The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
August 26th, 2010
There is a great book called The Five Dysfunctions of a Team that can help take your team to the next level. Patrick Lencioni identifies the five dysfunctions:
1. Absence of Trust
2. Fear of Conflict
3. Lack of Commitment
4. Avoidance of Accountability
5. Inattention to Results
If you were to evaluate your team, do any of the five above grab your attention? Here are some signs to watch for:
- Hesitate to ask for help or provide constructive feedback- Absence of Trust
- Dread meetings and find reasons to avoid spending time together- Absence of Trust
- Have boring meetings- Fear of Conflict
- Fail to tap into all the opinions and perspectives of team members- Fear of Conflict
- Revisits discussions and decisions again and again-Lack of Commitment
- Misses deadlines and key deliverables-Avoidance of Accountability
- Place an undue burden on the team leader as the sole source of discipline- Avoidance of Accountability
- Stagnates//fails to grow-Inattention to Results
- Is easily distracted- Inattention to Results
Not finance. Not strategy. Not technology. It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and so rare.
The Eye Candy Secret…
July 26th, 2010
Have you ever gone to a meeting with a potential client and no matter how much you spoke, words were not good enough to describe what you do? And you could not close the deal or get your point across! The Secret solution is Eye Candy!
So many times we hear of people going into a meeting to try and close a deal unprepared. They have not visual representation or examples of what they do and this compounds the problem of trying to just communicate verbally.
Here is an example: A web developer walks into a meeting with a large law firm to talk about how he can help them build a new website. He walks in with no examples of work he has done for other firms or customers and tries to talk things through, giving the client no visual or tangible representation of his work. How likely do you think he would be to receive the contract over a web developer that walked into the meeting and…
Web developer #2 walks into the meeting and hooks his laptop into a LCD projector and casts 6 of his other law firm clients websites up on the screen and talks about the components of each and the functionality both verbally and visually. What one comes off more professional, prepared and sellable? Web Developer #2 may even be not as good of a developer, but the Eye Candy was enough to persuade the audience that he was a better choice.
This is the Eye Candy Secret and does not apply to just web developers. It is for closing and presenting any idea. If your business sells the intangible then grab a white board or a giant post-it note and talk through your presentation while putting things down on paper.
The reason for doing any of this is because many of us learn and process information differently. Some may learn best through a conversation and listening, others may need pictures to visualize, but the point is that you do not know how people like to be communicated with so it is best to bring the Eye Candy to visually represent what you do. This will also get potential customers visualizing their own needs and get them excited.
It is always best to hit as many senses as possible: Hearing, Sight, Smell (if you bake cookies), Touch, Taste (more cookies!). Doing this can stimulate the senses and increase your probability of success.
Featured Client: St. Mary’s School of Winchester
May 26th, 2010
The Octopus SOLUTION:
St. Mary’s School of Winchester is a Catholic elementary school located in Winchester, MA. The school has a long history and a strong connection with the community. Their marketing efforts in the past have been fragmented which has resulted in a decrease in student enrollment.
Our strategy was to demonstrate why St. Mary’s is a smart alternative to other private as well as public schools. We wanted to present St. Mary’s as the progressive Catholic elementary school that it is, and encourage parents to think about the school and the education it provides.
The school engaged The Octopus Solution to help re-build their overall branding, marketing strategy and image. While St. Mary’s has an excellent history and reputation, they were losing students to the highly competitive education environment. The complacent “wait and see” marketing approach was no longer working.
Research revealed the school had many hidden gems. We decided to take a marketing approach that focused on the students, current and past, in regards to their successes. We also surveyed parents and received numerous testimonials. We released a new logo, new website, updated brochures and other collateral, held numerous Open Houses, and formed alliances with local businesses such as Starbucks Coffee Company.
One of the many positive benchmarks is that enrollment is starting to increase. The three and four-year-old preschool program is now full. In fact, they just decided to open up another preschool class to make room for more students!
