Team Development

The Leeward Team is equipped to offer an assessment-based learning experience that helps individuals and organizations uncover what it takes to build a truly cohesive and effective team in the most approachable, competent and effective way possible. The profiles help participants understand their own personality styles. Bringing together everyone’s personalities and preferences to form a cohesive, productive team takes work, but the payoff can be huge – for individuals, the team and the organization.

A Cohesive Team:

Makes better, faster decisions
Taps into the skills and opinions of all members
Avoids wasting time and energy on politics, confusion and destructive conflict

Avoids wasting time talking about the wrong issues and revisiting the same topics over and over again because of a lack of buy-in
Creates a competitive advantage
Is more fun to be on!

Why is team development important?

People often overlook the competitive advantage teamwork offers. A high-functioning team consistently exhibits five key behaviors – trust, conflict, commitment, accountability and results. A team who operates at optimal potential will result in a healthier, more productive organization. Furthermore, it reduces stress and dissatisfaction of the individuals who work in the organization.

Trust One Another Members of great teams trust one another on a fundamental, emotional level; and they are comfortable being vulnerable with each other about their weaknesses, mistakes, fears, and behaviors. They get to a point at which they can be completely open with one another, without filters.
Engage in Conflict Around Ideas Members of teams who trust one another are not afraid to engage in conflict around ideas that are key to the organization’s success. They do not hesitate to disagree with, challenge, and question each other, all in the spirit of finding the best answers, discovering the truth, and making great decisions.
Commit to Decisions Teams that engage in conflict around ideas are able to gain commitment to decisions, even when various members of the team initially disagree. That is because they ensure that all opinions and ideas are put on the table and considered, giving confidence to team members that no stone has been left unturned.

Hold One Another Accountable Teams that gain commitment to decisions and standards of performance do not hesitate to hold one another accountable for adhering to those decisions and standards. What’s more, they don’t rely on the team leader as the primary source of accountability.
Focus on Achieving Collective Results Team members who trust one another, engage in conflict around ideas, gain commitment to decisions, and hold one another accountable are more likely to set aside their individual needs and agendas and focus on achieving collective results. They do not give in to the temptations to place their departments, career aspirations, or ego-driven status ahead of the collective results that define team success.

Our Team Development Approach: Assessments and The Six Thinking Hats®

The Leeward Team offers a team development model that teaches team members how to work together as a high-functioning team. The training includes a thorough assessment that will enable participants to identify and understand their own personality style as well as their team member styles.

Understanding personality styles and thinking styles go hand in hand. Imagine it. Your team has the skills and techniques they need to make the best decision. Fast. Smart. Efficient. It’s not impossible. In fact, it’s simple. Once they know how. That’s where the Six Thinking Hats® comes in. This systematic method of thinking in a completely new and different way will provide your employees with skills and tools that they can apply immediately. See results in days, not months!

It is a simple, effective technique that helps them become more productive. You and your team members can learn how to separate thinking into six distinct categories. Each category is identified with its own colored metaphorical “thinking hat.” By mentally wearing and switching “hats,” you can easily focus or redirect thoughts, conversation or meeting.

The difference between brilliant and mediocre teams isn’t so much in their collective mental capacity, but in how well they can tap into their collective wisdom and how well they function together. After your team experiences our complete team development process, they will:

Hold critical meetings without emotions or egos making bad decisions

Avoid the easy but mediocre decisions by knowing how to dig deeper

Increase productivity and even more important – be more effective

Make creative solutions the norm

Maximize and organize each person’s thoughts and ideas

Get to the right solution quickly and with a shared vision

A Leeward Team facilitator and participants will also examine follow up items from the assessment that are exceptionally strong or weak or for which there is great disparity.

Participants will walk away from the training prepared with specific plans to improve their performance and the productivity of the team.

To view the course curriculum, please click here.

The Leeward Team can help you capture maximum value on your next project!

CALL US NOW AT 877.633.2570 OR EMAIL US

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