A great book on how to get your message across effectively (and by that the author means remembered and acted upon).This should be prescribed reading for managers and team-leaders as most of our role is based on effective communications.
The book uses it's own techniques to get its message across with liberal examples of stories to engage you with real individuals who achieved a powerful communications success.
SIMPLICITY We must relentlessly prioritize. Saying something short is not the mission—sound bites are not the ideal. Proverbs are the ideal. We must create ideas that are both simple and profound.
UNEXPECTEDNESS For our idea to endure, we must generate interest and curiosity.
CONCRETENESS Naturally sticky ideas are full of concrete images—ice-filled bathtubs, apples with razors because our brains are wired to remember concrete data.
CREDIBILITY We need ways to help people test our ideas for themselves—a "try before you buy" philosophy for the world of ideas.
EMOTIONS We make them feel something. In the case of movie popcorn, we make them feel disgusted by its unhealthiness.
STORIES Research shows that mentally rehearsing a situation helps us perform better when we encounter that situation in the physical environment. We engage mentally when we hear a story about another individual
Locn. 180-82 a crash course in what makes great teachers great. And he found that, while each teacher had a unique style, collectively their instructional methodologies were almost identical.
Locn. 298-99 To summarize, here's our checklist for creating a successful idea: a Simple Unexpected Concrete Credentialed Emotional Story. A clever observer will note that this sentence can be compacted into the acronym SUCCESs.
Locn. 327-29 This is the Curse of Knowledge. Once we know something, we find it hard to imagine what it was like not to know it. Our knowledge has "cursed" us. And it becomes difficult for us to share our knowledge with others, because we can't readily re-create our listeners' state of mind.
Locn. 419-21 plans are useful, in the sense that they are proof that planning has taken place. The planning process forces people to think through the right issues. But as for the plans themselves, Kolditz says, "They just don't work on the battlefield." So, in the 1980s the Army adapted its planning process, inventing a concept called Commander's Intent (CI).
Locn. 448-49 The value of the Intent comes from its singularity. You can't have five North Stars, you can't have five "most important goals," and you can't have five Commander's Intents.
Locn. 721-23 We know that sentences are better than paragraphs. Two bullet points are better than five. Easy words are better than hard words. It's a bandwidth issue: The more we reduce the amount of information in an idea, the stickier it will be.
Locn. 819-22 We've seen that compact ideas are stickier, but that compact ideas alone aren't valuable—only ideas with profound compactness are valuable. So, to make a profound idea compact you've got to pack a lot of meaning into a little bit of messaging. And how do you do that? You use flags. You tap the existing memory terrain of your audience. You use what's already there.
Locn. 883-84 If a message can't be used to make predictions or decisions, it is without value, no matter how accurate or comprehensive it is.
Locn. 991-92 The most basic way to get someone's attention is this: Break a pattern. Humans adapt incredibly quickly to consistent patterns.
Locn. 1092-94 To be surprising, an event can't be predictable. Surprise is the opposite of predictability. But, to be satisfying, surprise must be "post-dictable." The twist makes sense after you think about it, but it's not something you would have seen coming. PHRAUG is post-dictable, but HENSION isn't.
Locn. 1116-19 So, a good process for making your ideas stickier is: (1) Identify the central message you need to communicate—find the core; (2) Figure out what is counterintuitive about the message—i.e., What are the unexpected implications of your core message? Why isn't it already happening naturally? (3) Communicate your message in a way that breaks your audience's guessing machines along the critical, counterintuitive dimension. Then, once their guessing machines have failed, help them refine their machines.
Locn. 1250-51 Mysteries are powerful, Cialdini says, because they create a need for closure. "You've heard of the famous Aha! experience, right?" he says. "Well, the Aha! experience is much more satisfying when it is preceded by the Huh? experience."
Locn. 1303-5 In 1994, George Loewenstein, a behavioral economist at Carnegie Mellon University, provided the most comprehensive account of situational interest. It is surprisingly simple. Curiosity, he says, happens when we feel a gap in our knowledge.
Locn. 1313-15 we need to open gaps before we close them. Our tendency is to tell people the facts. First, though, they must realize that they need these facts. The trick to convincing people that they need our message, according to Loewenstein, is to first highlight some specific knowledge that they're missing.
