Kristin El Idrissi
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Blog: Living the Dream
Musings, Ideas, and Conundrums

Team Building

3/28/2016

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I read a phenomenal (and super long) article about what makes a team great this weekend.   In case you don’t have 20 minutes to read it, here are the big take-aways that I had.

Data has proven that personalities of individuals, strength of members, and leadership do not always dictate what makes a team successful.  Good teams are distinguished from dysfunctional ones mainly because of how people treat one another!  On good teams:
  • people truly listen to one another and show sensitivity towards feelings
  • people spoke roughly the same amount of time
  • people were inclusive.  This means noticing when others feel left out or down.
  • allowed for an atmosphere where people left meetings feeling energized
  • leaders were direct and straightforward
  • the atmosphere allows for a sense of safety that allows people to share ideas without fear.  This allows the members to confidently speak without feeling they will be embarrassed or punished for their input!
  • the best teams were skilled at noticing nonverbal cues.  By picking up on tones of voice and mannerisms they could better read how one-another felt.
  • teams know how their work fits into the company’s larger mission

You may not run a team or business but these attributes can still be critical in your day-to-day.  Everyone works in teams in life.  Whether it be at a PTA meeting, in an office setting, on a sports field, in a classroom, or at a volunteer event...team building is an ever present part of human society.  The next time that you are part of a team that seems to be dysfunctional step up and force some of the above in your team.   Be the change that it needs.

You can do this by calling out people for cutting others off.  Make it apparent that behavior is unacceptable.  Curtail people who are speaking forever.   Ask what your team's role is in the larger picture. Take notice of others and call it out to the group.  Notice when the quiet person is being left out & specifically ask for their input.  Watch for when others look irritated or uncomfy and persuade them to share their thoughts. Question leaders who are not being clear.   Make the environment one where people feel comfortable and supportive.  If no one else is doing this, you should!  It will not only positively impact the group, it will make your meetings more productive and will enable you to feeling more energized after the encounters.

If you want to be a part of a healthy environment, it is your duty to help foster that environment.  Knowing what is required to make the best team is the first step.  The next step is taking action!








​Source Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/magazine/what-google-learned-from-its-quest-to-build-the-perfect-team.html?emc=eta1&_r=0

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Cheating Your Goals

3/15/2016

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A big goal that I have set for myself this year is to read more.  The challenge that I face - time.
As a child I fell alseep each night with a book by my side but as I have aged I have found it harder and harder to make time to read, often falling alseep beside my phone or in the middle of a TV series.  
Since deciding to focus on this re-connection with literature I have read nearly 7 books already this year!  This may not sound like a lot to you avid book fans but completing more than 2 a month has been a vast improvement for me! Given that I do not magically have more time to read I have been meeting this goal by setting up some harsh guidelines for myself and partially, through cheating.  
Incentivize Myself
Having a list of business/educational and pleasure books on my "to-read" list, I made a promise to myself that I must finish one of the more boring books before I can start a more "fun" option.  This way every night that I want to skip reading I remember how excited I am for that mystery novel and it keeps me encouraged to continue through the more dense literature.  By having a reward to look forward to I am more enticed to finish the harder books.
Embracing Cheating
Thanks to audible.com I have been enjoying books while driving to work, training sessions, and while cleaning the house.  Despite the actual page turning and feel of a book in my hand this option has allowed for me to finally "read" some classics that I otherwise never would have gotten to but always have desired to.  I am not sure if listening to a book fully counts as reading it - but I am counting it!  The data is still entering my brain.  I am still enjoying the story, true to the authors words...so I consider it a win! 
Sharing the Goal
By talking about the fact that I am trying to read more, people are offering suggestions as to other books that may be of interest.  This has made my "to-read" list grow ... and further motivates me to keep trying to shrink it down.  This also allows for some entertaing conversations with people.  You will be surprised by how many others may have read the same thing as you!

These little tools and tricks - Incentivize Yourself, Embrace Cheating, and Sharing your Goals can be applied to almost any goals that you have set for yourself.   I have done a similar thing with budgetting my money this year and by following these tactics (rewarding myself everytime my budget is under, using tools like Mint.com to help me budget, and asking friends/family about what they do) I have seen dramatic improvements in my budgetary skills.  

Let me know how some of these simple tactics aid as you embrace your goal getting!

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    Kristin

    Believer that everyone is special.

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