It's a Team Sport

One of the most successful motorsports company in NASCAR is Hendricks Motorsports. Currently the home of five-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who is poised to make a run for a sixth championship, Hendrick's Motorsports is known as a team that depends on all its employees in order to succeed. Even so, last year Rick Hendrick felt the need to do some switching around of personnel within some of the shops. Some teams he left together, some had crew chief changes. A good leader knows when to make and changes and when to leave things alone. There is danger in resting on the laurels of a successful team, such as becoming complacent and not investing in leaders of the future. There is also danger in making constant changes, something creative leaders...

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Three Ways to Improve Your Listening Skills - When You Aren't a Good Listener

What's that you said? I'm not a great listener. I'm sorry to admit that, but it's the truth. As a visionary, multi-tasker, fast-paced, creative person, I often miss the opportunity to truly engage deeply with others because my mind (and sometimes my mouth) are more likely to get active than my ears. I hope there are others like me who feel the need to improve their listening skills. If so, listen up to these three tips on how to improve your listening skills when you aren't naturally good at it. (You great listeners out there can skip directly to the comments and tell us your pointers!) Eliminate distractions. I may not be a deep listener, but I can pick up on a lot of stuff going on around me. While that can be a good skill (you need people...

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Questions to Invite Dialog with Your Team

“How do you think we are doing?" How would your employees answer that question? Is the culture in your workplace such that they would feel comfortable sharing both the positive and negative issues? Or would they clam up, fearful of sharing openly? To build a good team, you must invite dialog and provide a safe environment for it. Dialog begins with questions and is met with LISTENING. Leaders in particular need to develop their listening skills (speaking to myself here) so that their experience and intelligence don't get in the way of being open to other solutions. But listening will be dealt with in another blog post. For now, here are some questions to get you started in opening dialog with your team. Note that not all questions are directly...

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Do You Change Your Oil Regularly?

I'm married to an auto technician. Keith knows the value of doing a regular oil change on a vehicle. After a number of miles, oil begins to get dirty, fluids go down, and an engine doesn't run at peak efficiency. Gas mileage goes down and the life of the car may be shortened. It's the same way with the professional development for members of your team. Unfortunately, with a tight economy, professional development can be one of the first budgeted items to cut. It can seem hard to justify the cost of a class or conference when profits have gone down or income is low. But there are ways to continue to develop your team while keeping costs down. Here are a few ideas: Read a book together. Select a recommended business book and assign a reading...

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Relational Assumptions

"Oh, it will be fine. She won't mind." Have you ever said that? Have you assumed that a friend would, for example, welcome another person to come along for lunch? That a coworker doesn't mind when you run ten minutes late regularly? Think again. You have unique relationships with every individual in your life. You are close to some friends and co-workers, pleasant with others, and perhaps even at odds with others. Some of the challenges that can occur in relationships (at home, work and in the community) happen when assumptions are made. So keep the following in mind as you relate with others. How would you describe this person’s personality? Some people have a "the more the merrier" attitude about life and it may be safe to assume they don't...

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Teambuilding Activity: Scavenger Hunt

Have a creative person on your team develop a scavenger hunt or quiz based on facts about your organization. This works well, for example, if you work in a building that holds a lot of history, but you can do it with any situation. Hand out or email questions and have a deadline for turning them in, and schedule a little party for giving out prizes for the most answers correct, or fastest completion of the quiz. If you want to be a little more elaborate, set up clues around your building, town, or city and have people work in teams to get to a final destination. You can be waiting at a restaurant or rented room with a special treat to congratulate the employees as they finish. The goal in this game is three-fold. First, if well-researched,...

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