Who's Got the Ball? (and Other Nagging Questions About Team Life)

More than a fad, teaming is proving to be a new way oforganizational life, with eight out of every ten employees nowinvolved in some kind of teamwork. But how exactly does one play ona team at work? While there are plenty of manuals, trainers, andtheories that help managers create, lead, and reward teams, actualteam members are often left struggling without a handbook or acoach. With refreshing clarity and common sense, Maureen O'Brien, a teamexpert with more than twenty years of experience as a player,coach, and business consultant, offers one-on-one coaching tips toteam players in Who's Got the Ball? The author covers all thebases, from setting a team's goals and articulating its noblepurpose, to banishing boring meetings, deciding how to makedecisions, and even using flip charts effectively. Friendly andconversational, O'Brien offers experience-based, easy-to-implementguidelines that are eminently practical and surprisingly fun. Herconcise coaching notes, wonderfully illustrated by real-lifeorganizational situations, address every aspect of daily team life,including: creating a workable team structure * being a valuableteam member * avoiding common teamwork traps * running an effectiveteam meeting * making and implementing decisions * leading ateam. From developing a new team and determining just what kind of gameyour team is playing--individualistic baseball, interdependentbasketball, or tightly orchestrated football--to dealing withpersonality-based conflicts, knowing when to take a time-out, andhonoring a project's most valuable player, Who's Got the Ball? isan invaluable guide to surviving--and thriving--on today's workteams.

Preface xi The Author xvii Part One Team Fundamentals 1 Are You a Team? 3 What’s Your Game? 5 What’s Your Noble Purpose? 16 Are You Winning? 19 Human Doings Versus Human Beings 21 It’s Just a Stage 23 What Does a High-Performing Team Look Like? 30 Your Team Is One Player in a Bigger Game 34 All High-Performing Teams Have Ground Rules 36 Part Two Being a Valuable Team Member 41 Who Is Responsible? 43 Every Player Contributes to the Process 47 Summarizer, Orienter, Harmonizer, and Other Helpful Roles 49 Recognize Your MVP 54 Get New Players into the Game 56 Take a Team Pulse 59 Words Don’t Always Mean what They Mean 61 You Don’t Have to Be Best Friends 65 Part Three Avoiding Common Team Problems 67 About Conflict 69 The Power of Constructive Negative Feedback 72 When You Reach an Impasse, Talk about Needs 78 Team Process Is Confidential 81 What Builds or Destroys Trust? 83 Manage Your Differences 86 Words Are Powerful 89 Don’t Take It Personally 94 The Deadly Whack-A-Mo 96 Don’t Confuse Interruptions with Enthusiasm 100 The Talk-A-Thon 104 Off Course and Down the Road of Totem Poles 108 “Hey, No Problem” 110 How the Great Elaborators Finally Got to the Point 113 Team Burnout 115 Simple but Powerful Team Ground Rules 118 Part Four Running an Effective Team Meeting 121 Spend Time Together 123 Agree on a Game Plan 125 Everyone Must Respond Out Loud 128 Call Your Own Time-Outs 131 All Ideas Aren’t Good Ideas But 133 The Magic of Flip Charts 137 Meeting Minutes Made Easy 140 Part Five Making Good Team Decisions and Putting Them into Play 143 No Team Is Completely “Self-Directed” 145 What Decisions Is Your Team Empowered to Make? 148 Decide How You Will Decide 153 Brainstorming: Use It at the Right Time 156 Do Great Minds Really Think Alike? 159 Who’s Got the Ball? 162 Part Six Notes for Team Leaders 165 Why Teams Get Stuck 167 Every Team Needs a Leader with Clout 171 Name That Decision 173 Invest in Your Team’s Self-Concept 176 From Manager to Team Leader 180 How Successful Team Leaders View Their Role 182 How Winning Teams Describe Their Leaders 184 A Letter from the Coach 188 References 189