Friday, May 31, 2013

Values, Expectations and Ground Rules

Values, Expectations and Ground Rules of High-performance Teamwork

Values, Expectations and Ground Rules of High-performance Teamwork
High-performance teamwork is not merely an intellectual undertaking but requires a commitment from the heart, a desire to work together that comes from deep within each team member. This desire is then translated into Values, Expectations and Ground Rules based on the desire to overcome role deficiencies and build on strengths.

• Values—The ways in which a team views itself, in terms of what it prides most and what its members believe. Examples of our values include:
  1. Respect for each team member's abilities
  2. Keeping an open mind about new ideas
• Expectations—What each team member should be able to count on, in terms of how the team and its individuals operate. Examples of Expectations are:
  1. Support for each other within the team
  2. Everyone chipping in to get things done.
• Ground Rules —The norms and guidelines a team establishes to govern itself and to ensure that its members are adhering to the Values and Expectations. To be effective, they must be more specific than Values or Expectations. Examples of Ground Rules might include:
  1. Arrive at team meetings on time
  2. Do not put down another team member
The Carnegie principles serve as an excellent starting point from which a team can establish its own Values, Expectations and Ground Rules.

Dale Carnegie's Best Selling Books:

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Tips and Techniques for Reducing Work-related Stress

The Dale Carnegie's Worry Principles.

Keep your balance.

The Dale Carnegie's Worry Principles.
It's easy for others to throw you off, if you let them. However, by retaining your sense of balance, you can stay afloat through rocky seas.

View stress as a motivating factor.

Realize that some stress relates to challenges that can help you succeed. One Dale Carnegie principle is "Throw down a challenge." This principle can help put stress into perspective.

Keep things in perspective.

Remember that work is not important enough to die for or to ruin your personal life.

Know yourself.

Recognize the good that you have to offer, even if others around you take it for granted.

Use appropriate humor.

It's true that laughter is the best medicine. Find those things in your work environment that are genuinely humorous, and enjoy them, as long as it's not at the expense of others.

Manage your time.

Prioritize where you spend your time in terms of the extent to which it helps you achieve your goals.

Accept praise, but don't expect it.

When someone recognizes your good work, thank them, without undermining it But realize that others also might be under so much stress that they may not provide the praise you deserve.

Welcome change.

A great deal of stress is caused because of changes in people's work or environment. If you take the attitude that variety is stimulating, then change becomes less of a stress factor.

Pay attention to yourself.

Through proper diet and exercise, you can help yourself physically in a way that will naturally reduce your stress.

Apply Dale Carnegie's Worry Principles.

Review the Golden Book and other sources for principles on working with others.

Dale Carnegie's Best Selling Books:

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The most common Purposes for a Presentation

What's the Most Common Purposes for a Presentation?

Following are the most common purposes for a presentation:

The most common Purposes for a Presentation
Convince/Persuade to Action

The purpose of many presentations is simply to get the audience to do something. The challenge is to persuade the audience to make a decision or to take action.  Logic and evidence are usually key factors.

Inform

Another logical purpose is to present information. This format focuses on clarity and understanding.

Motivate/Inspire

When an audience needs to change their opinion or take an unpopular action, the purpose of the presentation is to motivate. The motivation purpose usually goes hand in hand with that of convincing.  Emotions are usually a key factor.

Entertain

For the audience to be in a favorable frame of mind and open to being convinced, enlightened, or motivated, they need to be entertained. Entertainment is not necessarily based on humor, although that can be a big Dan of it.  In the broadest sense, to entertain an audience is to make them glad they were There and glad you were the presenter.

Dale Carnegie's Best Selling Books:

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The Audience: It's All about Them

Who Is My Audience?

The Audience

The Audience
It is as difficult to satisfy the unknown expectations of an audience as it is to hit an unseen target. It can be done, but it is a chancy way to seek success. Part of the process of preparation is the research that gathers the following information about the audience.

Knowledge

The most obvious consideration about the knowledge level of the audience that concerns most presenters is: "Is the audience better informed than I am?" This is probably the less serious of the presenter's concerns because the concern itself will stimulate adequate preparation. Therefore, the greater problem is the danger of assuming the knowledge level of the audience. Never face an audience unprepared, but also never fall into the trap of assuming listener ignorance and talking down to the audience.

Expertise

The skill level of the audience is also important because that may determine the position on the issue that you want to take.

Experience

This consideration is not only how much experience the audience has, but at what level and in what environment. Experience in a laboratory is significantly different than experience in the field.

