Team Collaboration Tips for a Virtual-Hybrid Workplace

Team Collaboration Tips for a Virtual-Hybrid Workplace

Most of us can remember a time when organic in-person collaboration was a common occurrence. Co-workers could strike up a conversation at work in the hallway or meet up in a conference room to discuss a project together.  Admittedly, that was a great setting for getting things done, something we often hear that people miss. So that brings up a question, how can we still collaborate, engage in team effectiveness and be productive?

Fortunately, we now have several tools available to us that can help us have that feeling of collaboration again – yes, even when we aren’t physically together in the same room!

Recurring Meetings: Setting up regular, short virtual meetings can be instrumental in keeping in touch and feeling part of a team. You may want to start by having them weekly or even monthly.  Nothing is engraved in stone, and you can always change the cadence as needed. Creating an agenda for the meeting will also help to keep you on track.

Document Sharing:  Emailing documents or saving them in a shared drive can keep the lines of communication going. Sharing documents related to what you’re working on will ensure everyone is on the same page. Even if you don’t have a corporate shared drive, there are tools like SmartSheet.com and Trello that allow you to do this.

Instant Messaging:  Have a quick question that you would have in the past just asked someone in the hallway at work?  Instant messaging is perfect.  If the other person is busy or in a meeting, they will get back to you as soon as possible. 

Video Calls:  If your project requires constant communication, why not set up a video call with your co-worker so that you can both work on a project at the same time, together?  This way you are able to be face-to-face and share ideas in real time.  In addition, it is not unusual these days for co-workers to have not met in person.  Turning on the camera during video calls puts a face to the name and humanizes the encounter.

Learn the Communication Styles of your Co-Workers:  Using our Everything DISC offerings, or other tools will allow you to learn about how team members prefer to communicate, their motivators and stressors can be invaluable information. Some people might like to have spur of the moment video calls, and some might like pre-planned meetings.

Keep Time Zones in Mind:  Being respectful of the time zones is extremely important when scheduling virtual meetings. Sometimes we forget that not everyone is on our same work schedule. If you frequently work with people in other time zones, it may be helpful to note your time zone in your email signature. An anecdote that relates to this is that we have a client who has a team in Europe and a team on the US west coast. There was great frustration between the two groups and blame and pointing fingers became the norm. West Coast team members didn’t want to go in early and Europe was tired of staying later. Upon bringing them together in person, they came up with a solution – one person in Europe – the Conduit – would be the point person as the hour of the transition time didn’t bother him.

Check in to See How Co-Workers are Doing:  Frequent communication is key, so checking in with co-workers to see how they are doing, listening for change of mood, noticing if they are falling behind and asking if something is going on – these are all things that will improve communication and build relationships. Using DiSC also helps you identify team members who thrive on working alone and those who do not like being isolated, allowing you to personalize your approach.

Hybrid Workers: While some people prefer to work 100% from home, there are others who prefer a hybrid situation where they spend a percentage of time going into the office.  It is best to let those who want to attend virtually do so when possible, however it is important to know what you are trying to accomplish. Virtual is great for regular meetings to collaborate on a project – that can work great. But if the purpose of the meeting is strategy and team building, it may well be worth the expense to bring everyone together in person.

Our way of working and they we communicate and collaborate has changed. If we want to be successful, we need to change along with it.  Using the tools mentioned we have available to us and keeping the human side of the relationships alive will enable our teams to be more productive, reduce conflict and build an engaged team.

Building Collaborative Teams with Five Behaviors Training and Assessments

More and more of our clients are bringing the power of The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team model, based on Patrick Lencioni’s best-selling book “Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” to their organizations.  In this Five Behaviors training program, individuals get  the skills they need to thrive and amplify the work of others in team settings. This powerful solution teaches team members the critical behaviors and interpersonal skills needed to be an effective team player.  Two benefits include creating a common language and increasing productivity.

Find out more about the program by: checking out our program flyers, reviewing the program research or the state of teams 16-page e-book , hearing what our customers think about the program in a video, reading client success story or group dynamics article.

Where can you find Training Schedules?

