My principle of the least-invested coworker states:

Any, and every, team will perform to the level of its least-invested member

As dire as that prediction sounds, it’s true and straight-forward — and that makes finding a remedy for getting a team back on track straight-forward. Only a leader in denial will ignore team member motivation when assessing his or her team’s potential to perform highly.

Why is this prediction true? It’s true because teammates who are less interested in the collective project (regardless of technical skill set) show their lack of motivation through their level of engagement and effort.

When other — more invested — team members observe this, they grow increasingly resentful. Why? Because the project responsibility is shared, which means individual efforts are interdependent and the rewards are shared. Everyone can recognize a free-loader in their team, and no one enjoys or looks forward to picking up the slack for them.

Instead, teammates subconsciously reduce their expectations — and thus their motivations — until they match the level of investment of the least-motivated coworker. You could think of it as a form of subconscious self-organized justice. For higher performers, this means they will shift their motivations to some other aspect of their work or life until they can get off of this project and move on to a project with more highly-invested partners.

So what’s the smart leader or teammate to do?

1. Let go of the idea that people should be motivated by a paycheck or company or team loyalty. See things as they are instead of the illusion you would like them to be.
2. Attend to issues of buy-in, commitment, interest, and motivation early and often. Learn to ask, “what is in it for you to work together with the rest of us on this project?” and pay attention to the responses. Play them back for understanding and clarification. Talk about interests as a team and acknowledge that “win/win” isn’t just a slogan, it actually means meeting everyone’s interests.
3. Learn about and use the potency of intrinsic (i.e., internal) motivation to your advantage. External motivators like compensation, benefits, and rewards may get people to show up and occupy space, but they don’t drive personal investment. Also, since peer team leaders don’t have much say over extrinsic motivators (like salary and bonuses), they assume there is nothing they can do about managing peer motivation. Not true! Remember, high performance is voluntary. And that’s an issue of intrinsic motivation — motivation that is defined inside.
4. Develop your proficiency at collaborative and participative communication practices. When team members have a legitimate say in what’s happening, their commitment tends to increase. When people are excluded, their commitment level goes down.

Technical skill sets are critically important for successful work, but team member motivation is the long lever of team dynamics. Empowering employees or team members will be rewarded with workers who are stepping up their performance.

Christopher Avery helps leaders worldwide to operate their business — and lives — far more productively and successfully. Find additional resources to master leadership and build responsible teams at ChristopherAvery.com and The Leadership Gift.

• Start shining the spotlight on the whole, not the pieces
• Solicit help shining the light
• Know the standard you are striving to achieve

Building on that theme, I’ll tell you why the project team is the easiest team to build compared to the management team: The laboratory definition of a team is “a small group of people working together toward a common goal” — laboratory being the operative word here because most of the definitive research conducted on team dynamics occurred in lab experiments.

Researchers would give randomly formed groups various tasks to accomplish together and then observe their dynamics. The famous four-phase model (forming, storming, norming, and performing) by Bruce Tuckman [1] followed from such experiments.

Of all the groups you hope would develop effective team dynamics, the project team is most like the groups in that original research. Think about some key similarities:

1. A collective focal point for the group that requires their collective effort,
2. A clear beginning, and,
3. A clear ending.

These three similarities create what I sometimes call a “container” (or even a “vessel” as in “get the individuals feeling like they are in the same boat together”). This is an excellent recipe for successful engagement and effective dynamics to emerge. In a healthy organizational culture and with some good basic facilitative support or servant leadership, many project teams will develop fairly effective dynamics.

So why are management teams, staff groups, and departments so much more of a challenge to build?

Because they don’t fit the laboratory definition of a team. They seldom have:

1. A collective focal point for the group that requires their collective effort,
2. A clear beginning, and
3. A clear ending.

What’s a team-minded manager to do?

Do you want to know the most basic prescription for developing effective team dynamics in management teams, staff groups, and departments? Here it is: Develop a rhythm of serial (i.e., one after the other) collective focal points for the group that requires everyone’s collective effort to achieve. The focal points should be realistic, challenging and “winnable” for the group.

For example, you could set monthly (i.e., iterative) group results that cut across and require the collaboration of all members of the management team, staff group, or department. Then shine your biggest spotlight on that collective goal and shine your pen-light on the individual accountabilities. Hold monthly planning meetings to set and plan for these collective targets. Use weekly and daily meetings to adjust plans and focus on the collective targets. And “retrospect” (a term from agile software development for process improvement meetings — see the previous blog post) at the end of every iteration about how you could improve for the next iteration.

