Do you know that one in seven people on the planet log on to Facebook every day? That’s 1.43 billion people. I bet you were one of them. I was!
That can make us feel one of two ways:
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by Inner Compass Leave a Comment
Do you know that one in seven people on the planet log on to Facebook every day? That’s 1.43 billion people. I bet you were one of them. I was!
That can make us feel one of two ways:
[Read more…]
by Inner Compass Leave a Comment
Had any change lately? New premises? Merging with another department? 4000 voluntary redundancies in your organisation? New job? New baby?
Change is like a river flowing all around us. Some climb on a rock and look for the bank. Others sit on a rock in the current, just watching it flow by. Others jump in and go with the flow. The industrious ones grab a boat and steer their way through the rapids, avoiding jams, drops and waterfalls. And there are those who CAUSE the change, direct the flow of the river. These are the engineers, the disrupters, the wild and radical innovators.
That, or they’re God.
by Inner Compass Leave a Comment
When I run workshops on Emotional Intelligence and Spiritual Intelligence (Advanced Emotional Intelligence), I am struck by how little people know about the skills of engaging with others, let alone aware if they are genuinely connecting with them.
And for leaders, this is dangerous territory.
Rapport is leadership currency. Without it we become dictators. Or castaways after a mutiny!
When you have good rapport with your team members, trust builds, collective brain is activated and this creates more creativity, innovation, and performance.
Rapport is like an electric fence – when it’s there, you feel safe and protected; when it’s breached, you get an unpleasant jolt.
Here are the basics in developing rapport – some you may know, and one you likely haven’t seen before.
What level is YOUR team?
Civil but seething with resentment, hostility and suspicion? Full of passengers and people who are showing up just for the paycheque?
Functional but soul-less? Any chance to jump ship and they’ll take it?
Engaged – getting work done, enthusiastic?
High Performing – the energy is dynamic, the focus laser sharp and the results enviable?
Synergistic – projects are completed with joy, brilliant creative collaboration, and work is a delightful connected place?
Building synergistic teams doesn’t happen on its own. It takes time, deliberate intention, and a clearly articulated and managed plan.
Specifically, leaders need to focus on:
I’ve read numerous books and articles and heard a few snide remarks lately about once-lauded, now-denigrated team building programs.
Does building a raft, or swinging from a high ropes course really make a difference to a team’s cohesion and effectiveness?
Yes and no.
If you cobble together some games and put on a cheery rah-rah day, then NO.
Team building is more than just playing games together.
If you march people up and down hills, deprive them of basic amenities, and throw them over cliffs with a ‘break them down to build them up’ approach, then NO.
Getting through a program with ‘a thank god that’s over’ attitude doesn’t foster team spirit.
If you fly your team to an expensive resort for a weekend of carousing and boozy dinners, then NO.
Shared experiences are well and good, and disastrous when fuelled with alcohol. People are likely to lose respect rather than gain it in that environment.
Building synergistic teams takes time, deliberate intention, and a clearly articulated and managed plan.
Specifically, leaders need to be concerned with:
You know when they arrive. They have a certain energy, a vibe, a kind of magnetic pull. People hush and want to listen when they speak.
What makes a Nelson Mandela, a Barrack Obama, a Mother Theresa, a Dr Kiran Bedi, a Kofi Annan so compelling?
Is it charisma? Is it power? Is it command?
Where do they get their gravitas?
This is what I’ve observed of leaders with distinctive presence:
When I arrived in Australia September 2nd 1996 and had my very first day at Outward Bound, I walked in to the morning meeting room and saw a sea of people in fleece jumpers and hiking boots.
I thought to myself, ‘This is my tribe!”
At last I was among like-minded people who knew the joy of sleeping under the stars, the exhilaration of physical challenge rewarded with mesmerising views, and the strange quirky banter that emerges with companions in the bush. And we dressed the same – ready for adventure.
But more than adventure and a love of wilderness, there was a sense of belonging, of being part of something bigger than me. Something meaningful, purposeful, good, that did good in the world, for people and planet.
This is, after all, what we all long for.
Brene Brown said,
“We are biologically, cognitively, physically, and spiritually wired to love, to be loved, and to belong. When those needs are not met, we don’t function as we were meant to. We break. We fall apart. We numb. We ache. We hurt others. We get sick.”
As leaders we have a core responsibility to create that sense of belonging and purpose – for ourselves, and for the people who claim us as their tribe.
Ray Garner said synergy was “when the creation of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Synergistic team cultures are the secret sauce of brilliant, results-producing teams.
But what’s the secret sauce of the secret sauce? How do you actually build synergistic team cultures when the parts of the whole are more like a box of tools than a synchronised machine?
[Not that I, or you, would ever call your colleagues ‘tools’. Note to self: metaphor could go wrong here…]
The solution is elegant in its simplicity, and deep with impact.
Here it is:
When we talk ‘culture’ in companies we are generally talking the norms within that particular organisation. At Konica Minolta, we’re also talking about the social norms of different countries as well. Konica Minolta is a Japanese company with an Australian presence. Dr David Cooke is the first non-Japanese Managing Director. His particular experience with culture change is unique as it bridges not only silos but national values and inter-cultural social norms.
David is also a firm believer in synergistic corporate partnerships with the not-for-profit sector. In fact he wrote his doctorate on the question, “Why do Australian corporations support the not-for-profit sector?” You can read his paper here: http://works.bepress.com/david_cook
What you’ll notice first is David’s presence. His calm, centered style comes from a deep place of purpose, values, and humility.
Enjoy!
It’s easy to be bamboozled by the cool factor of eWAY’s funky offices. The payment gateway company that started in Canberra in 2000 features a massive server behind a glass case in its reception area, complete with flashing lights, neat webs of cables, and numerous things that likely go ‘ping’ when activated. There is plenty of bright yellow, comfy modern furniture, collaborative spaces with writeable whiteboards, the “Everything is Awesome” Lego posters, the open, sunlit kitchen lounge area, the massive coveted beer fridge, the internet cafe and then there’s the big screen displays in the main hub area. Multiple TV screens show in real time the number of global customers, what the staff are doing (on a customer call, away from the desk, do not disturb), customer response times.
It reminds me of Wall Street. Or the launch room for intergalactic space travel. It’s busy, focused, and forward.