Subject: [Partnerwerks TeamWisdom Tips] The Book of Agreement
Welcome to Partnerwerks TeamWisdom Tips!
by Christopher M. Avery, Ph.D.
April 10, 2003
Read by 2935 professionals in 50 countries.
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TeamWisdom(TM) Tips promotes individual mental skills and
behaviors that create highly responsible and productive
relationships at work.
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This week's line-up:
1. 10-Second TeamWisdom
2. Welcome Notes
3. THE BOOK OF AGREEMENT
4. 5-Minute TeamWisdom Stretch
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1. 10-Second TeamWisdom
Levine's Law of Agreement: Collaboration is established in
language by making implicit (talking to yourself about what
you think the agreement is) and explicit (discussing the
agreement with others) agreements.
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2. Welcome Notes
Thank you for caring enough about productive relationships
at work to read and forward TeamWisdom Tips.
THIS WEEK'S SPECIAL OFFER: Read this week's Tip to the end
to see how to claim your free MP3 download and more.
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3. THE BOOK OF AGREEMENT
10 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS FOR GETTING THE RESULTS YOU WANT
by Stewart Levine
Add this book to your shelf of most important
references--like your dictionary and your "Windows for
Idiots" guide--and consult it often. Your life,
relationships, and career will improve immeasurably.
Stuart Levine's first book "Getting to Resolution" is the
best I've read on resolving conflict. I think I know a thing
or two about agreements. So I read the review copy of this
new book, supplied by his publicist, with mixed emotion. I
know and love Stewart, we have the same publisher, I'm
thrilled his great second book is out, and he taught me good
stuff about resolving conflict (we also shared an excellent
glass of Merlot last year in Santa Fe, but that's a story
for another day). But, just what can Levine teach this
veteran partnering consultant about making and keeping
agreements?
A thing or two, it turns out.
Let's start with what's critical to learn if you don't
already know it.
Consider Levine's Principle #2, "We work and live in a 'sea'
(context) of agreements." Do you realize all relationship
behavior is governed by implicit or explicit agreements?
Someone can't even push your hot-buttons unless you and they
have established by implicit agreement that "those" buttons
are indeed hot and that you will explode if they are tweaked
in a certain way. And you know "Shhh, don't tell a soul"
implicitly means "keep this to yourself as well as I'm
keeping it to myself." Even a chain of command is full of
implicit agreements about norms like who can and can't tell
whom what to do, who can and can't evaluate another's
performance, who can and can't make decisions, etc. If
you've worked in one hierarchy, you pretty much can move
from organization to organization and quickly grasp the
nuances of the culture. Why? Because you understand,
experientially, the sea of implicit agreements.
You buy into, if not invent, these implicit agreements, and
then live by them whether you like it or not. It's your own
doing. So you might then consider Levine's Principle #3, "We
never learned the essential elements of an effective
agreement." I believe people clamor for control because they
lack the learned power of agreement-making. It's much easier
to just boss folks around. But it's far more powerful and
rewarding to make what Levine calls "agreements for
results." That's a lot of what TeamWisdom is about.
So what do you do? You learn the essential elements of an
effective agreement, then put them to use. Repeat. Improve.
Repeat. Improve. Levine shows you how.
Just as he did in his first book, Levine gives us the
foundation first and the practice second. He starts with the
Basic Law of Agreement ("Collaboration is established in
language by making implicit and explicit agreements"), then
offers ten principles, and then ten elements of effective
agreements. Elements include things like roles, time and
value, measures of satisfaction, etc. Later in the book, he
uses these ten elements to fashion templates and illustrate
agreements for different situations (like employment
agreements, sales agreements, performance appraisal
agreements, feedback agreements, and many more).
The strength of this book is in combining his original
concepts with his applications. For instance Levine
identifies the difference between agreements for protecting
your interests and agreements for results. The first is what
you hire lawyers to do in writing contracts; he knows,
Levine practiced law for years. He shows you how to make
agreements for results and protect your interests. Levine
also provides application after application after
application. More than half the book is devoted to templates
for agreements for results in organizations, associations,
communities, families, cultures, marriages, and more. Be
sure to practice the new Levine U MBA -- managing by
agreement. You'll also want to read his section on training
your lawyer how to make agreements for results.
The Book of Agreement makes a terrific companion to Teamwork
Is An Individual Skill.
The Book of Agreement
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1576751791/partnerofficeont
Teamwork is An Individual Skill
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1576751554/partnerofficeont
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SPECIAL OFFER: Get a free advance MP3 download of my
soon-to-be-released 60-minute audio CD "Owning It: The Mark
of Responsible Leadership." Listen from your PC, your MP3
player, or burn your own CD. Do it now!
How?
1. Before midnight Friday, April 11, 2003, follow one
of the above links to Amazon.com
2. While there, purchase BOTH books: "The Book of
Agreement" and "Teamwork Is An Individual Skill."
3. Forward your email receipt from Amazon showing that
you purchased both books to teamwisdom@partnerwerks.com
by midnight Friday, April 11, 2003.
We will respond with a link where you can download the MP3
files for your free copy of "Owning It: The Mark of
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Get started with this week's 5-Minute Practice Tip.
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4. 5-Minute Practice Tip
What can you do to move up one or more level in each area?
Since collaboration is established in language by making
implicit and explicit agreements, what agreements --
implicit and explicit -- in your life and work could use
some attention from you?
I wish you a world of responsible and productive
relationships at work.
Faithfully,
Christopher
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"'Teamwork Is an Individual Skill: Getting Your Work Done
When Sharing Responsibility' contains more practical
information and advice about the conditions under which we
humans optimize our work together than any other book you
are likely to have read"
~Terry O'Keefe, Executive Bookshelf
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1576751554/partnerofficeont
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I will be traveling to and speaking...
- May 5, PMI/NJ Chapter Regional Symposium, Edison, NJ
http://www.pminj.org/03-smp/035smpp.htm
- May 13-15, Being Powerful In Any Team, San Antonio, TX
http://www.beingpowerful.com
- May 18-20, Knowledge Team Effectiveness Profile (KTEP)
Certification Workshop, San Antonio, TX
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- May 22-23, 3rd. Conference on Work Teams, Centro de
Productividad, Monterrey, N.L., Mexico
http://www.cpmty.com/main.htm
- June 25, Prudential Financial's Project Management
Conference, Newark, NJ
Want me to speak at your company or association? See
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