With a relatively healthy organizational culture and a little facilitative support and/or servant leadership, your management teams, staff groups, and departments will naturally develop effective team dynamics if they are challenged to work together — and high-performance results should accrue. That’s how you build successful, dynamic, collaborative leadership and happy team members.

Reference: 1. Tuckman, Bruce. (1965). Developmental sequence in small groups. Psychological bulletin, 63, 384-399.

Christopher Avery helps leaders worldwide to operate their business — and lives — far more productively and successfully. Find additional resources to master leadership and build responsible teams at ChristopherAvery.com and The Leadership Gift.

In general, managers and leaders foster way too many feelings of negative interdependence in their organizations. That is an unintended consequence of compartmental- ization, single-point accountability, budgeting, and sub-optimization in the name of organizational efficiency.

The Unfortunate Result

People are running around in each other’s way instead of helping each other toward the collective goal. Then we call problem-solving meetings to blame each other for being in each other’s way.

Interestingly, people’s behavior changes instantly and organically the moment they feel — not think, feel — that they are in the same boat together. They stop complaining and fighting for dominance and start supporting one another, coordinating with each other, giving and asking for help, and making contributions toward the whole. So perceptions matter, a lot. This is really about the meaning of work, not the actual design of work.

Keys to getting everyone feel they are in the same boat

1. Stop shining your huge spotlight on the pieces and start shining it on the whole. Spotlight the collective outcome or mission and hold it there while using just your tiny pen-light to illuminate the myriad assignments. Pursue that focus with the group, regardless of the size, until you achieve a condition I call “shared task clarity.” That condition is reached when everyone is completely clear about what the collective must achieve together. Only when that happens can everyone also stop worrying about whether others are working at cross-purposes to them.
2. Solicit help shining the light. Many of us attempt to clarify the bigger picture by independently crafting and sending a message — perhaps a statement of vision, mission, or purpose. If this achieves the desired condition, fine, but most of the time it doesn’t. Usually a dialog process, sometimes ongoing, that invites people into the process of pursuing shared task clarity is much more successful. Successful leaders understand the condition they must achieve at the beginning of a project — perceptions of shared task clarity — while others merely check off the “purpose statement” action item.
3. Know the standard you are striving to achieve. Here’s is the question the group (project team, staff group, partnership, etc.) must reach consensus on: What must we do together that is bigger than each of us, requires all of us, and none of us can claim individual victory until it is done?

It is exciting to observe the immediate and organic behavioral shift in people when they have successfully achieved this condition of feeling like they are in the same boat and are eager to help each other work toward the same goal. That’s the art and science of collaborative leadership at work.

Christopher Avery helps leaders worldwide to operate their business — and lives — far more productively and successfully. To find additional resources to master leadership or build a responsible team, please explore ChristopherAvery.com and The Leadership Gift.

This video speaks for itself.

To learn more about the Knowledge Team Leadership workshops Christopher Avery offers, please go here.

Here are three reasons why mastering responsibility is a must for effective leadership:

1. Leaders respond

It’s what you do. Feeling a sense of ownership for a situation defines leadership. When you don’t feel a sense of ownership, you won’t respond resourcefully, hence you won’t be leading. When someone in leadership blames others, justifies his or her actions, or operates from shame or obligation, he/she has ceased to respond resourcefully. Being stuck — stopped — is the opposite of leading.

2. Others amplify the leader’s acts

Fair or foul, moral or immoral, supportive or conniving, a leader’s actions are scrutinized and amplified by and through followers. If you want followers or team members to take ownership, then you must master the practice of demonstrating ownership at all times — especially when things go wrong.

3. Followers won’t demonstrate greater responsibility than their leaders

It just makes sense — no level of an organization will demonstrate a higher level of responsibility-taking than the level to which it reports. This one principle suggests a number of decisions and expectations:

• you shouldn’t expect your followers as a whole to step up any higher than you do
• seek leadership mentors who are responsibility masters
• realize leadership is about far more than hitting metrics — it’s about owning all actions and consequences across the board

Step up, take ownership — of the good and the bad. If you want your employees or team members to take responsibility, you need to be the one demonstrating it first. Don’t be afraid to be honest about making mistakes. This creates an atmosphere for your followers that invites them to take responsibility for their part without having to fear ramifications. Being a fair leader who masters taking responsibility instead of blaming or shaming others will make you a more powerful leader than you think — give it a try!

Christopher Avery, PhD, is a recognized authority on how individual and shared responsibility works in the mind and an advisor to leaders worldwide. Find additional resources to master leadership or build a responsible team (or family) at The Leadership Gift to enjoy a more productive way to live and lead.