Contact us directly for a proposal to facilitate training for your new or in-tact teams.  If you have multiple teams and want to certify someone in your organization to insure program success, we have a good selection of virtual training dates for The Five Behaviors of Cohesive Teams Practitioner Certification on our Events page.

In the past, we offered multiple dates for new and existing client showcases on-line.  However, the offerings have gotten smaller since so many have already experienced the product.  If you would like to get on our  waitlist to be notified when the next time an Unleash the Power of Teamwork showcase date is set, please contact us with  your name and email.  If we get enough people interested in this, we may schedule a one-hour showcase on-line.

Shaping your Culture with Everything DiSC

Everything DiSC has been changing the way we work, collaborate and engage. Our clients are experiencing the power of Everything DiSC in creating an engaged workplace culture and meeting the demands of a hybrid or remote workplace.

Everything DiSC on Catalyst is here to stay! Everything DiSC has taken another giant leap in helping participants continue their own learning journey and assisting facilitators in creating training that is more than a one-time event. Here, participants can view their results in an interactive manner while providing facilitators with a way to create long term engagement virtually or in-person.

What’s new with Catalyst? There is Group Continua, an enhancement to the one-on-one Comparisons. Group Continua on Catalyst is an effective and fun tool for teams to build connection and community using DiSC . By plotting members along eight different behavioral continua, teams gain straightforward language for safe conversations about differences, helping them reach new levels of performance. Also Group Maps under Your Groups allows the creation of team map to learn about the dynamics of your group for up to 25 people.

What style profiles are available in Catalyst?  Currently Workplace, Agile EQ, and Management are available as part of new training or for transition.

Training and More – You may remember during the shutdown, we offered multiple dates for facilitator certification and new client showcases on-line.  This year, we have a good selection of virtual training dates for Everything DiSC on Catalyst Practitioner Certification on our Events page.  If you prefer live classroom certification or a mix of methods, please contact us to see what we can do for you.  We have a live session coming in the Fall, please contact us immediately to get on the wait list and we will notify you once dates are set.

Along with our partners, we recognized the need to offer a quick path for current kit holders and other people who did DiSC assessments in the past and who may wish to transition to Catalyst. This path is outlines on our Blog. Since we did so many of the one-hour Everything DiSC on Catalyst product introduction webinars before, showcase dates are less frequent now.  If you would like to get on our  waitlist to be notified when the next time an Engage, Connect, Adapt: Equipping Your Workforce to Thrive showcase date is set, please contact us with  your name and email.  If we get

The Sales Messenger: You asked and we delivered in Spanish

You asked we delivered:  The Sales Messenger is now available in Spanish! In this timeless classic, you will learn the skill of persuasion and other valuable insights that can help you improve your sales skills. You will be guided in story form real-life characters as they learn lessons going through the sales process in an interactive manner.  Not only do they learn key professional principles their business, they apply them in their personal lives as well.  Sales topics include how to build relationships with customers, how to overcome objections, and how to close deals.  Special prices on “The Sales Messenger” book in English and Spanish are available directly through the publisher. The book is also available on Amazon in both languages.

Do you want to be at the top of your sales game and grow your business during the current slow economy?  In addition to reading the book, you may want to consider our sales training programs or contact us about developing a custom program for your specific needs. If you hold an annual sales event, you may want to contact the book author about being a keynote speaker.  The author may provide book discounts for training participants or at scheduled events.  We also offer sales and management tips on our blog, so you may want to follow it in order to get emails when new posts are published.

 

Our website has had a makeover too!  Please check out the site, where you will see a new menu item for Events.  The events option will have links to upcoming certification schedules for Everything DiSC, the Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team, and our newest hiring and placement tool PXT Select. Links to course descriptions and required kits are also on Events. The on-line certification courses are limited to a small number to allow better interaction.  For this reason, participants can only be registered by an Authored Partner.  The same registration requirement applies to the PXT webinars.  So please contact us to register for any of these events.

If you would like to view product videos, download flyers for the certifications, read articles and case studies, or find out more about related products – please utilize our Resources menu or search through our store.  We welcome your feedback on the site.

Sales Rep, Are You an Amateur or a Professional in Your Trade?

