Team Building

This service involves a process of helping a leadership team in Phoenix or Scottsdale improve its cohesion and effectiveness by addressing the specific areas that emerge from an assessment of the team’s effectiveness.

My approach in team building begins with an assessment of the teams needs. This normally includes interviewing members of the team and using assessments like ‘The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team’. Based on the needs identified during the interviews, an offsite program is designed with input from the client sponsor that may consist of one or more modules that meet the specific development needs of the team.

I’ve learned that team needs fall into two broad categories:

Team behaviors (identifying ineffective behaviors and planning for behavior change)
Team process (e.g. collaboration, decision making, communication, conflict)

Here’s a list of some examples Damien has included in his team development offsites.

Understanding style differences

Most team development programs include a module that uses a powerful psychometric tool such as the MBTI (Myers-Briggs), DiSC or other style tools. Assessments provide an opportunity for team members to understand their own and other team members’ differences and preferences leading to improved cooperation, cohesion, communication and overall effectiveness.

Conflict Management

A common need team members have is the ability to have “difficult conversations” inevitably arising among team members. Other topics in this module include providing team members with an understanding of the basic causes of conflict. Team members also have an opportunity to identify areas of current and potential conflict and are provided with practical approaches and resolutions.

Change Management

Often the reason for team conflict is a poor understanding of the psychology of change and how to deal with it. This module provides the team with practical ways to move through change. It addresses not only the change itself but what has to “leave the system” when there is a change from a cultural, economic and organizational perspective.

Team Operating Values

Teams tend to operate more effectively when they make their operating values or “rules of engagement” explicit. For example: Is it OK for team members to remain silent during a decision and then speak against the decision at the “water cooler”? Or is it OK for team members to miss meetings without a good excuse? This module helps the team develop and document these values, commit to them and create a process for staying accountable to the values.

Creating a High Performance Team

In this module, the team members explore the characteristics of high performance teams. The team assesses itself against eight characteristics of high performance teams and develops strategies for improvement.

Communication

This module is focused on helping the team improve its communication through examining the typical barriers to good communication and developing practical approaches for improving the communication.

Team Decision Making

This module provides the team a practical way to set the context for a decision, identify the roles and authorities in the process and gain commitment to the decision that is made through the use of participative approaches.

Action Planning

All team interventions end with a module designed to assist the team in developing action plans that move the team from “good ideas” to actual working systems. It relies on processes and principles that have proven effective for all kinds of teams.

Contact Information

tel: 602.944.4469
email: Click Here

Testimonial

Damien really helped me focus on what I needed to do to become more effective as a CEO. I had built my business to where it was both running and ruining my life. As a result of my work with Damien, my business is growing in a manageable way and my leadership team are much happier with my performance.

- Peter