Tag Archives: teamwork

Top 10 Human-Centered Change & Innovation Articles of January 2025

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Top 10 Human-Centered Change & Innovation Articles of January 2025Drum roll please…

At the beginning of each month, we will profile the ten articles from the previous month that generated the most traffic to Human-Centered Change & Innovation. Did your favorite make the cut?

But enough delay, here are January’s ten most popular innovation posts:

  1. A Toolbox for High-Performance Teams — by Stefan Lindegaard
  2. Top 100 Innovation and Transformation Articles of 2024 — Curated by Braden Kelley
  3. The Twelve Killers of Innovation — by Robyn Bolton
  4. Building Trust for High Performing Teams — by David Burkus
  5. Be Ridiculously Easy to Do Business With — by Shep Hyken
  6. Uncertainty Isn’t Always Bad — by Mike Shipulski
  7. The Real Winners of Mega Events — by Shep Hyken
  8. Five Must Reads for 2025 — by Robyn Bolton
  9. Don’t Slow Roll Your Transformation — by Geoffrey A. Moore
  10. Is it Time to ReLearn to Work? — by Geoffrey A. Moore

BONUS – Here are five more strong articles published in December that continue to resonate with people:

If you’re not familiar with Human-Centered Change & Innovation, we publish 4-7 new articles every week built around innovation and transformation insights from our roster of contributing authors and ad hoc submissions from community members. Get the articles right in your Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin feeds too!

SPECIAL BONUS: While supplies last, you can get the hardcover version of my first bestselling book Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire for 44% OFF until Amazon runs out of stock or changes the price. This deal won’t last long, so grab your copy while it lasts!

Build a Common Language of Innovation on your team

Have something to contribute?

Human-Centered Change & Innovation is open to contributions from any and all innovation and transformation professionals out there (practitioners, professors, researchers, consultants, authors, etc.) who have valuable human-centered change and innovation insights to share with everyone for the greater good. If you’d like to contribute, please contact me.

P.S. Here are our Top 40 Innovation Bloggers lists from the last four years:

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Five Secrets of Team Motivation

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Five Secrets of Team Motivation

GUEST POST from David Burkus

Every team leader knows the importance of keeping their team motivated. The more motivated your team, the more productive they are, and the better results they deliver. Research suggests that the more powerful form of motivation is intrinsic, flowing from an individual’s desire to do the work or achieve the outcome for their own reasons—not bonuses, awards, or other extrinsic motivators leaders often use. But that doesn’t mean leaders are out of options.

While your team will still be best motivated through reasons that are individual, there are still a few tactics you can use to motivate your team by creating a culture and climate where intrinsic motivation is most likely to develop.

In this article, we’ll explore five effective ways to motivate your team, ensuring they remain focused, engaged, and driven to achieve their goals.

1. Describe the End Goal

The first way to motivate your team is to describe the end goal. Leaders achieve this by giving them a clear and tangible objective to work towards. By describing the end goal, you provide a big objective that motivates individuals and gives them a sense of purpose. This is particularly useful in ambiguous and volatile times when the path forward may not be clear.

One valuable concept to consider is letting the team know the “Commander’s Intent.” This is a clear and concise statement that defines what “done” looks like and keeps people focused. This military term refers to the practice of clearly communicating the desired end state of an operation, allowing individuals to adapt their actions to achieve this goal. This not only motivates individuals but also fosters a sense of autonomy and responsibility.

2. Set Milestones

The second way to motivate your team is to set milestones. Milestones are the smaller objectives that signify progress toward the end goal. Milestones provide checkpoints for teams to use to measure progress, a potent motivator in its own right. And milestones help the team see see how their work contributes to the larger objectives.

Additionally, deciding on the order of tasks can give individuals a sense of autonomy over the overall project, further boosting their motivation. You may not have been able to choose your end goal, but teams can still look at their expected deliverables and create their own series of checkpoints or milestones that help them feel more in control of the project—and autonomy and control help create intrinsic motivation.

3. Celebrate Small Wins

The third way to motivate your team is to celebrate small wins. This involves acknowledging and appreciating the progress made by individuals and the team, no matter how small. Celebrating small wins helps to motivate the team and signify progress, fostering a positive work environment. And obviously, this method is difficult without establishing milestones in the previous method. Achieving those checkpoints is a perfect time to celebrate small wins.

