The question is

Following on from considering the pace at which change can be progressed (042) we are looking at how you can keep people united through uncertain times.  

Change creates plenty of opportunities to divide teams, as people become winners or losers in the change process.  How can leaders actively bring teams together as one?

This podcast was recorded while we are still in lockdown.  Like most people, we are working from home (kids and pets may appear at any time).   Apologies for the quality of one of the mics on this podcast. The perils of working without a producer.

We are still focused on the questions that are getting in the way.

Many organisations discovered that they can introduce significant change rapidly when they had to reorganise their workforce to being home-based.  Does this mean that all change should be quick?

Paul, Rob and Rich explore why this change has worked so well, and ask what are the lessons we can learn from this for future change.

This podcast was recorded while we are still in lockdown.  Like most people, we are working from home (kids and pets may appear at any time).  We are still focused on the questions that are getting in the way.

The pandemic makes working life really difficult for many people, making even the simplest of decisions far more complex. However, it is also an easy excuse to put off the things that we don't want to tackle. It enables us to create an argument that these things need to be parked until we return to normal, but that could be a long way off; can these issues really wait.

Ricky gets Paul to explain why we do this, and what strategies can support us to take action now, even if it does make us feel uncomfortable.

This podcast was recorded while we are still in lockdown.  Like most people, we are working from home (kids and pets may appear at any time).  We are still focused on the questions that are getting in the way.

When the world changes around us, many of us feel completely out of control and struggle to find meaning.  This struggle then leads to even the most competent people hitting a productivity brick wall as they work to resolve these feelings.

Rob explains to Ricky how to spot this happening in the workplace and how leaders and managers can help people regain control through some simple steps, helping them to process the change which in turn allows productivity to return. This is more important than ever, with COVID-19 creating change in every part of lives.

This podcast was recorded while we are still in lockdown.  Like most people we are working from home (kids and pets may appear at any time).  We are still focused on the questions that are getting in the way.

Teams have been broken, split between furloughed and working, home-based or office-based.  Teams that were once aligned against a common purpose are now divided.  What does this mean for managing teams going forward?  How can leaders bring teams back together?

Rich, Rob, Ricky and Paul (and Paul's dog) discuss the implications and unintentional side effects of some of the difficult yet necessary decisions that have had to be made.   How do we get back to one team and one vision?

This podcast was recorded while we are in the middle of lockdown. Like most people, we are working from home (with kids and dogs), making do and still looking to answer the questions that are getting in the way.

The vast amount of change that has been thrust upon us with COVID-19 has caused most leaders to have to grab control of the day to day to make sure that the business can ride the storm.

In this podcast, Ricky talks to Paul about the dangers of getting stuck in this detail for too long, and how you can recognise and do something about that when it happens to you.

This podcast was recorded while we are in the middle of lockdown. Like most people, we are working from home, making do and still looking to answer the questions that are getting in the way.

We are dealing with high levels of uncertainty right now, possibly the most uncertainty that most of us have or will ever experience.  What impact is that having on our lives, and particularly our working lives?

In this podcast, Richard talks to Paul about how we react to uncertainty, and some of the things we can do to help us work through these times of rapid change, both for ourselves and the people that we manage or lead.

This podcast was recorded while we are in the middle of lockdown. Like most people, we are working from home, making do and still looking to answer the questions that are getting in the way.

Remote working might be part of the new normal going forward, but if you are not co-located with the people you work with, it is easy to get out of step with the team and the priorities.

Rob gets Ricky to explain why the work you do as a manager to create clarity takes is more significant when the team is remote.

This podcast was recorded while we are in the middle of lockdown. Like most people, we are working from home, making do and still looking to answer the questions that are getting in the way.

This podcast explores the challenges that leaders face of where to focus their attention. In a crisis situation, leadership time is required to make fundamental day to day decisions, that generally would be taken elsewhere. Finding a balance between getting stuck in and keeping the wider view is one all leaders and managers face. Rob and Rich suggest that time needs be split between Growing, Running and Protecting the business, and how the need to protect (in the current COVID Crisis) and run (with key staff on furlough) may cause leaders to lose focus on moving their business forward. This podcast was recorded while we are in the middle of lockdown. Like most people, we are working from home, making do and still looking to answer the questions that are getting in the way.

Some teams just get it, they immerse themselves in the work or activities of the team to deliver amazing results.  What is it that they have, that other teams don't?

In this podcast, Paul proposes that this is down to a connection to the higher purpose, and along with Graham they explore what that means.

This podcast is part of a short series on productivity, where we are exploring how you can Sell More, Save More and Do More, both personally and for your team.

Find out more about Thinking Focus and the work we do to help people get out of their own way at www.thinkingfocus.com