4. Ideally, challenge the team to discover such a goal and invest time in that discovery process

In my five-step team orientation process (see Teamwork Is An Individual Skill: Getting Your Work Done When Sharing Responsibility), I treat the clear and elevating goal as one of five conversations a team must have (in fact, that a high-performance team will naturally engage in). But it’s not the first conversation I would encourage; it’s the fourth. There are three other things I would do first to give the team the best chance of reaching high performance. Those are:

1. Gain shared clarity about the team assignment or task as the reason for the team
2. Discover what’s in it for each member of the team to work on this assignment with this team
3. Make and keep operating agreements or a clear code of conduct to support the team and each team member

These conversations are based on the science of teamwork, and they are in the order of the leverage they provide to the team for the time and resources invested in the conversations. I’ll tell you more about it sometime at my workshop Knowledge Team Leadership.

5. It’s always a nonlinear process, a lateral-thinking exercise, and a surprising result

Most leaders make the mistake of challenging teams to “choose a number,” setting as its goal a performance metric for the business, project, or technology. That’s frequently misplaced MBA talk. Clear and elevating goals are usually qualitatively different than the assigned task while beautifully supporting the task getting done. For instance, a Wells Fargo team I supported in the early 1990s assigned to launch the first Internet banking service created the slogan “We’re reinventing banking” and envisioned itself on the cover of its industry’s trade journal. The team designed hotel-like hangers for its doorknobs that said: “Do Not Disturb. Busy reinventing banking.” It worked to create an inspired atmosphere for the team.

6. Breaking through conflict helps the team’s performance

It is important to note that clear and elevating goals seldom emerge until well into the project. In the forming-storming-norming-performing metaphor of team development, I’ve found that the storming phase is often resolved by the emergence of a clear and elevating goal, which then guides the norming and performing phases. You can support this process by helping the team develop healthy ways to disagree and stay committed to each other as a team.

Studies show a very high correlation between healthy communication practices (such as brainstorming, creative dialog, team learning, and conflict management) and the highest predictors of team performance (trust, goodwill and cooperation, and respect for individuals). This means you can create the conditions that are ripe for breakthroughs.

Want to apply this information right away?

Assess your project environments, leaders, and teams according to these six observations and ask yourself how you can alter the leadership equation so that teams are free to discover what they really want as a team. You will find that giving team members the change to take ownership of their involvement will create a better end result because they are motivated from having their individual voices heard and validated.

To learn more about maximizing teamwork results while empowering the individual team members, attend Knowledge Team Leadership or bring it to your work site.

Have you thought this about your team:

• “I can’t be responsible for the quality of my team’s efforts.”
• “Getting on a good team is mostly a matter of luck.”
• “If I’m part of a poorly functioning team, and I’m not in charge, there is little I can do but bear it.”

These kinds of thoughts take an enormous toll — they result in lost productivity and low morale of the individual, the team, and the whole organization.

After years of studying team behavior and coaching business leaders, I can tell you that the most successful people demonstrate another set of beliefs and skills about teamwork which in my book Teamwork Is An Individual Skill I call “TeamWisdom.”

People with TeamWisdom:

• understand and act on all of their personal abilities to affect the entire team’s effectiveness
• know that being in a good team isn’t random, it’s a function of one’s relationship behavior and what they and others do
• take personal responsibility for the quality of their relationships. They never wait for those “in charge” to notice and act on a situation that needs attention

Do you want your experience at work to improve? Try this: consider your most recent team experience. Would you give yourself a high rating for your (not anyone else’s) TeamWisdom?

The quality of your participation affects the quality of the team’s results. Instead of expecting a mediocre team experience or just hoping for a better one, raise your own standards for –  and commitment to — great team performance.

Make Teamwork an Individual Skill — Start Being More Responsible For Your Own Team Experience!

1. recognize that you are not a passive recipient in teams — your behavior shapes and affects the team
2. acknowledge that not attending to team performance is a choice and that you are choosing to put yourself at the mercy of change and will most likely be frustrated with the outcome
3. accept that if you are in a situation of shared responsibility and reward, the quality and productivity of the relationships are worthy of your focus — your input matters

If you start with just these three steps, you’ll transform you experience with teamwork!

Want to learn more about how to have a more fulfilling work experience?

Christopher Avery’s book Teamwork Is An Individual Skill will teach you how to work more effectively, how to stand out from the crowd, and how to be more successful in any situation.

Develop Your Leadership Gift at Leon Valley Chamber of Commerce December Meeting

What does it say?

