Blog posts
Do it When you want to make a team building. Divide your team in the groups of three. Give them the same task. Imagine that your team is represented with an animal, but that animal has to be the combination of three animals with one characteristic from each one. For example, we are as brave as a tiger, with the speed of an antelope and we are strong like an elephant. Now each group should draw its animal as a group logo. All three members of the group should draw at the same time. At the end make presentations and discussions. Remind them of this quote: “What we need to do is learn to work in the system, by which I mean that everybody, every team, every platform, every division, every component is there not for individual competitive profit or recognition, but for contribution to the system as a whole on a win-win basis.” – W. Edward Deming
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Imagine that for solving your main company problem you should develop three characteristics. Name all 3 of them?
2. What does the solution to this problem mean to you?
3. How would you know that you have solved it?
4. Recall the time in your life when you owing to that characteristic managed to achieve something very important to you.
5. By having that experience on your mind write down what you can do to develop each characteristic?
6. What could you do to make each characteristic sustainable once when you reach them?
7. Now having those characteristics stable write down an action plan for solving your main company problem.
8. Thank you for your time and tell us how satisfied you are with this session on a scale from 1 to 10?
Do it When you want to make a change in your company. Everyone in the group still sitting in their chairs has to mentally leave the group and take some of the corners of the room. Now, looking from that position to the group he/she has to imagine a business scenario for the next year. What changes in the team have to be made? What would be the most effective thing that each of us has to make? Write down everything and discuss in the end. Do it now, because: “A year from now you will wish you had started today.” – Karen Lamb
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Imagine the next business year on your market! What changes do you see?
2. How those changes are affecting your business?
3. What are advantages of those changes?
4. What are the bad things in those changes?
5. What else is even more important to your right now?
6. How important to you is to make necessary changes?
7. Who else will benefit from those changes?
8. Make a list of all actions that you have to make so you will be prepared for the change?
9. Now, think about actions that other industries will make. Which of them are applicable in your company?
10. Now, when you have a list of action steps that you will make, how are you going to commit yourself to them?
Thank you for your ideas
Do it When you want to establish company values. Establish a book where all employees, after 3 years in company will post their handprints. On the same page each one of them will write in one sentence his/her advice to someone who is entering company. Handprints are something very personal so everyone will be glad to leave his/her marks for someone that will come after them.
As the great Marcus Tullius Cicero said: “The life of the dead is set in the memory of the living.”
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. What will be the advice that you would like to write under your handprints?
2. According to that advice what would be the goal for this session?
3. What values are the most important for reaching that goal?
4. On a scale from 1 to 10 how important is to you to live under those values?
5. What would your colleagues benefit from your values?
6. How would you implement your goal?
7. What obstacles would you overcome?
8. Explain how you have overcome each obstacle in 5 sentences?
9. When was the first sight that you are on the right tracks?
10. When you have finished the goal what new idea has come to your mind?
Write down everything and share with us your success. Thank you!
Do it When you train managers for delivering feedback & motivating employees. Task for all participants is to write down the situation from the past when they have felt stupid during communication with their boss. Everyone has to read that situation and discuss what has made him that he felt that way. After that everyone has to write down situation when he has felt like champion in communication with his boss. After that he has to explain what has made him felt that way. After that we will all gain conclusions. What is important for feedback and motivation employees?
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Remember the time when you felt like champion. Having that in your mind make a goal for your next coaching session. What it would be?
2. Why is that so important to you?
3. What values you have right now that makes you champion?
5. What else is even more important for your right now?
6. Who else would beneffit then?
7. Now as champion what could you do to reach your goal?
8. What would be the time frame for that?
10. What would be the action plan for that?
11. How are you going to commit yourself to stick to your plan?
Thank you for your ideas
Do it When you train team building. First tell them a story: Once upon a time there were two donkeys that were tied together. They both wanted to eat off the bushes but the rope wasn’t long enough. They both really wanted to eat but they just couldn’t reach,so they just pulled and pulled hoping that the rope would stretch but it wouldn’t. Because they couldn’t reach,the donkey just sat and tried to think of a way to eat? Then one suddenly clicked and said “now that we are friends why don’t we just stand next to each other and take turns”. They decided they’d eaten all they could from the other bush, so they moved to the next one and carried on all day.
Now, ask each of them to write a list of things that he/she will do for other members of the team. The employee with the longest list will receive a prize.
Make smaller prizes for all members of the team.
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Imagine that you can help your team members in the way that is the most valuable for them. What would it be?
2. Why is that so important for them?
3. Why is that so important to you?
4. By providing them with your help how beneficial will your team be?
5. How would you know that your help is beneficial?
6. What would you do to make your help even more valuable?
7. What will the full action plan for your help be like?
8. How are you going to commit yourself to those action steps?
We know that nothing can stop you from helping your colleagues.
