Team Politics January 25, 2012
Posted by Jeff Pasquale in Business, Leadership, Life, Personal Development, Relating, Teams, Teamwork.add a comment
It seems you can’t go far without getting involved in politics anymore. The discussions are endless and there’s little resolution. The only thing worse than watching the drama of politics play out in the media is experiencing it first hand on the job.
Office (or Team) politics usually is a no win situation. You are seemingly trapped into choosing sides; one side’s right and the other is wrong, but each side believes the other is wrong. With all of the bantering back and forth (he’s this and she’s that) it’s a wonder any work gets done…or does it?
What should you do when confronted with office politics? Your job.
Sorry, it’s that simple…about 90% of the time. The reality is, if you have time to discuss office politics on the job, you’re not busy enough. (Don’t confuse office politics with office gossip. That’s another post.)
Office politics will always exist, but that does not mean you have to participate. If you find yourself in a situation where office politics rule, and you’re forced to choose sides, you’re in the wrong company. If you have no chance of breaking free anytime soon, the next post will offer some steps for working in a “political environment.”
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No Permission Necessary January 16, 2012
Posted by Jeff Pasquale in Leadership, Learning, Life, Personal Development.Tags: Leadership, learning, Life, personal development
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You don’t need permission to:
- Make a decision
- Create something new
- Change your job or career
- Enjoy what you’re doing
- Sing in the rain
- Go the extra mile
- Do something special for someone
- Put others first
- Put yourself first
- Go on an adventure
- Dream big
- Ask for help
- Make a mess
- Start over
- Rediscover your partner
- Clean things up
- Take time to think about things
- Offer your opinion
- Lead
- Change your life
- Do more than expected
- Help without being asked
- Always do your best
- Be yourself
What are you waiting for?
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Team Politeness January 10, 2012
Posted by Jeff Pasquale in Business, Life, Management, Personal Development, Relating, Teams, Teamwork.Tags: business, Life, management, relating, teams, teamwork
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Is your team honest or too polite?
Even the most harmonious team has arguments, problems, and disagreements, but there’s a fine line that should be drawn to keep things from getting personal.
The issue is the problem, not the person. But too often there’s a transference of energy that occurs during an argument, and it usually gets directed towards a person.
This energy push is usually power-driven or ego-driven.
If you’re strong, you’ll dish it out; if you’re timid, you’ll get bulldozed; but if you’re an engaged (and honest) team member, you’ll just state your position, defend it, and then let it go.
Polite is saying please and thank you, being an engaged team member is being truthful about how you feel and what you think – and not making it personal.
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Team Horse Race January 5, 2012
Posted by Jeff Pasquale in Business, Life, Relating, Teams, Teamwork.Tags: business, Life, relating, teams, teamwork
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Do your team meetings ever resemble a day at the races? Not the race track but the Marx Brothers movie, “A Day at the Races.”
Sometimes a team member will withhold important information from other members (not maliciously but with the intent of controlling things). This requires other members to pull information out of the person, bit by bit.
There’s a scene in the movie that depicts this kind of behavior. It involves Chico selling Groucho a “hot racing tips” book from his bogus ice cream cart. (“Gettaya Tuttsi Fruitsi Ice Cream,” he beckons.)
Grouch gives in and buys a book only to find out that he must buy yet another book, and another book, in order to get the information he needs.
Team members who control the flow of information slow things down, send signals of mistrust, and generally are playing with the heads of their team mates. Why?
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Throw Out Your New Year’s Resolutions – Intend to Take Action! January 2, 2012
Posted by Jeff Pasquale in Business, Change, Life, Personal Development.Tags: business, Change, Life, personal development, Tom Peters
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Sometimes, too much energy is spent on goals and New Year’s resolutions, when a simple intention to Take Action will take care of things.
I used to request that clients “Tear up their New Year’s Resolutions,” and tell me what their intentions were.
It was a small distinction with a major difference in outcomes.
What are your intention?
“We have a ‘strategic’ plan. It’s called doing things.”
- Herb Kelleher/former CEO of Southwest Airlines
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Team Expansion December 30, 2011
Posted by Jeff Pasquale in Business, Leadership, Life, Management, Relating, Teams, Teamwork.Tags: business, Leadership, Life, management, relating, teams, teamwork
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A team isn’t just for work or sports. Your team can be comprised of anyone you want to include and for most any reason.
