The OrgHealth Podcast

Jim sits down with Kris Rudeegraap of Sendoso, a sending platform that delivers gifts with personalized care. What goes into making gifts feel special?  What solutions are there for leaders who want to show their care but aren't "good at gifts"?  And what has it looked like for Kris to build a company with a culture of fun that has risen to incredible success in only a few years?  Connect further: Jim Brown’s LinkedIn – http://bit.ly/2Fqs9LU  Guest Kris Rudeegraap's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rudeegraap/ Listen to more episodes: The OrgHealth Podcast - https://bit.ly/3hALFbHApple Podcasts – http://apple.co/2vwAY59 Google Podcasts – http://bit.ly/3ca0nT0  Spotify – http://spoti.fi/36xgtlp  Stitcher – http://bit.ly/2O6DCVo

Hiring and firing are… expensive, among other adjectives. Pat Lencioni’s book, The Ideal Team Player, provides a simple but incredibly helpful framework that can help leaders find the right people to join their teams, and also works as a great tool for reflection and growth. In this episode, Jim and Margot discuss the model and share stories and tips for how you can use this tool not only to find the ideal team players, but to become the ideal leadership team. What you’ll learn:The “Ideal Team Player” model [01:53]What does it mean to be a Humble team member? [03:34]What does it mean to be a Hungry team member? [04:53]What does it mean to be a Smart team member? [05:24]How to apply the three traits to ourselves  [08:52]How to spot when one or more of the traits are missing [08:39]How to use Humble, Hungry, Smart in hiring [14:48]How to use Humble, Hungry, Smart in team development [19:33]   - - - Let us know if you have follow-up questions about this episode or other leadership team and organizational health topics! We will plan them into future episodes.  Subscribe for new episodes every Thursday.  Connect with the hosts: Jim Brown’s LinkedIn – http://bit.ly/2Fqs9LU Margot Thompson’s LinkedIn – http://bit.ly/2FvFJh2  Listen at: Apple Podcasts – http://apple.co/2vwAY59 Google Podcasts – http://bit.ly/3ca0nT0  Spotify – http://spoti.fi/36xgtlp  Stitcher – http://bit.ly/2O6DCVo   As always, you can listen to more and read more at www.orghealth.coach, subscribe to our email list, or follow us on social media.

In Part 2, Margot and Jim cover steps 4-6 of the weekly tactical meeting. Imagine having a fruitful meeting as a leadership team every week that NEVER goes more than 90 minutes. That’s really the whole point of this, and it’s structured to make sure that’s exactly what happens!  What you’ll learn:Review the first 3 stages of tactical meetings [00:01:14]Introduction to Stage 4: Discussion [00:02:42]What to do with big topics that arise [00:02:56]What to do with decisions that are made [00:03:45]What to do if/when team dynamics issues arise [00:05:11]The closing stages: how to end the meeting well! [00:11:00] Download a free tactical meeting scorecard template to fill and use for your leadership team at www.orghealth.coach/tools.  - - - Let us know if you have follow-up questions about this episode or other leadership team and organizational health topics! We will plan them into future episodes. Subscribe for new episodes every Thursday.  Connect with the hosts: Jim Brown’s LinkedIn – http://bit.ly/2Fqs9LU Margot Thompson’s LinkedIn – http://bit.ly/2FvFJh2  Listen at: Apple Podcasts – http://apple.co/2vwAY59 Google Podcasts – http://bit.ly/3ca0nT0  Spotify – http://spoti.fi/36xgtlp  Stitcher – http://bit.ly/2O6DCVo   As always, you can listen to more and read more at www.orghealth.coach, subscribe to our email list, or follow us on social media.

It's not surprising that leadership teams abandon weekly meetings—it's so rare to see teams running these meetings effectively! In this episode, Margot and Jim present the framework which leans on the Thematic Goal and gives leadership teams the ability to run productive, energized weekly meetings together in just 90 minutes. We'll take two episodes to cover this topic, so make sure you listen in for both! What you’ll learn:What is a weekly tactical meeting? [00:00:57]What’s a thematic goal? [00:02:37]How do you run a tactical meeting? [00:04:17]What’s the “lightning round”? [00:05:07]How do you use the tactical meeting scoreboard? [00:05:41]How do you set the agenda for a tactical meeting? [00:08:20]Download a free tactical meeting scorecard template to fill and use for your leadership team at www.orghealth.coach/tools.  - - - Let us know if you have follow-up questions about this episode or other leadership team and organizational health topics! We will plan them into future episodes. Subscribe for new episodes every Thursday.  Connect with the hosts: Jim Brown’s LinkedIn – http://bit.ly/2Fqs9LU Margot Thompson’s LinkedIn – http://bit.ly/2FvFJh2 Listen at: Apple Podcasts – http://apple.co/2vwAY59 Google Podcasts – http://bit.ly/3ca0nT0  Spotify – http://spoti.fi/36xgtlp  Stitcher – http://bit.ly/2O6DCVo  As always, you can listen to more and read more at www.orghealth.coach, subscribe to our email list, or follow us on social media.

