The TEAM Approach

A big part of our mission is training and mentoring people who want to use the DiSC model of behavior to enhance teamwork in their organizations. We are licensed by the publisher, John Wiley and Sons, to conduct their official certification program which provides the Certified Practitioner badge. This is a picture of our September 2022 class. Details can be found on our Center for Internal Change website.

https://internalchange.com/dis.../online-disc-certification/

A big part of our mission is training and mentoring people who want to use the DiSC model of behavior to enhance teamwork in their organizations. We are licensed by the publisher, John Wiley and Sons, to conduct their official certification program which provides the Certified Practitioner badge. This is a picture of our September 2022 class. Details can be found on our Center for Internal Change website.

https://internalchange.com/disc-certification/online-disc-certification/

Check out our latest Bookends Book Club interview with Dianna Booher on her book, "Faster, Fewer, Better Emails."

Faster, Fewer, Better Emails: An interview with Dianna Booher Emailing is the foundation of how we communicate at work. Dianna Booher's Faster, Fewer, Better Emails provides tips on how our emails can be more effective

Our 2019 greeting!

Our practice of teaching leaders to ask for specific feedback following the receipt of an Everything DiSC® 363 for Leaders report has support from recent research on the threat response in the brain. We posted an article on LinkedIn you might find interesting.

Teach Leaders to Ask for Feedback For a number of years our organization has supported a leadership development program for a consortium of local colleges. We use a 360 feedback instrument from Wiley called Everything DiSC® 363 for Leaders.

What it means to be a leader - do you agree? What does leadership look like in your experience?

I am not a biologist. Whether this post accurately depicts the behavior of a wolf pack in the Arctic circle, or not, it IS a great analogy.

A little food for thought... A group of wolves:

The three in front are old & sick, they walk in front to set the pace of the running group lest they get left behind.

The next five are the strongest & best, they are tasked to protect the front side if there is an attack.

The pack in the middle are always protected from any attack.

The five behind them are also among the strongest & best; they are tasked to protect the back side if there is an attack.

The last one is the LEADER. He ensures that no one is left behind. He keeps the pack unified and on the same path. He is always ready to run in any direction to protect & serves as the 'bodyguard' to the entire group.

Just in case anyone wanted to know what it really means to be a leader. It's not about being out front. It means taking care of the team.

Why Millennials Keep Dumping You: An Open Letter to Management This post was cowritten with Elizabeth McLeod, a millennial and cm laude graduate of Boston University, and daughter of Lisa Earle McLeod. Attracting

The more we learn about the brain the more some of our business tools make sense. This video points to the same ideas we use in ProStar Coach - Focus, Action and Reflection. Knowing that the brain is building layers of myelin around neural pathways helps reinforce the wisdom of our approach to learning any new skill or changing behaviors - even those not related to sports or music. Want to increase your delegation skills? Same approach as developing your basketball skills.

This Animation Demonstrates the Best Way to Start Teaching Yourself Something New Here’s how to make the most of what you’re trying to learn—and lead you closer to mastery.

The concept of vulnerability keeps coming up. As we have found in Wiley's Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team, being open and honest with team members is critical in building trust. I guess people want to know that the folks they work with are human just as they are. We all make mistakes and we all need to hear the truth. But another point in this article that is only recently getting notice is the concept of bias. As a member of the NeuroLeadership Institute I have been following some of the journal articles on breaking bias and believe this is an area we will want to give serious attention. You may find, like I did, it is a fascinating topic.

7 Ways Managers Can Build Trust in the Workplace | Blogging4Jobs | The Trust Factor The TEAM Approach's insight: The concept of vulnerability keeps coming up. As we have found in Wiley's Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team, being open and honest with team members is critical in building trust. I guess people want to know that the folks they work with are human just as they are. ...

So good to see an article acknowledging blind spots. In our work with the DiSC model of behavior we always point this out and it is helpful to leaders to understand how their behavior is affecting others - usually unknowingly.

But the biggest challenge here is getting to the point where we all welcome feedback and take it as a gift rather than a poison. We often kid about 360 feedback by asking, "who do you know that raises their hand and asks for it". Our experience with any feedback process shows that it is not only a great need, but also one which needs to involve a great deal of support.

I also like the emphasis on relationships in the article. People won't give you good feedback, in an appropriate way, if your relationship with them is not built on trust. And you probably won't take their feedback in a constructive way either.

So, how is your feedback loop doing? Recognizing any blind spots?

Be aware of your blind spots | SmartBrief “Honest feedback is hard to take, especially from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance or a stranger.” ~ Franklin P. Jones