Featured Client: Chiropractic Center of Glastonbury
May 26th, 2010
The Octopus SOLUTION:
Chiropractic Center of Glastonbury is located in Glastonbury, CT and is owned by Dr. Patrick DeFrancesco. Dr. DeFrancesco has a very successful practice and has been in business for 25 years. He has been doing it all by himself and is in total control of his entire practice. This control has prevented him from going on vacations, enjoying his family and has caused severe imbalance in his life.
Dr. DeFrancesco’s position clearly indicated that it was time for change before burnout really set-in. Dr. DeFrancesco previously tried to reorganize his practice to allow himself more free time but after multiple unsuccessful attempts he threw in the towel. Dr. DeFrancesco resorted back to doing it all himself and just hoping htat he put away enough money so when the day came that he could not physically do it anymore his family was still taken care of.
Dr. DeFrancesco engaged The Octopus Solution to assist in re-organizing his practice, create a hierarchy of delegation, establish efficient systems, and work on his personal and business balance. The good news is that Dr DeFrancesco has capable staff who are able to handle issues, he just needed more confidence in his systems to allow him to let go.
We established an organizational chart with specific roles, responsibilities, statistical tracking, and a clearly defined mission for each department in the practice. We developed a personal/professional balance chart where he has started to take periodic days off, he is getting ready for an 18-day trip to Italy in July. His vision has shifted and is now looking at practicing part time and looking at opening another practice in 2011. Keep up the good work Dr. DeFrancesco!
Can you “Visualize”???
May 26th, 2010
It is hard to get to where you want if you can not Visualize the ideal scene and end state. Have you ever thought it out?
As part of your strategic plan you should Visualize the desired end state. This is not a one sentence vision statement, but a full Visualization of how everything is when you achieve your ideal scene. What does your office look like? Where has your business scaled; regionally, nationally, internationally? How many employees? Revenues? Lifestyle? Influence? Etc!
Get the picture? If you do not write down your Visualization of your business then it will be that much more difficult to get to where you are want. So over the next week take part in our small exercise:
Take 20-30 minutes each day for one week to relax and think about an image of your business down the road. 5, 10, 20+ years down the road, what do things look like? Write them out on paper in great detail. Think about colors, looks, size, scale, etc.
This will help growth and allow you to work backwards once you have a clear picture painted. This is part of our Ascent Strategy Planning Tool.
Stay Tuned for our news announcements next week about our Performance Based Management Work-Shops and Leadership Weekend.
Featured Client: The YMCA
May 26th, 2010
The Octopus SOLUTION:
The Malden YMCA located in Malden, MA moved from an old, small building to a brand new facility in 2007. The new 70,000 sq/ft location was perfect but created more growing pains than expected. The leadership team was put to a major test because with many of their problems were easier to hide in the old building. The staff became frustrated due to lack of policies and procedures not being followed and the members suffered as well due to the situation. Knowing the long road ahead the CEO had to look outside his current team for assistance. The Malden YMCA engaged The Octopus Solution to help increase their member acquisition and retention and rates.
At the onset of engagement the Malden YMCA was acquiring approximately 200 new members a month but their retention rate was a bleak 37%! The CEO had a vision to build his YMCA to 10,000 members and knew that it would be an uphill battle to attain.
The Octopus Solution implemented a Performance Based Management System designed to organize the workflow and instill teamwork. The organizational structure was realigned to maximize the customer experience and immediately address retention. We implemented an organizational chart, which consisted of detailed roles and responsibilities. This immediately improved communications and created clarity for all staff. We also implemented statistical performance measures to evaluate the success of new and old positions. Finally, we created a system of reporting that is more efficient and effective.
Retention rate has increased by 25%. Total members have increased to 6800. The staff now has standards, which allow a level playing, and expectations to be met in a timely manner. The CEO and his executive team have a clear vision of their goals and how to achieve them.
