10 Questions Your Team Should Ask*

"Is your team on track?"

That's a question every team should be asking itself periodically. The following ten questions can serve as a starting point in a team-evaluation. For team members to maintain anonymity, the questions can be answered on paper and typed up together on a master sheet without attribution. Then, at a special team-development meeting, the collected answers can be discussed and corrective action taken.

Here are the questions:

1. Do we trust each other?

2. Are we genuinely interested and concerned for each other?

3. Do we feel free to communicate openly?

4. Do we understand our team's goals?

5. Do we have a real commitment to these goals?

6. Do we make good use of all our abilities?

7. Do we handle conflict successfully?

8. Does everyone participate?

9. Do we respect our individual differences?

10. Do we enjoy being members of this team?

Will Rogers said it best... "you may be on the right track, but if you don't move on, you will eventually get hit by a train."

*Teamwork notes.

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Are You a Groundhog?

Did you know that Groundhog Day has been around since 1841?
Well, it is true!
Punxsutawney Phil has been coming out of his burrow, once a year, for 172 years!...AND he still looks the same! He never changes!

Is your business changing?  Are you adapting to changing times?... or does it look the same as it did ten, five, or even two years ago?

Top Three Ways to Continuously Improve Your Business:

1. Network! -  not just once a year...EVERY week, get out of your burrow!

2. Sunny day and business is booming?  That shadow you see is your competition. "Keep your friends close, and your competition closer."

3. Avoid the "Bill Murray Effect"... live by "Giver's Gain"...the good you do will come back to you and to your business.

Happy Groundhog Day!
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The 3 P's of a Successful Meeting

Plan - Prepare - Practice

Yes! The 3 P's actually work.  Both for the person running the meeting and the attendees.
...below are some bullet points, please add comments with your "best practices."

Plan:

• Date (day of week and date).
• Location (address/map/be specific).
• Time (start and finish).
• Theme (creates interest).
• Agenda (and a Plan B for emergencies).
• Number of attendees, names and business / roles.
• Expected outcome (creates expectations).
• Food? Drinks? Special needs?

Prepare:

• Finalize and send out agenda.
• Confirm attendance (ask for any special needs).
• Prepare your presentation(s), and questions and comments.
• Share with attendees what they need to bring to the meeting.
• Follow up and confirm with location and food.
• Attendees: confirm and clarify expected outcomes, agendas, themes with chairperson before meeting day.
• Listen to weather reports. (have a plan B for travel arrangements)

Practice:

• If you are running the meeting, do several mock run-throughs with yourself or friends and family.
• If you are contributing to the meeting practice your speech, presentations, questions and comments.
• Make sure you know exactly where the meeting is located. Drive to the location the day or night before.
• Make it a standard practice to arrive at all meetings 15 minutes early.
• Make it a standard practice to follow up on meeting action steps.
• Make it a standard practice to thank facilitators and attendees of the meeting, for their time and participation.
• Make it a standard practice to ask for feedback, if applicable.
• Make it a standard practice to schedule the next meeting before meeting ends, if applicable.

"Failing to plan, prepare and practice...creates a practice of preparing a plan that will fail."

Copyright (1-28-2013) by Bob Gambone.

When is it OK to Disagree?

Disagreement within a business team can be healthy, but should you always reveal your conflicting opinion?
Here a some guidelines:*

Do express your view when:

• You have the facts to back up your opinion.
• You don't believe the team has fully examined all possibilities.
• You feel strongly about your opinion, even though it may not be popular.

Don't express your opinion when:

• You really are not sure of yourself.
• The timing is poor or the climate is wrong.
• You catch yourself disagreeing only for the sake of disagreement - with no strong feeling about the subject.

"Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress" - Mahatma Gandhi.

*Teamwork  notes
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Don't Let Your Weekend Be Your "Weak-End"

The weekend is prime time for NETWORKING!    It is the opportunity to BUILD relationships.

Whether you are going to a formal networking event, a wedding, a family / social gathering or to church...Where-EVER you GO, THERE YOU ARE, Network!

 Rules for Networking (from my book Pecan Pie)

N- Never sell when networking.

E- Earn people's respect. People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care.**

T- Talk WITH people, not AT people.

W- Wear a smile!

O- Open body language, non-verbal communication says it all.

R- Resource: be the one for connecting others.

K- Keep focused, always ask "How can I help?"

I- Interested in the other person FIRST, and then YOU will become interesting.

N- "NET- xcitement" - don't make promises you can't keep, avoid the "morning-after dilemma".

G- GO! ...Don't just talk about networking...GO DO IT!

...AND your weekend will never be a  "Weak- End".

** John C. Maxwell
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I Really Worked Hard at That!

Really?  when you hear someone say that, what does that mean?  I'm sure we've all said it and heard it.

Working hard- does that mean long hours? Sweating like a pig? Experiencing physical pain? Maybe becoming mentally exhausted?

Or... Its hard work because I really don't like to do it.

Or...I really do like it, and when I work hard I feel pleasure...maybe even want to reward myself, or expect someone else to reward me?

Is your definition of hard work the same as someones else's definition?  Probably not.

Do you deny yourself hard work? Do you deny that you ever work hard?  I often say, I never work hard because I love what I do...but I can still work hard,  right?

SO...are you expecting an insightful answer from me about what "hard work" really is?

Sorry....that would be hard work. (smile)
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Don't Stand Me Up!

You both schedule a business meeting, agree on the time and place...and guess what?
The other person is a NO SHOW!

Has this happened to you? Sure it has.   Have you been the NO SHOW?

Five Action Steps to Prevent "NO SHOWS":

1. ALWAYS write it down. Once you agree on a time (AM or PM) and a place (exact location -address), enter the information on/in your calendars and share the calendar (meeting invite) if possible.

2. ALWAYS make sure to share cell phone numbers and contact information.

3. ALWAYS review upcoming meetings 7 days in advance and reschedule if needed. Respect people's time, that TIME that YOU scheduled only happens once in a lifetime.

4. ALWAYS confirm 24 hours in advance, call or text. If you email and do not hear back from the person within a few hours, then call or text....DO NOT assume that he or she received the email.

5.  ALWAYS make sure you know what the person looks like and do not assume the person knows what you look like, send a picture or a description. If you arrive first, send him or her a text to let them know where you are sitting.

Happy New Meetings!

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