Team Dynamics - Which one are you?

Team dynamics fundamentally never change.
Yesterday I was reading an article about team dynamics, first published in the 1940s. Though the experts, yesterday and even today, don't agree on exactly how many roles there are and how to name them, 10 general personality types are consistently identified.

I personally witnessed this at BNI Leadership Training last week in several team exercises I facilitated.

*Here they are:

1. Task Leader. May or may not be the designated leader; a nuts and bolts, roll-up-the-sleeves-and-get-busy-type.
2. Social-emotional leader. Concerned with emotional heartbeat of the group; good at solving interpersonal problems.
3. Tension-releaser. "Breaks the ice" with appropriate humor at the right moment.
4. Information provider. Has research skills that stand out above all others. Could end up doing unfair amount of work.
5. Central negative. Always plays the devil's advocate role in discussions but in a non-threatening manner.
6. Questioner. Constantly seeks clarification and more information.
7. Silent observer. Speaks little, observing and taking in all information. When he or she speaks up, people listen.
8. Active listener. Listens attentively, sums up others' points of view. Good for keeping discussion on track.
9. Recorder. Has good recording skills and little interest in participating in group discussion.
10. Self-centered follower. Constantly questions opinions is a non-supportive way. Unlike the central-negative person, the self-centered follower is concerned only about personal interests.

So...which one are you?, or are you several?

For more team dynamic and leadership wisdom,  please read my book---

Pecan Pie: 32 Business Success Strategies Passionately Baked To Order!
"A must read!" Ivan Misner New York Times Bestselling author
BY IT NOW on AMAZON.COM  click on link below
Click here to purchase Bob's Book

* Teamwork notes
“Copyright (9-23-12) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”
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How To Work Effectively In A Team*

A few weeks back a BNI (Business Network International) member asked me for some help with his "teamwork" skills.
He had been a sole proprietor for 15 years and new to BNI.
I told him that working as part of a team can be difficult for someone who has worked independently for a long time. Recognizing that you need to develop a team attitude is a good starting point, but the following quiz can help you refine your skills as a team member.

Answer yes or no to the following questions:

1. Do you give credit to others for their good ideas?
2. Do you admit your mistakes?
3. Do you communicate your concerns, questions, and ideas to the team?
4. Are the opinions of your fellow team members important to you?
5. Do you make sure others in your group are not surprised by anything relating to the work you're doing?
6. Are you interested in the suggestions made by your fellow team members?
7. Are you friendly with the members of your team?
8. Do you support group decisions?
9. Do you encourage others to do their best?
10. Do you feel success belongs to everyone on the team?

Score yourself: Eight to 10 YES answers indicates you are a good team player. If you scored lower, study the questions for ways to improve by reading my book,

Pecan Pie: 32 Business Success Strategies Passionately Baked To Order!
"A must read!" Ivan Misner New York Times Bestselling author
BY IT NOW on AMAZON.COM  click on link below
Click here to purchase Bob's Book

* Teamwork notes

“Copyright (9-15-12) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”

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"Like" Your Competition!

"Keep Your Friends Close, and Your Competition Closer."

Sounds crazy, but this is really a very successful business strategy.

Lawyers and restaurant owners have been practicing this strategy for decades.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• What do I do when someone needs my immediate service and my calendar is full with current customers/clients?
• Who are the owners(names) of my three closest competitors?
• Who are three of my competitors best clients / customers?

Learn more about the key tactics to this strategy in my book or email me at Bobgambone@bobgambone.com

Pecan Pie: 32 Business Success Strategies Passionately Baked To Order!
"A must read!" Ivan Misner New York Times Bestselling author
BY IT NOW on AMAZON.COM  click on link below
Click here to purchase Bob's Book

“Copyright (9-12-12) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”

Carol’s 5-Step Recipe for Training

Before “Train the Trainer” (a company that patented a 4-Step Process in 1977) there was Carol the Deli Manager…the best trainer I ever met.

I was first introduced to her in 1973 when she was training employees for a new store opening. I was totally impressed with her unique training style.

