THE COMPLEXITY OF TEAMS

The analogy of teams as compared to the human body is probably over done. But it still holds true because it’s a solid comparison. The head, the hands, the stomach, the knees,… all of these parts of the body have specific functions to perform, and none of them can function without the brain. They are also all connected. The same can be said for teams. Every member of the team has a specific function to perform. They have a hard time functioning well without a good leader or manager. Every member of the team is connected. Or at least, that’s the ideal.

The reality sometimes looks quite different. Clear expectations, goals and objectives can be murky or not communicated at all. Members of the team can be passive in their role, not seeking clarity when they don’t understand something, or doing nothing in the absence of clear direction. The leader of the team can be at one extreme or the other—micro-managing every task, or so completely hands-off that the team members are left guessing about priorities. 

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GET A “TASTE” OF LEADQUINE–THE PROGRAM

Introducing something most people have never heard of can be challenging business. Asking them to invest money in experiencing it, without really understanding it, is even more challenging. So we’ve developed a way to make that introduction and create some understanding for free.

LeadQuine will host its first “Taster Event” sessions on Friday, April 20, 2018. There will be two sessions to choose from that day—one in the morning from 9:30-11:30 AM, and one in the afternoon from 1:00-3:00 PM. Both will be held at the Parks Farm in Oxford, just a mile off of M-24 and Oakwood Rd.

These sessions have been designed to give you the opportunity to experience a little of the workshops, and see how/if it would be a good fit to benefit your own team.

Equine guided learning is all ground work with the horses. There is no riding involved (or even allowed). We are partnering with the horses to experience their reactions and immediate feedback on our own behavior. Through a series of activities designed to specifically address a team’s challenges or goals, we see how our leadership, communication, conflict management, and approach impacts not only our team members, but the horses. Unlike people, horses are incapable of “faking” their feedback. They operate 100% on instinct, and they will react according to what they sense.

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CONSIDER YOUR AUDIENCE

Think about one of your favorite stories to tell. Maybe it’s a memorable moment in childhood. Maybe it’s a moment of courage. Or fear. Or happiness. Whatever it is, think about that story for a moment.

Got it in your head? Okay.

Now think about how you would tell that story at the bar with friends. How about how you would tell it to your mom? How about to kids? How about to your boss? Does the way you would tell the story change at all?

When I was a community organizer with the Gamaliel Foundation back in the day, I attended a fabulous session on powerful story telling given by John Norton, one of the senior organizers at the time. He gave an example of a story of a life-changing moment for him—his father’s death. He proceeded to dramatically change how we, the audience, connected with the story based on how he decided to tell it. One version moved us to tears. Another made us laugh out loud. Yet another hit us in the gut with the powerful lesson he chose to extract from it.

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