Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers: 50 Exercises That Get Results in Just 15 Minutes by Brian Cole Miller

Liked the Description? Buy from www.amazon.com

Description

ISBN-081447201x

“Every group can benefit from team-building exercises. But sometimes it’s not practical to embark on a full-scale training initiative.

Now, supervisors, managers, and team leaders have 50 team-building activities to choose from, all of which can be implemented with no special facilities, big expense, or previous training experience.

Readers will find engaging exercises for:

* Building new teams and helping teams with new members

* Dealing with change and its effects: anger, fear, frustration, and more

* Recognizing individual efforts and team accomplishments

* Finding creative ways to work together and solve problems

* Increasing and improving communication

* Leveraging diversity and individual differences to meet team goals

* Keeping competition healthy and productive within the team

.....
Read the rest of Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers: 50 Exercises That Get Results in Just 15 Minutes by Brian Cole Miller

Posted by admin for BookFiesta4u, 2009. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us digg
Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Management Games, Managers, Team, Training, book.

The Team Memory Jogger

Liked the Description? Buy from www.amazon.com

Description

ISBN-1879364514

This handy, inexpensive pocket guide provides each person on a team with the information they need to effectively work together to accomplish goals.

It is designed to help teams develop a clear purpose, identify stakeholders and team roles, gather proper data, and create and execute focused work plans.

The guide supports organization-wide consistency and participation in creating organizational breakthroughs and improvements.

This book contains guidelines that can increase your chances of having a good team experience.

It is intended to serve as a quick reminder of things you have already learned through training or experience on the job.

.....
Read the rest of The Team Memory Jogger

Posted by admin for BookFiesta4u, 2009. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us digg
Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Six Sigma, Team, The Six Sigma (Memory Jogger Library), book.

Brand Vision: How to Energize Your Team to Drive Business Growth by David Taylor

Liked the Description? Buy from www.amazon.com

Book Description

ISBN-0470028351

David Taylor’s third book lifts the lid on why so many brand visioning projects end in failure: an overly theoretical and complex approach he calls ’strategy tourism’.

By contrast, his straightforward, no-nonsense programme will ensure that you end up with an inspiring vision and a hands-on action plan to drive growth.

Designed in a highly practical format, brandvision shows how to lead your team on a step-by-step ‘visioning journey’ that builds engagement, energy and alignment.

Powerful tips, tools and tricks help you start applying the principles to your business today:

• Searching for true insight: creating a springboard for visioning by using different ‘insight catalysts’ that cover consumers, markets and competition
• The visioning journey: creating a compelling brand purpose, a big idea and a rallying call; combining product ’sausage’ and emotional ’sizzle’
• Test-driving the vision: bringing the vision to life by exploring it within your business and with consumers
• Brand-led business: translating the vision into a business building mix that covers ‘hero product’ innovation, communication and internal engagement

.....
Read the rest of Brand Vision: How to Energize Your Team to Drive Business Growth by David Taylor

Posted by admin for BookFiesta4u, 2009. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us digg
Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Brand Management, Team, book.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (MP3 Audio Book)

Liked the Description? Buy from www.amazon.com

Book Description

ISBN-0739332570

After her first two weeks observing the problems at DecisionTech, Kathryn Petersen, its new CEO, had more than a few moments when she wondered if she should have taken the job. But Kathryn knew there was little chance she would have turned it down. After all, retirement had made her antsy, and nothing excited her more than a challenge.

What she could not have known when she accepted the job, however, was just how dysfunctional her team was, and how team members would challenge her in ways that no one ever had before.

In The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni once again offers a leadership fable that is as enthralling and instructive as his first two best-selling books, The Five Temptations of a CEO and The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive. This time, he turns his keen intellect and storytelling power to the fascinating, complex world of teams.

Kathryn Petersen, DecisionTech’s CEO, faces the ultimate leadership crisis: uniting a team that is in such disarray that it threatens to bring down the entire company. Will she succeed? Will she be fired? Will the company fail? Lencioni’s riveting tale serves as a timeless reminder that leadership requires as much courage as it does insight.

