How to Grow One of Your Own

The Exceptional Team….

Terri

Thanks for Attending…Who we are

Starring Terri BakerProduced by Maribel Marin

Featuring Amy Latzer

And Introducing….Laura Mejia and Carolina Leverette

Mad Hatter Tea PartyStand upTurn aroundGreet your neighborChange seatsSit down

Terri

Share strategies and tips for growing an exceptional team

through team work, team building and team fun.

What we want to accomplish in 90 minutes….

Maribel

Leadership is key and cultivating leaders is just as effective as recruiting them.

There are leadership qualities lurking in all of us – waiting for the right time or a safe place

to emerge.

Create opportunities for all to shine.

Train and support your team then practice, practice, practice.

Creating the Exceptional Team

Terri

Imagine a team where everyone is talented, motivated, and ready to take the

lead at a moment’s notice!

No programmatic goal or strategic plan objective could go unconquered.

What couldn’t you accomplish with that kind of line-up?

Your “All-Star” Team Dream

Maribel

Ask for leaders to step forwardSeek 100% engagement

Be observant for untapped strengths/skills

Keep an open mindDon’t pigeon-hole anyone

Accept mistakes as part of learning process

Document and track progressDo this over and over, repeat the

process

Positioning for Success

Amy

Apply the same “open mind” to current staff

As you did to recruiting new staffRemember it is more cost efficient to

keep staff than to hire staffLook for the traits that will

complement your teamWe all can’t be ballerinas…but

Finding hidden talents

Amy

Create opportunities for small scale leadership• Small group projects•Rotating facilitators

Vary the style of communication strategies•Public speaking exercises•Written reports/proposals

Strengths, Weaknesses, and Potential will be Revealed

Practice Makes Perfect

Laura

Efforts can be formal or informal:•Protocol Review and Standardization•Wellness program monthly events

•Call Calibration •Process Manual development/revision•Staff training (monthly, CRS/CIRS prep,

etc.)•Team huddles

•Monthly newsletter/bulletins

Examples

Laura

What does it accomplish?Connects with each other

Tears down walls and barriersLevels the playing fieldCreates a safe space…

where people can be who they are, ask questions, get answers - without

fear

Team Building

Carolina

Let’s See How That works….By Juggling Stars….

Group Activity 5 groups led by 211 facilitator

Facilitator will instruct

Recap: What does it all mean…by Laura Mejia

IncentivesDisciplines

Measurable GoalsTimelines

Team PresentationsStatus Reports

Important Balance to the Fun

Accountability measures

Carolina

15 Minute Activity: Find your own Strengths ActivityPresented by Carolina Leverette and Laura Mejia

How well do you know yourself?

Review and redirectionShadowing and overlapping training

Audits and inventoryGo Back to Original Concept – Rinse

and RepeatAre we ever really done growing the

team?

Making it all work, and work and work

Amy

Mini Teams

Outside Partners

Cross – Functional Teams

Pinch Hitters

It takes a Team to grow a Team

Maribel

You have 2 hand outs that look like this What do you love about yourself? What do you hate about yourself? What do other say in describing you? How do you describe yourself? If you were going to describe your personality, what would it be? (i.e.,

blabbermouth, shy, happy, outgoing, solitude-loving, or any combination”

Right now, in your present job, what do you love to do? Right now in your present job, what do you dislike doing? Right now in your present job, what do you really wish you could do, … or did not have to do? At work, what are you really, really good at? At work, what are you really nervous about doing because you aren’t

that good at it? At home, what do you love doing? At home, what do you hate doing? In your life, what one thing do you hope to get to do? In your life, what one thing do you hope you never have to do?

Take the second copy back to work, photocopy it, and do what you did

here with your staff.Something marvelous will happen.

You will start to build that exceptional team…because you are getting to know yourself and each

other.

How well do you know your staff?

Amy

Could you spot a weakness? A strength?

Well, meet Auntie Social (Terri Baker)Deborah Downer (Maribel Marin)

Bonnie Butterfly (Carolina Leverette)Mel Meltdown (Laura Mejia)

And Bossie Bessie! (Amy Latzer)

Let’s play a Game!

