Winning Teams

Recently, someone asked me a really good question. It was,

"What do you believe, based on your experience of working with hundreds of organizations in all different countries and cultures, what is the #1 goal for a CEO?"

Without thinking, the answer I gave was to have high performing teams that deliver results time and time again. I really do believe this because I think it is a massive challenge.

The more I reflect upon my answer, the more accurate I think it is. The key part of that answer is "time and time again". You can get lucky every now and then but consistently high results is what you are looking for. Consistency is critical to long term success.

On this podcast I share with you:

• What is it that makes up a high performing team?
  • Right people in the right roles.
  • The team is fully aligned on vision and objectives.
  • The team is working together the right way.
• The team needs to culturally fit, one with the other – this is not about being the same as each other, as that is dangerous.
• Leaders set the tone for what behavior is acceptable or not and should not tolerate members who do not fit in the team.
• Lack of alignment at the top results in inconsistency throughout the organization.
• Most of the disappointments in the organizations have been caused by how teams have worked or not worked together.
• Constantly review successes and disappointments, and learn from them in order to go forward.
• Soft skills (behavior, trust, accountability) are every bit as important as hard skills.

Don't undermine yourself as a leader by tolerating the wrong people on the bus. If you don't have the right people, you've got to do something about it.

Get fully aligned on what you all are trying to achieve. Make sure everyone is clear on the vision, mission, purpose, strategy and operational priorities.

Finally, focus on how you work together as a team. Because it will propel you forward to become a really high performing team.

So, I challenge you to have a look at your team and ask yourself, as a leader, these questions:

• Have you got the right people?
• Are they fully aligned?
• How are they working together?
• What can you do to actually make your team significantly better?

Recently, someone asked me a really good question. It was,

“What do you believe, based on your experience of working with hundreds of organizations in all different countries and cultures, what is the #1 goal for a CEO?”

Without thinking, the answer I gave was to have high performing teams that deliver results time and time again. I really do believe this because I think it is a massive challenge.

The more I reflect upon my answer, the more accurate I think it is. The key part of that answer is “time and time again”. You can get lucky every now and then but consistently high results is what you are looking for. Consistency is critical to long term success.

On this podcast I share with you:

• What is it that makes up a high performing team?
  • Right people in the right roles.
  • The team is fully aligned on vision and objectives.
  • The team is working together the right way.
• The team needs to culturally fit, one with the other – this is not about being the same as each other, as that is dangerous.
• Leaders set the tone for what behavior is acceptable or not and should not tolerate members who do not fit in the team.
• Lack of alignment at the top results in inconsistency throughout the organization.
• Most of the disappointments in the organizations have been caused by how teams have worked or not worked together.
• Constantly review successes and disappointments, and learn from them in order to go forward.
• Soft skills (behavior, trust, accountability) are every bit as important as hard skills.

 

Don’t undermine yourself as a leader by tolerating the wrong people on the bus. If you don’t have the right people, you’ve got to do something about it.

Get fully aligned on what you all are trying to achieve. Make sure everyone is clear on the vision, mission, purpose, strategy and operational priorities.

Finally, focus on how you work together as a team. Because it will propel you forward to become a really high performing team.

So, I challenge you to have a look at your team and ask yourself, as a leader, these questions:

• Have you got the right people?
• Are they fully aligned?
• How are they working together?
• What can you do to actually make your team significantly better?

A leader holds great responsibilities. It can be a challenging position to take, especially with many people relying on you for answers and solutions. However, to be an effective leader, you need to realize that you do not have all the answers, and humility is vital.

Today's guest on the Winning Teams podcast is John O'Grady, the founder of O'Grady Leadership and Consulting Services. John is a former Division I athlete as well as a former member of the U.S. Military. He's a West Point graduate, an army colonel, and he's had a distinguished career with overseas tours.

Now, he is devoting his time to developing and inspiring teams and leaders to become the best version of themselves in the most demanding challenging and complex environments.

Check these highlights and tune in to the show to discover how you can be the best version of yourself!

How His Background Shaped His Current Goals (1:13)

• John was born and raised in New York. Sports became an incredible part of his life growing up.
• He played in the NCAA as a West Point Cadet, which then launched him to his army career.
• His command awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.
• Surrounded by incredible leaders, he realized his passion for being part of high performing teams and helping others become the best version of themselves.