Locn. 1368-71 Making people commit to a prediction can help prevent overconfidence. Eric Mazur, a physics professor at Harvard, came up with a pedagogical innovation known as "concept testing." Every so often in his classes, Mazur will pose a conceptual question and then ask his students to vote publicly on the answer. The simple act of committing to an answer makes the students more engaged and more curious about the outcome.
Locn. 1432-35 Knowledge gaps create interest. But to prove that the knowledge gaps exist, it may be necessary to highlight some knowledge first. "Here's what you know. Now here's what you're missing." Alternatively, you can set context so people care what comes next. It's no accident that mystery novelists and crossword-puzzle writers give us clues. When we feel that we're close to the solution of a puzzle, curiosity takes over and propels us to the finish.
Locn. 1810-11 Researchers get excited about pushing the boundaries of a technology, making products that are complex and sophisticated, while customers generally seek out products that are easy and reliable.
Locn. 1842-44 Because concreteness is a way of mobilizing and focusing your brain. For another example of this phenomenon, consider these two statements: (1) Think of five silly things that people have done in the world in the past ten years. (2) Think about five silly things your child has done in the past ten years.
Locn. 2212-14 This is the most important thing to remember about using statistics effectively. Statistics are rarely meaningful in and of themselves. Statistics will, and should, almost always be used to illustrate a relationship. It's more important for people to remember the relationship than the number.
Locn. 2574-75 These results are shocking. The mere act of calculation reduced people's charity. Once we put on our analytical hat, we react to emotional appeals differently. We hinder our ability to feel.
Locn. 2758-61 The most frequent reason for unsuccessful advertising is advertisers who are so full of their own accomplishments (the world's best seed!) that they forget to tell us why we should buy (the world's best lawn!). An old advertising maxim says you've got to spell out the benefit of the benefit. In other words, people don't buy quarter-inch drill bits. They buy quarter-inch holes so they can hang their children's pictures.
Locn. 2846-49 Here's the twist, though: When people are asked which is the best positioning for other people (not them), they rank No. 1 most fulfilling, followed by No. 2. That is, we are motivated by self-esteem, but others are motivated by down payments. This single insight explains almost everything about the way incentives are structured in most large organizations.
Locn. 3131-33 How can we make people care about our ideas? We get them to take off their Analytical Hats. We create empathy for specific individuals. We show how our ideas are associated with things that people already care about. We appeal to their self-interest, but we also appeal to their identities—not only to the people they are right now but also to the people they would like to be
Locn. 3252-54 Simulating past events is much more helpful than simulating future outcomes. In fact, the gap between the groups opened up immediately after the first session in the lab. By the first night, the event-simulation people were already experiencing a positive mood boost compared with the other two groups.
Locn. 3273-75 Notice that these visualizations focus on the events themselves— the process, rather than the outcomes. No one has ever been cured of a phobia by imagining how happy they'll be when it's gone.
Locn. 3606-9 The way you deliver a message to them is a cue to how they should react. If you make an argument, you're implicitly asking them to evaluate your argument—judge it, debate it, criticize it—and then argue back, at least in their minds. But with a story, Denning argues, you engage the audience—you are involving people with the idea, asking them to participate with you.
Locn. 3699-3702 If the world takes our ideas and changes them—or accepts some and discards others—all we need to decide is whether the mutated versions are still core. If they are—as with "It's the economy, stupid"—then we should humbly embrace the audience's judgment. Ultimately, the test of our success as idea creators isn't whether people mimic our exact words, it's whether we achieve our goals.
Thursday 28 April 2011
Monday 18 April 2011
Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind (Al Ries)
A book recommended by a recent ACE group speaker on marketing. It turned out to be something of a marketing classic written a few decades ago but still containing quite a few truths we could apply today.
The biggest insight for me was to think not of how we can change the product but rather change the perception of the product to more effectively market it. Coupled with the thought that you do this by linking onto what is already in the mind of your potential customer.
Page 1 | Loc. 255-56 Today, communication itself is the problem. We have become the world’s first overcommunicated society. Each year, we send more and receive less.
Page 2 | Loc. 261-63 In spite of its reputation, or perhaps because of it, the field of advertising is a superb testing ground for theories of communication. If it works in advertising, most likely it will work in politics, religion, or any other activity that requires mass communication.
Page 2 | Loc. 271-73 positioning is not what you do to a product. Positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect. That is, you position the product in the mind of the prospect.
