The sixth key to a winning team is 100% involvement and inclusion. Each member must know that they are accepted by the team, and each member must also choose to participate 100%. Those who are not fully engaged pull down the team’s performance. 100% participation creates powerful team synergy.

So far I have given you the information to create a wonderful action plan to bring your team to new levels of performance and results. Every key is essential for maximising your team performance, and this key is absolutely no exception.

I want to warn you if you are a team leader. You are about to be presented with a leadership challenge that for most is very difficult. The challenge is to REQUIRE 100% participation from your team. Some of you know that you have team members that need to radically change or leave. Jim Collins, author of “Good to Great”, was asked how to decide if a person should be kept on a team or if they should be asked to leave. He said it is a simple two question test:

#1 - If the person left today for a better job somewhere else, would you be glad or sad?

#2 - If this person applied for a job with your company today, knowing what you know about them, would you hire them?

The answers to those questions provide a clear insight into the action that needs to take place. 100% involvement means that each team member is totally committed to the team and its success. In practical terms, the team member shows up for the game, on time, consistently, ready to perform. Each and every member is willing to do what they can do to support the leader and every other member. 100% inclusion means every member of the team is committed to accepting and supporting every single member of the team - no member left behind or excluded. In other words, the team is lean and mean. It is tight - every member fully engaged and included.

We would welcome your comments on how you have achieved 100% involvement in your business.

Remember there is a potential grant of £1000 towards your leadership development - “who do you need to be” to be an even better leader?

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To maximise the potential of every team member, the leader and the company must support risk taking and initiative. What does that mean? It means that fear of mistakes and failure must go. It means that we always encourage and welcome multiple solutions to challenges. It means that right brain, creative thinking is encouraged, and that new ideas and changes are welcomed and rewarded. It means that good is never good enough, and that continuous improvement, innovation, and experimentation are a fundamental part of the culture.

Do these concepts and ideas scare you? They don’t need to. In fact, rejecting these concepts is truly more “risky” to the stability of the business or department. A refusal to try new things and make mistakes is a recipe for business and team failure. For example, the first typical response if you fail to support risk taking is that creative, innovative team members will leave the team. Those that stay will often lose spirit and become dull and barely functional. Human beings were made to create, innovate, explore, and experiment. If you refuse to support risk taking, you drain the adventure, fun and creativity out of the organisation.??However, when your team starts to embrace risk, then a creative energy and synergy starts to kick in big time. If you are with me so far, you must be asking how to do this without causing major losses and catastrophe? How do I support risk taking and not gamble away all of my assets? The key is that the other keys must also be in place. A strong leader will add balance, discernment, and integrity to the process. Strong rules of the game will keep the risk within certain borders. In fact, strong rules of the game facilitate and enable risk taking. When the team knows the boundaries, they are free to take maximum risk and even make mistakes as long as they stay within the fence. Because risk taking and mistakes are supported within the rules, there is no fear of failure, and the team can accelerate learning by taking more chances, trying more things, and learning what does and does not work.

We would welcome your comments on how you support risk taking and initiative in your business. Have you achieved some amazing results by supporting risk taking and initiative?

Remember there is a potential grant of £1000 towards your leadership development - “who do you need to be” to be an even better leader?

The name of our business is “ACTION COACH”. There is a great reason for that. Nothing happens in life and business until someone takes ACTION. You can have a strong leader with a common goal and great, clearly defined rules, but with no action, nothing happens.

Procrastination is the enemy of all progress and learning, and it is rooted in fear. Fear is a paralysing emotion or expectation about negative outcomes. The antidote and cure for fear is action. For the action to be most effective, it should be preceded by some organised thought and planning. Very simply stated, a great action plan has three components - WHO does WHAT by WHEN. That is it. If you are clear on the goal and the rules, then organise your plan into logical steps, and delegate each step to the right team member. Assign an accountability and deadline, and you are ready to go.

Many meetings are de-energising because they don’t end with an action plan. Talk and analysis with no action is really non-productive, because you really learn nothing until action is taken and you produce a result and a response.

The focused purpose of all learning and discussion is action, and the Action Plan is the tool to create that outcome. So here is what I challenge you to DO next time you are in a team meeting. Near the close of the meeting, take out a piece of paper with three columns - Who, What, When, and complete your action plan for all present. Be specific on WHAT actions will be taken, and put in a deadline and an accountability for each item. It really sounds simple, but it is a profound way to get your team moving.