Throughout the story, Lencioni reveals the five dysfunctions that go to the very heart of why teams–even the best ones–often struggle. He outlines a powerful model and actionable steps that can be used to overcome these common hurdles and build a cohesive, effective team.

Just as with his other books, Lencioni has written a compelling fable with a deceptively simple yet powerful message for all those who strive to be exceptional team leaders.

.....
Read the rest of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (MP3 Audio Book)

Posted by admin for BookFiesta4u, 2009. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us digg
Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Audiobook, Team, book.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick M. Lencioni

Liked the Description? Buy from www.amazon.com

Description

ISBN-0787960756

In The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Patrick Lencioni once again offers a leadership fable that is as enthralling and instructive as his first two best-selling books, The Five Temptations of a CEO and The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive.

This time, he turns his keen intellect and storytelling power to the fascinating, complex world of teams.

Kathryn Petersen, Decision Tech’s CEO, faces the ultimate leadership crisis: Uniting a team in such disarray that it threatens to bring down the entire company.

Will she succeed? Will she be fired? Will the company fail? Lencioni’s utterly gripping tale serves as a timeless reminder that leadership requires as much courage as it does insight.

Throughout the story, Lencioni reveals the five dysfunctions which go to the very heart of why teams even the best ones-often struggle.

He outlines a powerful model and actionable steps that can be used to overcome these common hurdles and build a cohesive, effective team.

Just as with his other books, Lencioni has written a compelling fable with a powerful yet deceptively simple message for all those who strive to be exceptional team leaders.

.....
Read the rest of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick M. Lencioni

Posted by admin for BookFiesta4u, 2009. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us digg
Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Fiction, Managers, Strategy, Team, book.

Team-Based Strategic Planning: A Complete Guide to Structuring, Facilitating and Implementing the Process by C. Davis Fogg

Liked the Description? Buy from www.amazon.com

Description

ISBN-0814451276

How to structure, facilitate, and implement the process.

Strategic planning is a critical part of running a business, but when you get a team of people together to plan, it can often become a confused exercise in grand visions without a clear process for establishing workable goals.

This book is unique in providing both guidance for the actual content of strategic plans and techniques for how to plan in a team context. Readers will discover how to:

• Structure the process so it custom fits their company needs
• Effectively facilitate the process (keep meetings on track, train others in planning skills, document decisions made at meetings, present and communicate the plan)
• Use teams and teamwork smoothly and productively to create a far-reaching plan—and then to implement it

Features detailed guidelines for each step, dozens of flowcharts, and three self-contained “facilitator’s guides” to follow.

.....
Read the rest of Team-Based Strategic Planning: A Complete Guide to Structuring, Facilitating and Implementing the Process by C. Davis Fogg

Posted by admin for BookFiesta4u, 2009. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us digg
Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Planning, Strategy, Team, book.

The Concise Adair on Teambuilding and Motivation by John Adair & Neil Thomas

Liked the Description? Buy from www.amazon.com

Description

ISBN-1854182684

This book develops Adair’s classic theory on Team, Task and individual and summarises all his writing on leaders and motivation and getting the best from people.

It includes sections on being motivated oneself, selecting people, target setting and reward and recognition.

A team is: “a group in which the individuals have a common aim and in which the jobs and skills of each member fit in with those of others.” BERNARD BABINGTON SMITH, TRAINING IN SMALL GROUPS

It is well-known that teambuilding and motivational skills are of crucial importance in business and the leadership role in particular.

Managers and leaders must be effective team builders and motivators to be able to achieve their business aims and get the best out of people.

The skills needed in both these areas should be practiced and improved upon on a constant basis to ensure they help build and maintain effective and efficient teams.

.....
Read the rest of The Concise Adair on Teambuilding and Motivation by John Adair & Neil Thomas

Posted by Hardeep for BookFiesta4u, 2009. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us digg
Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Leadership, Motivation, Team, book.

