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“Creating Successful Leaders”

Category Archives: Teamwork

July 8, 2015 The Surprising Way Improv Comedy Can Help Your Workplace

When I first attended a class put on by the Brave New Workshop improv troupe, I was skeptical. How could improvised theater help me, a businessperson? Wasn’t it just for the ultra-creative types and class clowns? It turns out, my skepticism was hugely misplaced.

As I went through several different activities, I began to understand the value of such training for myself and everyone I was with—no matter the personality type. The skills we were learning through improv comedy helped us adapt to new situations, be creative, collaborate with others, and have the confidence to express ourselves, even if we weren’t entirely certain of the next move. These are all essential attributes of a good leader or confident team member.

One exercise especially stuck out in my mind:

We were asked to split up into groups of two. One person pretended to have a box filled with something useless or negative (worms, old gym socks, garbage, etc.) and they were supposed to give that box to the other person and say what they had. For example: “Here, Margaret. I have a box full of old banana peels for you.”

The recipient would have to take the box of useless items and respond in some kind of positive manner, such as: “Thank you, Susan. I will take these banana peels and use them as compost in my garden.”

This exercise works on a few useful skills:

  1. Turning a negative into a positive
  2. Quickly adapting to an uncomfortable situation
  3. Connecting in a positive manner with another person

After the workshop was finished, I felt energized, confident, and ready to take on anything that was thrown my way. I highly recommend using improv workshops as a way to boost your business (and life!) skills and help your team connect on a deeper level.

Contact me if you’d like to hear more about my improv experience!

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June 24, 2015 Capitalizing on Your Diverse Workplace with Insights® Discovery

Your workplace is diverse, whether you know it or not. You may all be similar in appearance, but what about your interests? Work styles? Ways of thinking and doing? Diversity goes beyond ethnicity, gender, culture, and age. It also has to do with diversity of thought and behavior.

Such a mix of perspectives can be healthy for an organization, but only if it’s leveraged correctly. If the minority voices are constantly silenced by the majority, then any diversity your organization may have will not be used effectively.

Understanding and accepting differences in others is fundamental to the success of an organization. It’s what leads to great idea-generation, creativity, and an energized workplace. As a leader, your goal should be to encourage all voices to be heard, and all individuals to be valued.

But where to begin? Insights® Discovery (a tool for understanding and developing unique personalities) provides us with a great model to follow to embrace workplace diversity. Here are their five steps:

  • Build Self-Awareness: Every person brings a unique set of knowledge, experience, capabilities and behaviors to the table. Organizations can and should help their people fully understand themselves and recognize their individual capabilities. We can’t really begin to understand and accept others, unless we know ourselves.
  • Gain Understanding: As individuals, we need to understand ourselves, understand others, and be understood by others. This means approaching diversity with an open mind—a willingness to learn about your co-workers and how they think and perceive the world.
  • Adapt and Connect: Organizations should help their people adapt and connect to get the most from their teams. Adapting and connecting helps you achieve better engagement and interaction with others. Yes, connecting with people who think differently than you may stretch your comfort zone, but you’ll probably be surprised by how much common ground you share.
  • Find Value in Diversity: Insights calls this phase “Moving from frustration to fascination.” Instead of being frustrated by others’ differences, learn about them. Appreciate what they bring to the table and how it adds richness to your work experience. Make your work environment an inclusive one in which differences are appreciated and valued.
  • Leverage differences: The best teams are comprised of a diverse group of people who can bring out the best in each other. This can only happen through honest, open dialogue and a work environment that encourages diversity of thought and perspective.

HOW can you make your workplace open and inclusive? Stay tuned for next week’s blog!

Want more information on how Insights® Discovery can help your workplace? Contact me today!

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May 20, 2015 Teamwork and Insights® Discovery

Is your team having trouble clicking? Are you struggling with moving forward on projects? Or, are you finding it difficult to come up with new, creative ideas?

One of the solutions for team disparity is the Insights® Discovery model for teams. (If you’re new to Insights, more information can be found HERE.) Insights uses a scientifically-based model to identify individual strengths, “blind spots,” communication styles, etc. The information is put into easy-to-understand, actionable language and is associated with a specific color on the four-color grid. With this information, individuals can see how they fit within their team and begin to understand others methods of communication or ways of thinking, as well as their own.

This program can be used to:

  • Elevate team performance
  • Improve group communication
  • Develop understanding between co-workers
  • Promote team engagement
  • Create an action plan for team development
  • …and more. The possibilities for your team are limitless.

Below, is a short video dedicated to Insights for team effectiveness. You can also learn more about the program HERE or Contact Me for more information on Insights Discovery.
Insights Discovery for Teams

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