Teambuilding That Gets Results: Essential Plans and Activities for Creating Effective Teams (Quick Start Your Business)

258 Pages·2007·1.82 MB·English

by  Linda Diamond

Teambuilding Results Cvr 11/28/06 11:56 AM Page 1
Quick Start
Get the Best Out of Your People
Quick Start
YOUR
BUSINESS
YOUR BUSINESS
TT
Training a talented, reliable team gives you the time and confidence to grow
EE
your business. Filled with checklists, self-assessment quizzes and team- and TTeeaammbbuuiillddiinngg
AA
leadership-building activities,Teambuilding That Gets Results contains
everything you need to know about assembling and leading a profitable team. MM
BB
Learn all the necessary skills to construct your
UU
own stellar team: TThhaatt GGeettss
II
LL
g Run quick, profitable meetings g Initiate positive change RReessuullttss
DD
g Master clear, concise g Monitor your team and their
II
communication skills results
NN
g Give positive, constructive g Expand your team and hire
GG
feedback the best person for the job
g Embrace the importance of g Network and utilize other TT
cultural consciousness external resources HH
AA
TT
“Teambuilding That Gets Results is an excellent resource not only for the owner GG
EE IInncclluuddeess ttoopp
of a growing business, but for any manager developing a company team with TT Essential Plans and
SS
an entrepreneurial spirit.” tteeaammbbuuiillddiinngg
—Armand Pasquini, Area Director, Starwood Hotels RR Activities for Creating
aaccttiivviittiieess
EE
Harriet Diamond,freelance writer and author of seven business books,founded Diamond Associates, SS Effective Teams ffoorr ffaasstt rreessuullttss
atraining and consulting company that delivers teambuilding,change,and customer service solutions.
UU
She serves on the advisory board of Enterprising Women,amagazine for women business owners.Visit
HarrietDiamond.net.
LL
g Building strong, flexible g Examples of effective team
Linda Eve Diamond designed,wrote,and conducted training programs for Diamond Associates and TT
teams models
is now a full-time freelance writer and author of several business books.Visit LindaEveDiamond.com.
SS
g Accurate team assessment g Creating teams that will
Business/Small Business $16.95 U.S.
succeed
ISBN 13: 978-1-4022-0746-4 $21.95 CAN DD g Picking the best activities
www.sourcebooks.com ISBN 10: 1-4022-0746-8 £9.99 UK IAIA for your employees g The top teambuilding
MM
OO
activities
C N NN
P A DD
U E
LINDA EVE DIAMOND AND HARRIET DIAMOND
RealTeamBuildingARC_INT.doc 10/30/06 11:03 AM Page i
Teambuilding
That Gets Results
ESSENTIAL PLANS AND
ACTIVITIES FOR CREATING
EFFECTIVE TEAMS
LINDA EVE DIAMOND AND HARRIET DIAMOND
RealTeamBuildingARC_INT.doc 10/30/06 11:03 AM Page ii
Copyright © 2007 by Linda Eve Diamond and Harriet Diamond
Cover and internal design © 2007 by Sourcebooks,Inc.
Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks,Inc.
All rights reserved.No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechan-
ical means including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher,Sourcebooks,
Inc.
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject
matter covered.It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal,
accounting,or other professional service.If legal advice or other expert assistance is required,the serv-
ices of a competent professional person should be sought.—From a Declaration of Principles Jointly
Adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and
Associations
All brand names and product names used in this book are trademarks,registered trademarks,or trade
names of their respective holders.Sourcebooks,Inc.,is not associated with any product or vendor in this
book.
Published by Sourcebooks,Inc.
P.O.Box 4410,Naperville,Illinois 60567-4410
[phone]
FAX:[phone]
www.sourcebooks.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Diamond,Linda Eve.
Teambuilding that gets results :essential plans and activities
for creating effective teams / Linda Eve Diamond and Harriet Diamond.
p.cm.
Includes index.
ISBN-13:978-1-4022-1690-97-6-0746-4
ISBN-10:1-4022-1690-4-0746-8
1. Teams in the workplace.2. Interpersonal communication.3.
Organizational effectiveness.4. Business networks. I.Diamond,
Harriet.II.Title.
HD66.D53 2007
658.4'022--dc22
2006032032
Printed and bound in the United States of America.
CH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
RealTeamBuildingARC_INT.doc 10/30/06 11:08 AM Page iii
Contents
Acknowledgments ..............................................................v
Introduction.......................................................................vii
Chapter 1: Teams................................................................3
Chapter 2: Team Development..........................................25
Chapter 3: Team Processes................................................49
Chapter 4: Communication................................................73
Chapter 5: Feedback.........................................................99
Chapter 6: The Culture Mix.............................................121
