1. TPP Task
Meeting
April 15, 2014
OTS Arlington
THOUGHTS ON
SUCCESSFUL TEAMS
IN A CLIENT-CUSTOMER
ENVIRONMENT

2. People tend to want to work well together;
really, they do
Happier workers = better workers = happier
workers = you get the pattern
It improves the focus, alignment and
performance of an organization*
IT’S KIND OF A BIG DEAL
*Thank you very much, I’ll be here all night, tip your waiters and waitresses.

3.  “We need some blue-sky thinking”
– I have no clue
 “We need to step up to the plate”
– One of us is going to do this and it’s not going to be me
 “Let’s circle back/put it in the parking lot/take it offline”
– Everyone shut up and go back to what I was talking about
 “It’s basic blocking and tackling”
– I played high-school football and those were the best days of
my life
 “It’s just like ‘Good to Great’/’Tipping Point’/’Seven Habits”
– I’ve never read any of these, but neither have you
 “Let’s identify next steps”
– Who is taking the notes during this meeting?
CLEAR ADVICE, CLEARLY STATED

4. SOME INSPIRATION IS NEEDED

5. Do you need someone else to
empower you?
PONDER THIS A SPELL

6. Do people want to be missed after
they leave?
PONDER THIS A SPELL

7. Are you asking questions to make
sure you know or to make sure
they know?
PONDER THIS A SPELL

8. Do people want change or are
they comfortable with the current
level of performance?
PONDER THIS A SPELL

9. Do people really want to just do
what they are told?
PONDER THIS A SPELL

10. How do you respond when people
want to change the way things
have always been done?
PONDER THIS A SPELL

11. To what degree is trust present in
our organization?
PONDER THIS A SPELL

12. What is the cost of being open
about issues in our organization,
and what are the benefits?
PONDER THIS A SPELL

13. Do we prepare for meetings by
“checking in” or “starting over”?
PONDER THIS A SPELL

14. Are any of us “on the brink”
because we’re overworked or
underappreciated?
PONDER THIS A SPELL

15. Do our guiding principles serve as
decision-making criteria?
PONDER THIS A SPELL

16. Do we mentor others within our
organization, and do we do this to
instruct or to learn?
PONDER THIS A SPELL

17. Does our internal culture embrace
a questioning attitude?
PONDER THIS A SPELL

18. What would we like to accomplish
as a team?
THE 3-2 PITCH

19. SOME OFFICES LOOK LIKE THIS

20. OTHERS LIKE THIS

21. THIS IS ACTUALLY SOMEONE’S OFFICE

22. WHILE OTHERS WORK HERE

23. THIS IS ACTUALLY OUR OFFICE*
*Not pictured: Mine

24. I particularly value the following
behaviors and skills in my
colleagues…
THE VIEW OF ONE CONSULTANT

25.  You make wise (people, technical, business, creative)
decisions despite ambiguity
 You identify root causes and get beyond treating
symptoms
 You think strategically, and can articulate what you
are -- and are not -- trying to do with equal skill
 You separate what must be done well now from what
can be improved later
JUDGMENT

26.  You listen well – instead of reacting quickly – so you
can better understand
 You are concise and articulate in speech and writing
 You treat people with respect independent of their
status or disagreement with you
 You maintain a sense of calm and poise in stressful
situations
COMMUNICATION

27.  You accomplish amazing amounts of important work
 You demonstrate consistently strong performance so
colleagues can rely on you
 You focus on results rather than process
 You tend to act rather than wait, and avoid “analysis
paralysis”
IMPACT

28.  You learn rapidly and eagerly
 You seek to understand the specific needs of the
client and their market, customers and stakeholders
 You are broadly knowledgeable about business,
government, and current affairs
 You can contribute effectively outside your direct
area of expertise
CURIOSITY

29.  You rework issues to discover practical solutions to
difficult problems
 You challenge prevailing assumptions when
warranted, and suggest better approaches
 You create new ideas that prove useful
 You minimize complexity, and find time to simplify
things
INNOVATION

30.  You say what you think – even if it is controversial
 You make tough decisions without agonizing
 You take smart risks
 You question actions inconsistent with your values
COURAGE

31.  You inspire others with your thirst for excellence
 You care intensely about our success
 You celebrate wins
 You are tenacious
PASSION

32.  You are known for candor and directness
 You are non-confrontational when you disagree with
others
 You only say things about fellow employees that you
will say to their face
 You are quick to admit mistakes
HONESTY

33.  You seek what is best for the client or the team,
rather than what is best for yourself
 You are ego-less when searching for the best ideas
 You make time to help colleagues
 You share information openly and proactively
SELFLESSNESS

34. Act your way to new thinking
Think out loud
Learn everywhere, all the time
Specify goals, not methods
Build trust
Begin with the end in mind
SOME OVERALL PRECEPTS

35. Don’t do this
 Take control
 Have meetings
 Mentor-mentee
 Think short term
 Be questioning
 Make inefficient
processes efficient
 Protect information
Do this
 Give control
 Have conversations
 Mentor-mentor
 Think long term
 Be curious
 Eliminate entire steps
that don’t add value
 Pass information
PUTTING IDEAS INTO ACTION

36.  Think about these questions and ideas in depth on
your own
 Add some of yours to the mix
 Select and address interesting topics to continue
these conversations at subsequent meetings
 Assess how these conversations can help us to
create value for the client
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

37. TPP Task
Meeting
April 15,
2014
OTS
Arlington
NOT THE END
OF THE CONVERSATION,
BUT THE BEGINNING