Fast forward a few years later: Carol was the deli manager at a store that I was managing.
Carol’s performance appraisal and overall department rating was off the charts!
And…at a time of 60% employee turnover in deli departments, Carol’s department turnover was close to zero.

Why?
…because Carol trained her team so well that they never wanted to leave. Yes, the reality is there are many factors that cause employee turnover… “lack of training” is always high on the list.
Oh, by the way…Carol’s training was so effective, that she was one of the few deli managers that did not have to work overtime in order to maintain the standards in her department.


Carol’s 5-Step Recipe for Training:
1. Why?...tell the trainee why they are being trained; what’s in it for them.

2. How?...show them how to do it. (Be empathetic, try not to intimidate them with your expertise)

3. Try…let them try; it’s their turn. (be sure you are observing)

4. What?...tell them what they did right and what they need to improve on. Be positive!

5. Follow up and thank you…always check back with them to see how they are doing, thank them for learning something new and participating in the training process (step five was Carol’s “Midas Touch”)

Pecan Pie: 32 Business Success Strategies Passionately Baked To Order!
"A must read!" Ivan Misner New York Times Bestselling author
BY IT NOW on AMAZON.COM  click on link below
Click here to purchase Bob's Book

“Copyright (9-7-12) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”
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5 Easy Steps to Stop Procrastinating

Here are five ways to beat that bugaboo, procrastination:*

1. Start timing yourself: Procrastinators are often unrealistically low in estimating how long a project will take.   Then they get a late start, and the project cannot reasonably be completed on time.

2. Learn to use little bits and pieces of time. Poke holes in big jobs a little at a time. Think of large projects as conglomerations of small, easily achievable tacks.

3. Expect interruptions. Work them into your timetable. Don't let them keep you from coming back to your work.

4. Know your prime time and your limits. Tackle demanding projects when you are at your best.

5. Delegate. Many people resist delegating responsibilities to others. They believe they should be able to do everything themselves. Others think they and they alone can do it right. This attitude makes a project bigger and more difficult to tackle than it need be. When you're faced with something so big and threatening---it's easier to procrastinate.


Pecan Pie: 32 Business Success Strategies Passionately Baked To Order!
"A must read!" Ivan Misner New York Times Bestselling author
BY IT NOW on AMAZON.COM  click on link below
Click here to purchase Bob's Book

“Copyright (8-31-12) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”
*Teamwork notes

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Back to Leadership School?

Leaders: Take the Test

1= rarely or never

2= once in a while

3= sometimes

4= fairly often

5= very frequently or always

1. I seek out challenging opportunities that test my skills and abilities                           

2. I appeal to others to share my dream of the future as their own.

3. I involve others in planning the actions we will take.

4. I let others know my beliefs on how to best run the organization I lead.

5. I find ways to celebrate accomplishments.

6. I am consistent in practicing the values I espouse.

7. I get others to feel a sense of ownership for the projects they work on.

8. I look ahead and forecast what I expect the future to be like.

9. I look for innovative ways we can improve what we do in this organization.

10. I praise people for a job well done.

Add them up!

If your score is less than 42...its time to go back to school!

Pecan Pie: 32 Business Success Strategies Passionately Baked To Order!
"A must read!" Ivan Misner New York Times Bestselling author
BY IT NOW on AMAZON.COM  click on link below
Click here to purchase Bob's Book

“Copyright (8-28-12) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”
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"High Cost of Losing a Customer / Client" *

1. In an average business, for every customer who bothers to complain, there are 26 other who remain silent.

2. The average "wronged" customer  will tell 8 to 16 people (over 10 percent will tell more than 20 people).

3. 91 percent of unhappy customers will never purchase goods or services from you again.

4. If you make an effort to remedy customers complaints, 82 percent to 95 percent of them will stay with you.

5. It costs about five times as much to attract a new customer as it costs to keep an old one.

Pecan Pie: 32 Business Success Strategies Passionately Baked To Order!
"A must read!" Ivan Misner New York Times Bestselling author
BY IT NOW on AMAZON.COM  click on link below
Click here to purchase Bob's book 

“Copyright (8-26-12) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”

* From the studies conducted by Washington, D.C. based Technical Assistance Research Program Inc.
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