5 Statements to Assess Team Bonding

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In his book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni offers a Team Assessment questionnaire to evaluate a team’s susceptibility to the dysfunctions. Below are variations of 5 statements that strive to assess the level of team bonding: All team members are aware of the others’ key activities, and how their actions contribute to the team’s goals. Team members know what they expect from each other and intensely seek to avoid disappointing their teammates. …

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Generosity Is The Genesis Of Trust

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 What does generosity look like? Contributing and connecting without expectation of being repaid. Refusing to blame or demean others. Keeping promises and fulfilling commitments. Telling the truth. Seeking to understand another’s opinion before challenging it. Expressing support for shared truths, values and goals. Clarifying expectations – yours about your associates, and theirs about you. Preparing sufficiently before the work begins. What do you contribute to develop trust? Why are you trusted?

Building Initiative Momentum

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Leaders typically encourage their personnel to demonstrate initiative. They need processes to be improved, problems to be solved and changes to be implemented, which can only occur when their teams are willing to invest additional time and discretionary effort. How do you encourage initiative? How do you overcome reluctance to propose a new idea or method? How do you inspire discretionary effort? Most employees want new challenges; it increases the meaningfulness of their work and …

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3 Actions That Reveal Your Leadership Credibility

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When asked how they judge a leader to be credible, people will typically respond with a phrase like: “they walk the talk.”  Indeed, the consistency with which actions match words defines leadership credibility. And the level of that consistency is determined by how aligned your words and actions are with your personal values and those of your organization. These 3 scenarios reveal how consistently you communicate and act in accordance with your values: How you …

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Are Your Customer Service Reps Expendable?

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Your customer service reps have unlimited access to your customers, yet they are often considered to be expendable and typically treated as such. Are you managing your customer service function as a cost center or as a profit center?  How much of your customers’ satisfaction is impacted by your customer service reps? Exceptional customer service is a proven differentiator. When access to information is so effortless that many products are seen as commodities, when the …

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Hostages of Time

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 Another New Year’s celebration has passed. It’s a moment each year when time stands still, providing us with a precious instant when we can reflect, and hope. It’s also a moment that makes us acutely aware just how much of our lives is controlled by the monitoring of time. In fact, I’d suggest that we are so conscious of time’s drumbeat, so busy trying to make each minute of every day productive, that we’ve become …

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Business or Busyness

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Every leader grapples with time management. Whatever your plan for the day, it’s soon altered by circumstances. And when the opportunity arrives to regain control, there’s a choice to be made – business or busyness. Checking email, opening mail, etc. are the first things many of us do when we get time. But countless hours are wasted on uncomplicated activities that demand your time and compromise your productivity. It’s easier to move from one simple …

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Bargaining for Change

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For leaders, change is a perpetual companion, sometimes arising from circumstances and sometimes by plan. When driven by strategy, change always involves a bargain. If the bargain you’re offering is not generating an adequate reaction, then there are 2 remedies. Your bargain involves an “if-then” proposition. “If you follow this methodology, then you’ll accelerate that production line.” “If you take these steps, then your profitability will be more sustainable.” “If you operate like this, then …

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The 3 Key Moments of Enduring Customer Relationships

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It’s no secret that enduring customer relationships are grounded in what the customer believes about your organization – how they feel about your commitment to their success. There are 3 decisive moments that validate the value and endurance of your customer relationships. Doing more than expected during these 3 key moments strengthens the customer’s trust in and reliance on your company, profoundly influencing why they continue to choose you. Your “First Contact” Moment: Customers care …

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3 Leadership Factors That Drive Growth

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An effective leader realizes that sustaining growth, or reigniting it, depends on the depth to which his or her people are committed. Successful, dedicated teams are bonded by more than their aspiration to achieve a shared goal. These 3 leadership factors result from the awareness that your people are your most sustainable competitive advantage for driving growth. Purpose: Commitment cannot be compelled; it must be inspired. People must choose to invest discretionary effort above and …

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