Excelling as a Highly Effective Team Leader On-Site Training

You’ll learn …

• How to build a cohesive, results-oriented team from a group of diverse individuals
• Motivational techniques that inspire team members to want to perform at their peak
• How to grant the team more decision-making and problem-solving authority as it matures
• How to gain team member commitment to policy and procedural changes that are critical to the success of the organization
• And much more

In this two-day workshop, you’ll learn the personal leadership characteristics and skills that spark the kind of energy and enthusiasm that make productivity and performance soar. Get step-by-step guidelines and practical advice for transforming a group of individuals into a creative, results-producing team.

Day one: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Characteristics of successful team leaders

• 10 critical behavioral skills successful team leaders must master
• Transitioning to a team environment: Understanding the differences between supervisors/managers and team leaders
• How to gain the acceptance and trust of team members when you’re replacing another team leader
• Stand up and shout—or should you? How to promote your team and its accomplishments to upper management
• Understanding your team’s purpose and position within the organization
• Why every successful team leader is also a group member
• Strategies for keeping yourself motivated and energized as a team leader

How to build a team that gets results

• The 4 key words that describe every top-performing team
• How to overcome the 10 major obstacles that keep teams from effectively setting goals
• Calling a team a team doesn’t make it one: Find out the 13 key characteristics that make a successful team
• Team chemistry: Personality and interpersonal styles that lead to collaboration—and also to conflict
• Why it’s important to help your team develop a written “code of conduct”
• DIAMOND: A can’t-miss formula for planning and setting achievable team goals
• How to get the team to welcome new members without feeling threatened
• Understanding the primary reasons teams fail to accept responsibility
• 9 keys to putting an end to reverse delegation
• Benchmarks for evaluating a team’s progress, performance and bottom-line results

Creating a motivating team climate

• How team leaders sometimes inadvertently contribute to a lack of team performance
• Overcome the myth of motivation by remembering these 2 key points
• The 4 different team climates a leader can create—use this Team Leader Effectiveness Grid to find out which one you’ve fostered for your team
• The keys to building trust between team members and the team leader, especially after a negative or unpopular decision has been made
• How to renew and refuel a team that starts off with enthusiasm and energy but soon becomes discouraged
• How to recognize team accomplishments when one team member constantly tries to take all the credit for the group’s performance
• How to inspire and motivate a team that routinely has more work than it can reasonably handle
• People give when they get: Key points to keep in mind when planning incentives and rewards

The changing role of the team leader

• The 4 stages of team development—and the team leader’s role in each
• How well do you coach and counsel your team? Use this exercise to find out how you’re influencing your team’s development
• Riding the fast track to continuous improvement: How to identify and respond to team members’ needs as they move through the 4 stages of team development
• How to identify your team’s current stage of development
• How to gradually release more power, influence and authority to the team as members mature and jell in their roles
• The 2 critical factors for getting team members to accept change
• How to use delegation to push team members to take action and get results
• Understanding the single most important function of the team leader
• Understanding when to “coach” and when to “direct” in order to elicit the best performance from team members

Tuning in to critical communication cues

• The 4 components of effective communication
• 8 tips for helping team members communicate better with each other, with customers and with you
• How to get team members to listen to and accept criticism from one another
• Tips for training team members on how to get and give feedback from customers
• The common barriers to effective listening and how to overcome them to strengthen relationships among team members
• How to help team members understand the difference between “acceptance” and “agreement”
• 6 benefits of asking good questions—and the 5 types of questions to avoid

Day two: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Dealing with performance problems

• How to nip the behavior problems of individual team members in the bud before they negatively impact team performance
• Understanding the 3 major types of problems that keep team members from performing at their peak—and the specific actions you can take to counter each type
• A sure-fire approach for getting team members who choose not to perform to not only change but to grow
• How to determine when additional training is needed to smooth out rough spots in performance
• 4 critical steps to making sure your discipline sticks
• How to conduct an effective performance review
• How to deal with “eager beavers” who don’t produce
• A dozen key areas to examine when the team as a whole is experiencing performance problems

Shared problem solving and decision making

• The 3 primary problem-solving and decision-making styles most teams utilize—and the pros and cons of each
• What keeps teams from solving problems? How to identify the major obstacles that can paralyze innovative thinking and grind progress to a halt
• The team leader’s role in the rational problem-solving process
• How to use brainstorming as a tool for encouraging the free exchange of ideas and solutions
• Avoid conflict and controversy with this proven technique for making choices when several excellent alternatives are on the table
• How to establish a creative, synergistic decision-making climate
• How to identify your own preferred problem-solving style—and how it affects the team
• What to do when team members are too willing to compromise instead of working through problems
• How to gain cooperation when some team members won’t abide by the decisions made by the team as a whole
• How to finally reach consensus when one member of the team refuses to compromise
• How to get your team to make decisions when team members want to be told what to do
• The top 10 factors that influence a team’s decision-making process

Dealing with team conflict

• The key to promoting team harmony and minimizing disagreements
• How to recognize potentially counterproductive or destructive team member activities—and how to deal with them before they lead to conflict
• Why you can’t sweep team conflict under the rug
• Proven methods for structuring and conducting successful conflict-resolution meetings
• A 10-step disciplinary process that addresses misconduct openly and frankly
• The 5 levels of team conflict and what you can do to help mitigate the factors that cause them
• 10 conflict-avoidance tips team leaders can practice in any team situation
• How to deal with interpersonal problems that can threaten team cohesiveness
• How to deal with team members who spend more time competing with each other than cooperating
• What to do with team members who go directly to upper management when they disagree with a team decision
• How to get your team to work effectively with other teams so that work flows smoothly and the organization’s goals are achieved
• How to use the RISC strategy to work through conflict
• The 3 ways teams commonly mishandle anger—and how to help team members redirect it

Conducting effective team meetings

• Why the time you spend planning and preparing for a meeting is as important as the meeting itself
• 5 key elements of an effective meeting agenda
• 10 tips for leading purposeful, productive team meetings
• How to create an environment that encourages team members—even untalkative ones—to fully participate in the exchange of ideas
• Telltale clues that your meetings are floundering—and what you can do to revive them
• 2 dozen techniques experienced team leaders use to keep discussions flowing during meetings
• Facilitation techniques for ensuring that team meetings run smoothly—and which behaviors to avoid
• The “100-mile rule”: How to use it to eliminate distractions and keep team members focused on the business at hand

Managing virtual teams

• Understanding how virtual teams are revolutionizing the workplace
• The 3 phases of planning and development necessary for creating a winning virtual team
• The essential skills and technology needed to support an effective virtual team
• Understanding and supporting the dynamics of teams that reach across organizations
• How to enhance personal communications when team members meet electronically
• One of the key reasons virtual teams fail—and commonsense approaches to prevent it