Is “Team Building” Always the Right Prescription?

Team building exercises might not always be the answer

I listen to a lot of sports talk radio on my commute to and from work.  Several times each year — especially now, with the opening of baseball season — the hosts will get into impassioned discussions about “team chemistry” and whether or not it adds up to wins and losses.  This got me to thinking about “chemistry” on management teams.

When a management team is struggling, inevitably the suggestion arises that a “team building” event is needed.  Is this always the right prescription?  It strikes me that “team building” efforts — besides often being half-hearted or poorly conceived — are frequently premature, and actually deal with the symptoms of a problem, rather than addressing the underlying issues themselves.

Quick Thoughts On Leadership from Around the Blogosphere

As I’ve been becoming more acquainted with the HR and leadership-related “blogosphere” in recent weeks, I’ve compiled a short list of interesting “takes” on leadership and organizations that I wanted to share:

Sir Richard Branson on The Art of Delegation (he really means it)

Branson

Billionaire entrepreneur/innovator, Sir Richard Branson, weighs in with an impassioned insight into one of his keys to

building successful organizations: hiring great people . . . and delegating extensively.  Paralleling the first rule of management (“hire good people and get out of their way”), this view will cause great consternation in organizations with “trust issues.” 

25 Images For HR Power Point Presentations

Mentor, Good Listener

Here are 25 or so free images (downloaded from Microsoft’s web site) that may be helpful for “telling your story” or “making your point” in Power Point presentations (see prior post for the story).