But wins can be even smaller, like having a good day, completing a task, or receiving help from someone else. Celebrations can be done in various ways, in person over food or drinks, through a round of emails praising the win, or simply just acknowledging the achievement in a team meeting. The key is to make sure the team feels appreciated and valued.

4. Learn from Failures

The fourth way to motivate your team is to learn from failures. Failures are inevitable in any team or project. However, the way you handle these failures can greatly impact your team’s motivation. Instead of blaming others, it’s important to learn from these mistakes and use them as opportunities for growth.

Leaders and influential teammates can help extract lessons from failures and encourage transparency. This creates a psychologically safe environment where individuals feel supported and are more willing to take risks. This not only promotes learning and increases performance, but also fosters intrinsic motivation because learning—even learning through failures—helps people tap into a sense of growth and mastery, both of which are powerful triggers for intrinsic motivation.

5. Turn “Why” into “Who”

The final way to motivate your team is to turn the “why” into “who.” This involves focusing on the individuals or groups that benefit from the team’s work, instead of just relying on the organizational mission or vision statement to motivate for you. Leaders who create a sense of this “pro-social purpose” find themselves leading teams who are more motivated, but also more bonded. Pro-social motivation and purpose are key to intrinsic motivation, helping individuals see the impact of their work.

Knowing who is served by the work helps individuals and the team stay motivated. The specific “who” can vary for each team and individual, but the key is to make sure everyone understands the value and impact of their work.

By implementing these five strategies, leaders can create an environment where team members feel intrinsically motivated and can do their best work. Remember, motivation is not a one-time event, but a continuous process that requires ongoing effort and attention—a process that leads everyone to do their best work ever.

Image credit: misterinnovation.com

Originally published on DavidBurkus.com on November 6, 2023

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Building Trust for High Performing Teams

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Building Trust for High Performing Teams

GUEST POST from David Burkus

Trust is the bedrock upon which successful teams are built. High-performing teams are characterized by an elevated level of trust. This trust in high performing teams manifests in four distinct ways: teams trust each other to deliver, they trust that they can share new ideas, they trust that they can disagree, and they trust that they can make mistakes. Each of these aspects of trust contributes to the overall success and productivity of the team.

As a leader, it is your responsibility to set the tone and model trust within your team. This involves creating an environment where team members feel safe to share their ideas, voice their disagreements, and admit their mistakes. By doing so, you can foster a culture of trust that drives your team towards high performance.

In this article, we’ll review each type of trust in high performing teams and offer ways leaders can build each.

Teams Trust Each Other To Deliver

Trust in a team begins with the belief that each member will deliver on their commitments. This trust is built on clarity and understanding of each person’s role within the team. When team members understand how their work contributes to the overall team goals, they are more likely to feel accountable and deliver on their commitments. Lack of trust can manifest when people don’t know how their work fits into the team. This can lead to confusion, miscommunication, and ultimately, a failure to meet team objectives.

Regular team huddles can improve clarity and accountability, thereby fostering trust in the team’s ability to deliver. In huddles, the team meets at regular intervals to review progress, set new priorities, and discuss any potential roadblocks. Doing so as a team not only keeps everyone on the same page, over time it can instill a belief in each person that their teammates can deliver on their promises (assuming, of course, the teammates are actually delivering on their promises).

Teams Trust They Can Share New Ideas

High-performing teams are often characterized by their ability to generate and welcome new ideas. This requires a culture of trust where team members feel safe to share their out-of-the-box thinking. Diversity of experiences and perspectives can lead to innovative ideas that drive the team forward. But only if team members feel safe enough to share the innovative ideas that stem from their diverse perspectives.

Leaders play a crucial role in fostering this culture of trust. By modeling active listening and creating an environment where new ideas are considered and valued, leaders can encourage their team members to share their thoughts and contribute to the team’s innovation. When leaders demonstrate how to respect the new ideas of others, hearing them out fully, and discuss them, they not only teach the team how to do so but they send a message to everyone that “crazy” ideas are welcome here.