Page 5 | Loc. 306-7 The basic approach of positioning is not to create something new and different, but to manipulate what’s already up there in the mind, to retie the connections that already exist.
Page 6 | Loc. 317-18 In the communication jungle out there, the only hope to score big is to be selective, to concentrate on narrow targets, to practice segmentation. In a word, “positioning.”
Page 8 | Loc. 343-44 In communication, as in architecture, less is more. You have to sharpen your message to cut into the mind. You have to jettison the ambiguities, simplify the message, and then simplify it some more if you want to make a long-lasting impression.
Page 8 | Loc. 354-56 You look for the solution to your problem inside the prospect’s mind. In other words, since so little of your message is going to get through anyway, you ignore the sending side and concentrate on the receiving end. You concentrate on the perceptions of the prospect. Not the reality of the product.
Page 32 | Loc. 660-62 too many companies embark on marketing and advertising programs as if the competitor’s position did not exist. They advertise their products in a vacuum and are disappointed when their messages fail to get through.
Page 41 | Loc. 786-88 In truth, outright failure is often preferable to mediocre success. An also-ran can easily be tempted to think that the answer to the problem is trying harder. A company stuck with a losing position is not going to benefit much from hard work.
Page 51 | Loc. 942 Leaders should constantly use the power of their leadership to keep far ahead of the
Page 53 | Loc. 950-51 It’s not enough to be better than the competitor. You must introduce your product before someone else has a chance to establish leadership.
Page 55 | Loc. 986-87 Some brands base almost their entire product message on the high-price concept.
Page 63 | Loc. 1103-4 For a repositioning strategy to work, you must say something about your competitor’s product that causes the prospect to change his or her mind, not about your product, but about the competitor’s product.
Page 98 | Loc. 1593-97 When a really new product comes along, it’s almost always a mistake to hang a well-known name on it. The reason is obvious. A well-known name got well known because it stood for something. It occupies a position in the prospect’s mind. A really well-known name sits on the top rung of a sharply defined ladder. The new product, if it’s going to be successful, is going to require a new ladder. New ladder, new name. It’s as simple as that.
Page 100 | Loc. 1627-31 In dealing with media, you must conserve your anonymity until you are ready to spend it. And then when you spend it, spend it big. Always keeping in mind that the objective is not publicity or communication for its own sake, but publicity to achieve a position in the prospect’s mind. An unknown company with an unknown product has much more to gain from publicity than a well-known company with an established product. “In the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes,” Andy Warhol once predicted. When your 15 minutes arrive, make the most of every second.
Page 124 | Loc. 1980-87 So we offer some rules of the road that will tell you when to use the house name and when not to. 1. Expected volume. Potential winners should not bear the house name. Small-volume products should. 2. Competition. In a vacuum, the brand should not bear the house name. In a crowded field, it should. 3. Advertising support. Big-budget brands should not bear the house name. Small-budget brands should. 4. Significance. Breakthrough products should not bear the house name. Commodity products such as chemicals should. 5. Distribution. Off-the-shelf items should not bear the house name. Items sold by sales reps should.
Page 146 | Loc. 2252-54 Conceptually, this approach says to tourists that the things they travel a great distance to Hawaii for (natural beauty, big green mountains, beautiful beaches, wonderful year-round weather) can be found a lot closer to home, down in the Caribbean.
Page 152 | Loc. 2314-15 The solution to a positioning problem is usually found in the prospect’s mind, not in the product.
Page 158 | Loc. 2391-92 Your problem is not just one of developing a good strategy. Equally important is the courage you will need to keep hammering at the same theme, year after year.
Page 160 | Loc. 2413-16 “Mapping the prospect’s mind” is normally done with a research technique called “semantic differential.” This was the procedure used to develop a positioning program for the Long Island Trust Company. In semantic differential research, the prospect is given a set of attributes and then asked to rank each competitor on a scale, generally from 1 to 10.
Page 170 | Loc. 2518-19 When the bank’s performance matched the promises the advertising was going to make, the advertising started to make the promises.
Page 191 | Loc. 2791-93 So remember, the winningest jockeys are not necessarily the lightest, the smartest, or the strongest. The best jockey doesn’t win the race. The jockey that wins the race is usually the one with the best horse. So pick yourself a horse to ride and then ride it for all it’s
Page 196 | Loc. 2837-39 Prospects don’t buy, they choose. Among brands of automobiles. Among brands of beer. Among brands of computers. The merit, or lack of merit, of your brand is not nearly as important as your position among the possible choices.
