Building a New Website – Much Like Building a Team

I am in the process of preparing to launch a new website.  The process I experienced was much like going through the Tuckman’s stages of Group Development model.  Although I did not work with the IT people face-to-face, we definitely went through some stages.

Forming – this is the initial stage.  Everyone is excited to get started, we set goals and timelines.

Storming – at this stage there is a little friction as conflicting ideas emerge and generally a breakdown in communication (mostly me misunderstanding what I needed to do).

Norming – we persevered and things settled down and we are meeting our objectives.  In fact I am starting to understand the inside workings of a website.

Performing – we are almost ready to launch.  Requests are met with enthusiasm and there is a flow now to our communication.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a big THANK YOU to Lisa Chang and her team at Yenius Interactive Marketing for their patience, guidance and knowledge over the past month.  I have learned a great deal and even though I work alone, I felt part of a team.

The Power of Practice

I was scheduled to deliver a presentation skills program this past Tuesday for 8 people.  When I got to the venue, I was informed there was only going to be 4 people attending.  Since practice is such a big part of our program I thought “Great!” this will give the participants more time to practice.

My “Great” idea of more practice was met with a little less enthusiasm from the participants.  I said they could choose to deliver their presentation one extra time if they wanted to.  I made it clear it was a choice.  After lunch each participant was given time to make revisions to their presentation that they had delivered in the morning.  I was very impressed with the progress each person had made from their original presentation.  The power of practice was evident.

Surprisingly each person was eager deliver their presentation one extra time to further fine tune their message.  At the end of day we debriefed the day and each participant agreed that the real key to delivering a powerful presentation is practice.  Everyone agreed that in the world of athletes, that  only with practice was how they improved, yet they  all said they rarely practiced their presentations prior to taking this program. They committed that in the future they will run through their material as many times as it takes for them to be comfortable.

I think one participant summed it up best with their comment on the evaluation form:  “Class was great because we were able to review presentation 3 times.”

Integrity

One of the most exciting aspects of my role is when I get feedback on the integrity of our alliance members.  In a recent situation I introduced an alliance partner to a client for a harassment program to be delivered to mid level managers.  This alliance partner had some additional questions that needed to be answered above what I had provided in my assessment.  One of the things that needed to be determined was how the senior management would support the learning.

After several discussions, this alliance partner said they could not deliver the program as the senior team was not in alignment with what was to be covered in the program.  This client was very appreciative of the ethics of this alliance partner and has scheduled a training program with the senior team as the initial steps.  Once the senior team is aligned,  the implementation of the required changes will happen at the top, then appropriately filtered down through the rest of the organization.  We often hear that “it starts at the top” in reference to corporate culture and practices and this was certainly the case here.

Understanding the Training Need

Often I get calls from people who want to conduct training.  These requests are made for many different topics.  One of the first things I ask is “What do you want to be different after the training?”  and “How will you know the training was successful?”    These two questions usually result in going a little deeper into the need.  I thought for this month’s blog I would list a few other questions that can be asked when looking at addressing a training need.

1)      How does the environment support the learning?

2)      What will people say or do differently after the training?

3)      Do you want raise awareness, enhance skills or change behaviours?

4)      What are overall attitudes and experience of the attendees?

A Tribute

Over the past month my sisters and I have been caring for my dying father.  Our Dad, Peter Ostertag, died on October 26, 2010.  The reason I am including this tribute to my father on my business blog is what I experienced as we pooled our resources to give our father the absolute best care we could.  His wish was to die at home and we were all committed to do whatever it would take to honour this wish.

I have always known that teams that pull together for the same common goal can achieve extraordinary results, but I actually got to be part of a dynamic team of women and experience teamwork in a new way.

We all came to our Dad’s bedside with different strengths and we simply executed our duties with only one thought in mind “The Best Care For Dad.”  There were emotional moments and feelings of frustration and stress, yet we all seem to work together like a well oiled machine.  Each of us did tasks we have never done before and with no training, this didn’t seem to matter.  We were all honoured to support our father during his last days.

I now see the need for teams to have a shared vision more than ever before.

Rest in peace Dad.

 

Is This the Real Need?

I met with two members of an executive team recently to discuss customer service training.  As this client was answering my questions it became clear to everyone that before any training took place, they needed to make sure it was built on a strong, shared foundation.  The senior team had recently returned from an offsite where they identified the core values of the organization.  Other than having their statements printed and posted on the wall, nothing had been done about plans to integrate these values into the everyday activities of the employees.  I have seen this situation in many organizations where there has not been a process to have these values translated throughout the organization.

In this particular situation I have connected them with alliance partners who can facilitate this process and make sure there is solid foundation before any training is delivered.  We can then move forward and ensure their values are built into every program.

Taking it to the Next Level

I often get asked about a program for a leader to help them take their performance to the next level.  Frequently, these people have been promoted from within and have a deep understanding of their business but they may lack skills in other areas.  In these situations I find out what exactly needs to be different and determine if one of our public offerings would provide the necessary training or would coaching be a better option.

About a year I was approached by an HR Director to discuss possible training for one of their high potential employees.  This individual was doing a great job as a manager and was being considered for a more senior position.  There were a few concerns about this person’s image,  their communication skills and ability to really inspire people.  The HR Director and I explored several options and chose to provide this manager with a coach.    The coach worked with her one-on-one for approximately nine months and  together they worked through many of this individual’s hidden barriers to success.  This manager really embraced the coaching and her when I spoke with the HR Director recently I learned that this manager had been promoted.  The senior executive team has been thoroughly impressed with the transformation of this individual have all expressed their delight in having her as part of the team.  This manager told the HR Director that the coaching not only helped her in her work but also had a very positive affect in her home life as well.

Private or Public Programs?

Occasionally I get calls from organizations that only have a need for a few employees to attend a training session.  We usually first explore if there are other people within the organization that could also benefit from the training.  Most recently we were approached for supervisory training for three shop floor supervisors.  After a few conversations with other departments (accounting, customer service and logistics) it was apparent that all of the supervisors could benefit from a program.  My alliance partner then designed an appropriate program to address the similar and diverse needs of this group.

We had another similar situation and after a careful assessment determined the best approach for this company was to send their three supervisors to our alliance partner’s public program.  In both cases the clients were thrilled at the results.

FUN Assessment

During a meeting with a client, the conversation shifted to assessment tools.  We both agreed that there was a multitude of options and how important it is to choose the right tool for the group.  He was interested in having a program conducted for their administration team.  The group was fairly young, most of the employees under 30 years old.  They had never conducted an assessment in the past. He wanted an assessment that would be fun and also easy to transfer back to the workplace.  We decided on True Colors for a number of reasons, but primarily due to the interactive nature of the program.  True Colors programs are often referred to as “Edutainment.”  I recently did a 6 month follow up call with this client and he said the employees still use the tools they learned in the program and their communication has improved significantly.   He said the reason he thought his team retained the learning was because he purchased small items (ie clock, dice, picture) for his employees in their primary color that they displayed openly on their desk.  It served as a constant reminder of each others preferences.  Simple solution with great results!

The Importance of Follow Up

A colleague and I completed a  follow up session for a sales training program we did late last fall.  During the session we discussed all the changes that had occurred since the training.  Both my colleague and I were very impressed with the behaviour change and shift in attitudes toward prospecting.  This sales team was a delight to work with and responded well to the coaching that took place between the initial program and the follow up session.

I think it is imperative for sustainable change to provide clients with a structure to support the learning once everyone is back doing their day-to-day activities.  It is easy to slip back into old patterns unless there is structure and a way to celebrate small successes along the way.