Teams Trust That They Can Disagree

Disagreements are a natural part of any team’s dynamics. As teammates from different backgrounds, perspectives or experiences discuss their problems or plan out critical tasks, they’re going to disagree on the best way forward. In low-performing teams, this conflict is often avoided, and ideas suppressed. However, in high-performing teams, disagreements are viewed as opportunities for growth and improvement. Team members trust that they can voice their disagreements and have their ideas challenged in a respectful and constructive manner.

Leaders can foster this trust by setting the tone for disagreements. When teammates speak up to disagree with a leader, it’s an opportunity to model respectful dissent and discussion. When teammates disagree with each other, it’s an opportunity for the leader to “referee” the conflict and establish ground rules for keeping conflict task focused. By welcoming disagreements and ensuring that everyone feels heard, leaders can create a safe space for constructive conflict and continuous improvement.

Teams Trust They Can Make Mistakes

Mistakes are inevitable in any team. Teams will make assumptions about the environment or get hit with unexpected changes. Failure on a team is unavoidable even on the highest-performing teams. In low-performing teams, failures quickly turn into blame sessions, which each member trying to save their own skin. However, in high-performing teams, mistakes are viewed as learning opportunities rather than failures. This requires a culture of trust where team members feel safe to admit their mistakes and learn from them.

In dysfunctional teams, people often hide their failures due to fear of judgment or exploitation. Leaders can counteract this by modeling vulnerability and admitting their own mistakes. This can help to build trust and create a safe environment for team members to learn and grow. When a team witnesses a leader taking responsibility for failure or admitting a shortcoming, they’re more likely to trust that leader in the future—and to trust each other.

Trust is the cornerstone of high-performing teams. It manifests in the team’s ability to deliver, share new ideas, disagree constructively, and admit mistakes. As a leader, it is your responsibility to foster this trust within your team. By setting the tone and modeling trust, you can create an environment where your team can thrive and do its best work ever.

Image credit: Pixabay

Originally published on DavidBurkus.com on October 30, 2023

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Overcoming Team Conflict

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Overcoming Team Conflict

GUEST POST from David Burkus

Conflict on a team is inevitable. On diverse teams, where individuals come from varying backgrounds and possess differing opinions, those opinions will clash often in the form of disagreements and conflicts. Understanding the types of team conflict that can arise in a team setting is crucial for effective management and resolution.

In this article, we will delve into the four types of team conflict: relationship conflict, task conflict, status conflict, and process conflict.

Each type of conflict has its unique characteristics, causes, and potential solutions. By understanding these conflicts, leaders can respond appropriately in the moment, setting the team up to harness the benefits of conflict rather than letting it become a destructive force.

1. Relationship Conflict

The first type of team conflict is relationship conflict. This is a type of conflict that arises from differing personalities, experiences, and identities. This type of conflict can undermine trust and belonging on the team, creating a negative atmosphere. It’s crucial for leaders to address relationship conflicts promptly and effectively to prevent them from escalating.

Resolving relationship conflict requires empathy and understanding. Private discussions between conflicting individuals can help identify triggers and allow for open communication. It’s important to focus on specific behaviors and their impact, rather than making accusations or assuming motives. By addressing the behavior rather than the person, leaders can help individuals understand how their actions affect the team and encourage them to adjust their behavior accordingly.

2. Task Conflict

The second type of team conflict is task conflict. This is a positive type of conflict that arises from differing opinions on how to complete tasks. This type of conflict can be harnessed to encourage discussion and find the best plan of action. It indicates that the team is leveraging diversity for better performance.

When dealing with task conflict, it’s important to avoid personal attacks and assumptions. Instead, leaders should encourage team members to ask intelligent questions about the assumptions behind ideas. By discussing different perspectives openly, the team can increase the chances of finding the best way to achieve tasks. This type of conflict, when managed properly, can lead to innovative solutions and improved team performance.

3. Status Conflict

The third type of team conflict is status conflict. This involves power struggles and hierarchy within the team. Unlike task conflict, status conflict has no positive outcome and can create a toxic work environment. It’s crucial for leaders to address status conflicts promptly and effectively to prevent them from escalating.