How do you catch issues before they blow up, keep from building silos between different departments, and even lower the amount of emails you receive in a day? The daily standup meeting. Jim and Margot continue their series on meetings and explain how to not let these meetings go ANY longer than 10 minutes—because if it does, you're not doing it right! What you’ll learn:Are daily meetings really worth it? [00:47]How to do daily standup meetings well [04:29]Challenges encountered with daily standup meetings and how to overcome them [05:47]The purpose of daily meetings in the big picture [12:37]  - - - Let us know if you have follow-up questions about this episode or other leadership team and organizational health topics! We will plan them into future episodes. Subscribe for new episodes every Thursday. Connect with the hosts: Jim Brown’s LinkedIn – http://bit.ly/2Fqs9LU Margot Thompson’s LinkedIn – http://bit.ly/2FvFJh2  Listen at: Apple Podcasts – http://apple.co/2vwAY59 Google Podcasts – http://bit.ly/3ca0nT0  Spotify – http://spoti.fi/36xgtlp  Stitcher – http://bit.ly/2O6DCVo   As always, you can listen to more and read more at www.orghealth.coach, subscribe to our email list, or follow us on social media.

There are topics that come up for every leadership team that take longer than 10 minutes to get through. But even the biggest questions and decisions to be made can be tackled well in just 90 minutes, with the right approach. Strategic meetings are the first of the three foundational meeting types that will enable your leadership team to actually spend less time in meetings and get more done. What you’ll learn:The three meeting types [00:58]What should a strategic meeting look like? [02:49]How to prepare for a strategic meeting [06:23]The important roles that make this meeting work [07:43]Tips to remember during a strategic meeting [09:03]How to end the meeting well [10:08]Why the chair is a good champion [12:35]  - - - Let us know if you have follow-up questions about this episode or other leadership team and organizational health topics! We will plan them into future episodes. Subscribe for new episodes every Thursday. Connect with the hosts: Jim Brown’s LinkedIn – http://bit.ly/2Fqs9LU Margot Thompson’s LinkedIn – http://bit.ly/2FvFJh2  Listen at: Apple Podcasts – http://apple.co/2vwAY59 Google Podcasts – http://bit.ly/3ca0nT0  Spotify – http://spoti.fi/36xgtlp  Stitcher – http://bit.ly/2O6DCVo  As always, you can listen to more and read more at www.orghealth.coach, subscribe to our email list, or follow us on social media.

The paradigm shift in society and our workforce in the past twenty years means that using the old model of leaders presenting themselves as impenetrable, perfect, and having all the answers no longer works. Margot and Jim get very candid as they talk about the ways they are seeing vulnerability impact leadership teams and how leaders can enter into it more. What you’ll learn:A common misconception about vulnerability [00:01:02]Where to begin with embracing vulnerability at the leadership level [00:03:01]Why a lack of vulnerability in leadership decreases effectiveness in our current corporate climate [00:04:42]A vulnerability exercise to do with your leadership team [00:08:04]Why it’s important for the whole leadership team to embrace vulnerability together — and how [00:10:18]The impact that embracing vulnerability can have on your team’s effectiveness [00:16:38]   - - - Let us know if you have follow-up questions about this episode or other leadership team and organizational health topics! We will plan them into future episodes. Subscribe for new episodes every Thursday.  Connect with the hosts: Jim Brown’s LinkedIn – http://bit.ly/2Fqs9LU Margot Thompson’s LinkedIn – http://bit.ly/2FvFJh2 Listen at: Apple Podcasts – http://apple.co/2vwAY59 Google Podcasts – http://bit.ly/3ca0nT0  Spotify – http://spoti.fi/36xgtlp  Stitcher – http://bit.ly/2O6DCVo  As always, you can listen to more and read more at www.orghealth.coach, subscribe to our email list, or follow us on social media.