The Manager as Leader by B. Keith Simerson & Michael L. Venn

Liked the Description? Buy from www.amazon.com

Description

ISBN-0275990109

An invisible line between individual contributor and leader was once thought to exist, separating “leaders” from “followers.”

Two decades of downsizings and rightsizings have forever blurred this distinction and left us with three fundamental challenges:

(1) How can an organization elicit leadership from everyone?

(2) How can those who choose to lead influence others to perform more effectively and efficiently than they ever thought possible?

(3) How can leaders continue to be successful when the environment in which they lead is constantly changing?

Addressing these challenges requires a certain awareness and nimbleness on behalf of the person thinking and acting as the “leader,” regardless of their formal position.

The Manager as Leader presents practical strategies, tools, and techniques for developing the leadership mindset and applying it on a daily basis.

The book introduces the “Contextual Leadership Model,” which identifies nine fundamental leadership roles and six common contexts in which leadership is exercised, and guides readers toward matching their roles and actions to the particular context at hand; it also shows readers how to anticipate changes in context and adjust their roles and actions accordingly.

.....
Read the rest of The Manager as Leader by B. Keith Simerson & Michael L. Venn

Posted by admin for BookFiesta4u, 2009. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us digg
Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Leadership, Managers, Team, book.

The First-Time Manager’s Guide to Team Building by Gary S. Topchik

Liked the Description? Buy from www.amazon.com

Description

ISBN-0814474292

With the same brand of accessible and sage advice readers found in The First-Time Manager, this new offering from management expert Gary S. Topchik covers the basics of team building.

The book helps readers discover how their own leadership and management style influences the success of their teams.

Managers will learn how to:

• Make the transition from team member to team leader
• Understand the difference between a team and a work group
• Hold team members accountable
• Make their teams more productive
• Manage challenging situations and resolve conflict within a team.

Written in an engaging, conversational style, Topchik explains the five essential qualities of a high-performing team: goals and standards; decision making; honest communication; clear roles and responsibilities; and celebrating success.

Packed with activities and assessments for both the manager and team members, this is an essential guide for any manager who strives for team-building success.

.....
Read the rest of The First-Time Manager’s Guide to Team Building by Gary S. Topchik

Posted by admin for BookFiesta4u, 2009. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us digg
Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Managers, Team, book.

The Manager as Motivator by Michael Kroth

Liked the Description? Buy from www.amazon.com

Description

ISBN-0275990184

A manager has more opportunity to directly motivate employees than does any other organizational influence.

Conversely, research reveals that de-motivating managers are the primary reason employees voluntarily leave.

Managers set the tone, translate organizational strategy into employee performance and developmental plans, provide the carrots and the sticks to achieve those plans, and in virtually every other way reinforce–for better or worse–the cultural attitudes of the organization.

The Manager as Motivator explores the dynamics of motivation, especially in the context of today’s complex and fluid work enivronments, where retention of top-performing employees is paramount.

Integrating insights from management and psychology, the author covers such issues as the development of a free-agent workforce, with talent following supply and demand; the emergence of employees as the only true sustainable advantage; and the opportunities and challenges that managers face in their role as motivators, especially when they themselves are wrestling with limited resources and competing demands.

.....
Read the rest of The Manager as Motivator by Michael Kroth

Posted by admin for BookFiesta4u, 2009. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us digg
Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Managers, Motivation, Team, book.

Squawk!: How to Stop Making Noise and Start Getting Results by Travis Bradberry

Liked the Description? Buy from www.amazon.com

Description

ISBN-0061562343

Unfortunately, we’ve all seen it happen. When faced with a problem, rather than working cooperatively to come up with a solution, your manager or colleagues come swooping in, squawking loudly, dump orders riddled with formulaic advice, and then take off, leaving you and everyone else to clean up the mess.

Or—let’s be honest: there may have been a time (or three) when you have been guilty of doing that very thing yourself.

While this happens in every workplace worldwide more frequently than ever, it doesn’t have to.