Page 203 | Loc. 2934-35 people make up their minds and then find the facts to “verify” their opinion. Or even more commonly, they accept the opinion of the nearest “expert,” and then they don’t have to bother with the facts at all.
Page 206 | Loc. 2991-93 But the obvious isn’t always so obvious. “Boss” Kettering had a sign which he placed on the wall of the General Motors Research Building in Dayton: “This problem when solved will be simple.”
Page 208 | Loc. 3022-25 In positioning, smaller may be better. It is usually better to look for smaller targets that you can own exclusively rather than a bigger market you have to share with three or four other brands. You can’t be all things to all people and still have a powerful position.
Page 210 | Loc. 3050-52 The suicidal bent of companies that go head-on against established competition is hard to understand. Hope springs eternal in the human breast. Nine times out of ten, the also-ran that sets out to attack the leader head-on is headed for disaster.
The biggest insight for me was to think not of how we can change the product but rather change the perception of the product to more effectively market it. Coupled with the thought that you do this by linking onto what is already in the mind of your potential customer.
Page 1 | Loc. 255-56 Today, communication itself is the problem. We have become the world’s first overcommunicated society. Each year, we send more and receive less.
Page 2 | Loc. 261-63 In spite of its reputation, or perhaps because of it, the field of advertising is a superb testing ground for theories of communication. If it works in advertising, most likely it will work in politics, religion, or any other activity that requires mass communication.
Page 2 | Loc. 271-73 positioning is not what you do to a product. Positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect. That is, you position the product in the mind of the prospect.
Page 5 | Loc. 306-7 The basic approach of positioning is not to create something new and different, but to manipulate what’s already up there in the mind, to retie the connections that already exist.
Page 6 | Loc. 317-18 In the communication jungle out there, the only hope to score big is to be selective, to concentrate on narrow targets, to practice segmentation. In a word, “positioning.”
Page 8 | Loc. 343-44 In communication, as in architecture, less is more. You have to sharpen your message to cut into the mind. You have to jettison the ambiguities, simplify the message, and then simplify it some more if you want to make a long-lasting impression.
Page 8 | Loc. 354-56 You look for the solution to your problem inside the prospect’s mind. In other words, since so little of your message is going to get through anyway, you ignore the sending side and concentrate on the receiving end. You concentrate on the perceptions of the prospect. Not the reality of the product.
Page 32 | Loc. 660-62 too many companies embark on marketing and advertising programs as if the competitor’s position did not exist. They advertise their products in a vacuum and are disappointed when their messages fail to get through.
Page 41 | Loc. 786-88 In truth, outright failure is often preferable to mediocre success. An also-ran can easily be tempted to think that the answer to the problem is trying harder. A company stuck with a losing position is not going to benefit much from hard work.
Page 51 | Loc. 942 Leaders should constantly use the power of their leadership to keep far ahead of the
Page 53 | Loc. 950-51 It’s not enough to be better than the competitor. You must introduce your product before someone else has a chance to establish leadership.
Page 55 | Loc. 986-87 Some brands base almost their entire product message on the high-price concept.
Page 63 | Loc. 1103-4 For a repositioning strategy to work, you must say something about your competitor’s product that causes the prospect to change his or her mind, not about your product, but about the competitor’s product.
Page 98 | Loc. 1593-97 When a really new product comes along, it’s almost always a mistake to hang a well-known name on it. The reason is obvious. A well-known name got well known because it stood for something. It occupies a position in the prospect’s mind. A really well-known name sits on the top rung of a sharply defined ladder. The new product, if it’s going to be successful, is going to require a new ladder. New ladder, new name. It’s as simple as that.
Page 100 | Loc. 1627-31 In dealing with media, you must conserve your anonymity until you are ready to spend it. And then when you spend it, spend it big. Always keeping in mind that the objective is not publicity or communication for its own sake, but publicity to achieve a position in the prospect’s mind. An unknown company with an unknown product has much more to gain from publicity than a well-known company with an established product. “In the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes,” Andy Warhol once predicted. When your 15 minutes arrive, make the most of every second.
