count?

• In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?

• Do I have a good friend at work?

Source: Marcus Buckingham, First Break All the Rules


HEADIntrinsic Human Need:

“I’m fully equipped to do my job right.”

Dimensions:Clarity

CompetenceControl

Managing Boundaries / Expectations


HEAD questions:• Do I know what is expected of me at work?

• Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?

• At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?

• Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?

Source: Marcus Buckingham, First Break All the Rules© 2015 Ready2Grow Associates


SOULIntrinsic Needs :

“What I’m doing here matters.”“I am part of a bigger picture.”

“I am accountable to someone who cares.”“When I do well, there will be some kind of reward.”

Dimensions:Transformation

Expansion of optionsGrowth and development

Next level: bigger, better, stronger, faster.


SOUL questions:• Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel

my job is important?

• Is there someone at work who encourages my development?

• In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?

• This last year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

Source: Marcus Buckingham, First Break All the Rules © 2015 Ready2Grow Associates


[practical tips]

for building a high-performance culture

through meetings you’d normally have anyway.


HEART tips• Connect personally. • A meeting warm-up question or exercise generates

energy and emotional connection and helps team members “transfer in”.

• Ask for updates from everyone. People will connect with each other as they’re telling stories. Never consider this a waste of time. Goodwill creates trust and energy, and energy generates profits.


HEART tips cont’d

• Focus on the positive: notice and offer feedback on things

they’ve done well, obstacles overcome, difficult people

dealt with well, cool stories etc.

• Avoid finger-pointing. Stick with team problem-solving.

• Set boundaries using humour, not anger or sarcasm.


HEART tips cont’d

Train yourself to pay attention to both content and process in every interaction.CONTENT = the job and tasks we have to do.PROCESS = “everything else”.• How we feel about it. • Whether we’re motivated to do it.• Body language, non-verbal meanings, tones of voice, gestures.• Political realities.• Learn how to state things directly rather than beat around the

bush about process issues.


HEAD tips:• Increase team members’ sense of agency and control.

Use a templated meeting format so people know what to expect and can plan ahead.

• Build and record the agenda together, either online ahead of time, or in the meeting.

• Typical agenda might include: 1. Updates / stories. 2. Review upcoming projects, review equipment. 3. Assign tasks and accountabilities. 4. Review failures & mistakes, trouble-shoot. 5. Develop new protocols.


HEAD tips cont’d

• Review tools and equipment needs.• Review protocols, policies, procedures.• Create and review back-up plans for change-orders.• Manage meetings. Don’t let any one person dominate.• Avoid getting taken off track. Add an item to the agenda

and come back to it later, or discuss at next meeting - rather than go “down a rabbit hole”.


SOUL tips:• At every meeting, discuss some aspect of your company’s

Values, Purpose, Mission, or Vision.

• Share stories yourself, and request stories from them, that demonstrate this aspect of the company.

• Create space for team members’ input by asking questions and getting their input. Avoid jumping in with answers.

• Look to highlight individual contributions.


SOUL tips, cont’d

• Turn problem situations back to the team and

ask them what needs to happen different,

more, better, or less to improve results to create

buy-in and investment in outcomes.

• Get the team involved in some kind of mission outside company interests, where making money is not the goal. Include activities and reports as part

of your regular agenda.© 2015 Ready2Grow Associates


Thank You!

[email protected]

I look forward to connectingwith you on LinkedIn and Twitter @ready2growlois.


http://www.ready2grow.com/

mailto:[email protected]

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