Exercises from the Blog
Recognizing Compelling Purpose
In Extraordinary Groups, Geoff Bellman and I offer a set of core concepts as a lens, through which you can see and be in groups differently. So that you can consciously take action to support your group’s ability to be high performing. Read Full Post.
More About Meaning: How Were Your Holidays?
During the holidays, did you find yourself more frequently in groups of people? Where the purpose was simply to be together, to celebrate the significance of the season and the passing of one year into the next? Before too much time goes by, consider this question: How fulfilling were those encounters? Read Full Post.
Focus on Meaning at Work
As 2009 wraps up, I find myself reflecting on all that I’ve learned in the last three months, since Extraordinary Groups (Jossey-Bass, 2009) was published. Read Full Post.
An Ice-Breaker for a Team Development Off-site
If you lead a group and periodically take them off-site to build their capacity to work together or if you facilitate such sessions, this blog post might be useful to you. It’s about an ice-breaker I plan to use this week with a seven-member leadership team. Read Full Post.
Build Bond Among Members by Checking-In
If you are looking for a simple way to begin to build rapport and connections among members of a group, you might want to try this easy-to-use, time-efficient technique. I mentioned in my November 16th post that this can be a particularly useful tool for groups that meet virtually, but it certainly has value for face-to-face groups as well. Read Full Post.
Group Leaders: Learn to Recognize and Encourage Emotions!
Myth: In groups where people come together to get something done, strong emotions equal messy, difficult group dynamics. These "irrational" elements lead to disagreements and conflicts that disrupt an orderly flow of work, damage relationships, and generally cause "things to get out of hand." Read Full Post.
Creating Compelling Purpose in a Group That Meets on a Regular Basis
One of the strongest messages that came from our Extraordinary Groups field study was the importance of a Compelling Purpose. We humans have a need to join with others in a common Purpose, to unite our energies to accomplish something important, something that we cannot achieve alone. Read Full Post.
An Exercise: What Role Do Groups Play in Your Life?
We humans need to group. We've been grouping for thousands of years. By applying the Group Needs Model described in Extraordinary Groups, you can better understand the dynamics of your groups and see ways of behaving that will increase both the effectiveness of the group and, as a result, the quality of your experience. Read Full Post.