Page 124 | Loc. 1980-87 So we offer some rules of the road that will tell you when to use the house name and when not to. 1. Expected volume. Potential winners should not bear the house name. Small-volume products should. 2. Competition. In a vacuum, the brand should not bear the house name. In a crowded field, it should. 3. Advertising support. Big-budget brands should not bear the house name. Small-budget brands should. 4. Significance. Breakthrough products should not bear the house name. Commodity products such as chemicals should. 5. Distribution. Off-the-shelf items should not bear the house name. Items sold by sales reps should.
Page 146 | Loc. 2252-54 Conceptually, this approach says to tourists that the things they travel a great distance to Hawaii for (natural beauty, big green mountains, beautiful beaches, wonderful year-round weather) can be found a lot closer to home, down in the Caribbean.
Page 152 | Loc. 2314-15 The solution to a positioning problem is usually found in the prospect’s mind, not in the product.
Page 158 | Loc. 2391-92 Your problem is not just one of developing a good strategy. Equally important is the courage you will need to keep hammering at the same theme, year after year.
Page 160 | Loc. 2413-16 “Mapping the prospect’s mind” is normally done with a research technique called “semantic differential.” This was the procedure used to develop a positioning program for the Long Island Trust Company. In semantic differential research, the prospect is given a set of attributes and then asked to rank each competitor on a scale, generally from 1 to 10.
Page 170 | Loc. 2518-19 When the bank’s performance matched the promises the advertising was going to make, the advertising started to make the promises.
Page 191 | Loc. 2791-93 So remember, the winningest jockeys are not necessarily the lightest, the smartest, or the strongest. The best jockey doesn’t win the race. The jockey that wins the race is usually the one with the best horse. So pick yourself a horse to ride and then ride it for all it’s
Page 196 | Loc. 2837-39 Prospects don’t buy, they choose. Among brands of automobiles. Among brands of beer. Among brands of computers. The merit, or lack of merit, of your brand is not nearly as important as your position among the possible choices.
Page 203 | Loc. 2934-35 people make up their minds and then find the facts to “verify” their opinion. Or even more commonly, they accept the opinion of the nearest “expert,” and then they don’t have to bother with the facts at all.
Page 206 | Loc. 2991-93 But the obvious isn’t always so obvious. “Boss” Kettering had a sign which he placed on the wall of the General Motors Research Building in Dayton: “This problem when solved will be simple.”
Page 208 | Loc. 3022-25 In positioning, smaller may be better. It is usually better to look for smaller targets that you can own exclusively rather than a bigger market you have to share with three or four other brands. You can’t be all things to all people and still have a powerful position.
Page 210 | Loc. 3050-52 The suicidal bent of companies that go head-on against established competition is hard to understand. Hope springs eternal in the human breast. Nine times out of ten, the also-ran that sets out to attack the leader head-on is headed for disaster.
Sunday 3 April 2011
Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Field Guide for Leaders, Managers, and Facilitators (Patrick Lencioni)
A trainers guide on how to run sessions to develop team cohesiveness and effectiveness based on the Patrick Lencioni book 'The five dysfunctions of a team".
I liked the exercise to get the team to open up at the start of a program the personal histories exercise:
Each team member explains 3 things, where they grew up, how many kids in the family, most important or difficult challenge of their childhood. Starts factual enough to be safe but then can go onto something much more revealing.
I have used Myers Briggs before though not for this purpose and the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument was very productive when my previous team used it last year.
Page 7 | Loc. 55-56 The true measure of a team is that it accomplishes the results that it sets out to achieve. To do that on a consistent, ongoing basis, a team must overcome the five dysfunctions listed here by embodying the behaviors described for each one.
Page 7 | Loc. 56-57 Dysfunction #I: Absence of Trust: Members of great teams trust one another on a fundamental, emotional level, and they are comfortable being vulnerable with each other about their weaknesses, mistakes, fears, and behaviors.
Page 7 | Loc. 58-59 Dysfunction #2: Fear of Conflict:... teams that trust one another are not afraid to engage in passionate dialogue around issues and decisions that are key to the organization's success.
Page 7 | Loc. 60-61 Dysfunction #3: Lack of Commitment ... teams that engage in unfiltered conflict are able to achieve genuine buy-in around important decisions, even when various members of the team initially disagree.
