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Atricle Dump - Managing Your Team (Part 1) - Is It Struggling?
If your private practice is not growing niche marketing can help. How can clients find you and purchase your services if you are a generalist? Being a generalist is useful when you live in a small town or remote area. Niche marketing is a specialized area of work that sets you us as an expert. You can market your niche by writing articles, creating e-books or tip sheets, and letting the media know that you are available to give interviews based on your area of expertise.1. Niche marketing is marketing your service or product to a segment of potential consumers (aka your target market).2. A niche can be based on an endless number of segments of the population: age group (e.g. teenagers), a geographical location (e.g. the city of Montreal), an industry (e.g. the mining industry), a group of professionals (e.g.lawyers), a life stage (e.g.
If you have a successful business, chances are you have some kind of expertise that could be packaged into at least one, often more, information product that can both position you as a leading expert in your field, and bring in added streams of income.For instance, say you're a veteran sales consultant who has a unique approach to selling. Certainly you put this into a book or ebook and publish it.However, the perceived value for such products is somewhere between $20 and $47. Your expertise is probably worth much more.For instance, you can set up a monthly program featuring training that members sign up for on a continuing basis. You can deliver the training via teleclasses, Special Reports, audio and/or video training sessions delivered online, ecoaching, or any combination thereof. Such a "train the trainer" program could be mar
The singular most effective way to deal with team problems is to talk about them.
BUT, how do we talk about them? What do we talk about?
It is not uncommon that teams struggle. It could be...
If the team is newly formed and team members are still at the stage of getting to know each other "as part of this unique team", I would like to suggest that article
Understanding Group Dynamics - Stages of Team Growth [2005-10-26], Article ID: 87167
should also be read to understand better the different (and sometimes difficult) stages that a new team will definitely go through.
Suggested Causes Why The Team Is Struggling
Lack of Clear, Specific Objectives
The team or, at least, certain members may feel a little overwhelmed or uncertain as to their responsibilities, their key objectives and especially how they will be measured and held accountable. Moreover, there will be no real sense of Purpose or Direction.
Left unmanaged, this can lead to wasted discussions and activities, no sense of working together, and objectives not being met.
Too Early
Teams can also struggle if the individual members are still unsure of their fellow team members. Some may feel that they still don't know others well enough to discuss issues or engage in real decision making. Some members may be reluctant to view their opinions, make suggestions especially if they are new to the team and are not (or feel they are not) encouraged to do so.
Lack of Consensus
Struggling to make decisions as a group may suggest a lack of consensus and, again, some members are reluctant, a little unsure to indicate that they don't agree and cannot support the team's decisions or conclusions.
Unable To Close
Different thoughts, feelings, fears may be at play here. At the end of a specific project, team members may be reluctant to 'officially' close the project. Maybe they are looking for something more, maybe the feel they are not ready to complete. This can result in decisions / conclusions being left open and the project being delayed.
This can also be the case when moving on from one phase to another. It may also be that team members are reluctant to move on because they feel unsure of what is required of them, there may a lack of a clear plan or, again, objectives are not specific enough.
On a different slant, if the team has been together for some time, bonded well and achieved some significant results or improvements,closing can prove to be a tough time for the team members. In busy organizations, where mutiple deadlines have to be met, this transition may be overlooked or not seen as all that important. Believe me, just as it takes individuals time to become a successful, cohesive unit, it also takes time for that team to separate. Please do not underestimate the importance of this. Sorry, no it doesn't fall into the 'Touchy Feely' category!!!
Fear of Failure
This relates to either the inability to close the project off or even move from one phase to the next. It may be that presentations or reviews have to be made to senior management or groups outside the team and there is a reluctance to share the team's conclusions in case the results are not appreciated or are open to criticism, fair or unfair.
All of these causes can be dealt with and, indeed, avoided. Much of this falls upon the shoulders of team leader but that is not to say that individual team members should not take their share of responsibility in making the team a successful one.
Team Problems and How We Should Talk About Them
Before highlighting some clues for dealing with the above causes, I would like to talk about Feedback. Giving and Receiving Feedback / Constructive Criticism is not easy and we shouldn't kid ourselves that it is.
The ONLY objective has to be successful problem resolution measured by the team making significant progress and moving forward as a cohesive unit.