We would welcome your comments on how you plan for ACTION in your business. Remember there is a potential grant of £1000 towards your leadership development - “who do you need to be” to be an even better leader?

The third key for winning is to know the rules of the game.

Can you imagine trying to win a game if you didn’t know the rules? Often employees lack motivation and productivity because the expectations are unclear. Do your employees know the company core values? Have you invested time in defining core values and communicating the company culture to every team member?

Once you have a strong leader that has the respect of the team, and a common goal to shoot for, then it is time to define the playing field.??Most people have an inherent resistance to rules. Basically, no one likes to be told by someone else what they can and cannot do. It feels like an infringement on their personal identity and freedom. But how about the concept that good rules free us up and help us achieve great things? How about driving your car on the left hand side of the road? What about if everyone could just choose each day which side of the road they drove on - how far would we all get?? So with that challenge in mind, let’s talk rules of the game.

If you put rules in the context of a game, they take on a different feel and value. The rules in a game define the game. A game with no rules is mayhem, and certainly not too much fun. The rules in a game define how you win, how you succeed, and communicate the appropriate relationship between the team members - their roles and functions defined.??For a winning team to embrace and love the rules, the leader must communicate the function of the rules. It is not to squelch creativity or to control and smother, but rather to clearly define the structure and means to winning. Once the team knows the rules, they are actually freed to innovate and play the game the best it can be played. If a player clearly knows the boundaries, then he is free to play the game. If he is unsure, he will move very slowly and tentative??As the leader, it is your responsibility to work with your team to define your culture and your rules. This will bring a security and effectiveness to the team. It removes guesswork and distractions that come from trying to hit a moving target.??So clearly defined rules of the game need to be known and followed if you are going to have a winning team. Next week we will look at getting the team into action with an action plan.

We would welcome your comments on what “rules of the game” you have in your business - and how they have worked for you. Remember there is a potential grant of £1000 towards your leadership development - “who do you need to be” to be an even better leader?

We continue the focus of examining the keys to a winning team and the role of the leader. This week we look at the importance of achieving powerful results behind a unifying common goal.

If you lead a team, one of the most powerful ways to unite people is to have everyone working towards a common goal. Just imagine how well your sports team would do if every player did not have the common goal of winning!

Let’s take a football team - all the players know what role they need to play to achieve their common goal - win the game. The goalkeeper knows that their primary role is to stop the other team scoring - but interestingly - every other player also helps by  making tackles and passing the ball to another member of their own team - rather than giving it to the other team (if you support Wolves - like I do - you will know however that this is not always the case!). The forwards know that their primary contribution towards achieving the common goal - is to score goals - but again -the goalkeeper can also score. So using the football example we can see how every team member understands and contributes to achieving their common goal. Does your business have a common goal?? Does everyone know how they contribute?? Does every team member support the other to achieve??

If people just turn up to work each day and are expected to do their best, it is not too inspiring aside from knowing that “I did a good job today”. When people are faced with a challenge whether it be one of adversity or not, you are tapping into a sense of belonging. At the core people want to feel they are a part of something significant and that they are seen by others as an important part of that something. They also want to know what success looks like - how do I know when I have made a great contribution to the common goal?

When a team has a common goal that is meaningful, it creates that significance. The key is the goal must be inspiring for the leader so when it is communicated, that inspiration and enthusiasm is carried. When a goal is communicated in such a way, the feelings of the leader are transferred to the team and the effect will be people acting with a sense of purpose.

We conducted a team day recently that was a follow up to one we had done 12 months ago. At the first team day, the owners had some rough goals they were looking for and at the second they had crystal clear goals they were excited about. The difference was astounding.

By the end of the day you could see the team uniting at a new level and no one wanted to leave the event. Of course they eventually did but considering this was being held on a Saturday, the result was fantastic to see.

Make sure everyone on your team is working towards a common goal. Say it often and repeat it often. Many leaders assume their team know the goal of the project or task at hand. Don’t leave it to chance. Start every meeting with a recap of what you are trying to achieve and how your team’s work will help get there.  Ensure that the common goal is visible and that you have tools to measure the progress to achieving the critical outcomes - what does success look like - how does everyone know they are on track?

So on a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the power of your goals for your team? And on the same scale, how would you rate how well you have communicated them? Please let us know.

Remember there is a potential grant of £1000 towards your leadership development - “who do you need to be” to be an even better leader?

