Find Your Corner Pieces First

How do you start a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle?

You find the corner pieces. The corner pieces are your anchors, and once you’ve identified them, you start working on the edges. Only after our edges are in place do we have the framework we need to start piecing together the middle.

We should take the same approach when building our teams. (more…)

Few things mirror that excitement you feel when after three or four interviews, you’re offered the job. A new job with a new team at a new company holds a lot of possibilities, and many times it’s smooth sailing from day one. Unfortunately there are also many times when that first week starts a slow decline, with the new employee feeling disengaged and disillusioned, doubting their place on the team and their decision to accept the job.

Unfortunately, it’s not the new employee’s attitude that goes sour; often it’s the people and the dynamics around them. Here are four of the quickest ways to drain and deflate the new person joining your team. (more…)

Last week I was asked how I’ve been able to create teams that have achieved such high levels of performance. I’ve been fortunate to lead several unique and differently conditioned teams in my career, including:

• New Start Up – a team built from scratch for a new business
• Declining Business – reviving and re-organizing a team
• Purchased Business – taking over an established team
• Two Teams Combined – uniting two headstrong teams into one
• Split Up and Rebuild – Separating one high performing team into two separate areas

Each team called for slightly different adjustments or leadership actions because you create, grow, and lead teams based on the current conditions your business is encountering.

However, there are four actions that have been consistent for my style of building high performing teams in any condition. (more…)