When I ask, “Are You an Amateur or a Professional in Your Trade?” in a sales training session, at first many take offense. An amateur, by definition, is widely described as “engaging in an activity as a pastime rather than as a profession.” Those engaged in a full-time role, being paid for what they do, could hardly think of themselves as less than a professional. First, I would like to defend the term “amateur,” specifically by contrasting how we use it in the context of other professions. Have you ever seen the work of an amateur photographer? Or witnessed the swing of the bat by those players on an amateur baseball team? Amateurs, who put their heart and soul into their work are great, but are simply “not at the top of the game.” I hired an amateur photographer for my wedding photos, and well, they are priceless!

I am convinced that there are so many Sales Representatives who are engaged in their trade as an amateur. They are good at what they do, yet they are certainly not performing at the highest level and have a great deal of untapped potential.

Think about it:

• Do you and your Reps consistently meet or exceed the sales goals?
• How quickly do you and your Reps recover from economic and market challenges?
• When was the last time you or your Reps engaged in a training course on sales fundamentals?

How do you move from amateur standing to professional? A Pro Sales Rep shows these 5 traits:

1. Effective versus Efficient: Professionals spend time working on the “High Payoff Activities” that could lead to new business. They have a process for tracking their time and activities. For example: I believe in color coding. For me, green represents activities that lead to money, red is administrative, orange is networking, blue is travel and purple is personal. If any single one of those colors or if collectively they outweigh the green, it means, “I am going out of business.” I have been self-employed my entire career with no second income and this philosophy has helped me weather all the ups and downs.
2. Brilliant at the Basics: I have met so many sales professionals who are too good to attend a sales training. That would be like a professional athlete telling the coach, “I am so good, I do not need to go to spring training this year.” I open every single sales training with a few questions, one of them being, “How many of you feel you know body language?” Hands down, all nod yes. Then I demonstrate specific examples. For example, a hand or finger positioned on the chin, lips, and nose or tapping the pen on my materials. Very few can tell me what they mean and most misread the pen tapping. A professional knows not only verbal cues, but they master the nonverbal, just like an FBI investigator does. Speaking of which, a great read is “What Every Body is Saying” by Joe Navarro, a former FBI investigator.
3. Ability to Forget about Themselves: “Selling is not Telling” and I see too often so many Sales Reps move way too quickly into “tell” mode when networking, in sales presentations and on phone calls. A true professional has patience and can “keep cool.” They master the art of questioning. Many of us who found our way into the great profession of selling are extroverts. We truly enjoy meeting people, telling stories, and we love to wine and dine our clients. Many Sales Reps are taught open and closed ended questions. In our course, we teach five levels of questions, Open, Closed, Reciprocity, Hypothetical, Thought Provoking and Magic. It is so important to develop a deeper understanding of questions and how to refrain from pitching too soon. It allows you to spend more time at the front end of the encounter and make presentations more engaging, meaningful and relevant to that client’s particular needs.
4. Keeps Score: Vince Lombardi once said, “If it does not matter who wins or loses, then why do they keep score?” Keeping track of activities and the score allows you to identify where the gaps are in the sales process. In my past life, I was an insurance agent. The expectations were that I was to set 16 appointments per week. The general agent stated, “Even the worst salesperson in the world could make three sales a week.” Well, guess what? For the first year, I set the 16 appointments but only had three sales a week. I was blessed that this manager could track my activity and look at the gaps. He discovered that I got so nervous at the time of the ask that I made the prospect nervous. He changed the way I “asked” by having me sit back, put my pen down and say, “For all intents and purposes, my work is done. Do you have any last questions?” From there, my sales soared, and I went on to produce at the Million Dollar Round Table level for the next nine years.
5. Tells a Story: Our brains are wired for narratives. The professional knows how to take the information gathered and create an engaging, winning presentation. They bring the client’s needs, wants, and motives into the picture – they do it in a way that compels the client to act.

Selling is one of the greatest professions in the world. It is one where you can have more freedom, more fun, and greater financial success than many others. As we move out of the first quarter, I challenge you to look at your goals. Determine where you are in meeting them and ask yourself if you are at the top of the game? If not, what needs to change?