Correcting the imbalance on leadership teams is challenging, but possible. In the closing episode of our series on the dynamics of people-focus and analysis-focus, Jim and Margot share practical steps for how people-focus leaders can communicate their data to analysis-focus leaders, an exercise leadership teams can do to create better understanding of and value for each other's differences, and share some relevant examples.What you’ll learn:People-focus leaders in the C-suite don’t get the respect that analysis-focus leaders do, and they know it. It’s not a competence issue, but a wiring difference. [00:00:59-00:04:32]How can people-focus leaders communicate with analysis-focus leaders better, opening their eyes to see the insight being offered? [00:04:32-00:08:57]What could teams do together to improve communication and understanding both ways? [00:08:58-00:11:13]What’s one of the best ways to become better at communicating with a type that is different from you? [00:11:13-00:15:02]  - - - Let us know if you have follow-up questions about this episode or other leadership team and organizational health topics! We will plan them into future episodes.Connect with the hosts:Margot Thompson’s LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/2FvFJh2 Jim Brown’s LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/2Fqs9LU As always, you can listen to more and read more at www.orghealth.coach, subscribe for email updates, or follow @orghealthcoach on social media.

What is the data that people focus leaders see instantly and most leadership teams are sorely blind to? How do leadership teams get that perspective and information into their meetings so better decisions can be made? In Part 2, Jim and Margot share some stories of how real leaders and teams are succeeding with improving the disturbing imbalance of information in most leadership meetings. What you’ll learn: The MBTI is a tool we use with teams to identify and talk about the differences between people focus and analysis focus wiring. [00:02:51 - 00:02:14]How can analysis focus leaders develop some of the skills that people focus leaders have naturally? How can these leaders move towards connecting more with the “pulse of the people” and engaging with his or her team better? [00:02:16 - 00:06:14]What is the data that people focus leaders see that analysis focus leaders are almost always missing? [00:06:16 - 00:09:25]What should leadership teams do if they are entirely composed of analysis focus leaders? What are some possibilities for bringing the people focus perspective to the table? [00:09:16 - 00:14:41]  - - - Let us know if you have follow-up questions about this episode or other leadership team and organizational health topics! We will plan them into future episodes. Connect with the hosts:Jim Brown’s LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/2Fqs9LU Margot Thompson’s LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/2FvFJh2 As always, you can listen to more and read more at www.orghealth.coach, subscribe for email updates, or follow @orghealthcoach on social media.

People are wired to have either more of an analysis focus or a people focus. In this first part of our 3-part series on these two different wirings that leaders have, Jim and Margot introduce the terminology and explain some of the differences, similarities, and common misconceptions leaders have about each other and themselves. Consider your own wiring and the composition of your own leadership team.The Problem of ImbalanceLeaders everywhere are facing a problem. They develop and are rewarded for select skills as they work their way up the ranks, focusing on their own personal achievement of goals. Now that they are in a leadership position, their role is no longer to be doers, their role is to lead people beneath them to do the work. This is a very different skillset. People in leadership are largely wired with an analysis focus, but when we are leading people it’s imperative that we learn from and value the perspective and way of seeing the world that those who are people-focused do naturally.Introducing Analysis Focus and People FocusDifferences  [00:02:51] Similarities and Common Misconceptions   [00:08:56]Jim shares a personal story relating to how his own analysis focus.  [00:11:57] - - - Let us know if you have follow-up questions about this episode or other leadership team and organizational health topics! We will plan them into future episodes.Connect with the hosts:Jim Brown’s LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/2Fqs9LU Margot Thompson’s LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/2FvFJh2 As always, you can listen to more and read more at www.orghealth.coach, subscribe for email updates, or follow @orghealthcoach on social media.

Conflict already exists every time team members gather for a meeting. The goal is to get all the conflicting opinions and perspectives out on the table and to make a decision that everyone is comfortable committing to. Conflict norms are an incredibly effective way of making sure that happens, and in this episode Jim and Margot will share 5 specific conflict norms to consider implementing on your team. Example 1: Real-Time Permission §  A team member interrupts discussion in real time to point out positive behaviour and reinforce it for the whole group.§  Helps reinforce what is and is not helpful/acceptable as difficult topics are discussed. Example 2: Removing the Back Door§  Once a decision has been made, it’s not acceptable to approach the leader later and present more information in order for the decision to be re-evaluated.§  Helps reinforce that people need to come to meetings prepared and speak up while the discussion is happening so time can be used effectively. Example 3: Silence Equals Disagreement§  Assume that if people haven’t voiced their opinion, it’s not because they just agree with what’s being said—assume that they disagree and ask them to weigh in.§  Helps reinforce that everyone needs to weigh in and keeps decisions from being made without everyone’s commitment. Example 4: Roman Council§  Call out the potential decision to be made, and everyone holds out their hands with a thumbs up (yes, go ahead), a thumbs down (no, I’m not committed to this), or thumbs sideways (I need to understand more before I can decide).§  Gives opportunity for a quick visual gauge on the level of commitment to a direction, and can save meeting time. Example 5: Fist-to-Five§  Call out the potential decision to be made, everyone holds out their fists, and the leader counts, “One, two, SHOW”. Each team member displays: all five fingers (totally committed, go ahead), four fingers (okay to go ahead), three fingers (not in DISagreement, go ahead), and two fingers or one finger or a fist means there is not agreement and discussion needs to continue.§  Gives more nuance than a simple “yes, no, maybe”; if everyone has 3s, 4s, or 5s, you might save meeting time because actually everyone is prepared to move forward on the decision.  Other conflict norms to consider:§  What level/kind of emotional display is helpful and accepted in our discussions?§  How should strong language be (or not be) used in our discussions?§  When should a conversation include the whole team versus happen between only certain team members?§  What body language/behaviour is NOT acceptable in our meetings during heated discussion?- - - Let us know if you have follow-up questions about this episode or other leadership team and organizational health topics! We will plan them into future episodes. Listen at:Apple Podcasts - apple.co/2vwAY59Spotify - spoti.fi/36xgtlpStitcher - bit.ly/2O6DCVoConnect with the hosts:Jim Brown’s LinkedIn - http://bit.ly/2Fqs9LU Margot Thompson’s LinkedIn - http://bit.ly/2FvFJh2 As always, you can listen to more and read more at www.orghealth.coach, subscribe for email updates, or follow us on social media.