If anyone uses 'feedback' as a means of delaying progress, revenge, upsetting people or any other less than positive motive, I suggest that the team would be more productive and a lot happier without that individual (no matter how successful that individual is).
Most of us understand the value of team building and interpersonal skills as well as technical skills especially in a leadership or team role. There are some excellent courses on Giving and Receiving Feedback and well worth the investment.
I will cover the basics in a later article.
Let's Not Struggle Any More
Although these clues are aimed at the team leader, again, individual team members have a key role to play in moving the team forward.
When writing web copy for the all-too-noisy World Wide Web, nothing is more powerful than simplicity.As a result, your web copy messages need to be clearly defined and concise.Easier said than done.Entrepreneurs, like artists, tend to complicate things when they don’t have clear vision or direction.Musicians habitually add layers upon layers of heavily processed studio tracks to compensate for weak melodies, hooks or lyrics. Meanwhile, a well-written song comes through loud and clear with any cheap, old acoustic guitar.Likewise, designers sometimes attempt to conceal lack of creativity by cluttering works with unnecessary “fluff,” diminishing chances of making a desired and lasting impression. Clean, simple designs almost always have the greatest impact.When it comes to web copy, the same logic applies: less is
Left unmanaged, this can lead to wasted discussions and activities, no sense of working together, and objectives not being met.
Too Early
Teams can also struggle if the individual members are still unsure of their fellow team members. Some may feel that they still don't know others well enough to discuss issues or engage in real decision making. Some members may be reluctant to view their opinions, make suggestions especially if they are new to the team and are not (or feel they are not) encouraged to do so.
Lack of Consensus
Struggling to make decisions as a group may suggest a lack of consensus and, again, some members are reluctant, a little unsure to indicate that they don't agree and cannot support the team's decisions or conclusions.
Unable To Close
Different thoughts, feelings, fears may be at play here. At the end of a specific project, team members may be reluctant to 'officially' close the project. Maybe they are looking for something more, maybe the feel they are not ready to complete. This can result in decisions / conclusions being left open and the project being delayed.
This can also be the case when moving on from one phase to another. It may also be that team members are reluctant to move on because they feel unsure of what is required of them, there may a lack of a clear plan or, again, objectives are not specific enough.
On a different slant, if the team has been together for some time, bonded well and achieved some significant results or improvements,closing can prove to be a tough time for the team members. In busy organizations, where mutiple deadlines have to be met, this transition may be overlooked or not seen as all that important. Believe me, just as it takes individuals time to become a successful, cohesive unit, it also takes time for that team to separate. Please do not underestimate the importance of this. Sorry, no it doesn't fall into the 'Touchy Feely' category!!!
Fear of Failure
This relates to either the inability to close the project off or even move from one phase to the next. It may be that presentations or reviews have to be made to senior management or groups outside the team and there is a reluctance to share the team's conclusions in case the results are not appreciated or are open to criticism, fair or unfair.
All of these causes can be dealt with and, indeed, avoided. Much of this falls upon the shoulders of team leader but that is not to say that individual team members should not take their share of responsibility in making the team a successful one.
Team Problems and How We Should Talk About Them
Before highlighting some clues for dealing with the above causes, I would like to talk about Feedback. Giving and Receiving Feedback / Constructive Criticism is not easy and we shouldn't kid ourselves that it is.
The ONLY objective has to be successful problem resolution measured by the team making significant progress and moving forward as a cohesive unit.
If anyone uses 'feedback' as a means of delaying progress, revenge, upsetting people or any other less than positive motive, I suggest that the team would be more productive and a lot happier without that individual (no matter how successful that individual is).
Most of us understand the value of team building and interpersonal skills as well as technical skills especially in a leadership or team role. There are some excellent courses on Giving and Receiving Feedback and well worth the investment.
I will cover the basics in a later article.
Let's Not Struggle Any More
Although these clues are aimed at the team leader, again, individual team members have a key role to play in moving the team forward.