Bias

If you can identify the diverse nature and biases of the audience, you can ascertain they are starting from and some of the pitfalls you will need to avoid.

Needs

In order to send the listeners home with a sense of satisfaction and feeling glad they were there, it is wise to address their needs. Theory is important when building evidence, but eventually you must "get the hay down out of the loft so the horses can eat it."

Wants

Similar to needs are the audience's wants. Wants and needs are not always the same, and if you only address needs, it is difficult to satisfy an audience and move them to action.

Goals

Determine the goals of your audience and keep them in mind as you plan your presentation.

The great danger with centering your talk on the needs of the topic is that you waste your own time and that of the audience with irrelevant detail.
—John Campbell Speak for Yourself

Dale Carnegie's Best Selling Books:

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Thursday, January 17, 2013

The Innovation Process

Innovation is essential for the success and growth of any organization. Dale Carnegie, a renowned self-help author and speaker, has outlined key steps in the innovation process that can help individuals and organizations generate new ideas and drive progress.

The first step in the innovation process is to identify the problem or challenge that needs to be addressed. This requires a clear understanding of the current situation and the needs of customers, employees, and other stakeholders. By identifying the root cause of the problem, individuals and teams can begin to explore potential solutions.

Once the problem has been identified, the next step is to generate ideas for potential solutions. This can be done through brainstorming sessions, research, and experimentation. It is important to create an environment that encourages creativity and risk-taking, and that allows individuals to freely express their ideas without fear of judgment or criticism.

After generating a range of ideas, the next step is to evaluate and prioritize them. This requires a critical analysis of each idea, taking into account factors such as feasibility, potential impact, and resource requirements. By prioritizing ideas, individuals and teams can focus their efforts on those with the greatest potential for success.

Once the most promising ideas have been identified, the next step is to develop a plan for implementation. This involves defining the scope of the project, establishing timelines and milestones, and allocating resources and responsibilities. Effective communication and collaboration are essential during this stage to ensure that everyone involved is aligned and working towards a common goal.

The final step in the innovation process is to test and iterate on the solution. This requires ongoing evaluation and feedback, as well as a willingness to adjust and adapt as necessary. By testing and refining the solution, individuals and teams can ensure that it meets the needs of customers and stakeholders, and that it delivers the desired outcomes.

In conclusion, the innovation process is a critical tool for individuals and organizations seeking to generate new ideas and drive progress. By identifying problems, generating ideas, evaluating and prioritizing them, developing a plan for implementation, and testing and iterating on the solution, individuals and teams can innovate more effectively and achieve greater success. By following the insights and techniques of Dale Carnegie, individuals can create a culture of innovation that empowers them to solve complex problems, create new opportunities, and achieve their goals.

Steps of The Innovation Process

 Begin by looking for any Product, Service, or Situation where the Innovation Process can be utilized.
The Innovation Process


Step #1: Visualization

What is your goal or objective? This is the Ideal/Should Be. Create a picture of what you want the outcome to be.

Step #2: Fact finding

Get the facts. Look at the "who," "what," "when," "where," "why" and "how" of situations. Whether it is positive or negative, IT MUST BE FACTUAL.

Step #3: Problem finding

Dissect the facts and data until you arrive at a specific statement of the problem. Find the critical factors, the root causes that, when eliminated, will lead to the resolution of the problem. Problems need to be prioritized, then phrased in the form of an In What Ways Can We(IWWCW).

Step #4: Idea finding

This step can be done on an individual basis or in a group. Group participation is popularly labeled "brainstorming." No judgmental thinking is permitted at this stage. Encourage idea fluency. We must practice deferred judgment. Strive for quantity. Stimulate hitchhiking.

Step #5: Solution finding

Judicial thinking takes place in this step. Evaluation of ideas produced in the "Green Light Thinking" step is made.

Step #6: Acceptance finding

Assess and plan to overcome anticipated objections. Person(s) that will authorize the action taken are identified in this step. 1WWCW get others to help? Who would help?

Step #7: Implementation

In the "Green Light Thinking" and "Red Light Thinking" steps, you identified ideas and solutions. Now you need to put them into action. Set up a time frame listing each phase of the project to its completion.

Step #8: Follow- up

This step is your assurance that you are staying on track. Set up follow-up meetings in Thirty and sixty days. Don't put off what you have started. Keep the motivation going.

Step #9: Evaluation

Have you achieved the result you had hoped for? Did things seem to fall into place? this last step is the "tell-all" for the process.
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