Hot Teams
I got a chapter from Pete http://pete.kruckenberg.com/blog/ about “Hot Teams” from a book called “The Art of Innovation” http://theartofinnovation.com/ . At first I was not too excited about the chapter, but the more I read, the more I really enjoyed it. I have seen many groups of people in work environments and in other contexts that have a feeling of failure that permeates their interactions. It is easy to get a few people in the group to be excited and engaged. What is harder to do is to get more or most of the people engaged and feeling like they contribute to the group because they do.
One of the symptoms of broken groups that the authors describe is the concept of “they”. They should fix all of the problems because, of course, they caused them. Describing a problem and fixing it are two very different things. They describe several examples of what they do to create the atmosphere of a hot team. Here are some examples (quotes from book).
- We believe in giving individuals an opportunity to perform. Everyone starts out roughly equal and then is given lots of chances to mess up—and to shine.
- Newcomers that flourish in our environment are often offered a key role in a new project, or even an opportunity to manage a project.
- Try giving lots of gifts and awards. But not out of routine. The creation of the gift itself can reinforce your team spirit.
- Launch a clubhouse, a regular weekly or monthly meeting that functions a lot like a writers’ group… Clubhouses help get us out of our routine, pull us up above the fray, and remind us of our passion for our chosen field.
- When people feel special, they’ll perform beyond your wildest dreams. It’s why we throw blowout end-of-year bashes—to celebrate who and what we are.
- Field trips can be great form of play. Try scooting off to see something that excites or inspires your team.
- Whatever your current T-shirt budget is, double it… The best are edgy, inspired by projects.
- Celebrate your team members’ differences.
These are very interesting ideas.
1:15:00 PM 
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