SPG Blog

In June we engaged in team development activities for a day and a half. My goals as CEO were to foster a spirit of learning and curiosity between us, to discern best (or at least better) practices for “virtual” team communication, and to create more cohesion between team members who work in different cities or countries.

On the first evening, we had a lovely potluck and some lively discussion as we began work on our group agreement. A group agreement is a grassroots document that identifies group norms and expectations. I facilitated and found that the most important discussion topic was how we share information in our organization. We came up with some good strategies and we didn’t “finish” the process. I am noticing as I am writing this that many of our clients experience this at the end of a group process. It is difficult to know how to keep the learning going forward.

Day two involved a smaller group. For this full day event, we included our regular full-time staff. We worked from 9 to 4 with a facilitator from outside our organization. The learning we received from the personality type assessment was interesting and helpful in understanding how we work together. One of the people participating had only been with us a week and it was a good way to help her know and understand us all. I learned that we are a tough audience with incredibly high standards. There were things that worked well and things we didn’t like as much. All in all, I think it was worthwhile, necessary, imperfect (we are, after all, human beings) and took us forward as a team.

What were our outcomes?

1. We now have an e-group to share successes. Everyone in the organization is on the list so we don’t have to all try to remember to cc everyone for universal communication.
2. The management team now has language to speak more clearly about our similarities and differences. I believe we have created a greater capacity for understanding each other and treating each other with respect.
3. Because of the positive learning process, we were able to recruit one participant to a more full-time position. (Creating a positive work environment and thus attracting better employees is often an outcome our clients experience when they invest in group learning.)
4. We now have a real ship’s bell to celebrate our successes, gifted to all by one of our staff members. Now as we succeed we “Ring the Bell” in person and on the e-group.
5. One of the less tangible outcomes seems to be a bigger sense of ownership in the company and where we are headed. That may be the best outcome of all.

If you are interested in speaking with Sage Portfolio Group about designing a group process for your organization, please email us at info@sageportfoliogroup.com or phone 800-592-2303.

Part one of this two-part article was published in the June 2007 edition of The Leading Edge. To access previous issues, visit our newsletter archives.

We have our own version of a business book club at Sage Portfolio Group, and the current pick being passed around the office is Glenn Shepard’s “How to Be the Employee Your Company Can’t Live Without: 18 Ways to Become Indispensable”. We’re mentioning it here because of a chapter that highlights the differences between working for a baby boomer or a generation x boss. Overall, the book offers practical insight into the qualities that make a valuable employee and concrete ways to adopt and exhibit these aspects in everyday work life. There’s a chapter on work ethic, reliability, distinguishing between education and knowledge, predicting what your boss needs, and how to make “the right mistakes”. For employees, this book is a how-to guide for career success. For managers and executives, Shepard provides a clear description of who you’re looking to hire and promote.

Super Summer Guacamole

Guacamole is one of those remarkable foods that has appeal across cultures and generations. There are many different variations out there, and more than once I’ve been snacking at the hors d’oeuvres table with fellow party-goers when curiosity about the contents of the host’s “guac” has turned to lively debate among guests and outright defense of a tried-and-true recipe. Red onions go head-to-head with garlic; limes duke it out with lemons. Cilantro? Tomatoes? Hot sauce? Mayonnaise??? To add to the discussion, here is my favourite guacamole recipe, as well as some tips for choosing the perfect avocado.

A really good guacamole takes a little more planning than most dips. Very rarely am I able to find the perfect avocado in the store or at the market, so great guacamole is a perfect way to practice the underappreciated art of postponing gratification. A rock hard avocado usually takes about a week to soften, while a medium hard avocado takes about three days. The soft avocados on the shelf are usually too ripe and won’t have the flavor of the perfect avocado. Organic avocados are readily available, even in the winter when other fruits and vegetables are out of season and you’re craving a taste of summer.

Ingredients:
2 “perfect” organic avocados
2 cloves organic garlic, pressed
½ cup chopped organic tomatoes
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
Salt to taste

It was 1965 when Pete Townsend of The Who penned the lyrics to My Generation, a song that typified the rebellion of an era and starkly articulated a growing generation gap between young and old. “People try to put us down,” Roger Daltry sneered. “Just because we get around. Things they do are so c-c-cold”, he stuttered. “I hope I die before I get old”. (more…)