BIG Acts’ Post

Want to increase the performance of your cross functional teams? Play with 🔥 Fire 🔥! Hear me out on this one. As an outdoor guide, my favorite wilderness skill is fire, specifically friction fire. Beyond warmth, fire contributes so much to your wilderness experience. ✔ You use it for cooking food. ✔ It purifies water through boiling. ✔ The cooled charcoal can be used to filter water. ✔ It can be a signal for rescue, smoke by day, light by night.  ✔ It helps you see at night. ✔ And it provides companionship when alone and a gathering spot when with others. As a consultant helping cross functional teams improve their performance, fire is my favorite teacher. Think about it, aren’t most teams trying to create fire? Isn’t the fundamental goal of many cross functional teams to: 🎇 Create a spark of an idea 🌬 Nurture it into something that ignites 🔥 Manage it to burn and serve the needs of many Fire as a teacher of cross functional team performance. Does this resonate with you? ---- Hello! I'm Jeremy. I played on competitive sports teams for nearly 20 years and coached sports teams of all ages. I’ve led business development teams, creative teams, & event production teams. And I’ve led teams as a startup CEO. Now I harness the power of fire to increase cross functional team performance by building trust, increasing empathy, and fostering collaboration.

🎯 Building high-performing teams and developing people is a joint challenge leaders face daily. Why do some teams have higher motivation, inspiration, and innovation, and others don't? ❗️Catherine Bardwell, PCC, and I ran a webinar where we drew on Patrick Lencioni's renowned model of the 5 Dysfunctions of a Team. We explored the key elements crucial for team success and the everyday challenges teams encounter. 🖥️ Watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/enkWKKMB to discover actionable insights on how team coaches and team coaching can effectively guide teams through these obstacles, fostering a culture of collaboration, trust, and continuous growth. You can use this empowering discussion to unlock the full potential of teams and individuals. 💪🏼 And please remember to comment and subscribe if you like it! 😉

Team building is ‘fun’ But ‘fun’ is not team-building It’s easy to fall into the trap of doing cool activities. Go bowling, mini-putt, or tackle an escape room Offer people a fun escape from the daily grind Socialise a bit, have a beer together And call it ‘team building’ But fun activities alone don’t create teams. Meaningful conversations do. The fun stuff helps people drop the “work persona” But it’s just a catalyst For more meaningful conversations. These conversations don’t have to be fluffy, But they have to be ‘real’ and ‘honest’ We’ve facilitated many team events over the years And we can say with some experience that, Team building is fun, but fun is not team building ——————————— 🔔 Follow for more. 🚀 Get the best out of your leaders and teams. 💬 Get in touch to find out how.

Just finished a course “Managing Cross-Functional Collaboration as a Leader” by Natalie Nixon!  This course has been instrumental in helping me understand the key actions to take at the beginning, middle, and end of a project, especially when working with cross-functional teams. It has taught me how to create a roadmap for the project, identify potential roadblocks, and take steps to keep the process engaging.  Pausing occasionally to review progress and assess mistakes helps maintain momentum. I learned effective ways to visualize success and revisit goals. I got to know a new exercise called pre-mortem, which involves a project team imagining potential failures and then working backward to determine what could lead to the failure of the project. This discussion can help the team identify the factors that may contribute to potential failures, and this awareness can reignite energy and motivation within the team to avoid the pain of failure. Managing a project with a cross-functional team is made easy with this resource. Check it out: https://lnkd.in/dV-TZ6jt #crossfunctionalteamleadership #crossfunctionalcollaborations.

🚀 Ready for some StrengthsFinder magic? 🚀 When I work with teams new to StrengthsFinder, there's always a mix of excitement, curiosity, and a healthy dose of skepticism. 🫤 Will this really work? Is it just another "one and done" assessment? How will it really change the way we work together? Then comes 𝐓𝐇𝐄 moment. The moment it all clicks. 🌟 Recently, at Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, I saw this happen during a Strengths Spotting exercise. Teams worked in pairs, sharing stories of their accomplishments, and were tasked to spot each other's Strengths. It was a 𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟. The true power lies in when someone holds up the mirror to you and shows you where your strengths are – what comes naturally to you. How they see you.🪞 It is 𝐒𝐎 much harder for us to be able to spot our own strengths as our natural inclination is to focus on what needs to be 𝑓𝑖𝑥𝑒𝑑 instead of seeing where we are naturally 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 and investing in those talents. Doesn't the latter sound so much more rewarding? I think so (and I know so!). That AHA moment of watching leaders go from skeptics to believers was 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝. 🏆 I can bring that pure gold to your team. Got a team offsite or retreat coming up and unsure what to do? Navigating team dynamics and want to go from existing (barely) to thriving? DM me to discover how we can make your team more effective, collaborative, and strengths-focused.

