This month’s recommended read is Teaming, written by Amy Edmondson. This book was the perfect resource for my most recent conference presentation. For anyone struggling to get their team members to streamline processes or work together as a truly effective team, this is a must read.
Book Summary
Teaming shows leaders how to make organizational learning happen by building teams that learn along the way. The work produced for your customers is often carried out by teams, and increasingly, by flexible team-like entities. Given the fast pace and constant flux of the workplace, organizations need to prioritize leading effective teaming as much as (if not more than) creating effective teams.
Not following? No worries, it took me a minute too.
Frequently, we fail to recognize all the teams we are part of. We tend to view ourselves as islands, conducting business entirely on our own. We can easily identify some teams that we sit on: our office team, a committee, etc. What about other teams that you contribute to?
Teaming in Action
Let’s imagine for a moment you are going into the hospital for a procedure. You check-in with the front desk administrator who takes your insurance details and perhaps basic measurements such as your height and weight. The administrator then checks you into a room where a nurse takes your vitals and records the information. They depart the room and in comes the anesthesiologist who reads the recordings and based on the information begins prepping you for surgery. You are then wheeled off to a surgeon who uses all those morning recordings to perform the surgery. Post-surgery, another group of nurses on the outpatient floor take over your care. All of the individuals above were teaming, yet may never have noticed it. They may never even meet in person! Yet, by following standard protocols through their recordings they showcased effective teaming. And as the patient, you very much appreciated it!
Next Steps
This week, take time to consider what other teams you are a part of. Are your current actions making you an effective contributor to this team? Are there colleagues who don’t realize they are a part of your team?
Curious to know more about our coaching services or want to just chat about this book? Grab a slot in my calendar and let’s connect!
Scott Tayloe
Executive Consultant for IEP