Status conflict is about people’s opinions of their position in an invisible hierarchy within the team. To address this type of conflict, leaders can create rituals and experiences that signal equality and discourage status games. It’s also important for leaders to lead by example and send the message that everyone’s opinion is valued equally, regardless of their position in the team.

4. Process Conflict

The final type of team conflict is process conflict. This conflict arises from disagreements about how tasks are delegated and the best process for achieving them. This type of conflict can be resolved by getting to know team members’ strengths and weaknesses and explaining decisions that may go against their preferences.

Process conflict can occur when there are differing opinions on who should do a task or when someone tries to avoid responsibility. By understanding team members’ strengths and weaknesses, leaders can delegate tasks more effectively and prevent process conflicts. It’s also important to explain decisions that may go against team members’ preferences to prevent process conflict from turning into status conflict.

As a leader, understanding the different types of team conflict is crucial for effective conflict management. By responding to each type of conflict in the moment and setting the team up to harness the benefits of conflict, leaders can foster a positive and productive work environment. Remember, conflict isn’t necessarily a bad thing. When managed properly, it can lead to team’s having their best ideas and individuals doing their best work ever.

Image credit: Pixabay

Originally published on DavidBurkus.com on October 23, 2023

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Your Blueprint for Building High-Performance Teams

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Your Blueprint for Building High-Performance Teams

GUEST POST from Stefan Lindegaard

What can leaders do to enhance their skills, mindset, and toolbox to build and lead high-performance teams? This is the driving question behind this series of discussions and articles, which together create a blueprint designed to help you and other leaders excel in the competitive arena of team leadership.

The High-Performance Team Blueprint

This blueprint begins with a focus on personal leadership development – assessing your current skills, adopting new mindsets, and acquiring the necessary tools before moving on to actionable strategies for team building.

This phased approach ensures that you first strengthen your own leadership foundations, which is crucial for effectively applying these skills to influence team dynamics and organizational strategies.

Here, I will outline the key components of the blueprint. I encourage you to reflect on these concepts, apply them to your context, and share your feedback, ideas, and perspectives. This collaborative effort will enrich the discussion and enhance the utility of the strategies presented.

The Blueprint Overview

1. Understanding High-Performance Leadership: What Makes It Different?

Explore the unique characteristics of high-performance leadership that set it apart from traditional leadership approaches. This element focuses on the transformative abilities leaders must have to drive exceptional team outcomes, such as fostering a culture where trust, empowerment, and collaboration are the norm. Understand the impact these traits have on organizational success and learn how to cultivate them in your leadership style.

2. Self-Assessment for Leaders: Are You Ready for High-Performance?

Assess your readiness to lead a high-performance team by critically evaluating your current leadership style and capabilities. This section provides tools and frameworks that help you measure your effectiveness in essential areas such as building trust, empowering others, and facilitating collaboration. It also guides you through identifying gaps in your leadership approach and setting goals for improvement.

3. Developing the High-Performance Leader: Mindset and Key Skills

Enhance key leadership skills that are essential for managing high-performance teams. Focus on developing transparency to build trust, fostering autonomy to empower your team, and promoting inclusivity to enhance collaboration. This section offers practical strategies and exercises to strengthen these skills and encourages you to integrate them into your daily leadership practice.

4. Training and Resources for High-Performance Leadership

Discover and engage with training programs and resources that are specifically designed to enhance your leadership in the realms of psychological safety, team empowerment, and effective collaboration. This element helps you navigate the wide array of educational materials and professional development opportunities available, selecting those that align best with your personal and organizational needs.

5. Building Your High-Performance Team: Make It Happen

Put your enhanced leadership skills to the test by forming your high-performance team. This practical guide provides detailed steps for selecting team members who align with high-performance values, defining clear and impactful roles, and setting strategic goals that motivate and challenge the team. Learn how to lay the foundation for effective team dynamics from the outset.

6. Sustaining Team Performance: Cultivating Culture and Engagement

Delve into strategies to maintain and boost team performance over the long term. This section emphasizes the importance of nurturing a culture that values continuous improvement, open communication, and mutual support. Explore ways to keep your team engaged and motivated, ensuring that the high-performance mindset becomes embedded in everyday operations.