Page 7 | Loc. 62-63 Dysfunction #4: Avoidance of Accountability:... teams that commit to decisions and standards of performance do not hesitate to hold one another accountable for adhering to those decisions and standards.What
Page 7 | Loc. 64-65 Dysfunction #5: Inattention to Results: ... teams that trust one another, engage in conflict, commit to decisions, and hold one another accountable are very likely to set aside their individual needs and agendas and focus almost exclusively on what is best for the team.They
Page 9 | Loc. 69-70 a team is a relatively small number of people (anywhere from three to twelve) that shares common goals as well as the rewards and responsibilities for achieving them. Team members readily set aside their individual or personal needs for the greater good of the group.
Page 18 | Loc. 134-35 For a team to establish real trust, team members, beginning with the leader, must be willing to take risks without a guarantee of success. They will have to be vulnerable without knowing whether that vulnerability will be respected and reciprocated.
Page 32 | Loc. 258-60 come prepared the next day to report on the three or four areas that they felt were particularly insightful about their style. We also ask team members to identify one particular insight from their profile that they feel highlights a weakness that they would like to address for the good of the team.
Page 37 | Loc. 287-88 When people who don't trust one another engage in passionate debate, they are trying to win the argument. They aren't usually listening to the other person's ideas and then reconsidering their point of view; they're
Page 42 | Loc. 334 Two other tools help teams identify their individual and collective conflict profile. One is the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument-developed
Page 45 | Loc. 358-59 That's because people who don't like conflict have an amazing ability to avoid it, even when they know it's theoretically necessary.
Page 51 | Loc. 408 Waiting for everyone on a team to agree intellectually on a decision is a good recipe for mediocrity, delay, and frustration,
Page 52 | Loc. 415-17 Good leaders drive commitment among the team by first extracting every possible idea, opinion, and perspective from the team. Then, comfortable that nothing has been left off the table, they must have the courage and wisdom to step up and make a decision, one that is sure to run counter to at least one of the team members, and usually more.
Page 53 | Loc. 420-21 most people don't really need to have their ideas adopted (a.k.a. "get their way") in order to buy in to a decision. They just want to have their ideas heard, understood, considered, and explained within the context of the ultimate decision.
Page 54 | Loc. 434-35 With five minutes to go at the end of a meeting-any type of meeting-the leader of the team needs to call a question: What exactly have we decided here today?
Page 55 | Loc. 442-43 the leader must also engage in cascading communication. That means demanding that the team go back and communicate the decisions to their staff members within twenty-four hours of the meeting. And not by e-mail or voice mail but either live in person or on the phone, thus giving employees a chance to ask questions for clarification.
Page 87 | Loc. 691-92 If I'm a manager of the team, should I use an outside consultant or facilitator? The key to this question is whether you can find a really good consultant or facilitator. If not, then go it alone.
Page 97 | Loc. 762-63 it is just not realistic to expect people to be emotionally vulnerable, provide constructive feedback, and hold one another accountable for their behaviors over a T1 line. There is something uniquely powerful about being in a room together, and being able to read the body language, facial expressions, and other subtle behavioral cues.
Page 131 | Loc. 942-43 The Thomas-Kilmann Model describes five different approaches to conflict according to how people think about the importance of a task versus the importance of their relationship with people they are working with.
Page 132 | Loc. 945-46 To ensure that teams leave meetings with no ambiguity about what they've agreed upon. Time required: Five minutes. Instructions: 1. Toward the end of a meeting, the leader or facilitator should go to the white board and ask the team: "What have we agreed upon today?"
Page 133 | Loc. 949-50 After the Commitment Clarification Exercise has been completed, the team then decides which of the commitments and agreements should be communicated to the rest of the organization.
Page 133 | Loc. 951-52 Note that it is critical for cascading communication to occur either in person or live on the phone (that is, not via e-mail or voice mail) so that employees can ask questions
I liked the exercise to get the team to open up at the start of a program the personal histories exercise:
Each team member explains 3 things, where they grew up, how many kids in the family, most important or difficult challenge of their childhood. Starts factual enough to be safe but then can go onto something much more revealing.
I have used Myers Briggs before though not for this purpose and the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument was very productive when my previous team used it last year.
Page 7 | Loc. 55-56 The true measure of a team is that it accomplishes the results that it sets out to achieve. To do that on a consistent, ongoing basis, a team must overcome the five dysfunctions listed here by embodying the behaviors described for each one.
Page 7 | Loc. 56-57 Dysfunction #I: Absence of Trust: Members of great teams trust one another on a fundamental, emotional level, and they are comfortable being vulnerable with each other about their weaknesses, mistakes, fears, and behaviors.