Through the story of Charlie, a seagull who doesn’t understand how his management actions are holding back his flock, Travis Bradberry, Ph.D., reveals the three virtues of great leadership that he has used to help thousands of people and organizations deal with seagull managers in the workplace and, just as important, to avoid being one themselves.

Charlie the seagull is a well-intentioned manager who, when faced with new challenges after previously leading his flock to success, fails to understand how his management style is holding back, rather than helping, his team.

Through our bird’s-eye view of Charlie, overconfident Scott, quiet Maya, practical Yufan, and skinny, shy Alfred, we see them and the rest of the flock struggle to solve their problems while absorbing the three virtues of great leadership and teamwork along the way.

.....
Read the rest of Squawk!: How to Stop Making Noise and Start Getting Results by Travis Bradberry

Posted by admin for BookFiesta4u, 2009. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us digg
Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Leadership, Managers, Team, book.

Office Politics – The Unorganized Crime by Anuj Anand

Liked the Description? Buy from www.amazon.com

Description

The Italian have the Mafia, Columbians have Cartels, Mexicans have Gangs, Chinese have Triads, Russians have Mobs, Jamacians have Gangsters, Japanese have Yazukas and Organizations have Office Politics.

All except the last one in this world, are so Powerful that they rule and it is just not possible for any one to enter and control any of the group, But Organizations are the ones, where you have a chance of mastering the way the game is played and then become the invincible to the game.

Office politics may be considered to be a fact of business life, it can cause problems both inside and outside company walls.

But it’s actually ingrained in the fabric of an organization so can’t easily be changed.

Majority of the people say that when it comes to office politics in their organizations, the reason things are the way they are is because of culture and the kind of people who work there and neither of these can be changed easily.

The senior managers don’t have the ability to deal with this escalating problem, so they ignore it, since it doesn’t affect them.

It is not just their inability but also the lack of knowledge, mainly because what happens at the ground level is something that they are not concerned of as they have to look at the bigger picture always, and why not, that is what they are supposed to do. It is the duty of the middle level management to take care of these issues.

.....
Read the rest of Office Politics – The Unorganized Crime by Anuj Anand

Posted by admin for BookFiesta4u, 2009. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us digg
Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Office Politics, Team, book.

The Manager as Facilitator by Judy Whichard & Nathalie L. Kees

Liked the Description? Buy from www.amazon.com

Description

ISBN-0275989852

From meetings to training exercises to brainstorming sessions, managers are called upon to lead groups–defining goals and tasks, creating a climate of mutual support, and bridging differences among members to collaborate and innovate.

Drawing from their extensive research, teaching, and practical application in the field of counseling and group dynamics, the authors show readers how to master the role of “facilitator”–one who engages others in dialogue, resolves conflicts, and steers groups toward collective solutions.

From leading project teams to getting buy-in for new policy recommendations, managers will develop the skills that can be applied in many contexts, wherever people are working in groups, ultimately contributing to greater awareness and understanding of different points of view.

Featuring diagnostic exercises, worksheets, examples, and an extensive listing of resources, The Manager as Facilitator will provide individuals and teams with the tools to promote effective communication, capitalize on diversity, and improve productivity.

.....
Read the rest of The Manager as Facilitator by Judy Whichard & Nathalie L. Kees

Posted by admin for BookFiesta4u, 2009. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us digg
Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Managers, Team, book.

Stop the Meeting I Want to Get Off!: How to Eliminate Endless Meetings While Improving Your Team’s Communication, Productivity, and Effectiveness by Scott Snair

Description

ISBN-0071411062

Less talk, more action: A guide to better communication, heightened productivity, and fewer meetings

Meetings are the bane of modern corporate culture. Today’s managers spend between 25 percent and 75 percent of their workday in meetings, at least half of which are unproductive, if not downright destructive.

In a book that is sure to be warmly embraced by beleaguered managers, a decorated Desert Storm platoon leader turned top corporate consultant offers managers a proven system for running a department, or an entire enterprise, without unnecessary meetings.

