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Redefining Teamwork

Five things I must tell you before I go

I’m taking up the challenge from Etienne over at The Happy Employee. What are the five things I’d tell the managers I work with if I were about to die?

1. Get more sleep. You’ve read the studies. You’ve seen the effects in others. Get more rest. We will love you for it.

2. Get more help, especially when you’re overwhelmed. Sure it may not be done just the way you’d do it, but it will be done. (This is advice I should take myself. And I will, as soon as I get up from my nap.)

3. Have more fun. That’s where all the innovation is hiding - in workgroups where they are having fun. Also, it’s very difficult to be anxious when you’re laughing.

4. Make appreciation a habit. Ask each person on your staff to coffee or lunch and get them to tell you the story of how they accomplished something they are proud of.

5. Leave room for other’s to add their thoughts. Do some things at the 80% level so others feel comfortable joining in.

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 11th, 2007 at 11:51 pm and is filed under Leadership, brain-based, collaboration. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

7 Responses to “Five things I must tell you before I go”

  1. Etienne Says:
    November 13th, 2007 at 5:33 pm

    I will follow your first advice in a minute, but I first wanted to thank you for playing along!

    cheers
    Etienne

  2. Ask a Manager Says:
    November 13th, 2007 at 6:36 pm

    I really love #5. I never would have thought of putting it that way, but there’s such wisdom in that.

  3. Liz Williams Says:
    November 13th, 2007 at 7:42 pm

    Etienne - I loved doing it. I’m ready for the next challenge, after a little shut-eye. I’m going to find the study just released about naps and get back to you with the specifics.

    Manager - Thanks for saying so. Works like a charm. Everytime I choose enhancing participation over enhancing my ego, that is. So, twice now. ;-)

  4. Liz Williams Says:
    November 14th, 2007 at 5:49 pm

    Here’s the recent study about naps:

    Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston USA
    “…researchers tracked 23,681 healthy Greek adults for an average of about six years. Those who napped for about half an hour at least three times weekly had a 37 percent lower risk of dying from heart attacks or other heart problems than those who did not nap.”

  5. kmeyer Says:
    May 13th, 2008 at 10:00 am

    I would add this one: Discover your personality type…it has been there since before you were born and it won’t change…it is good and positive and powerful…but mostly ignored.
    cheers
    Ken

  6. Liz Williams Says:
    May 13th, 2008 at 12:03 pm

    Hi Ken - Thanks for chiming in. I’m with you 100% on this one. And, what a juicy topic! Knowing my Myers-Briggs type, and learning about it over time has been revelatory and so helpful for me.

    Could you say more about how you see this helping managers?

  7. Your Twenty Five Words « stephentrepreneur Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 8:56 pm

    [...] couldn’t find Liz Williams’s article so I went with this great article [...]

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