Thank you for sharing your ideas!
Do it When you have team building during white water rafting. If you have chance to go with your employee to white water rafting that is perfect chance to perform team building. If you need team building program just ask me. At this point I just want to remind that this is perfect situation for stress reduction from the team. Just bring with you water pistols, water guns and plastic washbowls. Usually people don’t have idea to bring those features at rafting but when you have several boats people will immediately start splashing crew of other boat. So just let them enjoy the ride. During other games for sure you will make discussion about things you have seen during splashing.
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Where is the best environment for you for team building?
2. What would you do there?
3. What resources you need for that?
4. What capabilities are mandatory for successful team building?
5. Why is so important for you to have the best team building?
6. What values would you confirm there?
7. Who would you be after that?
8. Who else would benefit from that?
9. Write your full action plan for the best team building. What will be the time frame for reaching every stage of your process?
10. How satisfied you are with your action plan?
11. What would make it even better?
Thank you for your ideas and good luck!
Do it When you have team building. People are standing in a group or sitting around the table. Give them an easy task: Tennis ball has to pass everyone’s hands as quicker as possible. Team members will have to prepare strategy. Usually they will start with quick throwing ball. Measure their time and tell them that it can be quicker. They will start doing that quicker for sure. After several tries tell them that record is 2 second. After the first shock they will manage how to do it. They just have to make “tube” with everyone’s hands and pass the ball through that “tube”. Everyone will be happy with new idea. “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” – Antoine de Saint
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Imagine that your team has become perfect?
2. Why is that so important to you?
3. How would you know that your team is perfect?
4. What other valuess would you have then?
5. What else is even more important for your team?
6. Who else would beneffit then?
7. What could you do to make your team perfect?
8. What would be the time frame for that?
9. How would you engage all other member of the team?
10. What would be the action plan for that?
11. How are you going to commit yourself to stick to your plan?
Thank you for your ideas
Do it When you set goals with your employee. We have discussed about Flow during Tesla Idea #47. Now, just ask your employee to measure his present skills. Next he has to measure his necessary skills in next period (3 months, 6 months, 1 year…) concerning that he will be still in the state of Flow. Now use coaching wheel. Your employee will have to make necessary action steps constantly having improvement on coaching wheel. Then your employee just has to make that action. As great Benjamin Franklin said: “Well done is better than well said.” Having in mind an Italian proverb: “Between saying and doing many pair of shoes are worn out.”
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Imagine that you are in 6 months from now. You are still in a state of Flow. Just say on coaching wheel measuring level of necessary skills where would you be?
2. Now, for each skill make necessary action steps.
3. When would you do each action step?
4. How beneficial for you will be making system that will help you in measuring each skill?
5. How will that system look like?
6. Where else would you use that system?
7. Who else will benefit form that system?
8. How are you going to commit yourself to stay in flow during next 6 months?
Thank you for your time.
Do it When you train creativity. Supply them with child bricks. All bricks have to have the same width and length. Only high and color ones have to be different. Each group has a task to present different characters or products by using only bricks. After 15 minutes some groups have to present their results and the other ones have to guess what character or product is about.
As Florence King said: “Americans worship creativity the way they worship physical beauty – as a way of enjoying elitism without guilt: God did it.” But we know that we can develop creativity, just like we can develop our physical beauty.
Just for practising creativity, try to guess which cartoon characters are in picture below.
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. What is the most important thing that you can learn from your favorite cartoon character?
2. After having had that lesson how would your life look like?
3. What other values would you have?
4. What goals would you target then?
5. What would the very best action plan to that goal look like?
6. How would you know that you are on the right tracks?
7. What would make you go even further?
8. What would you say to your favorite cartoon character at the end?
Do it When you deliver communication training. It is important for participants to understand importance of asking questions. Take a simple picture below and explain it to participants as much better as you can. They have to draw it without asking questions. You will be surprised at the end how many different drawing you will see. After that use different picture, and allow them to ask questions. For sure results would be better.
Make a discussion after that about importance of questions. You can use this quote also: “Albert grunted. “Do you know what happens to lads who ask too many questions?” Mort thought for a moment. “No,” he said eventually, “what?” There was silence. Then Albert straightened up and said, “Damned if I know. Probably they get answers, and serve ’em right.” ― Terry Pratchett, Mort
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. What is the most important question that you could ask yourself?
2. What would be the answer to that question?
3. Knowing that answer what advantage you have in your life?
4. Having that advantage, what other skills would you have?
5. What would be the very best action plan to implement that answer in your life?
6. How you might upgrade your action plan even further?
7. What would be beneficial for committing you to that plan?
8. What is the benefit for you from this session?
Thank you for your time.