What WAS Chandler Bing’s job?
We are sitting around the campfire, everyone is chatting when I hear, “Dee! I want to talk to you about your business. I want to share it with people but I don’t really understand what it is you do exactly.”
Ouch.
This is my nightmare. I am building a business and if people aren’t clear on what I do, how will I succeed - and more importantly, how am I going to help?
I do NOT want to be Chandler Bing.
So, what exactly do I do?
My elevator pitch is that I help teams thrive.
But what does that even mean?
I am so happy you asked. Grab a drink, pull up a chair, stay a while…
What it means is that I work with teams to get to the root of their issues, and help them determine what exactly it is they want and need in order to reach their full potential.
Maybe you don’t even care if your team thrives or ever reaches their full potential as long as everyone shows up and gets their work done.
Well here’s the thing - when your team is not thriving, you are more likely to experience things like:
High staff turnover
People calling in sick frequently
Slowpoke Sally showing up late or taking extended breaks
Low office morale
Negative Nellys sucking the air out of the room
Water cooler conversations that stop when you walk around the corner
Bob from accounting banging his head against the desk
Loud sighs and complaints anytime a phone rings or a customer needs service
Comments like “that’s not my job!” or “I don’t get paid to do this” being flung around the office.
If the above are things that you’re cool with in your organization then thanks for stopping by, please don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
But if any of the above resonates with you as the boss or a team member then please read on.
Whether it is a guided conversation debriefing a big project, reflecting on the last quarter, or a full-on two day workshop where we develop a strategic action plan, I customize workshops in order to meet your needs. When I am hired to work with a team, together we come up with a plan to determine how to take your organization from surviving to thriving.
There is a very specific method I use which helps teams go through the process of:
What is our vision of an ideal workplace?
What obstacles are blocking us from achieving our vision?
What can we do to overcome the obstacles and achieve our vision?
What WILL we do to achieve our vision?
At the end of two days, together, the team has come up with short, medium and long term action plans that everyone feels connected to.
In all of my workshops, every single person has the ability to participate in a way they are comfortable with whether it is through solo brainstorming, small group work, or conversation among the entire team. Everyone leaves the workshop feeling heard, and more importantly, valued.
Because really if you have members of your team who are not feeling valued then I am bummed for them, and I am also bummed for you because that means your team is nowhere near reaching their full potential.
You know those water cooler conversations that happen in the office all the time? Those are where the magic happens. Those are where the best ideas are, hiding in plain sight. Those are where you hear people saying things like “if I had a choice I would do it this way…” or “if anyone asked my opinion this is what i would suggest…”
What I can tell you is that if you want issues solved in your workplace, then get the people who are doing the jobs involved in coming up with solutions. Trust me, they want to! So why not bring these water cooler conversations to the table? This immediately creates a sense of pride and ownership, improves communication and connection among the team.
So you are possibly curious about how in the actual hell do I get people to participate in these workshops with management, front line staff, and everyone in between, all together?
Step one: Establish solid participation guidelines which ensures a respectful environment.
Step two: Use a variety of methods. Solo brainstorming. Small group work. Large group work. A level of anonymity also allows everyone to share their honest opinions and ideas.
If you see room for improvement among your team, or would like to establish a solid strategic wellness plan that everyone feels happy with implementing, book a call with me today! I absolutely love working with teams to help them reach their full potential.