The Sales Messenger and Peak Performance Solutions are here to help you move from amateur to professional.

Thanks For A Great 2022 And More In 2023 For You

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to You
 
We are forever grateful for our long term partnerships and new, growing client and contractor relationships. As we navigate the holiday season, and as a way to thank you, we are making donations in acknowledgement of you to the following charities. If you have a special charity or choice, please let us know:

You may have noticed, we are updating our website this month.  If you encounter any problems, please let us know.

Wishing You a Happy and Productive New Year
 
As we enter 2023, new and updated offerings are keeping our business relevant and meaningful. Catalyst has caught on with most clients, as employees and managers are finding value on the return, are learning communication concepts, and comparing data with their colleagues. If you are not familiar with Everything DiSC, you may want to check out The Power of We video or any of the other videos on our website. Also our upcoming Everything DiSC certification starts in January and is filling up quickly.  This course teaches you how to leverage DiSC tools to increase employee engagement, build global and hybrid teams, reduce workplace conflict, and help everyone play to their strengths. Please email me for product pricing and special holiday offers.
 
So far, we certified approximately 15 Partners for the Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team program. Registration opens the first week in December for the next training course that starts February and it too will fill up fast. This program is based on the best-selling book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. This program opens up dialogue around real issues, gets the elephant out from under the rug, and helps team make better and faster decisions by keeping their eye on their collective goals. Email us if you are interested in registering or learning more about this program.
 
Once again, we appreciate you all and thank you for helping us to be successful!

How does Catalyst work?

Catalyst™ is a learning platform designed to make it easier to keep the Everything DiSC® learning journey going after the initial training and profile completion.  The way Catalyst works begins with the administrator finding the organization preloaded in the system or creating a new organization. 

After organization set-up,

1. Everything DiSC participants are issued a link to either convert their existing profile report and answering a few more questions around application specific products or following a link to complete a full assessment. 
2. Once complete, the results appear in an interactive format as described in post What is Catalyst post  For example, upon seeing their DiSC style, participants may find a link will take them to an introduction video on their style.  
3. Participants can move around in the site to:  click through their results, find other videos about each style, and hear about their own unique style.
4. Colleagues section is the best option for participants to search for people and choose to sort by name, style, newest, or department.   After selecting someone to review, it connects to a page to learn more about that person’s priorities, motivators and stressors discover similarities and differences.  This allows then to see how they and that person compared on scales such as daring versus careful, but best of all, it provides tips on working better together.

The Everything DISC world has changed as we knew it.  Catalyst help participants meet the interpersonal challenges many organizations are experiencing including feeling isolated, lack of empathy, increased conflict and not feeling valued or heard. It is  a new way to engage, connect, learn and most of all have some fun!

What is Catalyst?

What is Catalyst?

Are you tired of one-and-done training?  Do you look for ways to onboard new team members?   Are new hires feeling isolated in your organization?

We have the solution! Meet Everything DiSC on Catalyst™.  Catalyst is a new participant learning platform designed to make it easier to keep the Everything DiSC® learning journey alive. Here participants receive their results in an interactive learning format which includes:

• An introduction video about the DiSC Model of Human Behavior
• Videos about each style
• An engaging podcast about the learner’s unique style
• The theory and research behind Everything DiSC
• Best of all, Comparisons with Co-Workers (Learner may opt-out of sharing their results)

For more on this innovative approach, view video or read How Does Catalyst Work post.

Training on Catalyst

Catalyst comes with its own facilitation training materials where participants can print a profile or simply have the assessment and portal up on a second device during a training session. We love to find new ways of keeping things green!

This new training, like our traditional Everything DiSC is designed to be modular in nature or combined into a half or full day session.  We have had great experience with using this new material both in the classroom and virtually.

Special offers through December 2023:

• Trainers/Facilitators:  Here’s the good news if you are already using Everything DiSC Facilitation Kits, you may upgrade your Everything DiSC Workplace, Management, and/or Agile EQ and get all 3 of these now on Catalyst (even if you only own one of them). Go to: https://register.everythingdisc.com/  Enter your kit serial number to start.
• Profile Participants:  Anyone who has completed ANY of the Everything DiSC assessments in the past can convert to Workplace on Catalyst at no charge! If you convert any profile to Workplace and add Agile EQ or Management, it is only 10 Credits or $54 retail per application. 

