Excelling as a Highly Effective Team Leader On-Site Training

This on-site training class is also available as Public Schedule Seminar.

In this two-day workshop, you’ll learn the personal leadership characteristics and skills that spark the kind of energy and enthusiasm that make productivity and performance soar.

Course Description/Agenda

You’ll learn …

How to build a cohesive, results-oriented team from a group of diverse individuals
Motivational techniques that inspire team members to want to perform at their peak
How to grant the team more decision-making and problem-solving authority as it matures
How to gain team member commitment to policy and procedural changes that are critical to the success of the organization
And much more

In this two-day workshop, you’ll learn the personal leadership characteristics and skills that spark the kind of energy and enthusiasm that make productivity and performance soar. Get step-by-step guidelines and practical advice for transforming a group of individuals into a creative, results-producing team.

Day one: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Characteristics of successful team leaders

10 critical behavioral skills successful team leaders must master
Transitioning to a team environment: Understanding the differences between supervisors/managers and team leaders
How to gain the acceptance and trust of team members when you’re replacing another team leader
Stand up and shout—or should you? How to promote your team and its accomplishments to upper management
Understanding your team’s purpose and position within the organization
Why every successful team leader is also a group member
Strategies for keeping yourself motivated and energized as a team leader

How to build a team that gets results

The 4 key words that describe every top-performing team
How to overcome the 10 major obstacles that keep teams from effectively setting goals
Calling a team a team doesn’t make it one: Find out the 13 key characteristics that make a successful team
Team chemistry: Personality and interpersonal styles that lead to collaboration—and also to conflict
Why it’s important to help your team develop a written “code of conduct”
DIAMOND: A can’t-miss formula for planning and setting achievable team goals
How to get the team to welcome new members without feeling threatened
Understanding the primary reasons teams fail to accept responsibility
9 keys to putting an end to reverse delegation
Benchmarks for evaluating a team’s progress, performance and bottom-line results

Creating a motivating team climate

How team leaders sometimes inadvertently contribute to a lack of team performance
Overcome the myth of motivation by remembering these 2 key points
The 4 different team climates a leader can create—use this Team Leader Effectiveness Grid to find out which one you’ve fostered for your team
The keys to building trust between team members and the team leader, especially after a negative or unpopular decision has been made
How to renew and refuel a team that starts off with enthusiasm and energy but soon becomes discouraged
How to recognize team accomplishments when one team member constantly tries to take all the credit for the group’s performance
How to inspire and motivate a team that routinely has more work than it can reasonably handle
People give when they get: Key points to keep in mind when planning incentives and rewards

The changing role of the team leader

The 4 stages of team development—and the team leader’s role in each
How well do you coach and counsel your team? Use this exercise to find out how you’re influencing your team’s development
Riding the fast track to continuous improvement: How to identify and respond to team members’ needs as they move through the 4 stages of team development
How to identify your team’s current stage of development
How to gradually release more power, influence and authority to the team as members mature and jell in their roles
The 2 critical factors for getting team members to accept change
How to use delegation to push team members to take action and get results
Understanding the single most important function of the team leader
Understanding when to “coach” and when to “direct” in order to elicit the best performance from team members

Tuning in to critical communication cues

The 4 components of effective communication
8 tips for helping team members communicate better with each other, with customers and with you
How to get team members to listen to and accept criticism from one another
Tips for training team members on how to get and give feedback from customers
The common barriers to effective listening and how to overcome them to strengthen relationships among team members
How to help team members understand the difference between “acceptance” and “agreement”
6 benefits of asking good questions—and the 5 types of questions to avoid

Day two: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Dealing with performance problems

How to nip the behavior problems of individual team members in the bud before they negatively impact team performance
Understanding the 3 major types of problems that keep team members from performing at their peak—and the specific actions you can take to counter each type
A sure-fire approach for getting team members who choose not to perform to not only change but to grow
How to determine when additional training is needed to smooth out rough spots in performance
4 critical steps to making sure your discipline sticks
How to conduct an effective performance review
How to deal with “eager beavers” who don’t produce
A dozen key areas to examine when the team as a whole is experiencing performance problems

Shared problem solving and decision making

The 3 primary problem-solving and decision-making styles most teams utilize—and the pros and cons of each
What keeps teams from solving problems? How to identify the major obstacles that can paralyze innovative thinking and grind progress to a halt
The team leader’s role in the rational problem-solving process
How to use brainstorming as a tool for encouraging the free exchange of ideas and solutions
Avoid conflict and controversy with this proven technique for making choices when several excellent alternatives are on the table
How to establish a creative, synergistic decision-making climate
How to identify your own preferred problem-solving style—and how it affects the team
What to do when team members are too willing to compromise instead of working through problems
How to gain cooperation when some team members won’t abide by the decisions made by the team as a whole
How to finally reach consensus when one member of the team refuses to compromise
How to get your team to make decisions when team members want to be told what to do
The top 10 factors that influence a team’s decision-making process

Dealing with team conflict

The key to promoting team harmony and minimizing disagreements
How to recognize potentially counterproductive or destructive team member activities—and how to deal with them before they lead to conflict
Why you can’t sweep team conflict under the rug
Proven methods for structuring and conducting successful conflict-resolution meetings
A 10-step disciplinary process that addresses misconduct openly and frankly
The 5 levels of team conflict and what you can do to help mitigate the factors that cause them
10 conflict-avoidance tips team leaders can practice in any team situation
How to deal with interpersonal problems that can threaten team cohesiveness
How to deal with team members who spend more time competing with each other than cooperating
What to do with team members who go directly to upper management when they disagree with a team decision
How to get your team to work effectively with other teams so that work flows smoothly and the organization’s goals are achieved
How to use the RISC strategy to work through conflict
The 3 ways teams commonly mishandle anger—and how to help team members redirect it

Conducting effective team meetings

Why the time you spend planning and preparing for a meeting is as important as the meeting itself
5 key elements of an effective meeting agenda
10 tips for leading purposeful, productive team meetings
How to create an environment that encourages team members—even untalkative ones—to fully participate in the exchange of ideas
Telltale clues that your meetings are floundering—and what you can do to revive them
2 dozen techniques experienced team leaders use to keep discussions flowing during meetings
Facilitation techniques for ensuring that team meetings run smoothly—and which behaviors to avoid
The “100-mile rule”: How to use it to eliminate distractions and keep team members focused on the business at hand

Managing virtual teams

Understanding how virtual teams are revolutionizing the workplace
The 3 phases of planning and development necessary for creating a winning virtual team
The essential skills and technology needed to support an effective virtual team
Understanding and supporting the dynamics of teams that reach across organizations
How to enhance personal communications when team members meet electronically
One of the key reasons virtual teams fail—and commonsense approaches to prevent it

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