Lessons Learned (3:03)

• One important lesson is his heightened awareness of the importance of humility.
• The other lesson is that no one person has all the answers, especially in today's ever-complex, chaotic, and high-paced environment.
• As a leader in an organization, he inevitably felt the pressure and responsibility to have all the answers. You need to realize that you don't have it all, and if you practice humility and can be vulnerable to admit that, you can rely on other people.
• Once people understand that you are relying on them as much as they're relying on you, it becomes a symbiotic leadership relationship instead of a command and control type.

Working With Clients (8:04)

• Establish the idea of basic confidentiality.
• Create a level of trust.
• The most significant approach I take is not building or creating leaders. Instead, I guide an individual to realize the best parts of the leader they already are.

Impact of Other People (10:18)

• He's been around great people who all played a role in influencing him to be a better communicator
• He also learned to be more inquisitive.
• Most importantly, he witnessed the value of collaborative spirit and being able to rely on others.
• The people who had an impact on him all showcased vulnerability that allowed them to do all the things he mentioned before.
• An important thing to consider when demonstrating vulnerability is having a culture of trust.

Cultivating Trust (12:16)

• Trust is usually only brought up twice: in the beginning and once it is broken.
• John asks the question: What are we doing between the moment we stop talking about the importance of trust and when we bring it up again once it's broken?
• What have we done collectively and as individuals to increase awareness and cultivate trust, keeping its importance at the forefront of things?

Book Recommendations and Habits (15:53)

• Season of Life by Jeffrey Marx
• "Basically start the day with a cup of coffee and reading a religious passage of the day. And then reflecting a little bit on what that is. And then also journaling, where I kind of lay out what it is that I expect of myself on that particular day. [...] At the end of the day, I circle back and just reflect on that and kind of "grade" myself a little bit. [...] And lastly, there's always some kind of physical component of fitness in there."

To get in touch with John, head over here, or shoot him an email: [email protected]. You may also connect with John through LinkedIn or Twitter.

For more podcast episodes and other resources, visit my website John Murphy International. Thank you for listening!

A leader holds great responsibilities. It can be a challenging position to take, especially with many people relying on you for answers and solutions. However, to be an effective leader, you need to realize that you do not have all the answers, and humility is vital.

Today’s guest on the Winning Teams podcast is John O’Grady, the founder of O’Grady Leadership and Consulting Services. John is a former Division I athlete as well as a former member of the U.S. Military. He’s a West Point graduate, an army colonel, and he’s had a distinguished career with overseas tours.

Now, he is devoting his time to developing and inspiring teams and leaders to become the best version of themselves in the most demanding challenging and complex environments.

Check these highlights and tune in to the show to discover how you can be the best version of yourself!

How His Background Shaped His Current Goals (1:13)

• John was born and raised in New York. Sports became an incredible part of his life growing up.
• He played in the NCAA as a West Point Cadet, which then launched him to his army career.
• His command awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.
• Surrounded by incredible leaders, he realized his passion for being part of high performing teams and helping others become the best version of themselves.

Lessons Learned (3:03)

• One important lesson is his heightened awareness of the importance of humility.
• The other lesson is that no one person has all the answers, especially in today's ever-complex, chaotic, and high-paced environment.
• As a leader in an organization, he inevitably felt the pressure and responsibility to have all the answers. You need to realize that you don’t have it all, and if you practice humility and can be vulnerable to admit that, you can rely on other people.
• Once people understand that you are relying on them as much as they're relying on you, it becomes a symbiotic leadership relationship instead of a command and control type.

Working With Clients (8:04)

• Establish the idea of basic confidentiality.
• Create a level of trust.
• The most significant approach I take is not building or creating leaders. Instead, I guide an individual to realize the best parts of the leader they already are.

Impact of Other People (10:18)

• He’s been around great people who all played a role in influencing him to be a better communicator
• He also learned to be more inquisitive.
• Most importantly, he witnessed the value of collaborative spirit and being able to rely on others.
• The people who had an impact on him all showcased vulnerability that allowed them to do all the things he mentioned before.
• An important thing to consider when demonstrating vulnerability is having a culture of trust.

Cultivating Trust (12:16)

• Trust is usually only brought up twice: in the beginning and once it is broken.
• John asks the question: What are we doing between the moment we stop talking about the importance of trust and when we bring it up again once it’s broken?
• What have we done collectively and as individuals to increase awareness and cultivate trust, keeping its importance at the forefront of things?

Book Recommendations and Habits (15:53)

• Season of Life by Jeffrey Marx
• “Basically start the day with a cup of coffee and reading a religious passage of the day. And then reflecting a little bit on what that is. And then also journaling, where I kind of lay out what it is that I expect of myself on that particular day. [...] At the end of the day, I circle back and just reflect on that and kind of “grade” myself a little bit. [...] And lastly, there's always some kind of physical component of fitness in there.”

