Teams Work - does yours?

Building a mansion or a row of terraces?

teamswork — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:23:41 +0000

I was reminded again this week how most businesses grow organically, lopsided and unplanned. It stands to reason that someone with a potential business idea starts small and adds people and premises as their success allows, but ask any business owner today …

My blog has now moved to the Reflection Consulting – East Midlands Teamwork & Management Services – main website and this article can now be read, in full, at Building a mansion or a row of terraces

The Business Death Wish

teamswork — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:23:32 +0000

Business planning is fun. A lovely distraction from the daily grind and a chance to dream about a bright, prosperous future. That’s the easy part.

An extreme story I heard …

My blog has now moved to the East Midlands Teamwork & Management Services – Reflection Consulting – main website and this article can now be read, in full, at The Business Death Wish

A new horizon for middle managers

teamswork — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:03:42 +0000

Our middle managers take such a bashing, at work, in the media and in business research (see my CIPD article for more). It’s a wonder anyone aspires to be a manager, and amazing that we have accepted this sorry state of affairs for so long.

No matter how good the technical training…

My blog has now moved to the Reflection Consulting – East Midlands Teamwork & Management Services – main website and this article can now be read, in full, at new horizon for middle managers

Get the people right from the start

teamswork — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:03:41 +0000

Talking to the business manager at HSBC the other day made me realise the lengths new business owners go to secure capital, premises, stock, logos, stationery and all the trappings of a shiny new business, but spend hardly any time thinking about the people they’ll be employing.

A friendly word of advice to business owners…

My blog has now moved to the East Midlands Management & Teamwork – Reflection Consulting – main website and this article can now be read, in full, at Get the people right from the start

Most teams are anything but

teamswork — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:43:07 +0000

How long does it take for a group of strangers to form into an effective, productive team?

Speak to the head of any organisation, and you’d…

My blog has now moved to the East Midlands Management & Teamwork – Reflection Consulting – main website and this article can now be read, in full, at Most teams are anything but

The whining dog blog

teamswork — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:36:08 +0000

This story lodged in my head when I read it some months ago, and keeps coming back to haunt me. I’ve no idea who wrote it originally, so thanks and apologies for the paraphrasing.

Two old men, Abe and Ben, are sitting on their rocking chairs on the porch, enjoying the afternoon sun and looking out over the prairie. In between them lies Abe’s dog, Blue.

Every now and then, Blue lets out a long, painful whine and whimpers himself back to sleep.

Ben says “Abe, what’s the matter with your dog?”

Abe replies “He’s lying on a rusty nail.”

Ben looks horrified: “Why doesn’t he move?”

Abe: “It doesn’t hurt enough yet.”

I could apply this to the majority of organisations I meet. They are struggling on with the status quo, knowing it’s damaging their people and their performance, but not yet motivated to take any action.

Like lying on a rusty nail, those current problems are never going to heal themselves, in fact they are more likely to create more problems, the longer you leave them.

Don’t be like poor old Blue, take control and ask yourself why it’s taken you so long.

Is HR a proper job?

teamswork — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 10:05:33 +0000

You don’t have to look far to find committed, professional HR people in the UK, but for each one of them, there are plenty of reluctant HR managers who are just ticking away the days until they can return to their “proper job”.

I’ve been stunned recently to hear variations on the following from a number of HR managers:

“I’m actually an engineer / project manager / finance assistant but we had this big reshuffle at work and I ended up here. My boss said it was just temporary, while things settled down, then they’d find me a proper job.”

Sounds like HR is the offer you can’t refuse – unless you want to be made redundant.

This tells us two very important things: these employers and many others hold HR so far down the priority list that, as long as there’s a bum on a seat, nothing else really matters (even if the owner of that bum is disinterested and uninformed), and secondly, it’s no wonder the workforce is in the state it’s in when training, performance and development is part of this messy system.

How many times have you heard “there’s no point in talking to HR, they’re worse than useless”?

It must be soul-destroying for those professional, committed types to be awash in a sea of mediocrity. You have my sympathies.

Blog Off?

teamswork — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 10:23:16 +0000

I don’t know what you call it when you stop blogging for a while, but blog off seems appropriate.

Anyway, I’m back and ready to blog with the best of them. Thoughts on HR “professionals” and management are at the forefront of my mind, so no doubt they’ll make it into written words very soon.

I haven’t been totally idle, I’ve even been twittering – follow me at rosiereflect.

Motivation and communication

teamswork — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:37:44 +0000

This week I’ve had the opportunity to ask team managers, business leaders and team members how they feel about their teams, and what they would like to see changed.

In every case, top of the list was Motivation and Communication. Poor motivation and communication can really undermine a team, no matter what sector you are in, but there are ways of turning this round. However, it takes consistent work and a real commitment from the top to maintain it.

My free tips for motivating your teams are increasingly popular and I think it’s time to add some more tips on team communication.

Yesterday’s workshop “Difficult People Made Easy” brought together a really interesting mix of people, all of whom had their own challenges at work and were looking for support and solutions. They quickly developed into a peer group and I have no doubt will be sharing news on how they get on back at the office.

Conflict and disagreement saps energy and productivity from an organisaton, so I wish our participants well with their new strategies.

How bad does it have to be?

teamswork — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:24:40 +0000

Is it only bad managers that come to you for help? This is a common question for me and I think shows just how far we have managed to get from a healthy attitude to training and management support. Is it just UK managers who believe that asking for help is a sign of weakness?

Far from being bad managers, my clients share the same characteristics – they are:

Ambitious

Optimistic

Switched on to new ideas

Frustrated by poor performance

Ready to take the lead in bringing about change

This, plus the fact that they are actively seeking sources of help, following up recommendations and ready to see their team working better are all encouraging signs and should be congratulated, rather than treated with sympathy or suspicion.