Specifically, an effective team meeting can help you get aligned on several areas of the business: Of all these areas to ideally get aligned around, there is one — more than the rest — that an effective team meeting should focus on…. This may be one of your most important jobs as a leader. But as a community of managers, having a common vocabulary could help communication. Show that everyone on the team can contribute – and that everyone on the team is expected to contribute. Don’t be afraid to say what you really think. As the challenges facing the team shift and as the dynamics of the environment change, reshape the content within the meeting accordingly. Build Relationships. The important thing is to continually find ways to demonstrate that the team is making progress. What may not be so obvious are the best ways to do this, particularly in your team meetings. Your email address will not be published. ), Action (5 min.) You need great team meeting ideas because team meetings are a basic building block of work today. Don’t squander it. For especially long meetings, IACC makes sure to keep breaks both rejuvenating and focused with variety of tasks and games that require team collaboration. Surely, this is intuitive, but it’s interesting how research shows this to be true. Once you have some of the above organizational ideas working, you can work to evolve your leadership style in the meetings. If you can cultivate a shared sense of ownership and a culture of cooperation, you and your team will be well on your way to accomplishing more. Instructions for all activities below. A well-balanced discussion is going to move team goals forward faster and more effectively. Client update (20 min.) Being comfortable showing some vulnerability and need for help is a powerful way to encourage greater participation. A: Some virtual team building challenges include unreliable technology, the absence of physical and social interactions, difficulty scheduling meetings across time zones, a lack of engagement and participation, and the false assumption that virtual events can be planned and executed the same way as in-person events. In fact, a good meeting is one that is narrowly focused on one topic. The 3 Ways Leaders Can Influence Company Culture. From a team building perspective it becomes more interesting if employees pitch each others ideas. Shift the format to accommodate the work at hand. Or we have someone share a ‘teach-in’ on something that would be helpful for us all to learn (e.g. Remember: This is your critical time to encourage alignment around your vision. Yet here at Know Your Team, we’ve always been skeptical of the monthly or weekly team meeting. I know there are no standards on meetings names. 3 Quick Tips to Help You Survive and Thrive in Office Politics, What To Do When You’re Stuck In a Job With No Progression. ... feel better by reminding yourself that all the ideas are bad. After establishing a pattern that signals importance and resolves logistical issues, it is important to make great use of the time within each of the meetings. Give it a shot today. Maybe it’s something personal, or a piece of work they’re proud of, a learning they’ve had, or a new podcast they’re digging. It happens in a messy, chaotic, political place we call the office. Say hi to me on Twitter at @clairejlew. One feedback, when I read the title, I was confused if you meant staff meeting or an all hands meeting. Pick a theme. Major milestones merit special acknowledgement or even a team lunch. It can be anything, from Harry Potter to Christmas. These five virtual team building activities are just a small fraction of the hundreds of possible meeting games out there, but they’re ones that are easily adapted to fit into your regular meetings. And the second, is, after talking with tens of CEOs, surveying hundreds of managers, and pulling insights from 1,000+ managers in our Watercooler leadership community, I recognize how powerful a tool a team meeting can be. One great way to emphasize a sense of progress is to celebrate wins. Build trust over time as the group bonds in a “safe haven” of sorts for discussing these more sensitive aspects of work. You probably know that establishing a shared vision, clear goals, and high expectations are crucial to developing teamwork. These unusual updates be a helpful way to review crucial lessons or provoke insightful discussion. 3. Exactly how should you be talking about your team’s vision? Team building games are a fun and creative way to get your team connecting and working together. When there is a reason and people are invited for their voice it changes everything. To get excited about opportunities. A good plan will lead to a clear set of preparation requirements. If you want others to tell you what they really think, then you should be prepared to share in the same way. Everybody knows this, including you, so let go of old management stereotypes and embrace the value of team input. Nothing happens in isolation in today’s hyper-connected world. If the goals of the meeting are best met by free form discussion, then lead a free form discussion. If you’re striving for more alignment in your team, the Heartbeat Tool in Know Your Team will be incredibly useful to you. Here are the key elements for a successful team agenda. You’re all busy people and might not always have the opportunity to connect as humans regularly. You’re not bringing the group together to tell them what to do, you’re bringing the group together for collective analysis and decision making. Use these icebreakers to help you create a meeting or training environment that fosters communication and encourages collaboration. I Spy. The last thing you want is people to approach the meeting by trying to guess what the “right” answer is that the leader wants. Make team discussions benefit from each person’s contributions. Every week or every day, it asks a period check-in for your team to share progress – so you have an automated system for tactical day-to-day, week-to-week alignment that helps increase team knowledge and break down silos. A 2014 McKinsey Quarterly report cited a study where “when people understand and are excited about the direction their company is taking, the company’s earnings margin is twice as likely to be above the median.” In short, as a leader, if you want your team to produce exceptional outcomes, you have to find ways for (1) people to know what the team’s direction is, and for (2) people to feel compelled to contribute to that team direction. My mission here at Work Smarter Stress Less is to help you to achieve new levels of success and satisfaction through small changes that make a big difference. “Talent wins games but teamwork wins championships.” –Michael Jordan. Given this, at Know Your Team , we put a lot of thought (over four years worth of research and fine-tuning!) Typically I present, and then we have discussion. Keeping meetings operating in these areas will make for a more dynamic and productive discussion and will create much higher levels of team engagement. Different team members need to play different roles at different times. It could be as simple as sharing what you did last weekend, but starting here will really set the tone for the rest of your meeting. First is that our growth as a company has dictated a need for team meetings. As the leader, it’s crucial that you find ways to politely curb the over-contributors and ways to encourage the quiet participants to speak up. 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