Chapter 7: Change: The Only Constant............................139
Chapter 8: The Virtual Team ...........................................157
Chapter 9: Periodic Inventory .........................................173
Chapter 10: Expanding Your Internal Team.....................193
Chapter 11: Don’t Grow It Alone.....................................219
Appendix A: Reflect and Compare..................................237
Appendix B: Activity Reference.......................................241
Index..............................................................................244
About the Authors ..........................................................250
RealTeamBuildingARC_INT.doc 10/30/06 11:03 AM Page iv
RealTeamBuildingARC_INT.doc 10/30/06 11:03 AM Page v
Acknowledgments
We thank each contributor for being part of our team. In true team spirit,
these diverse and inspiring role models added depth and dimension to this
book that we would not have achieved on our own.
Our many thanks to you: Steven Adubato, James Desena, Tom Terez,
Susan Brenner, Mel Silberman, James Neill, Sandra Richardson, Betty
Jagoda Murphy,Dino Signore,William Miller,Patricia May,Patty Brigugilio,
Anne Saunier,Roger Hillman,Matthew Odette,Vadim Kotelnikov,Natalie
Gast,Val Boyko,Sondra Sen,Ronald Bell,Lisa Savage,Rochelle Devereaux,
Steve Lefkowitz, Kathleene Derrig-Palumbo, Jeffrey D. Zbar, Valerie
Shondel, Theresa Weed Newman, and Lurita Doane. Our thanks, too, to
Monica Smiley,Raylie Dunkel,and Marcia Firestone,who helped build our
team by referring us to many rich sources,and to Daniel Libeskind,whose
remarks during a lecture inspired our opening chapter.
We could not have completed this project without our own team:Grace
Freedson,our agent,for introducing us to Sourcebooks,and to Peter Lynch
and Erin Nevius for the free reign to develop our concept for this book and
their incisive comments that enhanced it.Last,but never least,our in-house
counsel and sounding board,Michael Diamond.
Additional thoughts and thanks from Harriet:Team influence is a cumu-
lative journey. I’ve been a team leader and a team player in many settings.
My thanks to those who mentored me and those who trusted my guidance,
to the business organizations that helped me grow and allowed me to lead,
to the clients who put their teams in my hands and the training/consulting
team that made it possible for me to honor that trust. My most trusted
teammate, and surely most patient, is my coauthor and daughter, Linda,
whose energy and creativity are reflected in all my work of recent decades.
Additional thoughts and thanks from Linda: First as a team member in
her corporate training company,then as her writing partner,I learned,from
example, about motivational leadership and teamwork the same place I
learned all of life’s most valuable lessons—from my mom.Thanks,partner!
RealTeamBuildingARC_INT.doc 10/30/06 11:03 AM Page vi
RealTeamBuildingARC_INT.doc 10/30/06 11:03 AM Page 1
Introduction
Building and leading a team that gets results begins with establishing a team
mindset,for yourself and your team.For that reason,Teambuilding That Gets
Resultsbegins with a discussion of what a team is and the essential nature of
the team mindset.From there,we lead you through the stages of team devel-
opment, then team processes and the foundational skills that make teams
work,including communication,feedback,and change.We then expand on
the culture mix and the virtual team because these elements have become
increasingly common,and each presents unique team challenges.
Later chapters offer guidelines for periodically taking stock of your team
and expanding your internal team:What are your goals? Is it time to hire?
How do you find a good “fit”?
We conclude by asking you to step back to take a broader look at your
extended team. Who is or could be on your team? Do you consider only
employees “part of your team”? Think beyond the scope of your office (real
or virtual);think beyond those on your payroll.Who else has or could have
an interest in your business or contribute to your team? You most likely have
the makings of a more powerful,results-oriented team than you realize.
Throughout the book, you will find team activities ranging from those
designed expressly for teambuilding—forging relationships, building trust,
working together from new angles, bonding—to those designed with spe-
cific outcomes for business growth. In addition, leadership activities offer
guidance and help you keep and refine your perspective as you continue
throughout the process of building and strengthening your team.Appendix
B provides a list of all activities by chapter for easy reference.
RealTeamBuildingARC_INT.doc 10/30/06 11:03 AM Page 2
RealTeamBuildingARC_INT.doc 10/30/06 11:03 AM Page 3
1
Chapter
Teams
“No one can whistle a symphony. It takes
an orchestra to play it.” —H.E. Luccock
g What Is Teamwork?
g Teams at Play
g Sports and Teams
g What Team?
g Teams That Work
g Empowering Leadership
g Stating Your Vision
g Teeming with Teams