To get in touch with John, head over here, or shoot him an email: [email protected]. You may also connect with John through LinkedIn or Twitter.

For more podcast episodes and other resources, visit my website John Murphy International. Thank you for listening!

Today's guest in the Winning Teams podcast is a lady who hails from Brooklyn. She is Mamie Kanfer Stewart, the founder of Meeteor a company whose mission is to help people and organizations work smarter and have more effective meetings. Mamie is also a co-author of the book, Momentum: Creating Effective, Engaging and Enjoyable Meetings.

Mamie is a mother of two kids and enjoys several interesting hobbies such as knitting, fine Trapeze, and rock climbing. After college, she worked in her family's business called GOJO and ran their philanthropic work. Through that, she learned about how teams work and how organizations function.

When she left that position to do her own thing, she realized that not every organization has the same wonderful practices as GOJO. She launched Meeteor, initially as a tech firm. However, she recognized that instead of software development, the development of people is much more important, with a focus on effective meetings.

Now, they train, coach and work with people to develop skills to help them have effective meetings and improved collaboration. Find out the full story here.

In this episode, Mamie shares with us:

• Key blocks to effective meetings.
• Changing the mindset of people to be "prepared in advance" for the meeting.
• Shift your thinking from "Why are we meeting?" to "What will this meeting accomplish?"
• The three different kinds of meeting participants.
• Right culture around technology in meetings.
• Breaking the cycle of "meeting after meeting after meeting…" inbred habit and routine.
• Direct the meetings to a clear "Northstar" to avoid getting lost on tangents.
• Don't be too internally focused – think through the perspective of your actual customers, stakeholders, etc.

Book Recommendation, Habits and Where to Get in Touch:

If you want to really redo your meeting culture, Mamie recommends Where the Action Is by Elise Keith. She believes that this book is very different and complementary to the book she wrote. It has helped her think differently about the meeting culture.

Mamie's cornerstone daily ritual is going through her to-do list at her desk. On Monday mornings, she goes through the entire to-do list and figures out what needs to happen that week and tag them "This Week". Each morning, she tags anything that needs to be done today with "Today" from her "This Week" list.

Mamie writes down her to-do list on paper and puts it on her digital tool. She likes that it is always visible right next to her. It makes her happy to check things off either on the paper or her digital tool.

You can find out more about Mamie's business at www.meeteor.com. Her podcast, blog and other coaching work are at www.mamieks.com.

Today’s guest in the Winning Teams podcast is a lady who hails from Brooklyn. She is Mamie Kanfer Stewart, the founder of Meeteor a company whose mission is to help people and organizations work smarter and have more effective meetings. Mamie is also a co-author of the book, Momentum: Creating Effective, Engaging and Enjoyable Meetings.

Mamie is a mother of two kids and enjoys several interesting hobbies such as knitting, fine Trapeze, and rock climbing. After college, she worked in her family’s business called GOJO and ran their philanthropic work. Through that, she learned about how teams work and how organizations function.

When she left that position to do her own thing, she realized that not every organization has the same wonderful practices as GOJO. She launched Meeteor, initially as a tech firm. However, she recognized that instead of software development, the development of people is much more important, with a focus on effective meetings.

Now, they train, coach and work with people to develop skills to help them have effective meetings and improved collaboration. Find out the full story here.

 In this episode, Mamie shares with us:

 

•         Key blocks to effective meetings.
•         Changing the mindset of people to be “prepared in advance” for the meeting.
•         Shift your thinking from “Why are we meeting?” to “What will this meeting accomplish?”
•         The three different kinds of meeting participants.
•         Right culture around technology in meetings.
•         Breaking the cycle of “meeting after meeting after meeting…” inbred habit and routine.
•         Direct the meetings to a clear “Northstar” to avoid getting lost on tangents.
•         Don’t be too internally focused – think through the perspective of your actual customers, stakeholders, etc.

 

Book Recommendation, Habits and Where to Get in Touch:

 

If you want to really redo your meeting culture, Mamie recommends Where the Action Is by Elise Keith. She believes that this book is very different and complementary to the book she wrote. It has helped her think differently about the meeting culture.

Mamie’s cornerstone daily ritual is going through her to-do list at her desk. On Monday mornings, she goes through the entire to-do list and figures out what needs to happen that week and tag them “This Week”. Each morning, she tags anything that needs to be done today with “Today” from her “This Week” list.