🚀 Stepping into the role of a new team manager can feel like strapping into a rocket headed for uncharted territories. The challenges are real, but so are the opportunities for growth and impact! Here are a few action items to navigate this exciting journey: 1️⃣ Embrace Learning: Recognize that every day brings new lessons. Seek out mentorship, resources, and training opportunities to continually enhance your leadership skills. <- btw, we can help here 😎 2️⃣ Foster Open Communication: Build trust and rapport with your team by creating an environment where open dialogue is encouraged. Actively listen to their feedback and ideas, and be transparent about goals and expectations. 3️⃣ Set Clear Goals: Establish clear, achievable goals for both the team and individual team members. Clarity breeds focus and empowers everyone to work towards shared objectives. 4️⃣ Lead by Example: Your actions speak louder than words. Lead with integrity, accountability, and empathy. Show your team what it means to embody the values and principles you expect from them. 5️⃣ Celebrate Milestones: Recognize and celebrate the achievements and milestones of your team. Whether big or small, every win contributes to the collective success and morale. Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is a high-performing team. Embrace the challenges, stay resilient, and keep striving for excellence! 💪 #NewManager #LeadershipJourney #TeamBuilding #CareerGrowth

🤔 Ever feel like your team is racing through projects without taking a breath? You're not alone. The intense drive to meet deadlines can often sideline the act of reflection—yet this pause is key to deeper understanding and long-term success. 🛑 Why Reflect? Reflection isn't about taking a break; it's about learning from our experiences, resolving team conflicts, and spotting early warning signs before they escalate. Slowing down to reflect might seem like a luxury, but it's actually a strategic move that can save tons of time and prevent much heartache. 🌀 Incorporating Reflection: Consider instituting rituals like: - annual retrospectives - mid-project assessments - post-mortems (let's call them "after-parties" instead!). These practices ensure your team doesn't just push forward blindly but grows and evolves consciously. 🌟 Want a simple tool to help you in crafting a team culture that values and practices reflection? Check out the free Annual Retrospective Guide for Leaders and Teams in my Featured section.

In today’s session, Margo Purcell shared some powerful insights on the difference between dysfunctional teams and high-performing teams. High-performing teams thrive on trust, collaboration, and accountability. They're not bogged down by fear or hesitation. Unlike dysfunctional teams, where time is wasted on self-preservation, high-performing teams encourage taking chances, sharing ideas, and holding each other accountable. The key? A safe environment where commitment and motivation drive success. The energy shifts from surviving to thriving. It’s about creating a space where everyone feels safe to innovate, share ideas, and work toward a common goal. 💡 A huge thanks to Margo for her invaluable insights and to everyone for sharing their thoughts!! 🙌

I’m super psyched to share what I’m working on right now—a Leader/Team Assimilation project with two AMAZING teams and their new leaders. 🎉 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧: Help each leader build a strong, cohesive, and efficient team from the start. 🚀 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬? Threefold: 𝟏. 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐑𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐡𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐦: Build connection, community, and trust. Think of it as setting the stage for a great team vibe that just happens naturally. 𝟐. 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬: Create team norms and encourage psychological safety, healthy conflict (yes, that’s a thing!), and mutual respect. 𝟑. 𝐆𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬: Time to roll up our sleeves and tackle those nitty-gritty, transactional questions and pain points so the team can run like a well-oiled machine. We’re achieving these goals in two sessions per team -- The first session is all about team building—getting to know each other, talking about what makes us tick, having open conversations about what builds and breaks trust, and figuring out how we can create a safe and supportive environment. It’s laying the foundation to have the strongest team. 💪 💪 The second session is where we dive into the tactical stuff. I'm designing it this way intentionally -- by building trust and rapport first, we ensure everyone is ready to dive into the “what” with an open mind and a collaborative spirit. I can’t wait to see how these sessions unfold and share the journey with you all. Stay tuned for updates! 𝐆𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦? These sessions are 🌟 𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃 🌟 for getting everyone acclimated, building trust, and setting up for success right from the start. 𝐃𝐌 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐡𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞.

Empathy, positive feedback, and a culture of mentorship can elevate team performance and morale. How can we use these human skills to foster an environment where mistakes are stepping stones to success? Video from WOBI, November 2023, with Chris Stanley For more insights, check out our team-building programs: https://lnkd.in/dSgDytWZ