AVATAR is the King of All Movies
April 26th, 2010
In January the movie Avatar grossed over $1 Billion and this month it has achieved the highest grossing DVD sales of all time too. What is the secret behind this movie? The promotion and advertising was not as grand as other blockbusters, but it made a significant impact. Was the movie that good or did it connect with people in a different way?
The values and messages in the movie were different from most released these days and there could be a significant link between the values of people, the message in the movie, and the reason for the sales.
The 3-D fantasy adventure film opened in December of last year, and became the No. 1 film ever world-wide, making $2.7 billion, and the highest grossing film of all time.
The marketing and advertising behind Hollywood films is very hot and cold. They tend to strongly promote movies that are not that good versus ones that are exceptional. Perhaps the exceptional ones have the power to generate word of mouth and news worthy exposure that they do not require significant investment. What made this movie different?
Time for some Spring Cleaning – Japanese 5S
March 26th, 2010
Spring is a time for new beginnings so get organized. Organization is key to production. The more organized you are the more productive you will be. One of the most effect ways of being organized, which many leading companies are using, comes from Japan. 
5S is the name of a workplace organization methodology. The list describes how items are stored and how the new order is maintained. The decision making process usually comes from a dialogue about standardization which builds a clear understanding among employees of how work should be done.
The 5S’s are:
Step 1 – Seiri (Sort)
Sort and go through everything. Keep only the important essential items. Get rid of anything that is broken, not used, or is not needed. Put everything else in storage.
Step 2 – Seiton (Set in Order)
There should be a specific place for everything. Store items near the place they will be used and are easy accessed. Store items used for the same task together. The place for each item should be clearly labeled. Items should be arranged in a manner that promotes efficient work flow.
Step 3 -Seiso (Shine)
Keep the workplace clean and spotless. Always keep clean the work area and be sure everything is restored to its place. This makes it easy to know what goes where and insures that everything is where it belongs. Maintaining cleanliness should be part of the daily work.
Step 4 – Seiketsu (Standardize)
Develop procedures for maintaining the clean and organized business. Schedule time for cleaning up. Create visual controls such as labels or paint outlines so everyone knows where things belong and can easily see when something is missing. Everyone should know exactly what his or her responsibilities are.
Step 5 – Shitsuke (Sustain)
Sustain the discipline of the first 4 steps. It takes 60-90 days of constant monitoring before a discipline becomes habit. Always monitor to not fall back to old ways. When an new issue arises such as a suggested improvement, a new way of working, a new tool or a new output requirement, review the first 4 S’s and make changes as appropriate.
It is important to have continuous education about maintaining standards with your employees. When there are changes that affect the 5S program, it is critical to make changes in the standards and provide training.
Time to Spring Clean the Right Way!!!!
Teams Speak The Same Language
February 26th, 2010
Most clients we work with struggle with communication. It is always an issue between individuals, departments, top-> down or bottom->up, or even externally with customers. When mis-communication happens it means that people are operating on different levels of understanding, rules, systems, etc. and this issue is the root cause of your problems.
We are going to walk you through step one of getting your team on the same page:
When a team is starting out it must AGREE to a set of standards which everyone shall live by while at work. These standards are ways that people in the company will BE with one another and what they will uphold. If the team agrees on the standard by which they work together then the playing field starts t become more level and bonds begin to form.
Standards should raise the bar for the entire company and be something everyone has to work to achieve. Some examples of standards we have seen clients incorporate are: Have Fun, Follow Through With Your Commitments, Be On Time, Lead by Example, Return All Phone Calls in 24 Hours, Praise in Public & Criticize in Private, etc.
These standards become the foundation for which the team will operate, function and hold each other accountable too. Give the members of your team time to create their own set of standards and make sure they are being upheld by leadership and everyone else in the organization.
Advertising you would get Arrested For…
January 26th, 2010
Can you believe the type of marketing done in the 1930’s?