Successfully adopted by Johnson & Johnson, GE, McKinsey & Company, MetLife, Verizon, and other prestigious Snair clients, the one-on-one management methods outlined in this book:

• Improve a manager’s ability to gather input
• Streamline the communication process
• Make influencing key members of an organization much easier
• Increase productivity, without stifling openness and job satisfaction
• Make managers more “hands-on” by using responsibility as a reward

.....
Read the rest of Stop the Meeting I Want to Get Off!: How to Eliminate Endless Meetings While Improving Your Team’s Communication, Productivity, and Effectiveness by Scott Snair

Posted by admin for BookFiesta4u, 2009. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us digg
Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Meetings, Team, Time Management, book.

Managers and Leaders: Are They Different? by Abraham Zaleznik

Description

Managers and leaders are two very different types of people. Managers’ goals arise out of necessities rather than desires; they excel at defusing conflicts between individuals or departments, placating all sides while ensuring that an organization’s day-to-day business gets done.
Leaders, on the other hand, adopt personal, active attitudes toward goals. They look for the opportunities and rewards that lie around the corner, inspiring subordinates and firing up the creative process with their own energy.

Their relationships with employees and coworkers are intense, and their working environment is often chaotic. In this article, first published in 1977, the author argues that businesses need both managers and leaders to survive and succeed.

But in the larger U.S. organizations of that time, a “managerial mystique” seemed to perpetuate the development of managerial personalities–people who rely on, and strive to maintain, orderly work patterns.

The managerial power ethic favors collective leadership and seeks to avoid risk.

That same managerial mystique can stifle leaders’ development–How can an entrepreneurial spirit develop when it is submerged in a conservative environment and denied personal attention?

Mentor relationships are crucial to the development of leadership personalities, but in large, bureaucratic organizations,  such relationships are not encouraged.

Businesses must find ways to train good managers and develop leaders at the same time.

.....
Read the rest of Managers and Leaders: Are They Different? by Abraham Zaleznik

Posted by admin for BookFiesta4u, 2009. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us digg
Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Articles, Leadership, Managers, Team.

Team Building Without Time Wasting by Marshall Goldsmith

Description

Teams seem to be becoming more and more common and important. Management theorists and organizations around the world are extolling the value of teamwork.

As the traditional, hierarchical school of leadership begins to diminish in signifi-cance, a new focus on networked team leadership is emerging to take its place.

Leaders are finding themselves as members of all kinds of teams, including virtual teams, autonomous teams, cross-functional teams, and action learning teams.

Many of today’s leaders face a dilemma, as the need to build effective teams is increasing, the available time to build these teams is often decreasing.

A common challenge faced by today’s leaders is the necessity of building teams in an environment of rapid change with limited resources.

The process of reengineering and streamlining, when coupled with increased demand for services, has led to a situation where most leaders feel they have more work to do and fewer staff members to help them do it.

.....
Read the rest of Team Building Without Time Wasting by Marshall Goldsmith

Posted by admin for BookFiesta4u, 2009. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us digg
Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Articles, Team.

The Discipline of Teams by Jon R. Katzenbach & Douglas K. Smith (HBR OnPoint Article)

Book Description

The essence of a team is shared commitment. Without it, groups perform as individuals; with it, they become a unit of collective performance.

The best teams invest a tremendous amount of time shaping a purpose and they translate their purpose into specific performance goals. Team members also pitch in and become accountable with and to their teammates.

The fundamental distinction between teams and other forms of working groups turns on performance. A working group relies on the individual contributions of its members for group performance. But a team strives for something greater than its members could achieve individually.

The authors identify three basic types of teams:

teams that recommend things

teams that make or do things

teams that run things.

The key is knowing where in the organization real teams should be encouraged. Team potential exists anywhere. Hierarchy or organizational boundaries inhibit good performance.

.....
Read the rest of The Discipline of Teams by Jon R. Katzenbach & Douglas K. Smith (HBR OnPoint Article)

Posted by admin for BookFiesta4u, 2008. | Permalink | Add to del.icio.us digg
Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Articles, Team.