Last semester we quietly experimented with a teaching team (as opposed to a single instructor). It was a hit! Why? You can learn so much from teachers other than Christopher. Why? Because they are (more…)
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Teamwork should no longer be considered a group skill. It's an individual skill and a responsibility of everyone in the work place. After already giving you 5 Reasons for Taking Responsibility for Your Team’s Performance, I want to share 9 more with you! (more…)
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When was the last time you were on a team where the participants held different notions about their task? Lack of shared clarity about direction gets teams stuck! How fast did you make progress together? If your experience is like mine, not very fast. When there's no strong agreement about the task at hand, it's easy for people to bicker...
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It is especially frustrating after deciding to change a behavior to find yourself violating your own decision. Suppose, for example, you've decided to stop using the words "right" and "wrong" -- substituting them instead with "works" and "doesn't work." Now, what do you do if you slip and use the word "right" or "wrong?" Do you get upset with yourself?...
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In my last post, I identified "wicked" problems as those that defy solution. What makes a problem wicked as opposed to tame is its multifaceted nature. No known algorithm will solve it. Attempts to solve the problem often simply reveal more about the problem. (more…)
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Have you ever tried to solve a problem that defied you? If so, it might have been a "wicked" problem and you might have been approaching it with a "tame" problem mindset. To understand the difference between wicked and tame problems, consider that the typical approach to solving any problem is a linear process such as: identify the problem brainstorm...
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Are you tired of hearing, and maybe even saying, "I got put on a bad team?" I am. It's the most common excuse for non-performance I hear from highly skilled professionals. I firmly believe that teamwork should no longer be considered a group skill. It is an individual skill and a responsibility of everyone in the work place. (more…)
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In our hyper-connected world, rewards will go to those who happily align the goals and integrate the actions of multiple intersecting groups, thus moving all forward. Here are two examples where integrative skills come into play: (more…)
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Christopher Avery blogs about Leadership Skills: The Leadership Gift Decision Test
I wanted to add a few thoughts to the Leadership Gift Fairness Principle I introduced in my previous post. Here are additional ideas for more successful communication between team members that are in the office and team members that phone in during conference calls. Some research suggests that we use gestures as mental anchors for words rather than as nonverbal...
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