7. Scaling High-Performance Practices: Leadership in Action

Explore effective strategies for broadening the implementation of high-performance practices throughout the organization. Learn how to adapt the core principles of trust, empowerment, and collaboration to various team structures and organizational contexts. This element focuses on overcoming challenges associated with scaling these practices, ensuring they enhance productivity and engagement across all levels.

8. Evaluating and Enhancing Team Performance: Tools for Leaders

Master the use of sophisticated tools to monitor and refine your team’s performance. This section teaches you how to implement data-driven approaches for tracking key performance indicators related to trust, empowerment, and collaboration. Gain insights on interpreting these metrics and using them to make informed decisions that drive continuous team improvement and organizational success.

Approach and Progression

This blueprint is structured as a progressive journey designed to enhance your leadership capabilities and equip you to effectively manage high-performance teams.

Here’s how each phase builds upon the previous, guiding you from foundational development to broader organizational impact:

Foundation Phase (Elements 1-4): This initial stage focuses on building the core skills and insights necessary to foster a high-performance culture. It centers on personal leadership development, laying the groundwork for effective team leadership. You’ll explore high-performance leadership traits, assess your current capabilities, develop key skills, and identify valuable training resources.

Implementation Phase (Elements 5-6): During this middle stage, you’ll apply the skills you’ve developed to real-world team settings. This phase is about putting theory into practice by forming and sustaining teams that demonstrate high performance through established trust, clear empowerment, and effective collaboration. You’ll learn to build your first high-performance team and cultivate a culture that supports ongoing success.

Scaling Phase (Elements 7-8): The final stage is about expanding the reach of your successful practices across the organization. You’ll apply proven strategies from your initial team to other parts of the company and employ advanced analytical tools to assess and enhance their effectiveness. This phase ensures that the high-performance practices are sustainable and can lead to lasting improvements across the company.

A structured pathway as this one ensures that your development as a leader is comprehensive and continuous, enabling you to not only learn and grow personally but also apply these advancements effectively to achieve lasting organizational success.

Image Credits: Pixabay

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The Duality of High-Performing Teams

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The Duality of High-Performing Teams

GUEST POST from David Burkus

High-performing teams are often perceived as having extraordinary talents and capabilities, but they are not that different from regular teams—at least in terms of composition. Research indicates that high-performing teams are not just about having exceptionally talented individuals. Instead, they excel in understanding how to collaborate effectively and harness the diverse talents within the team.

In other words, talent doesn’t make the team. The team makes the talent.

The foundational quality that turns everyday people into members of a high-performing team is common understanding, sometimes called shared understanding or collective intelligence. Common understanding encompasses a shared grasp of the team’s collective expertise, assigned tasks, personality differences, work preferences, strengths, and weaknesses. This understanding can be broken down into two crucial aspects for leaders: clarity and empathy.

In this article, we’ll outline the importance of common understanding and provide practical ways to build clarity and empathy on any team.

1. Clarity

Clarity within a team is about ensuring that every member comprehends their roles and responsibilities, tasks, and deadlines. When team members have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and their teammates, they are more engaged, more productive, and even more collaborative. Clarity also allows individuals to operate within their sweet spot of capabilities, avoiding boredom or feeling overwhelmed.

One activity that can establish and maintain clarity on a team is the regular huddle. A huddle is a short, sync-up session where team members answer questions like, “What did I just complete? What am I focused on next? What’s blocking my progress?” These questions help everyone stay aligned, distribute tasks, set deadlines, and offer support when needed. Huddles promote transparency and keep everyone accountable, making it easier to identify issues and slackers without micromanaging.

2. Empathy

Empathy within a team means understanding the perspectives, strengths, weaknesses, work preferences, and factors that influence each team member’s behavior. This deeper understanding leads to reduced conflicts and enhanced collaboration. Team members who empathize with one another can tailor their communication and actions to suit the needs and preferences of their colleagues.

A powerful tool for building empathy in a team is creating “Manuals of Me.” In this activity, each team member provides insights into themselves by answering four fill-in-the-blank questions: “I’m at my best when_____. I’m at my worst when_____. You can count on me to_____. What I need from you is_____.” These manuals shed light on individual characteristics, strengths, and preferences, helping team members understand each other better.

