The 7 HABITS of Highly Effective TEAMS

Begin with the End in Mind Put First Things First Think Win-Win The 7 HABITS of Highly Effective PEOPLE Be Proactive Begin with the End in Mind Put First Things First Think Win-Win Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood Synergize Sharpen the Saw The craze authored by Stephen R. Covey

The 7 HABITS of Highly Effective TEENS Be Proactive Begin with the End in Mind Put First Things First Think Win-Win Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood Synergize Sharpen the Saw

Begin with the End in Mind Put First Things First Think Win-Win The 7 HABITS of Highly Effective TEAMS Be Proactive Begin with the End in Mind Put First Things First Think Win-Win Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood Synergize Sharpen the Saw Are you getting the theme? We will break them down one by one in the context of OM….

1. Be Proactive This one is kinda on Coach! With the team, slowly read the Problem! Ask for Clarifications- they are meant to be ambiguous, but sometimes they just don’t make sense. Team Build FIRST! They need to be secure with each other before they will put ideas on the table. Plan your strategy with the parents – who will be your judge? How will you ask for money? How will you get snacks? Do you want parents at your meetings? Parents can be your best friends if you have a plan. Write down two things on your post-its that you think you should plan before the next team meeting (put a 1 on them) – go!

2. Begin with the End in Mind Coach needs to FACILITATE! Don’t let the team start working on one aspect of the problem until they have mapped out an entire solution. Once it is mapped out, decide what will be your STYLE choices, so the kids can give those extra attention. Allow the kids to improve, but keep them within the scope of their solution – the problems are too open ended, they will change everything if you allow it. Write down two leading comments on your post-its that you think you could say to facilitate the team’s discussion of their solution (put a 2 on them) – go!

3. Put First Things First It’s all about the schedule! Help the kids develop a schedule. When do they want the script completed? When do they want their test structures (prob 4) completed? When do they want costumes completed? The team will need to keep all the elements in mind when completing action items, but help them stay on task. As much as we want it kid driven, if coach (with the help of the parents) doesn’t have supplies ready for the team, then nothing will get done! Write down two dates and tasks you think could be pivotal for the team’s success (put a 3 on them) – go!

4. Think Win-Win They gotta have a positive attitude! In the Eastern Region, 1% of the teams will move on to States. Less than 1% will move on to Worlds. It has to be about something other than winning!!! Celebrate the team as often as possible! Celebrate their cool ideas as much as possible! If winning isn’t the goal, write down two other reasons you think the kids should do OM (put a 4 on them) – go!

5. Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood Good teams listen to each other! The only way for team members to feel safe is if the others are listening to their ideas. Think about brainstorming methods that give everyone a voice. (Google TEAM BRAINSTORMING TECHNIQUES) Facilitate discussions that develop at least three ideas, not just one. The kids will know which one they want, after appropriate discussion. Keep reminding the kids to listen to other’s ideas – empathy is a learned skill, it isn’t inherited. Empathy is VERY difficult for young people – it is totally normal for kids to have no empathy, so you have to train them! What does empathy on a team look like? Write down two concepts in terms of your team (put a 5 on them) – go!

6. Synergize Celebrate their diversity! OM is team driven for a reason – 7 diverse minds are way better than 1! The solution shouldn’t be driven by one team member. How do you solve this? Coach needs to be a role model. One comment about the validity of someone’s idea is usually enough to get the kids thinking that it is okay to try someone else’s ideas. Everyone brings different strengths – art, music, athleticism, poetry, culture, etc. Play games that get the kids to recognize each other’s strengths (Google ‘team games that identify diversity’) – write their strengths down in poster form so the kids can remember to use them! Write down two diverse strengths that occurred to you on your team (no names please!, but put a 6 on them) – go!

7. Sharpen the Saw Practice, practice, practice! Low-scoring teams have a theme “we ran through the skit for the first time this past week!” “we just got the device done last night” Don’t worry about exact lines. Have the kids run through the skit each meeting from December onwards. Things will go wrong in competition, so they have to know their skit inside and out! Encourage improv! It will save them if something goes wrong. Write down two horrifying things that could go wrong during the actual competition and how you could prepare for them in team meetings (put a 7 on them) – go!

Everyone is worried about the same stuff! You are going to be great! The 7 HABITS of Highly Effective TEAMS Got your post-its? Put them up on the board, under the numbers. Take a few moments to look at other’s post-its! Conversation is encouraged…. Everyone is worried about the same stuff! You are going to be great!