Here’s the content of the release:

Develop Your Leadership Gift at Leon Valley Chamber of Commerce December Meeting

International business adviser and author Christopher Avery, Ph.D. (http://www.ChristopherAvery.com) has agreed to speak at a special meeting of the Leon Valley Area Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Avery’s keynote titled “The Leadership Gift” will be featured at the December 16, 2009 meeting at Texian’s Cocina & Cantina, 6430 Bandera RD, San Antonio, TX.

San Antonio, TX (PRWEB) December 10, 2009 — International business adviser and author Christopher Avery, Ph.D. (http://www.ChristopherAvery.com) has agreed to speak at a special meeting of the Leon Valley Area Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Avery’s keynote titled “The Leadership Gift” will be featured at the December 16, 2009 meeting at Texian’s Cocina & Cantina, 6430 Bandera RD, San Antonio, TX. Dr. Avery will share his research from 18 years on the front-lines of leadership about how anyone can unlock and unleash their innate leadership power. Audience members will gain valuable tools and insights they can immediately use to produce results.

Leaders worldwide study Avery’s research because it shows them how to consciously expand their leadership power and ability everyday so they can grow faster, overcome challenges, and achieve their potential while energizing their teams and organizations. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to share this extraordinary information with leaders in Leon Valley, Texas” says Christopher, “These rich discoveries are changing how people live more fulfilling lives; how leaders lead; how teams get built; and how coaches and parents teach and inspire personal responsibility in their charges.” You can learn more about Dr. Avery at http://www.ChristopherAvery.com.

Every audience member will get a copy of Dr. Avery’s popular Responsibility Process™ poster, and some audience members will win valuable door prizes such as one of Christopher’s books, CD sets, or DVD workshops for their business. All will have an opportunity to join the worldwide Leadership Gift community of leaders being mentored by Christopher.

Chamber members and others who are interested can find more information at http://www.LeonValleyChamber.org or by calling 210-521-2007.

###

It’s my birthday and this year I’m giving the gifts…

Shared Responsibility

It’s a tough business environment. You and I know that responsibility isn’t about what happens to you but what you do about it—how you respond…

I’m responding by inventing new ways to help you master your natural source of freedom, choice, and power—your Responsibility Process.

You should not have to stop developing yourself or your team or employees. So let’s call it an act of shared sacrifice and shared responsibility during these tough times…

What Gifts?

If you are on my eTips list, I’ll send you a link for a cool free download everyday for a week…

• new poster PDFs
• audio MP3s on teaching responsibility
• special reports on building your team leadership skills
• mp3 and ebook on Clarity, Focus & Concentration
• and more…
  

What’s on sale?

Call me insane, but, well…Everything.

For one week. Take advantage now. This offer ends Tuesday, April 7, 2009 and this post comes down…

How do you get 50% off?

Copy this coupon code (4/7/09 – Sorry – sale over – coupon removed) then enter it at check-out after selecting any of these items:

The Journey to Responsibility DVD-based Workshop for your business:

Silver Edition – 50% off with coupon code 4/7/09 – Sorry – sale over – coupon removed

Gold Edition – 50% off with coupon code 4/7/09 – Sorry – sale over – coupon removed

Platinum Edition – 50% off with coupon code 4/7/09 – Sorry – sale over – coupon removed

How to Teach Responsibility to Anyone (and Master Your Life in the Process)

12 CD set – 50% off with coupon code 4/7/09 – Sorry – sale over – coupon removed

or save even more with the

MP3 Download Edition – 50% off with coupon code 4/7/09 – Sorry – sale over – coupon removed

Tuition for an upcoming Knowledge Team Leadership

Santa Clara, CA, May 13-14, 2009 – 50% off with coupon code 4/7/09 – Sorry – sale over – coupon removed

New York City, NY, December 8-9, 2009 – 50% off with coupon code 4/7/09 – Sorry – sale over – coupon removed

What about private services?

Want to immediately change the conversation in your business about leadership and responsibility with a powerful keynote, meeting starter, or workshop?

Or are you ready to dramatically increase your leadership power and ability with leadership mentoring from Christopher for you or your entire leadership team?

How about a multi-part tele-seminar for your leaders (easy fees and no travel) applying personal and shared responsibility? Potential topics:

• How to Build Any Team Any Time
• Powerful Partnering Practices
• The Perfect Problem Breakthrough for Leadership Power
• Building a Culture of Responsible Leadership on a Shoestring
• Managing Responsible Change
  

Let’s talk

1. Download Christopher’s information kit (including fees schedule)
2. Then call  +1 830.995-4853  x102 to discuss. Proposal delivered in 24 hours.

For business confirmed in a week with the usual deposit, we’ll be pleased to discuss attractive discounts.

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