Terri

Auntie Social is a quiet woman. She thinks and thinks and thinks. She is not one for idle chatter. In fact, idle chatter annoys her. She also detests speaking on the phone. She tries to get off the phone as quickly as possible, so she can analyze data and research information. She types rather than uses long-hand because it is faster and her mind needs to be occupied all the time with new data and information to process. Any routine or repeat is painfully boring to her. She seems impatient, but that is because she is miles ahead of everyone else. It’s not that she is shy, to the opposite, she is very confident in herself, but she just marches to the beat of a different drummer.

What Weaknesses need to be immediately “weeded out and discarded?

    What Strengths need to be nurtured and encouraged to grow?     What Traits could be turned around and trained to grow in a

different direction?

Deborah Downer is also a thinker. She thinks about the negative in almost everything that is presented to her. If someone says, “Here is a great idea!” the first thing Deborah tries to do is think of all the ways it is not a “great idea”. The second thing she tries to do is communicate verbally why this is not such a “great idea”. It is really important that Deborah communicates this to everyone around her – long after the meeting is over. Deborah is not really confrontational, she doesn’t argue the point, but you can be sure that she will make her opinions known in almost every situation she finds herself in. And her opinion is usually negative.

What Weaknesses need to be immediately “weeded out and discarded?

    What Strengths need to be nurtured and encouraged to grow?     What Traits could be turned around and trained to grow in a

different direction?  

Bonnie Butterfly is a “people person”… In fact, she is such a people person that she must know everything about everybody in her circle. Every single little detail of their lives, she must know. And then she can’t help but tell every single person in her circle every single detail about everybody else. She doesn’t miss a thing. She hears it, and tells it down to the last precise detail. Everybody knows that Bonnie is too busy getting and giving details to everybody to actually sit down and do her job.

What Weaknesses need to be immediately “weeded out and discarded?

    What Strengths need to be nurtured and encouraged to

grow?     What Traits could be turned around and trained to grow in

a different direction?  

Mel Meltdown can’t say no. She takes on projects right and left. She is happy to help. She assists co-workers right and left. She is happy to help. She is kind and willing and then, every now and then, has a complete crying jag in the community restroom. She uses a box a tissue and anyone’s ear who happens to come into the bathroom about how hard her job is and how she just has so much to do. She omits to mention that she volunteered, she is happy to do it. Then she dries her tears, gallantly exits the bathroom and goes on to accomplish all the tasks on her task list.

What Weaknesses need to be immediately “weeded out and discarded?

    What Strengths need to be nurtured and encouraged to

grow?     What Traits could be turned around and trained to grow in

a different direction?

Bossy Bessie knows it all. She always has the best way (if not the only way) to do just about everything that has to be done. She can always improve someone else’s ideas, by adding just a little bit of her own expertise to everything. She is generous at sharing her wealth of knowledge with just about everyone around her. In fact, it has gotten to the point where all her colleagues run everything by her before the presentation, not only to get her words of wisdom, but also to prevent her from adding a little surprise tidbit of information when they are actually giving their presentation. After all, she always has better ideas.

  What Weaknesses need to be immediately “weeded out and

discarded?     What Strengths need to be nurtured and encouraged to grow?     What Traits could be turned around and trained to grow in a

different direction?

Utilize the team to identify new team members.

Look for staff who are self-motivated to excel in assigned tasks.

Create opportunities for non-management staff to participate in program development processes – natural leaders tend to volunteer.

Look for collaborative, curious, and open-minded individuals who are

motivated by challenges!

Identifying Talent Within

Terri

Agrees with Vision and Mission Statement.

Can see themselves applying skills even if they seem unrelated.

Is willing, has an open mind and is enthusiastic about working here.

Thrives in creative and challenging environments.

Is trainable, or is re-trainable.

Spotting Home Runners

Maribel

Expressed or alluded beliefs, opinions, or practices that interfere with and / or

contraindicate Agency’s mission or core values.

“Know-it-all” attitudes or stuck in the way its always been done.

Preference for working alone or “Lone Rangers” with a my way or the highway

style.

Who Might “Strike Out?”

Amy

No, fun is mandatory!Team building tears down wallsTeam growing builds a strong

foundationShared experiences – history

Clear path – strengthCommon goals – future

Always a work in progress.

Hope you had fun, fun is important

Terri