The Song Team - Team Building Blog

Great examples of "team" being the total of sum of the parts…

October 3, 2012 by Jeff Leave a Comment

This past weekend, the European Golf team overcame a large deficit against a star-studded American side to win the Ryder Cup. They did it with passion, purpose and intention. They did it methodically, and as the underdog they did it as a unit, rather than as a collection of individual stars.

Tonight is the last night of regular season baseball in the major leagues. My hometown Baltimore Orioles are in the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. They still have an outside chance to win their division away from the vaunted NY Yankees. Either way, this team has defied all expectations this year. Predicted by most experts to be a last place team “again,” they have won with a collection of “spare parts” masterfully assembled and coached. They have done so by playing to the strengths of each player, rather than focusing on their weaknesses. Good coaches and managers in sports….much like good leaders in business, know that playing to the strengths of their team is the way to succeed….rather than the traditional western way of doing business which often focuses on yearly evaluations geared towards focusing on improving employee weaknesses. Instead, these leaders focus on putting their employees, their players in the optimum position to succeed. The Oakland A’s have done the same thing this year as well. Won as a team, largely devoid of stars.

Team-building….team improvement…team fostering….team leading…creating a culture of listening and collaboration where the team comes before individual glory. Oldest cliche in the book…but it’s still true, and still real.

Our team is looking forward to jumping on the van this weekend and heading down to Alabama for a huge team-building event with Listerhill Credit Union. Have a great day all.

A Place to Bark

August 29, 2012 by Jeff Leave a Comment

Upon driving the many winding, hilly roads on the way to “A Place to Bark” in Portland, TN last Sunday, I realized how tough it must be for Bernie Berlin and her team, to attract volunteers. After all, Nashville is about an hour and 15 minutes away, and there are many volunteer opportunities much closer to town. We’re all so busy, and time-pressed you see.

Therefore, to see all that Bernie does with minimal help for anywhere from 40-120 dogs at a time is truly a sight to behold. Not only do these dogs live in spacious quarters, on lots of land and get their basic needs met….but they receive all the love and play-time one could hope for. This mission has been on Bernie’s plate for a long time now, and she is a tireless, motivated woman whose has found a way to save and adopt out many, many dogs over the years. Her numbers for such a small operation are staggering. Thousands of animals lives saved, and in some ways you could say that means she has enriched the lives of countless “dog guardians” as well with her work. If you’re curious to see what her place is about, please visit www.aplacetobark.com

Even Law Firms – Are Starting to Move Towards Collaborative Work Space

August 20, 2012 by Jeff Leave a Comment

Good Monday morning from Nashville.

Recently, I’ve read a half-dozen articles or so regarding the work place in terms of real estate or “work space” allocation. In a recent NY Times piece for example, the author talked at length about how Law firms are moving in the direction finally… of less excess with their internal real estate layouts. Long one of the last, great…traditional business models where landing that swank, corner office with a view…large desk and dark wood all around has been a perk to top law recruits, law firms are starting….slowly but surely to reduce the sizes of their offices for partners and top associates. More employees are office sharing, and dark-solid walls are starting to come down in favor of more open spaces geared towards collaboration.

There are many reasons for this set of occurrences. One is quite practical. Law Firms, even the most profitable of them are not immune to the economic times, and so therefore are looking for ways to cut costs.

Another really good reason for this shift however, is the general feeling that senior attorneys in law offices can do a much better job mentoring their up and coming attorneys and other legal staff, by utilizing more common space. Face to face. Along this same line of thought, the overall satisfaction level of employees regardless of field, increases when they are able to see each other more often, and collaborate more readily with their peers. Not only does this encourage faster, and better creative problem solving, it simply fosters more of a sense of belonging, rather then one of isolation.

Our Team Continues to Grow & Improve

August 13, 2012 by Jeff Leave a Comment

As our little business grows a bit, we’re adding some highly talented members to our “Facilitators Corps” as I call them. Our latest team members include songwriters whose songs have been cut by many artists including Rascal Flatts, LeAnn Rimes, Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire and Sherrie Austin (who by the way is herself joining us!) to name just a few.

We add this quality of talent in a continual effort to better serve the needs of our clients. We’re aiming to just get better, and better “Tuned In” to the needs of each event…on an individual basis. This is our pledge to you if you’re putting on a meeting and you come to us for help.

Ubuntu – Happy Birthday to One of the Great "Team Players" of All Time – Nelson Mandela

July 18, 2012 by Jeff Leave a Comment

Nelson Mandela personified the word Ubuntu. This is an African word for ‘humanity’. Sadly, times of suffering or hardship are often what make us recognize the value of this philosophy…rather than living this way as our daily “default” setting.

Ubuntu, is actually derived from the saying ‘Umuntu Ngumuntu Ngabantu.’ Translated from Zulu, it means: ‘I am because you are, and you are because we are.’ In other words, I can only exist through you. And, as long as there are people who suffer, I suffer too. It is only when each person is free, are we free.

This is especially relevant to building powerful, high performance organizations. Organizations that do not invest in consistent professional development made available to all levels of their employees, have a short-term view of their value to the company. Not keeping an eye on how costly and time-consuming it is to re-hire, retrain…etc.

The importance of each person’s contribution to the team is often lost on those at the top. Yet this crucial missing link causes long term problems. Effective team building programs can be a key ingredient in developing our workplaces to be more efficient, healthier, happier, and more profitable. That is a good thing wouldn’t you say…considering how much time we spend at work?

Time to Tune Up Your Team

July 10, 2012 by Jeff Leave a Comment

So let me ask you this. Do you take your car for an oil change every 3-4 thousand miles? Get the tires rotated..change the spark plugs? You protect the lifespan of your investment by maintaining it’s crucial parts. Why then, would any organization invest so much in the interviewing process, reference checks, background checks and the training period by doing exactly nothing…. to keep their new found “investment” shiny, engaged, mentally fit, in tune?

Team-building can help organizations AND the individuals which make up those teams, hit a “re-set” button. Periodically it is so important to shake out the cob-webs and make sure the parts are all sound, AND that they are all working cohesively together. THIS is why it is so important to oil the hinges once in awhile. Develop your teams with ongoing programming in both industry related, and general topic matter. I recently ran across a well-run regional chain of banks in the Southeast, and was pleasantly surprised to discover that their CEO requests that as many employees as possible participate in a company-wide book club. On a regular basis, they read the same book, break up into many smaller teams and discuss the ramifications of what they have read. How can it relate to their every day lives at home and at work? Imagine that, book-stores are closing, fewer and fewer people are reading, and yet this CEO….of a successful company is making this stand. There must be a reason yes?

Tune up your team…It’s time.