A team member is your significant other, or the person who cuts your lawn, sells you insurance, paints your house, repairs your car, or teaches your child at school. Each one of these team relationships is a choice – a choice not only by selection but also by acceptance of that person as a teammate.
But too often these choices are made with the frame of mind that the other person is just the vendor; not the partner. As a result, a relationship is forged in the traditional customer/supplier mindset.
What do you think might happen if you began treating all of your suppliers like the teammates that they are?
True, you might scare them at first, but odds are that the relationship will change for the better.
Whether you got to choose your teammates or not, start treating them as teammates instead of suppliers. Doing so will increase the trust, respect, and accountability in every relationship.
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Team Stress December 29, 2011
Posted by Jeff Pasquale in Learning, Life, Personal Development, Relating, Teams, Teamwork.Tags: learning, Life, personal development, relating, teams, teamwork
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All teams, like families, endure stressful times. Patience runs thin, tempers flare, and people in general are grumpy. Stress is telling you that something is happening – it could be good, but it could also be bad. Recognize it, acknowledge it, but don’t ignore it.
It won’t always be this way. Team stress is dynamic; it’s both personal and impersonal, so try not to get pulled into the drama of it.
Stress is stress. Recognize it for what it is, an indication of something not right; either real or imagined. And then look for the source.
“It’s not always going to be this grey.” – George Harrison/All Things Must Pass
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Team Contribution December 28, 2011
Posted by Jeff Pasquale in Business, Leadership, Learning, Life, Management, Personal Development, Teams, Teamwork.Tags: business, Leadership, learning, Life, management, personal development, teams, teamwork
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What do you bring to your team?
Film director M. Night Shyamalan once said that, “…the only thing we have to offer (to the world) is our point of view.” It’s more than that, though.
In the working world, point of view can mean your skills and knowledge, your perspective, your intuition, and your unique (and helpful) way of doing things.
Your point of view is your world lens and the tools (skils, creativity, knowledge, etc.) you bring to the table of your team.
- Become more aware of your talents and how they benefit you and your team.
- Become more aware of your teammate’s talents and how they benefit you and your team.
- Practice openly recognizing your teammates for their contributions.
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Team Why December 27, 2011
Posted by Jeff Pasquale in Business, Leadership, Learning, Life, Personal Development, Relating, Teams, Teamwork.Tags: business, Leadership, learning, Life, personal development, relating, teams, teamwork
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Why are you on your team?
Love the work?
A passion for the profession?
The privilege of participating?
For the paycheck?
In these economic times, many people do what they do strictly for the paycheck. There is nothing wrong with this, but sometimes it gets overshadowed by a “Just let me do my job and go home” attitude that some people bring to their work (and their team).
You may not love your work but if you receive a paycheck, the expectation is that you will do the best job you can do while you’re there. That includes relating to your team mates.
Not everyone has a compelling motivation for doing what he or she does and for which team; but we all have a choice as to how well and how completely we perform our work.
Doing your best each day is a choice. Make it your personal standard.
“If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures… Be the best of whatever you are.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Team Conundrum December 22, 2011
Posted by Jeff Pasquale in Balance, Leadership, Life, Personal Development, Relating, Teams, Teamwork.Tags: balance, Leadership, Life, personal development, relating, teams, teamwork
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Have you ever noticed that the team member who complains and points the finger the most seems to have a lot of other problems, too? Deep down they can’t be happy people.
It’s a challenge to put up with them. It’s usually better to quietly leave their company (if you can), when you really want to say, “Please shut up,” which is not cool either.
Blame is a funny thing. It sets the stage for someone to be right and another to be wrong. Oh, if the world were so perfectly ordered.
So instead we get the complaint disguised as helpfulness: “Why does this have to be so hard?” or “Doesn’t anyone know how to do things around here?” or “I’m just saying…”
Finger pointers need to realize that when they place blame or make a scene, it’s really all about them. They apparently want the world to see how smart and fearless they are, when in fact all they are doing is hiding behind their anger.
The next time you find yourself ready to blame (and we all do it), ask yourself the question:
“How can I help this situation through my actions and not my words?”
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