Why the best? Well ...

... all in all everything you want in an exceptionally successful team building and training program and not a rope in sight

How Long Does it Take to Create a Team Pillar?

It is an investment of time ~ and yes there can be lots of it. I have worked with teams that have been able to develop a team pillar within four hours ... and I have worked with a team that took 15 hours to develop one pillar.

The length of time taken, depends upon the team's development, (how used they are to openly discussing and negotiating) and the 'heat' within the pillar.

For example, you will find that when it comes to creating a team pillar around 'Improving Individual Performance', people's agendas can come to the fore.

For example, the under-performers will likely try to sabotage and put the brakes on anything that shines the light on their lack of performance, and this can bog the process down. You will need your best leadership skills on that day (even with a good facilitator)!

Don't Frighten the Dickens Out of Them!

You will also find that if a team is closer to a Stage 1 team, as explained in the general descriptions of team development, than Stage 4, they will be less adventurous/extravagant in how they describe the behaviors of a Stage 4 team.

It isn't because they are being obtuse.

These Team Building Resources Aren't A Quick Fix

It is because they often can't see that far out ... even if you can ... because up to this point they haven't been trained to think this way.

My recommendation is tread carefully to begin with. You don't want to frighten them by something that they aren't ready for.

If you begin describing a Stage 4 team to them, which you see them achieving 10-15 years down the track (which the best analogy I can find, is similar to describing university, to a 4 year old kid about to go to kindergarten), you will frighten the dickens out of them.

I worked with a team that, when we initially described the behaviors for the Pillar of Business Awareness, we thought we had been really stretching the boundaries.

Two years later all our Stage 4 behaviors became our Stage 2 behaviors and we then took ourselves into the realms of what two years earlier we had thought were impossible pipedreams!

They won't want to come on the journey (just as describing university to a kindergartener, will have them telling you I DON'T want to go to school!). It can be a case of too much too soon and can overwhelm even the brightest and most willing of team members.

Pillars are dynamic documents that will change with time. So certainly stretch their thinking ... but don't frighten them.

Be patient!

You may well have to settle for letting them describe a Stage 4 team ... as what you may well have liked to have seen described as a Stage 2 or 3 team ~ knowing that in the future you will work with them again to broaden their outlook on what behaviors describe Stage 4.

Step 3: Assess the Team's Stage of Development for Each Pillar

Once you've got your team pillar documented, now comes the fun part. Again, working together, you and your team will assess which stage of team development best describes their performance level.

If you thought you had had vigorous debate, as you were developing the Team Pillar, well assessing your team's stage of development can be even more rocky.

Do make sure that you make use of team norms to ensure that, what are likely to be robust conversations don't become personal attacks. Which they can quickly degenerate into if you don't facilitate well ... I have seen pent up frustration at under-performers come to the fore. So do make sure that you are prepared to handle this well.

Teams Develop at Differing Speeds for Each Function

It is important to note that, whilst you may judge that a team is at, say Stage 2 or Stage 3 overall, there will be some functions at which they excel quite quickly and others it is like dragging teeth out of a wide awake tiger. A long, and difficult ... if not at times dangerous ... process! 

For example, generally, in terms of "Meeting Productivity Targets" teams very quickly become results focused and can be relied upon to achieve performance targets - often moving quite rapidly through Stage 1 to Stage 3-4.

Part of the reason for this is that the results (or non-results) of the actions and activities are easily measured.

But, in terms of "Providing Feedback To Each Other" you can expect the progress to Stage 4 to be quite slow!

That is partly due to it being uncomfortable for anyone to raise performance issues with another, particularly a peer. And, partly because it is can be more challenging to measure how well people provide, along with the results of, performance feedback.

It is quite common, to have a team who is performing as a Stage 3-4 team in terms of their capability to manage team productivity, but very much at Stage 1 in terms of improving individual performance.

