Coach Dan's Blog

  I was recently asked by someone I met, "Isn't a coach really just a trainer?" My response was quick - "While a coach sometimes trains on new skills or knowledge, they also facilitate, mentor and challenge teams to improve the way they work." Looking back, I would grade myself a "C-" on that answer. I WISH I had said... "A great coach works with you to achieve your goals. They bring experiences, perspectives and tools to help you and your team accelerate performance. It's not always about faster... but it IS about better! A great coach helps you and the team identify ways to improve and then challenges you address them WHILE working to achieve the teams goals. They know that there are many different ways to make improvements, and have a "toolbox" of processes, frameworks and techniques to help identify and make them. That said, they don't just want to teach you a skill (or framework, or process) - they want you to use your skill...

Painting your current organization with a “new” framework doesn’t address the challenges in the structure. Installing a new framework without rethinking team composition won’t get you far! Recreating teams to be cross-functional and focused on a common outcome is the first step to truly unleashing your organization’s potential. Agile Transformations without Organizational Re-design misses the mark almost every time!

  To unleash your people's full potential, it's essential to eliminate barriers that hinder collaboration. Form cross-functional teams. Set challenging shared objectives. Equip them with the necessary data and tools. You have now paved the way for their growth and success. Collaboration and empowerment are the cornerstones of a thriving team environment.

  Gallop's study of 230 companies reveals a compelling link between team engagement and performance. Organizations and teams with high engagement levels consistently outperform those with lower levels.  Leaders fostering an environment where teams can collaborate, balance, and enhance their effectiveness and engagement drive superior results for stakeholders. 

High performing teams are transparent with their Three Es. Take every opportunity to tell the full story of a teams effectiveness, efficiency and engagement. Stakeholders who understand the full picture of how a team is performing, can do more to enable and empower their teams. Share your Effectiveness, Efficiency and Engagement every chance you get!

Attributes and characteristics of high-performing teams are essential to achieve outstanding results for customers. The Three E framework is an effective way to measure a team's effectiveness, efficiency, and engagement. By balancing and managing these three elements, teams can sustainably and indefinitely deliver exceptional results.

The key to unlocking your team's full potential? Balancing the 3 Es - Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Engagement. While many organizations focus solely on efficiency, measuring and optimizing for results, this approach can lead to limited long-term value. By inspecting and balancing the 3 Es, leaders can enable cross-functional teams to achieve their full potential indefinitely. Don't limit your team's success - prioritize effectiveness and engagement alongside efficiency.

As a leader, creating a culture of effectiveness, efficiency, and engagement is key to building a high-performing team. The secret lies in measuring, sharing, and continuously improving your 3E metrics. Remember, you get what you measure.

  Teams that are underperforming are likely not balancing their Three Es. Leaders and teams who focus on only one or two of the Es run the risk of burnout, waste, or low ROI. In order to sustainably achieve results, improve efficiency, and grow team members, it's essential to balance all three Es. What are the Three Es? Effectiveness, Efficiency and Engagement. Effectiveness means results. Teams that are effective consistently achieve their outcomes and objectives. Efficiency means continuous improvement. Teams that are efficient are relentless about improving their work product AND the way they work together. Engaged means aligned and people focused. Teams who are engaged have team members who feel valued, are curious and continuously learning more about their customer, their work and each other. By understanding, measuring and sharing all three Es, leaders and teams can achieve sustainable success and growth. So, take a step back and evaluate how your team is balancing the Three...

High performing teams are not just about getting results, they're also about investing in themselves. Learning about each other, their customers/users, and the work that everyone does to bring shared success. Measuring results and efficiency is easy. Measuring the team's engagement is harder, but oh-so worth it. Balancing the Three Es - Engagement, Efficiency, and Effectiveness - is key to achieving high performance. Remember, you get what you measure, so measure the Three Es and help your teams be high performing!

 Just a friendly reminder, we all win together.  What are you doing to help your team win today?

 Happy National BBQ Day

 Today is Tuesday, 2/22/22.  Can anyone think of a better day to carve out two minutes of your day, and say "Thank you" to a partner, peer, coworker or friend who went out of their way to help you? If you've been paying attention, you already know that showing gratitude at work can measurable improve a team’s performance.  Did you also know that "Overdoing Thank-Yous" is also shown to help improve a team's (and an organization's) psychological safety, which (wait for it) is necessary for a high performing culture? Daniel Coyle, in his book The Culture Code , states that one of the key components of the cultures of highly successful organizations is a sense of belonging.  Take a few minutes and think about a really great team you've been a part of. (It could be a work team, a sports team, a school project, a community/volunteer effort, it doesn't really matter what kind of team, just a great team.)  What were some of the things that made that team...

 I know it's an assumption, but I would still make a bet - everyone likes to receive gratitude for a job well done.  That moment of clarity where another person lets you know just how much you're appreciated.  It's a great feeling!  It can take a cruddy day and turn it around.  It can help a good day get to a great day.  It's really an easy thing to do... saying "thank you" to someone who did a great job, or helped you out, or challenged you to be better at what you do.   Showing genuine gratitude is a really simple but powerful tool that costs a team very little in energy or effort, but can pay off big-time in helping teams to achieve their goals. Consider research done at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania .  A research team randomly divided university fund-raisers into two groups. One group made phone calls to solicit alumni donations in the same way they always had. The second group — working different days than the first grou...

  Learn more about National Ugly Christmas Sweater day