Mamie writes down her to-do list on paper and puts it on her digital tool. She likes that it is always visible right next to her. It makes her happy to check things off either on the paper or her digital tool.

You can find out more about Mamie’s business at www.meeteor.com. Her podcast, blog and other coaching work are at www.mamieks.com.  

Today's guest in the Winning Teams Podcast is a real joy to have here. He is Valerio Pascotto, Psy. D, one of the co-founders of IGEOS, together with Tim Gallwey (author of Inner Games). He's also an official member of the Forbes Coaches Council and has been involved at the highest level of coaching individuals and teams.

Valerio got a doctoral degree in psychology from Pepperdine University, has an extensive background in marriage, family and child counseling. He was always fascinated with human dynamics because he was, according to himself, poor at them early on in his life.

"I have to say, though, that my heart is much more into working with people making a difference, helping people be proud of the difference that they are making with their work and in their lives." – Valerio Pascotto

Valerio started working and interacting with people and noticing when interactions have positive or negative impacts.

In this episode, Valerio shares with us a lot of fascinating and useful topics:

• How coaching is critical to leadership and has become a valued part of professional development
• The best teaching that takes place is when the teacher learns rather than the pupil.
• To see the impact of individual and/or team mindset using "mirror, activity and consequences" – both positive and negative
• Not teaching a skill, rather, unearthing a skill we already have as a species

"The weakness of most team building interventions is that they do not cut deeply enough to the core of what keeps intelligent people from effective cooperation" – Valerio Pascotto

• The leader's hat could be a coach's hat.
• Listen to understand, not to respond.
• What is servant leadership – team mindset and equal responsibility?
• Difficult questions to ask yourself:
  • What am I doing that I should stop doing?
  • What am I not doing that I should start doing?
• The importance of psychological safety and the idea of a fixed and growth mindset.
• Redefine accountability – default versus opportunity
• Impact of perception and bias on leadership, which can be used positively or become an interference

"Should we be accurate in our perception? Or should we frame our perception and in a way that increases our chances to meet our goals, our commitments?" – Valerio Pascotto

Book Recommendation, Habits and Where to Get in Touch:

Valerio recommends The Fearless Organization by Amy Edmondson. He had the privilege to interview her and this book explores this culture of psychological safety where people have a voice.

The brain has a negativity bias so Valerio has a ritual that he uses when he talks with someone and he knows that the conversation is difficult. He spends 30 seconds thinking of something he appreciates about the person and it changes his brain chemistry.

Valerio is fairly judgmental and avoids it by rather than fighting the judgment, he makes it a benevolent one. In other words, he looks for the good in intention.

You can reach Valerio any time through sending him an email at [email protected]. He also has quite a presence on LinkedIn so send him an invite to connect. You can also visit their website, https://www.igeos.net.

Today’s guest in the Winning Teams Podcast is a real joy to have here. He is Valerio Pascotto, Psy. D, one of the co-founders of IGEOS, together with Tim Gallwey (author of Inner Games). He’s also an official member of the Forbes Coaches Council and has been involved at the highest level of coaching individuals and teams. 

Valerio got a doctoral degree in psychology from Pepperdine University, has an extensive background in marriage, family and child counseling. He was always fascinated with human dynamics because he was, according to himself, poor at them early on in his life.

“I have to say, though, that my heart is much more into working with people making a difference, helping people be proud of the difference that they are making with their work and in their lives.” – Valerio Pascotto

Valerio started working and interacting with people and noticing when interactions have positive or negative impacts. 

In this episode, Valerio shares with us a lot of fascinating and useful topics:

• How coaching is critical to leadership and has become a valued part of professional development
• The best teaching that takes place is when the teacher learns rather than the pupil.
• To see the impact of individual and/or team mindset using “mirror, activity and consequences” – both positive and negative
• Not teaching a skill, rather, unearthing a skill we already have as a species

“The weakness of most team building interventions is that they do not cut deeply enough to the core of what keeps intelligent people from effective cooperation” – Valerio Pascotto

• The leader’s hat could be a coach’s hat.
• Listen to understand, not to respond.
• What is servant leadership – team mindset and equal responsibility?
• Difficult questions to ask yourself:
  • What am I doing that I should stop doing?
  • What am I not doing that I should start doing?
• The importance of psychological safety and the idea of a fixed and growth mindset.
• Redefine accountability – default versus opportunity
• Impact of perception and bias on leadership, which can be used positively or become an interference

“Should we be accurate in our perception? Or should we frame our perception and in a way that increases our chances to meet our goals, our commitments?” – Valerio Pascotto

  Book Recommendation, Habits and Where to Get in Touch:

 

Valerio recommends The Fearless Organization by Amy Edmondson. He had the privilege to interview her and this book explores this culture of psychological safety where people have a voice.