Page 7 | Loc. 58-59 Dysfunction #2: Fear of Conflict:... teams that trust one another are not afraid to engage in passionate dialogue around issues and decisions that are key to the organization's success.
Page 7 | Loc. 60-61 Dysfunction #3: Lack of Commitment ... teams that engage in unfiltered conflict are able to achieve genuine buy-in around important decisions, even when various members of the team initially disagree.
Page 7 | Loc. 62-63 Dysfunction #4: Avoidance of Accountability:... teams that commit to decisions and standards of performance do not hesitate to hold one another accountable for adhering to those decisions and standards.What
Page 7 | Loc. 64-65 Dysfunction #5: Inattention to Results: ... teams that trust one another, engage in conflict, commit to decisions, and hold one another accountable are very likely to set aside their individual needs and agendas and focus almost exclusively on what is best for the team.They
Page 9 | Loc. 69-70 a team is a relatively small number of people (anywhere from three to twelve) that shares common goals as well as the rewards and responsibilities for achieving them. Team members readily set aside their individual or personal needs for the greater good of the group.
Page 18 | Loc. 134-35 For a team to establish real trust, team members, beginning with the leader, must be willing to take risks without a guarantee of success. They will have to be vulnerable without knowing whether that vulnerability will be respected and reciprocated.
Page 32 | Loc. 258-60 come prepared the next day to report on the three or four areas that they felt were particularly insightful about their style. We also ask team members to identify one particular insight from their profile that they feel highlights a weakness that they would like to address for the good of the team.
Page 37 | Loc. 287-88 When people who don't trust one another engage in passionate debate, they are trying to win the argument. They aren't usually listening to the other person's ideas and then reconsidering their point of view; they're
Page 42 | Loc. 334 Two other tools help teams identify their individual and collective conflict profile. One is the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument-developed
Page 45 | Loc. 358-59 That's because people who don't like conflict have an amazing ability to avoid it, even when they know it's theoretically necessary.
Page 51 | Loc. 408 Waiting for everyone on a team to agree intellectually on a decision is a good recipe for mediocrity, delay, and frustration,
Page 52 | Loc. 415-17 Good leaders drive commitment among the team by first extracting every possible idea, opinion, and perspective from the team. Then, comfortable that nothing has been left off the table, they must have the courage and wisdom to step up and make a decision, one that is sure to run counter to at least one of the team members, and usually more.
Page 53 | Loc. 420-21 most people don't really need to have their ideas adopted (a.k.a. "get their way") in order to buy in to a decision. They just want to have their ideas heard, understood, considered, and explained within the context of the ultimate decision.
Page 54 | Loc. 434-35 With five minutes to go at the end of a meeting-any type of meeting-the leader of the team needs to call a question: What exactly have we decided here today?
Page 55 | Loc. 442-43 the leader must also engage in cascading communication. That means demanding that the team go back and communicate the decisions to their staff members within twenty-four hours of the meeting. And not by e-mail or voice mail but either live in person or on the phone, thus giving employees a chance to ask questions for clarification.
Page 87 | Loc. 691-92 If I'm a manager of the team, should I use an outside consultant or facilitator? The key to this question is whether you can find a really good consultant or facilitator. If not, then go it alone.
Page 97 | Loc. 762-63 it is just not realistic to expect people to be emotionally vulnerable, provide constructive feedback, and hold one another accountable for their behaviors over a T1 line. There is something uniquely powerful about being in a room together, and being able to read the body language, facial expressions, and other subtle behavioral cues.
Page 131 | Loc. 942-43 The Thomas-Kilmann Model describes five different approaches to conflict according to how people think about the importance of a task versus the importance of their relationship with people they are working with.
Page 132 | Loc. 945-46 To ensure that teams leave meetings with no ambiguity about what they've agreed upon. Time required: Five minutes. Instructions: 1. Toward the end of a meeting, the leader or facilitator should go to the white board and ask the team: "What have we agreed upon today?"
Page 133 | Loc. 949-50 After the Commitment Clarification Exercise has been completed, the team then decides which of the commitments and agreements should be communicated to the rest of the organization.
Page 133 | Loc. 951-52 Note that it is critical for cascading communication to occur either in person or live on the phone (that is, not via e-mail or voice mail) so that employees can ask questions
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