I see you're new here. Welcome! If you like what you see, learn now about how you can be notified each time we post a new article. Then come back and subscribe for free to CMOE's RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

The Team Overview:

At an earlier time in my career, I was commissioned to be on a project team responsible for redesigning a company’s sales training program. The old program had become archaic and cumbersome and was obviously in need of a major overhaul. A number of individuals were selected to be a part of this project team. The people selected to work on this came from markets across the country and from various roles and positions within the organization. For many of us, this was the first time we had met each other, let alone work together and on such an important endeavor. We were brought together for a week of intense discussion and design.

• Be the first to comment...

A few years ago, I read an interesting story about a CEO of a large hospital and rehabilitation network. As a CEO, he emphasized that the organization could be more successful if people would work together and “pull the wagon” rather than working at cross purposes. He wanted to discourage the aimless independent work and fruitless efforts that seemed to be impeding their progress.

• Be the first to comment...

Whether through college courses, the workplace, sports, or personal endeavors, I have been a member of many teams. Some teams have been effective while others have not. I noticed there is a common thread in many of them. MEDIOCRITY. I can’t say that I am completely innocent of this, still, I am shocked at how often it occurs. Why is mediocrity in the driver sear of so many ineffective teams?

It seems to me that the mentality that often arises in teams is, “Great! I don’t have to work as much or as hard because the work load will be distributed.” Sadly, these individuals become distracted, too busy, or confused, so they coast through relying on the others to pull the slack.

• Be the first to comment...

What does a high performance team look like? Can you give me a working example? To these often asked questions, I reply, “There are many examples of organizations, business units, sales teams, sports teams that produce great results because of the commitment to teamwork and leadership.” However, there is one team I commonly refer to that gets many people excited and intrigued to learn more and see this team in action for themselves.
I like to add a bit of intrigue once in a while, so I begin with clues:

• Eight pilots
• Four support officers
• 120 active duty military personnel

• Be the first to comment...

Most of us are familiar with the cliché statement “There is no “I” in team!” This is true especially when team members only focus on the “I,” and see an opportunity to benefit only themselves and not the team as a whole. Their work goes from great to another word that has an “I” -MEDIOCRITY.

• View 1 Comment...

When it comes to teamwork, my junior year in high school comes to mind. Our volleyball team was the worst in the league with only three wins and the upcoming season did not look promising. But, instead of feeling sorry for ourselves, we determined that we were going to win the Regional CIF Championship. Throughout practices, games, and even off the court, we reminded each other about our goal. We focused our will, strength, effort, and talent, to ONE goal–to win the championship. We knew in order to do this we had to take one game at a time, one practice after another, and maintain a strong unity to excel and defeat the odds.To be honest, we weren’t the best team. Our team didn’t really have one key “star” player. No one was incredible and noticeably amazing. But our goal overcame our differences and varying backgrounds, it surpassed all other issues and prevailed over obstacles. With close teamwork and drive, we were collectively better as a team than if we were stuck on our own. We ended up winning the CIF Championship that year.

• Be the first to comment...

Just about anywhere you look you can find individuals who have helped lead teams to great success. There are probably many individuals you can think of right now leading and helping teams function at their peak performance. Sir Alex is one of those individuals who has been able to help individuals hone their team skills to create an unstoppable force that is admired and appreciated by many.

Background

The Premier League in England is one of the most well respected football (soccer) leagues in the world. Manchester United, a club within the Premier League is the most successful club in the Leagues history. Sir Alex has led Manchester United in winning the league title nine times: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007.

• View 1 Comment...

The Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness (CMOE) would like to welcome you to the Leadership in Action blog where you are invited to engage in a conversation with us on the topics of leadership, teamwork, strategy, and coaching skills.

We are excited to provide this new service and offer our 30 years of experience in building lasting partnerships in the workplace. CMOE has created, designed, and delivered performance solutions to organizations which stand out as leaders in their industries. Johnson Controls, Wells Fargo, HP, Pfizer, Cargill, Delta Airlines and many who have benefited from CMOE’s proven and research based learning and performance improvement services.

• Be the first to comment...