For example, as a group they can easily hold each other accountable for achieving team performance outcomes (say exhibiting Stage 3 behaviors in the function of "Managing Team Performance"), but when it comes time to address the under-performance of an individual they expect the team leader to do it (Stage 1 behaviors in the function of "Improving Individual Performance").

Most teams take a very long time to move from Stage 1 to Stage 2 in terms of "Improving Individual Performance". As a leader, you would probably agree that one of the most difficult tasks that confronts you is managing the under-performance of individuals - it seems to be a task that most people find difficult.

Access the Successful Feedback training it will certainly help you with to handle the challenging conversations you need to have when performance issues raise their head. If you want you can contact us directly about how we could train your people in these all important skills.

Step 4: Plan Out Development Activities

Use a matrix like this, so you and your team can quickly get a picture of where they stand for a series of functions:

Using a grid like this helps you to begin to plan out where you need to focus, and you can begin to turn your attention to how you will help your team develop to the next stage.

And this doesn't just mean training programs.

It could be things like working to change restrictive policies and procedures, it could be creating new systems, it could be freeing up the information flow. (So many teams are hindered by such restrictions ... which came about because of the old style thinking of trying to control everything).

One of the benefits, of using team pillars, is that it does help to lessen the fear of those old-school, wary decision-makers, (who often sit in corner office!)

They can see there is a process, which systematically enables people to develop and over time take on more higher level decision making responsibility.

They can see it is not a free-for-all which will result in anarchy.

Changing Team Leader Behaviors With These Team Building Resources!

Following the assessment, it will be very clear to you the style of leadership you are currently using and where you, the leader, need to grow and shift your style to effect long term changes in the team.

As well, you will have a road map of where you need to focus on a daily basis in order to help your team shift, along the team development continuum, toward being a self-reliant, empowered team.

This can be most challenging - because you have to step out of your comfort zone and release the reins. But if you aren't growing, learning and developing ... then how can you expect to grow and develop your people?

The growth of teams in the workplace often directly correlates to the growth of their leadership.

The simple fact that you are member of this site, tells me that you are committed to being at your best and bringing your people with you, so I'm confident that you and your team will experience the success you are ready for.

It is fairly obvious that a leader, who can only use the behaviors of a Stage 2 leader, can never grow and develop his or her team through to a higher stage. So, in order for you to develop your team, you need to focus on the behaviors at the next level. In that way you will draw your people along with you.

Negotiating Roles With These Team Building Resources

You will at times have to negotiate how you lead your team.

You can expect to be challenged by your team members that you aren't acting as a Stage "x" team leader etc - don't let that worry you.

Keep doing your best and regularly refer to your team pillar for inspiration on the types of behaviors you need to be role-modelling.

Here is an example of how I used team pillars with an under-performer, to negotiate the behaviors we needed to see in order for him to be treated at a higher level.

I had taken over a production team, in a manufacturing facility, that had a team member who was underperforming.

Among other poor performance issues, the thing that was driving his team members nuts was that, he had been regularly taking longer breaks than he was entitled to. The team were quite frustrated at having to cover for him, and a few had grumbled to me about it (not having the confidence to confront him directly, because he was a strong personality).

I had to ensure I had the facts (not hearsay from the team members). So, when he was due for a break I would note the time he left and the time he returned. After a few days of data gathering, I spoke to him about his performance. During the conversation he began to complain that I was treating him as a Stage 1 Team Member and I shouldn't be monitoring his performance.

I grabbed the Team Pillar and showed him that he had been acting as a Stage 1 Team Member, so this was the appropriate way to lead him. We were then able to discuss how he'd like to be treated, and the behaviors he'd need to exhibit in order to be treated differently.

Using the guidelines in the pillars, we very quickly put in place a plan of action for him, that enabled him to lift his performance to a level that ensured he was treated the way he wanted - as a Stage 3 team member. A win all round!

Team Pillars will become one of the power tools in your team development activities. When teams use Team Pillars, higher performance generally follows.

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