The Manuals of Me exercise is an invaluable tool for addressing conflicts and on-boarding new team members. By sharing these manuals with the entire team and discussing how they can adapt their behavior based on the information, a team can build empathy and trust.

Building common understanding through clarity and empathy is the foundation of high-performing teams. It fosters a sense of unity and shared purpose, helping team members leverage each other’s unique skills and talents to achieve common goals. By fostering clarity and empathy in your team, you can build a strong common understanding that drives collaboration, reduces conflict, and helps everyone do their best work ever.

Image credit: Pixabay

Originally published on DavidBurkus.com on October 16, 2023

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Don’t Throw Teammates Under the Bus

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Don't Throw Teammates Under the Bus

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

I couldn’t hold back. I told an employee to stop complaining about her fellow employees in front of us, her customers. Here’s the story.

My wife and I were at a restaurant. The server seemed pleasant and professional, but as our food was delivered, we saw a different side of her. There was a mistake in the order. The side dishes we received were not the ones we chose. I didn’t think it would be a big deal. She could either take our meals back to the kitchen or let us keep our meals and bring out the side dishes we ordered. But to the server, it was a big deal.

She started to complain about how this happens “all the time.” She said, “The people in the kitchen don’t read the orders properly. They don’t know what they are doing back there.” She said a few other words that insulted her coworkers, but I stopped her and said as nicely as I could, “I’m sorry you’re frustrated with the team in the kitchen, but you really shouldn’t complain about them to us.”

Customer service is a team sport. There are others who support you and those whom you support. Sometimes, things go wrong, and they need to be fixed. Often, the person the customer is talking to isn’t at fault, but that doesn’t mean they can’t own some responsibility and represent the company and its employees in the best light.

Blame Game Cartoon from Shep Hyken

I thought about how a company can avoid an employee “throwing other employees under the bus” and came up with a number of ideas to mitigate or eliminate this from happening. Here are three of them to get you thinking:

  1. Emphasize the Team: Encourage employees to use the word “we” instead of “they.” The right vocabulary can support the idea of a team effort in taking care of customers.
  2. Teach Accountability: It may not be an employee’s fault, but it is now their opportunity to fix the problem. Think about the last time you called a company’s customer support number with a complaint and it was handled perfectly. It wasn’t the customer support agent’s fault, but they owned the problem and solved it.
  3. Recognize Employees Who Support the Company and Employees When Mistakes Are Made: Praise employees who handle mistakes properly and uphold the dignity of their coworkers in front of customers. You can use the example for both recognition and a teaching opportunity for others.

When mistakes occur in the workplace, especially in customer-facing roles, the manner in which employees manage these situations can impact a customer’s perception of the business. Everyone must remember their Awesome Responsibility, which is that at any given time, one employee interacting with a customer represents all other employees.

Image Credits: Pexels, Shep Hyken

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Six Reasons Norway is a Leader in High-Performance Teamwork

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Six Reasons Norway is a Leader in High-Performance Teamwork

GUEST POST from Stefan Lindegaard

If you research why certain countries are leaders and others are laggards in high performance teamwork, you quickly see that Norway and thus the Norwegian society has several notable characteristics that contribute to the success of high-performance teams in business and organizations.

Note: Thank you to those who joined me in Oslo to discuss high-performance teams and explore my new and developing concept of High Performance Zones for Teams: Trust, Empowerment, and Collaboration.

Here are a few key factors for Norway in the context of high-performance:

  1. High Levels of Trust: Norwegian society is characterized by high trust both in institutions and among individuals. This trust extends into the workplace, where there is a strong belief in the reliability and integrity of colleagues. High trust environments can enhance collaboration and the sharing of ideas, which are crucial for high-performance teams.
  2. Flat Organizational Structures: Norwegian companies often favor flat organizational structures over hierarchical ones. This promotes open communication and a sense of equality among team members, enabling quicker decision-making and greater flexibility – important attributes for high-performance teams.
  3. Work-Life Balance: Norway places a strong emphasis on work-life balance, which helps maintain high levels of job satisfaction and motivation among employees. Well-rested and well-rounded employees are more likely to contribute positively to their teams.
  4. Focus on Consensus-Building: In Norwegian business culture, there is a tendency towards consensus-building rather than top-down decision-making. This approach ensures that various perspectives are considered and that team members are committed to the agreed-upon course of action, leading to more sustainable and effective team performance.
  5. Investment in Employee Development: There is a significant investment in training and development within Norwegian organizations. A well-trained workforce with opportunities for continuous learning and improvement can adapt and perform better in dynamic business environments.
  6. Innovation and Technological Adaptation: Norway is well-known for its adaptation of new technologies and innovation. High-performance teams often leverage cutting-edge technologies and new practices to maintain competitive advantages.