Contact Roy or Mary Anne to take advantage of the best offer for you!

Embracing Technology for Building Stronger Relationships

You may have heard recently about a Texas-based attorney who ended up doing an entire Zoom call as an adorable kitten.  The Zoom call was actually a court hearing with a judge.  The attorney accidentally signed onto the call with a cat filter and could not figure out how to turn the filter off.  He eventually proclaimed “I am not a cat” to the judge, who replied “I can see that.”  The video went viral and the attorney was mortified at first, but then realized that we could all use something to laugh at during these stressful times.

The point here is, like it or not, technology is now playing a huge role in the way we relate to each other.  It is important to keep growing and learning these different ways to connect. 

Video calls have taken the place of door to door and telephone sales, meetings with a co-worker and our team, and even building stronger ties to family and loved ones who are not geographically close.  It was on the horizon, many of us avoided it, procrastinated, or even used excuses, but the pandemic, like a wave brought it to our front door.  So, where are you in all of this?

Were you an early adopter or a laggard? If you are in business, believing things will go back to the way they once were, time to wake up and realize “we’re not in Kansas anymore”.  Virtual technology is here to stay. Do not be left behind just because things seem intimidating to use or you feel it will not be the same as in person.  

I have to admit, I surprised myself. Turning our in-person training to virtual seemed like it would not produce the same results and I would use statements like, “I can’t feel the energy of the group”, “I will look horrible on the camera”, “They’ll never participate the way they would in a live session”. Well, I have been proven wrong. VERY WRONG! While it took extra effort learning how to create engagement and interaction, and learning the formula for balancing chats, polls, discussions and activities, I can honestly say, for our typical training, it is the way to go. 

Do not get me wrong, leadership or team retreats, off-site sales meetings, team building interventions will still be more impactful in-person because you cannot make up the conversations that take place on the breaks, the restaurant or even the bar.  For the most part, if done right, virtual training is the new reality as will be team meetings versus conference calls, many sales meeting and even family connections.  We encourage you to educate yourself as much as you can so that you can keep up with these new and exciting ways to communicate, build relationships and increase productivity.

Personality Styles and Sales – the Dynamic Duo

Like Batman and his trusty sidekick Robin, sales combined with the knowledge of the DISC personality styles are a fantastic pairing that can put you one step ahead of the competition.  DiSC allows you to connect more easily with your customers.  

iISC, coined in the 1928 book by William Marston refers to four different styles, D stands for Dominance, I style refers to an Influencer, S equates to Steadiness and C relishes Conscientiousness.  We are all a blend of the styles; however we all have a natural tendency to lean into one or two of these styles in our everyday interaction.  Now, imagine taking the time to learn your own style and how that comes across in a sales call.  Then, step back and ask yourself a few simple questions that might provide insights into your customer’s iISC personality type.  You can now prepare your approach, your message and your presentation in a way that resonates to the prospect or customer and they can more readily and easily digest your information. This kind of knowledge is invaluable to you as a salesperson as you open more doors, secure more interest and close more sales.

For example, have you ever felt a disconnect with a customer?  Maybe you approached them with enthusiasm and worked at building rapport only to find they were ready for you to get to the point?  Learning to quickly read the style of your customer can help you adapt your sales approach.  You see, if your customer is a high D style, they may simply want you to get to the business at hand, stick to the facts and provide options. The I style prefers a sales rep who is friendly in nature and tries to identify ways to personally connect. The S style wants to know you sincerely care, and they like solutions that are tried and true. Our C style, well, they may make us work a little harder for the sales as they really do like to dig into the details, do their homework, understand the reasoning logic or even research behind a solution and they want to know you will provide quality in your offerings.

You can adjust your style accordingly as you learn your customer’s personality type.  It is a tool that puts you ahead of the competition because these are important details that other people are not aware of if they are not familiar with iISC personality profiles.

Sales and DISC personality types.  A dynamic duo that can succeed together!