The objective is to develop the management group into a ”High Performance Team”, which can be defined as ”a team that significantly outperforms all other similar teams, and outperforms all reasonable expectations given its membership.

The management team needs to find a common focus that it can implement in the rest of the organization. A focused organization stimulates initiatives that improve the entire company

Objective

The objective is to develop the management group into a ”High Performance Team”, which can be defined as ”a team that significantly outperforms all other similar teams, and outperforms all reasonable expectations given its membership.

The management team needs to find a common focus that it can implement in the rest of the organization. A focused organization stimulates initiatives that improve the entire company

Training proposal

We recommend a total of 12 training sessions of 2 days each per month for duration of one year, with application and individual coaching between the sessions. The overall objective of the training is measured with the Return on Investment (ROI) process. Each member of the management team also defines individual measurable goals. The entire training is based on the fundamentals of how to create a “High Performance Team”.

Training methods

Hands-on training. Reliable tools. Experienced and well-composed team of trainers. Long-term training with long-lasting results. Always measure effort and outcome. Efficient follow-up methods. No waffling. Our methods continuously “force” teams to view issues from new perspectives and explore new working methods. According to our clients, we are deeply dedicated to the team and individuals we train.

Previous management training

Ståhl + Partners has since 2000 successfully trained 9 other management teams. The latest was the management of Roche, and the training resulted in achievement of all objectives: to reduce costs, to retain all employees, to increase satisfaction among employees and their faith in management.

Objective

The objective is to develop a High Performance Team where:

• Teamwork is constantly encouraged.
• Communication and leadership are integrated parts of the entire organization.
• Communication is efficient.
• Team efforts are always encouraged, acknowledged and rewarded.
• Goal setting, delegation and clear definition of roles and responsibilities are constant.
• Effective structures are used to solve problems and make decisions.
• An atmosphere and standards that support productivity, innovation and expression of opinions are encouraged

Proposal for training

Our proposal is based on available research and methods about how to successfully develop a ”High Performance Team”.

How to become a high performance team

Based on our experience, training has to be carried out in a specific order to achieve a High Performance Team. Each training session is based on the previous session.

Training proposal

We suggest training for a period of 12 months. Each training session consists of one weekend (2 consecutive days) per month.

At the beginning of the training we will formulate specific measurable goals, and Ståhl + Partners will define benchmarks so that the results of the training can be measured continuously over the one-year period.

We provide a tangible follow-up method that secures the implementation of the training.

Each training session ends with an individual action plan for each participant. Our business coach follows up with the participants, either in person or in a telephone conference call, and makes sure that the action plan is being implemented in the work place.

Before each new training session, each participant reports on his/her applied activities and achieved results. This also “forces” the participants to make time for refection and insight before the next training session begins.

The sequence of the Process:

The basis of the training process is that one training session is the foundation for the next; i.e. the sessions are dependent on each other and they are all necessary steps to reach the objective; to develop a High Performance Team.

The 12 Training Sessions

1. Define measurable goals

An important part of a leader’s work is to be able to define objectives - for the company, oneself and one’s employees. In 1992 a relationship was established between leadership and profitability, where profitability can increase by as much as 25% if the leader focuses on working towards well-defined goals to improve his/her leadership skills. (Source: Hessner and Bolinder). However, most of us need to improve our ability to set well defined and measurable goals. In the first training session you will learn how to define the overall objectives you will work toward during the entire training period, identify standards for measuring the effect of the training, learn how to understand the relationship between leadership and profitability, and how to practically implement the new methods in the workplace and reach concrete results.

The methods and tools we use in this training session are “Return on Investment” (ROI), “Setting and Reaching Goals” and “The Personal Compass”.

2.The foundation for successful leadership – self-awareness

When you are aware of your own motivation, strength, capacity and willpower, you enhance your self-awareness and self-confidence. The difference between being powerless and unfocused and being strong and secure in your role as a leader is all about how you relate to yourself. Only those who understand their own strengths can put them to full use, and only those who can admit and accept their weaknesses can do something about them.

In this training session we use the method ”Interpersonal Dynamic Inventory”(IDI) to measure behavior and adaptability, as well as Ståhl + Partner’s self-developed tools for identifying needs, balance and motivations.

3.The foundation for good group dynamics – confidence

If you improve your self-awareness, you will also improve your relationship with others. It is easier to build a good relationship when you are confident in yourself. The most common reason for a malfunctioning team is a poor relationship between the team members. The key to efficient communication (training session 6) and how to manage conflicts and difficult situations (session 5) is to create an atmosphere of confidence within the team. Although most team members are aware of the importance of this, they may still spend too little time working on it.

In this training session we use Ståhl + Partners' methods for improving relationships and creating confidence within a team.

4. Developing standards for objectives, norms and evaluation

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A leader who can identify the identity of a team is on track to success. A group that can identify goals, criteria, roles and evaluations is most likely a group that can have constructive and productive discussions where the focus is on WHAT and not on WHO.

A conscious evaluation is:

• A conscious choice based on alternatives and consequences.
• A choice of which one is proud and satisfied.
• A choice that is often repeated and becomes a pattern .

A score-driven organization is more likely to reach its objectives and show high profitability. Management’s actions are observed and copied throughout the entire organization. Therefore it is vital that management is aware of which values and signals it transmits throughout the organisation.