These aspects of Norwegian society and organizational culture provide a supportive environment for cultivating high-performance teams, which are essential for achieving exceptional outcomes in business and other fields.

How does your country compare on these six factors? Please share, and let’s discuss.

Image Credits: Pixabay

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Leadership Best Quacktices from Oregon’s Dan Lanning

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Leadership Best Quacktices from Oregon's Dan Lanning

by Braden Kelley

For the first time since 2012 (a couple years before Marcus Mariota won the Heisman Trophy) the University of Oregon football team is ranked number one in the NCAA football rankings and in the pole position in the race to the national championship playoff picture.

Make no mistake, this year’s Oregon Ducks’ football team is full of talent, but in sports like in business, the difference between a winner and a loser is often the character of its leadership and culture.

In the ever-changing landscape of college athletics, the role of a coach extends far beyond strategizing plays and winning games. It involves shaping young athletes into well-rounded individuals equipped not only for their sports careers but for life. Dan Lanning, head coach of the Oregon Ducks football team, exemplifies this human-centered leadership. His approach demonstrates qualities that every leader (whether in sports, business, or any other field) can learn from and apply. Here, as a passionate advocate of human-centered change and innovation, I’ll explore the key facets of Coach Lanning’s leadership that make him effective and inspiring while building a winning culture.

1. Empathy and Understanding

Coach Dan Lanning excels in creating an environment that prioritizes empathy and understanding. He recognizes that every player is unique and has different motivations, challenges, and aspirations. This individual focus allows him to connect with players on a personal level, fostering an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect. Through active listening and consistent communication, Lanning ensures that his athletes feel heard and valued, both on and off the field.

2. Commitment to Development

A true leader invests in the growth and development of their team members. Coach Lanning adopts a holistic approach to player development, emphasizing education, character building, and life skills alongside athletic prowess. By encouraging his players to excel academically and engage with their communities, Lanning instills a sense of responsibility and maturity. This well-rounded development is crucial in preparing athletes for the varied challenges of life.

3. Cultivating a Winning Mindset

While empathy and development are central to Lanning’s approach, he also understands the importance of instilling a competitive spirit. Lanning is adept at fostering a winning mindset among his players without compromising sportsmanship and integrity. He emphasizes setting ambitious goals, maintaining discipline, and embracing the process. This mentality not only contributes to the team’s success on the field but also prepares athletes to tackle future obstacles with resilience and determination. You’ll notice that even in victory, the team’s focus is brought back to the process, brought back to reinforcing a commitment to growth.

4. Innovation and Adaptability

In a rapidly evolving sports landscape, innovation and adaptability are key. Coach Lanning leads by example in embracing change and encouraging creative problem-solving. Whether it’s integrating new training technologies or developing novel game strategies, Lanning shows a willingness to experiment and adapt. This not only keeps his team competitive but also inspires his players to think outside the box and continually evolve. In the video we pick up a team meeting conversation going into the game where they are talking about looking for an opportunity to use a creative formation and play call to steal a first down, and then they perfectly executed it in the game to steal a first down.

5. Building a Strong Team Culture

Coach Lanning understands that success in sports is fundamentally a team effort. He places great emphasis on building a cohesive and inclusive team culture where every member feels they belong. By fostering collaboration and unity, Lanning creates a support system where players are encouraged to look out for each other and celebrate each other’s successes. This strong sense of community enhances team morale and motivates players to perform at their best.