Getting all the information on the table so decisions can be made accurately and effectively is the purpose of team meetings. But lots of senior leadership teams experience about a third of the team members doing 80% of the talking, and valuable information gets left out—sometimes intentionally as a power play, and sometimes unintentionally. In this episode we’ll address how valuable information and perspective gets kept out of the discussion and what you can do to get it back in. What We Mean by Hoarding§  Some people are wired to express themselves by talking more—sometimes these people hoard air-time.§  Some people have an agenda of what they want to happen in the meeting—sometimes “hoarding” is in reference to control.§  Some people hoard information simply because they don’t show up really committed to engage and share.§  Some people hoard resources out of bias for their own department getting ahead. The Collaboration Mindset[00:04:30]  If we come from a collaboration mindset, we can begin the conversation by thinking about how this issue that we're talking about gets the best outcomes for the entire organization. One of the crucial keys to make this happen is that, as a leadership team, we create collective goals, goals that involve everybody. We're all equally responsible for this together.[00:21:16] If we're really going to collaborate, we're going to draw other people's thoughts out. We're going to offer our ideas generously. We're going to notice body language that's impacting the team and call it out. We're going to make it be about the team rather than about ourselves. Tips for moving away from hoarding and towards collaboration:§  Talk less; ask more questions.§  Extroverts: Invite the more introverted members to share, and prove to them that you value their opinions.§  Introverts: Work on more assertively speaking up, and communicate to your team which behaviours shut you and others down.§  Pay attention to body language — model good body language and call out negative body language in the meeting when it happens.§  Share IN the meeting — don’t save your “zinger” point as a power play to use at the end of the discussion or later with your team leader!§  Don’t leave it to the team leader to move everyone forward to more collaboration; take responsibility as a team member!- - - Let us know if you have follow-up questions about this episode or other leadership team and organizational health topics! We will plan them into future episodes. Listen at:Apple Podcasts - apple.co/2vwAY59Spotify - spoti.fi/36xgtlpStitcher - bit.ly/2O6DCVoConnect with the hosts:Jim Brown’s LinkedIn - http://bit.ly/2Fqs9LU Margot Thompson’s LinkedIn - http://bit.ly/2FvFJh2 As always, you can listen to more and read more at www.orghealth.coach, subscribe for email updates, or follow us on social media.

Just about every leader feels like they have too many meetings. But one of the biggest ways leaders can make their time more effective is by cutting out the side conversations, the “meetings outside the meeting” and making sure all the conversations that need to happen take place WITHIN team meetings and with the whole team’s engagement.What you’ll learn in this episode:Why team members prefer side conversations instead of bringing things up in the meeting.How to have accountability conversations within meetings well.How a solution-minded team is different than a team that dismisses or blames.How a leader can model how they want people to engage in meetings.Why all leaders should talk less and ask more.How to get better engagement in your meeting.Why better engagement in your meeting and fewer one-on-one conversations outside the meeting causes affects team morale, unity, and trust.- - - Let us know if you have follow-up questions about this episode or other leadership team and organizational health topics! We will plan them into future episodes. Listen at:Apple Podcasts - apple.co/2vwAY59Spotify - spoti.fi/36xgtlpStitcher - bit.ly/2O6DCVoConnect with the hosts:Jim Brown’s LinkedIn - http://bit.ly/2Fqs9LU Margot Thompson’s LinkedIn - http://bit.ly/2FvFJh2 As always, you can listen to more and read more at www.orghealth.coach, subscribe for email updates, or follow us on social media.