5. Manage problems and conflicts

It takes at least 3-4 months for a group to evolve through all the necessary steps to become a High Performance Team. A team that allows members to disagree about and question professional matters will evolve and improve. A team where members have conflicts about personal issues will doubtlessly fail as a team.

The process of defining goals, norms, roles and values within a team often leads to conflicts and arguments, which is an important and healthy part of developing as a team (session 4). It is a way to learn how to respect each other as individuals, and accept that we have different methods of working but are working toward a mutual goal. To consequently shy away from conflicts and problems, will inhibit growth and creativity. Conflicts should be an integrated part of team work, and focus on work related issues – not personal conflicts – and they should be approached and solved with well-functioning problem solving methods.

In this session we use Ståhl + Partner’s self-developed methods for assessing motivation and opinions, and for conflict- and problem management.

6. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

Communication is the foundation for a successful team. 25% of all teams never reach this stage, and a team can only exist if there is efficient communication. Often roles and behavioral patterns within a team are formed at an early stage, based more often on WHOM we are talking to than WHAT we are saying. When a team can focus on the topic instead of the individual and personal matters, successful communication can take place. When we can influence others through communication we can also successfully share our competence, and thus contribute to increase others’ competence. This training process leads to an increased exchange of competence and information, which leads to a more efficient team.

In this session the participant will develop his/her own ability to prepare, structure, practice, carry out and evaluate seven presentation techniques, and learn how to be influential and promote change. You will receive clear instructions that you can later apply in life and work.

7. Work as a High Performance team

A leader has to understand the group as a whole, not only its individual team members or each situation. When you understand the group, you can lead it in the right direction. If you focus too much on the individuals in a group you risk placing yourself in a too important position, and the team may never see the necessity in taking charge and being self-sufficient. The team will be most successful when the team member puts the group’s mutual interest and goals in focus and view them as his/her own interests and goals.

In this session we use a survey based on 20 important questions about the team. In a coached workshop we will analyze how the team has been working together to date, and how the teamwork can be further improved. After the workshop, the team can continue to regularly use the 20 questions and check the current status of the team.

8. Develop the ”Management Team” brand

A brand has to be built from within. It starts with the management team’s vision of itself as a brand. The next step is the process of marketing the brand the team stands for. The most successful leader is the leader who reflects the brand the most and is a prototype for the group, i.e. is the “most Anticimex”.

The two success factors for this are: To be satisfied with what you are doing, and to be willing to share talents and knowledge; to contribute to others. The process of developing a communications plan for the organization builds understanding, loyalty and motivation.

9. To lead the daily operational tasks

Recent surveys show that for many executives the greatest challenge as a leader is to find enough time for the daily routines in the work place. When a management team has created a sense of confidence, established rules and standards, learned how to manage conflicts constructively and how to communicate in an efficient way, there will automatically be more energy and time for the daily operations and routines in the company. The leader can then also act more like a coach to others, and help them achieve their own objectives.

The leadership skills that, accordingly to executives in Scandinavia, have the greatest impact are (source: MPS 2008):

• Manage one’s own time
• Inspire and motivate one’s employees
• Coach others to grow and develop
• Provide continous feedback

In this session we use the ARL® Action Reflection Coaching method in additon to Ståhl + Partner’s self-developed tools.

10. Increase you EQ and manage change better

In order to become a promoter of change, one has to be able to work actively with different methods for change and reorganization, but also with one’s Emotional Intelligence (EQ). The higher one’s EQ, the greater is the ability to relate to and lead others during a period of change. Individuals with a high EQ and who have the ability to be flexible, perceptive and to use their talents properly in different situations also manage changes in an organization more successfully.

The participants will be able to understand the relationship between efficient change and Emotional Intelligence, how others perceive their behavior, and how efficiently they can adapt to different situations and individuals. We will be using the EQ-I (Emotional Intelligence Test) and we will practice the EQ characteristics that are directly linked to successful leadership.

11. Motivate others and identify future leaders

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Young executives are more often on sick leave than their older colleagues. The reason for this is that while they can manage their actual work tasks, they struggle with more complex issues such as employee conflicts and human relations. One reason for this is that they do not receive enough support from the older executives, another that the older generation has not been a good role model in this area. The younger executives watch how the older ones are under constant pressure and stress, and they may choose to opt out of this career path.

A leader needs to lead, motivate and develop employees, and ensure there are qualified successors in the company. Each company has its ”key employees”. They may hold middle management positions. They are important, hardworking and ambitious, but may sometimes be taken for granted and do not always receive the stimulation and encouragement they need in order to grow and develop. These key employees are very important to the company, and may have a big positive impact on the company and its results. It is important to recognize them, since they may, in fact, be the future leaders.

When a leader is given efficient tools and methods to adapt and develop his/her leadership style to suit different situations, and learns how to pass on these skills to others, results will be noticed in the entire organization.

The goal is to achieve a powerful accelerating effect by coaching and developing key leaders, so that they can use their leadership positions to teach their colleagues, employees and clients to, in turn, develop their abilities to improve and motivate others around them.

Simultaneously, there will be a natural exchange of ”best practices” and a network building effect between the different companies that participate in the training process.

We use Ståhl + Parters’ tools and methods for skill transfer, and we will use the HAS personality test with the members of the management team.

12. Celebrate success

An important part of development and growth is to be able to identify and celebrate success. Executives are often very good at starting new projects, but not very good at making time for reflections and conclusions before setting new goals. Through reflection we reach awareness, and this in turn, leads to application of new knowledge and habits.