Week 1 of our practical help and tips to improve your Leadership and Team Performance:

There may be no other topic that is more important than that of your Team and how you lead and manage them. Leadership is mostly about getting the most from your team - and others around you. Team encompasses everything about your business - how work gets done, how relationships get formed, how culture is defined, how celebrations are made, and how businesses are built. Get ready to FOCUS on this critical area of your business!

I’ve seen business owners who got the “team” right and I’ve seen those who have the “team” wrong. The contrast in results is amazing. This critical part of your business can truly make or break you. Those that get it right enjoy coming to their place of work. The attitude is positive, there is a can-do spirit in the air, communications are open and productive, and the business owner can leave with the assurance that the business will run as well without them as it does with them present.

On the other hand, those who get it wrong tend to have a knot in their gut. You can cut the tension with a knife in the workplace. No one speaks and if they do, it is normally a complaint or criticism. Turnover is high - those who join the team quickly realise it is not what they hoped for and find the fastest way to quit. When the boss is gone, the work slows to a trickle. No one is happy. No one is having fun - especially not the business owner.

I sincerely hope the first example sounds more like you. If so, good for you! Use these next several weeks to fine-tune your leadership of your team. If, however, you can relate to the second example, you’re in luck! Over these next weeks, you will learn how to turn that team into one that is high-performance and well-functioning.

A word of caution as we begin. Not everyone who is currently on your team may be able or willing to make the changes needed for your entire team to become a winning team. Some cannot and some will not change. You must have the courage and conviction to either “change the person” or “change the person” if you know what I mean! Don’t let a long term employee or a high-maintenance employee or an aggressive employee detract you from your mission of building the best team possible - one that can run circles around your competition and give you back your personal freedom.

The Art of Strong Leadership

A good leader has an honorable character that selflessly serves his/her organisation. In your employees’ eyes, your leadership is everything. Your activities affect the organisation’s objectives and their well-being.

A respected leader concentrates on three key areas:

• Be - what he/she is (beliefs and values),
• Know - what he/she knows (job, tasks, human nature),
• Do - what he/she does (implement, motivate, and provide direction).

What makes a person want to follow a leader? People want to be guided by people they respect and who have a clear sense of direction. To gain respect, they must be ethical. A sense of direction is achieved by conveying a strong vision of the future. It is interesting to think about some of the strong leaders - Churchill (led our entire Nation to victory), Hitler (I know - not maybe politically correct - but as Churchill - led his entire Nation in a horrendous direction - they were prepared to die for the vision!) - Alan Sugars (make your own mind up here - what sort of a leader do you think he is?).  With Churchill and Hitler - their vision motivated their entire Nations - not just a team of 5, 10, 20 or even 100. Why? Did they communicate well - did they get passion and emotion (emotion = energy in motion) - did they have an action plan - did they give up????

The Four Most Important Keys of Leadership:

Studies have shown that trust and confidence in top leadership is the single most reliable predictor of employee satisfaction in an organisation.

Effective communication by leadership in four critical areas is the key to winning organisational trust and confidence, and involves:

1.  Helping employees understand the company’s overall business strategy.

2.  Helping employees understand how they contribute to achieving key business objectives.

3.  Sharing information with employees on both how the company is doing and how an employee’s own division or department is doing - relative to strategic business objectives.

4.  Helping people who think they can’t - know they can!

So basically, you must be trustworthy and you have to be able to communicate a vision of where you are going. I have set out below what I believe to be the 12 principles of strong and effective leadership.

12 Principles of Leadership:

1. Have a vision of where your business will be in 1, 3 and 5 years - what will your business look like - and how your team can contribute to achieving this vision. Comminicate this at every opportunity - and live the vision from the top down every day.

2.  Know yourself and seek self-improvement. In order to know yourself, you have to understand your “be”, “know”, and “do” attributes. This is possible by continually strengthening your attributes by reading and self-study.

3.  Be technically proficient. As a leader, you must know your job and have a solid familiarity with your employees’ jobs.

4.  Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions. Search for ways to guide your organisation to new heights. And when things go wrong, do not blame others.

5.  Make sound and timely decisions. Use good problem solving, decision-making, and planning tools.

6.  Set the example. Be a good role model for you employees. They will believe what they see - not what they hear.

7.  Know your people and look out for their well-being. Know human nature and the importance of sincerely caring for your workers.

8.  Keep your people informed. Know how to communicate with your whole organisation, be it good news or bad news

9.  Develop a sense of accountability, ownership and responsibility in your people. These traits will help them carry out their professional responsibilities.