A mailing list of valued customers is probably one of the most valuable assets your business could own. The fact of the matter is that a loyal customer will typically spend 5 times more in your business than a new customer. So how do you start to build a list of loyal customers for your business?One of the most effective ways of building your customer list is to use direct mail. It is the ideal tool for testing a new market; announcing a new product or changes to an existing one because of the huge numbers of people you can reach with one mailing campaign.But running a successful direct mail campaign is not as simple as purchasing any mailing list, writing a mail shot, and sending it. To be successful, your mailing campaign needs careful planning.These are our six tips to planning a successful direct mail marketing campaign.
On a different slant, if the team has been together for some time, bonded well and achieved some significant results or improvements,closing can prove to be a tough time for the team members. In busy organizations, where mutiple deadlines have to be met, this transition may be overlooked or not seen as all that important. Believe me, just as it takes individuals time to become a successful, cohesive unit, it also takes time for that team to separate. Please do not underestimate the importance of this. Sorry, no it doesn't fall into the 'Touchy Feely' category!!!
Fear of Failure
This relates to either the inability to close the project off or even move from one phase to the next. It may be that presentations or reviews have to be made to senior management or groups outside the team and there is a reluctance to share the team's conclusions in case the results are not appreciated or are open to criticism, fair or unfair.
All of these causes can be dealt with and, indeed, avoided. Much of this falls upon the shoulders of team leader but that is not to say that individual team members should not take their share of responsibility in making the team a successful one.
Team Problems and How We Should Talk About Them
Before highlighting some clues for dealing with the above causes, I would like to talk about Feedback. Giving and Receiving Feedback / Constructive Criticism is not easy and we shouldn't kid ourselves that it is.
The ONLY objective has to be successful problem resolution measured by the team making significant progress and moving forward as a cohesive unit.
If anyone uses 'feedback' as a means of delaying progress, revenge, upsetting people or any other less than positive motive, I suggest that the team would be more productive and a lot happier without that individual (no matter how successful that individual is).
Most of us understand the value of team building and interpersonal skills as well as technical skills especially in a leadership or team role. There are some excellent courses on Giving and Receiving Feedback and well worth the investment.
I will cover the basics in a later article.
Let's Not Struggle Any More
Although these clues are aimed at the team leader, again, individual team members have a key role to play in moving the team forward.
One of the biggest mistakes both new and experienced managers make is making top-down decisions which impact lower levels, departments or individuals within the organization without discovering a bottom-up perspective on whether or how those decisions will work in the long term. Time and time again in my consulting with clients, I have seen top-down decisions arrived at in the board room or on the golf course, implemented without any regard for the reality that existed within the organization. The effect of these top-down decisions can negatively impact:1. Morale 2. Communication 3. Performance 4. Loyalty 5. Turnover 6. Customer relations 7. Profits 8. Sales costs And a whole lot more.I am not suggesting that every decision made in an organization, department, division or group should involve every
Team Problems and How We Should Talk About Them
Before highlighting some clues for dealing with the above causes, I would like to talk about Feedback. Giving and Receiving Feedback / Constructive Criticism is not easy and we shouldn't kid ourselves that it is.
The ONLY objective has to be successful problem resolution measured by the team making significant progress and moving forward as a cohesive unit.
If anyone uses 'feedback' as a means of delaying progress, revenge, upsetting people or any other less than positive motive, I suggest that the team would be more productive and a lot happier without that individual (no matter how successful that individual is).
Most of us understand the value of team building and interpersonal skills as well as technical skills especially in a leadership or team role. There are some excellent courses on Giving and Receiving Feedback and well worth the investment.
I will cover the basics in a later article.
Let's Not Struggle Any More
Although these clues are aimed at the team leader, again, individual team members have a key role to play in moving the team forward.
In the implementation of Six Sigma, an effective infrastructure lays the foundation for success. An effective infrastructure for your Six Sigma or Lean Flow change initiative in an organization requires a clear strategy and comprehensive planning.Strategizing and PlanningThe planning stage of a Six Sigma deployment is where you can gain valuable traction. A critical factor in a successful deployment is the selection and chartering of the project that link to the strategy of their organization. Project should be selected with an understanding of what areas within the business are struggling to meet performance goals in the standard areas of cost, capacity and customer service. A deployment meeting can be called to create a prioritized project list. Once the projects are selected, project leaders are identified and readied for training. The
The next article will look at Reluctant Team Members.
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