6. Leading by Example

Finally, great leaders lead by example, and Dan Lanning is no exception. His work ethic, commitment, and positive attitude serve as a powerful model for his players. Lanning’s transparency and humility encourage an open dialogue where athletes feel comfortable contributing their own ideas and perspectives. This participative leadership style not only empowers players but also reinforces the collective pursuit of excellence.

Conclusion

Dan Lanning’s greatness as a leader is not measured solely by his achievements with the Oregon Ducks but by the profound impact he has on his players’ lives. His human-centered approach demonstrates that effective leadership is about nurturing potential, fostering growth, and enabling individuals to exceed their expectations. As we consider leadership in any field, Lanning’s example reminds us of the transformative power of empathy, innovation, and community.

And finally, Go Ducks!

p.s. Be sure and follow both my personal account and the Human-Centered Change and Innovation community on LinkedIn.

Image credits: Wikimedia Commons

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Does Diversity Increase Team Performance?

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Does Diversity Increase Team Performance?

GUEST POST from David Burkus

It’s often said by teams that “diversity is our strength.” We take for granted the idea that diverse teams bring more lived experiences, ideas, and solutions to the table. When asked, “How does diversity affect teamwork?” most leaders assume that teams composed of individuals from different backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives are more likely to approach problems from various angles and come up with innovative solutions. And hence most leaders assume that diversity is a source of greater performance.

And while that’s true—it’s not as clear cut as we assume.

When you look at the research, the relationship between diversity and high-performing teams isn’t always a positive correlation. For diversity to truly enhance teamwork, teams need to establish psychological safety and build shared understanding. Otherwise, diverse ideas, perspectives, and experiences can cause more friction than innovation.

In this article, we will explore the importance of psychological safety and shared understanding in diverse teams. By understanding the impact of diversity on teamwork and implementing these practices, teams can harness the full potential of their diverse members and achieve better problem-solving and value creation.

Psychological Safety

Psychological safety is crucial for diverse teams to tap into the benefits of diversity. When team members feel psychologically safe, they are more likely to share their ideas, take risks, and engage in open and honest discussions. As a leader, it is essential to create an environment where team members feel comfortable expressing themselves without fear of judgment or negative consequences.

One way to build psychological safety is by demonstrating vulnerability as a leader. When leaders openly share their own challenges, mistakes, and uncertainties, it creates a safe space for team members to do the same. This builds trust and shows that it is acceptable to take risks and make mistakes. By embracing vulnerability, leaders can set the tone for open communication and encourage team members to bring their authentic selves to the discussion.

Another important aspect of psychological safety is teaching respectful dissent. Disagreements are inevitable in any team, but it is crucial to handle them in a productive and respectful manner. Encouraging team members to express their differing opinions and perspectives fosters a culture of healthy debate and prevents the formation of echo chambers. By establishing guidelines for respectful dissent, teams can ensure that disagreements are seen as opportunities for growth and learning rather than sources of conflict.

Shared Understanding

Shared understanding is important for diverse teams to work together effectively. When team members have a clear understanding of each other’s work preferences, strengths, and weaknesses, they can collaborate more efficiently and leverage each other’s skills and expertise. Building shared understanding requires intentional efforts to create an environment where team members can openly discuss their working styles and expectations.

One strategy for building shared understanding is to use exercises like the “manual of me.” This exercise involves team members sharing information about their preferred communication styles, work habits, and personal preferences. By understanding each other’s preferences, team members can adapt their communication and collaboration approaches to accommodate different working styles.

Creating a team working agreement is another effective way to establish shared understanding. This agreement outlines the team’s norms and expectations, addressing questions about how the team wants to work together. It can cover topics such as communication channels, decision-making processes, and conflict resolution strategies. By collectively defining these guidelines, teams can ensure that everyone is on the same page and reduce misunderstandings or conflicts that may arise due to differences in working styles or expectations.

Diversity, when combined with psychological safety and shared understanding, enhances teamwork, and leads to improved performance. By creating an environment where team members feel safe to express themselves and fostering shared understanding, teams can tap into the full potential of their diverse members. Embracing diversity as a strength allows teams to approach problems from various perspectives, leading to better problem-solving and value creation. And that helps everyone on the team do their best work ever.

Image credit: Pexels

Originally published on DavidBurkus.com on September 11, 2023

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