5 Behaviors that Make Teams Great

What is your biggest team complaint?
One of the biggest complaints that I have addressed in the workplace during the past 30 years is that people do not feel safe speaking up and trusting others. They hide their true selves and feelings from others for fear of being ridiculed or ostracized. Read more
10 tips to Increase Vulnerability-Based Trust in Life and in the Workplace
Being vulnerable and truly open with another human being is where the best teamwork and connections happen. Patrick Lencioni, author of Five Dysfunctions of a Team, explains vulnerability-based trust as the willingness to be completely open with one another and confident that your team member’s intentions are good. Vulnerability-based trust lies in the heart of high functioning, cohesive teams. Being vulnerable can be difficult and frightening. Brené Brown, author of “Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead,” shares this about being vulnerable:
“Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.” — Brené Brown
My Ego Said No, Don’t Do It.
Vulnerability is one of the most challenging traits to develop. Patrick Lencioni, author of The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team, writes that in order to grow and evolve, one of the most critical behaviors that leaders and teams must develop is vulnerability trust.
In theory it sounds easy, but in reality it is very hard to do. Exposing ourselves to being vulnerable is often difficult because our ego says, “No way, no how. I am not going to do that and you can’t make me. I won’t show others THAT part of me.”
8 Tips for Handling Healthy Conflict
Conflict: A big word with big connotations. Studies show managers waste 6 to 8 weeks per year dealing with conflict. Many people hear the word conflict and picture a battle of some sort. I have learned through living that you can be soft and still be heard, you can be kind to get your point across and you do not have to be a bully to resolve a problem to your liking.
Five Ideas To Build Transparency and Trust
Most people love surprises – except when it is in a workplace that involves unknowns, instability and lack of communication. Transparency that fosters trust is the foundation of positive personal relationships. So how do we improve trust and transparency? I have collected a few of my favorite recent blog posts that highlight the benefits of trust and transparency in the workplace.
In Life and In Baseball: Embrace the Triangle
Look around you. Triangles are everywhere. You will find them in bridges, buildings, in the frame of a bicycle and on the playground. Triangles bring strength to structures. Why? Triangles form incredibly strong structures because all three sides bear the load. It is the teamwork that makes them strong.