The brain has a negativity bias so Valerio has a ritual that he uses when he talks with someone and he knows that the conversation is difficult. He spends 30 seconds thinking of something he appreciates about the person and it changes his brain chemistry.

Valerio is fairly judgmental and avoids it by rather than fighting the judgment, he makes it a benevolent one. In other words, he looks for the good in intention.

You can reach Valerio any time through sending him an email at [email protected]. He also has quite a presence on LinkedIn so send him an invite to connect. You can also visit their website, https://www.igeos.net.

Whether we like to admit it or not, most organizations fail massively when it comes to communication. In fact, I bet no company has ever raised their hand and claimed that they have 10 out of 10 communication.

Now, when ineffective communication sets in, this is where misunderstandings enter, resulting in failure and errors. What's even worse is the huge losses a business could face from these problems. For sure nobody wants that to happen, that's why we made sure that this topic will be really interesting for those who are fascinated or challenged by effective communication.

To start off, I will be talking to Liz Evenden and Matt Spencer, owners of Business Speakeasy. We will be discussing what it takes to really eliminate and reduce the cost of poor and ineffective communication, tackling three valuable areas as we go, namely: 1) The art of presentation; 2) The unheralded art of effective facilitation and its importance; and 3) The way we approach meetings.

You're going to learn a lot from this episode so be sure to stay with us until the end.

Topics We Discuss Include:

• How Liz and Matt deliver on the promise of creating a culture of effective communication in a business
• The horrifying results of counting the losses that a company faces due to poor collaboration
• What they ACTUALLY do to make effective communication strategies
• How they change the traditional setup of meetings
• Techniques and advice on how to organize meetings efficiently
• Four principles to follow for effective business communication
• What is a bad facilitator? What makes a great facilitator?
• Difference between facilitation and running effective meetings
• Three things you can do to make your next meeting more productive
• Books that created an impact on their lives
• Matt's and Liz's daily rituals
• And much more!

Contact Liz Evenden and Matt Spencer:

Website

LinkedIn

Our Guests:

Liz Evenden and Matt Spencer are the owners of The Business Speakeasy, and their aim is to help in creating a culture of effective communication IN and FOR your business. They consider effective communication as a vital part of every business' success. It is their life's calling to promote and make the business world a nicer place to be in through effective communication.

Whether we like to admit it or not, most organizations fail massively when it comes to communication. In fact, I bet no company has ever raised their hand and claimed that they have 10 out of 10 communication.

 

Now, when ineffective communication sets in, this is where misunderstandings enter, resulting in failure and errors. What’s even worse is the huge losses a business could face from these problems. For sure nobody wants that to happen, that’s why we made sure that this topic will be really interesting for those who are fascinated or challenged by effective communication.

 

To start off, I will be talking to Liz Evenden and Matt Spencer, owners of Business Speakeasy. We will be discussing what it takes to really eliminate and reduce the cost of poor and ineffective communication, tackling three valuable areas as we go, namely: 1) The art of presentation; 2) The unheralded art of effective facilitation and its importance; and 3) The way we approach meetings.

 

You’re going to learn a lot from this episode so be sure to stay with us until the end.

 

Topics We Discuss Include:

• How Liz and Matt deliver on the promise of creating a culture of effective communication in a business
• The horrifying results of counting the losses that a company faces due to poor collaboration
• What they ACTUALLY do to make effective communication strategies
• How they change the traditional setup of meetings
• Techniques and advice on how to organize meetings efficiently
• Four principles to follow for effective business communication
• What is a bad facilitator? What makes a great facilitator?
• Difference between facilitation and running effective meetings
• Three things you can do to make your next meeting more productive
• Books that created an impact on their lives
• Matt’s and Liz’s daily rituals
• And much more!

 

Contact Liz Evenden and Matt Spencer:

Website

LinkedIn

 

Our Guests:

Liz Evenden and Matt Spencer are the owners of The Business Speakeasy, and their aim is to help in creating a culture of effective communication IN and FOR your business. They consider effective communication as a vital part of every business’ success. It is their life’s calling to promote and make the business world a nicer place to be in through effective communication.