10. Ensure tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished. Communication is the key to this responsibility.

11. Train your people as a team. By developing team spirit, you will be able to employ your organisation, department, section, etc. to its fullest capabilities.

12. Help the people who think that your vision is unachievable - KNOW that together you will achieve

We would welcome your comments on what you believe makes a strong leader - and what areas you are going to focus on to improve your leadership skills. Remember there is a potential grant of £1000 towards your leadership development - “who do you need to be” to be an even better leader?

Leadership & Management Grant - We know you are probably already aware of this grant - but please read on…

The Government are prepared to invest £1000 in helping you improve your leadership and management skills …. details are below - at the bottom of this blog.

Over the next few weeks we are going to be sending out some great tips on how you can improve your Leadership - and the performance of your team - so at the end of this series of practical help - you will be better placed as a Leader to grow your business. We hope you find the practical help and tips over the next few weeks of great use… please let us know!

The 7 key areas we will be covering are:

1. Strong Leadership. You must demonstrate a conviction and determination to be a strong leader. I didn’t say nasty or mean - I said strong. There is a difference and we will cover that next week.

2. Common Goal. It is critical for everyone on the team to understand the goal - the big goal. Having a clear and compelling goal is essential.

3. Rules of the Game. Everyone wants and needs to know how the game is to be played and where the boundaries have been set. No more surprises.

4. Action Plan. Everyone in the business must have their own personal plan of action - what they are going to accomplish to move the business forward. If you are going to expect everyone to have a plan, then how important is it that there is a plan for the business?

5. Supporting Risk Taking and Initiative. Everyone makes mistakes and as the business owner, you must acknowledge the good effort and help the team learn from every good effort that goes badly.

6. 100% Involvement. That’s right - everyone must be involved! We’re not asking team members to simply come in and do their manual tasks. We need everyone to have their head in the game if we’re going to win.

7. Know and Appreciate your People. No matter how well you do keys 1 through 6, if you don’t get to know your colleagues and show them that you care about them, you will not win their heart. We are after their hearts - not just their brains or their muscles.

Next week we’ll be focussing on Strong Leadership so look out for our next blog

THE DETAILS OF THE LMAS FUNDING

As we are a trusted partner of Skills SE, who are running the funding, they have asked us to promote how you could potentially access to up to £1,000 to help with your leadership development to grow your business. If you would like to find out more then either download the information PDF on the right or give us a call to discuss your requirements 01453 821940.

The Government is focused on supporting businesses with the potential for High Growth and this new service is directed very much at growth companies with the ability to drive through revenue growth of 20% per year for the next three years.

WHO CAN APPLY ?

Businesses with 2 or more employees with the ability to demonstrate strong growth.

So if you are looking to achieve a strategic advantage in your market or looking to develop your sales and marketing skills take Action today.

HOW MUCH FUNDING IS AVAILABLE?

One grant is available per organisation of up to a maximum of £1,000. This is based on a matched funding criteria so for an investment of £1,000 from your business, you will receive £1,000 of funding from the Skills Funding Agency

ELIGIBILITY:

• Between 2 and 249 employees
• Based in the SW and can demonstrate that you have high growth prospects
• The great news is that the funding is available to all business who have previously accessed grants, as the three year rule has now been dropped.

HOW CAN I USE THE GRANT?

Funded Learning and Development must address one of the following areas:

• Developing a highly effective personal leadership and management style (including strategic thinking; and effective communication).
• Creating a joint enterprise culture with the workforce (including developing an innovative, creative and productive culture for the organisation; developing productive working relationships; reducing and managing workplace conflict).
• Planning and developing an effective organisation and teams (including recruitment, selections and departure; building and managing effective, creative and innovative teams; conveying vision and objective setting).
• Leading and managing employee high performance (including employee motivation and commitment; delivering value; learning and development).
• Mentoring and Coaching of leadership team

GETTING STARTED:
To find out more about how the new Leadership and Management programme  can support your personal development and improve the productivity and competitiveness of your organisation or if you are interested in accessing the grant, then email:

nigeljew@actioncoach.com or simonbuck@actioncoach.com or call us on 01453 821424

We will then contact you to arrange a convenient time to discuss your eligibility BUT do not delay, it is clear that this will be a very popular grant and given it is available across the region and is open to all business regardless of when they last received a grant - will be extremely popular.