13 Nov

Uh-oh, it’s team building time…

“Unity is strength…when there is teamwork and collaboration wonderful things can be achieved.” – Mattie Stepanek

As the end of the year approaches, many managers remember that they have forgotten to hold a team building session during the year.… Read more...

10 May

What to do when a cross-functional team gets cross

“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success.  You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.”Read more...

24 Jan

Delegating is not really about you…

“The great leaders are like the best conductors – they reach beyond the notes to reach the magic in the players.”  –Blaine Lee

Many managers and supervisors find delegating difficult. This can be for many reasons – they like to be in control, they want all the glory, they don’t trust their staff.… Read more...

01 Dec

Creating a high performance team – the building of trust

“The essence of trust is not in its bind, but in its bond” – Unknown

Perhaps one of the most fundamental factors for a successful cross functional team is the building of trust across the group.… Read more...

31 Oct

A quick and cheap team assessment!

“Gettin’ good players is easy.  Gettin’ ’em to play together is the hard part. “ ~Casey Stengel

For those of us who lead or participate in any type of team, we all have moments of wondering if the team could somehow operate better.… Read more...

19 Jul

Promoting your team to internal customers

“The way you think your customers feel about your product is not always the same as what your customers really think about your product. ” – Bo Bennett

For those of us who work in or lead a team that supports internal customers, often the last thing we have time to do is to promote or market the team’s work.… Read more...

16 May

We’ve set up our cross-functional team – now what?

“Coming together is a beginning.  Keeping together is progress.  Working together is success.”  ~Henry Ford

So you understand the objectives and have chosen the members for your cross-functional team. Your first meeting is tomorrow.… Read more...

27 Apr

Creating an effective cross-functional team – the initial considerations.

“Coming together is a beginning.  Keeping together is progress.  Working together is success.”  ~Henry Ford

Most businesses – small and large – use cross-functional teams at some point. Whether or not they actually call it a cross-functional team is irrelevant – if there is a group of people from different parts of the business working on a project, process review or planning – it’s a cross-functional team.… Read more...

21 Mar

High performance teams – just another fad?

“Think of yourself as on the threshold of unparalleled success. A whole clear, glorious life lies before you. Achieve! Achieve!” – Andrew Carnegie

The term ‘High Performance Team’ has been around for a while now, but is it just another corporate phrase or organisational fad?… Read more...