ADA: Team Dynamics and Development
Welcome to the ADA Team Dynamics and Development workshop pre-reading and actions.
The workshop is designed to help you to foster connections among your peers and team mates, and improve collaboration and engagement.
Relationships in and out of the workplace can be challenging. These interactions, influenced by a variety of factors, including personal values, personality, communication styles, and backgrounds, play a crucial role in shaping your organisational culture. These key ideas – how we interact, communicate, understand each other’s feelings, take responsibility, recognise our biases, and develop empathy – work together to influence how all employees feel about work. It is what makes your culture what it is!
Recognising and valuing the diversity in who we are, not only enhances mutual understanding and respect but also contributes to creating a vibrant, inclusive, and productive work environment.
The challenge I will put to you as you read further, reflect on your environment, and prepare for the workshop is to think about how readily you consider other people’s views, perspectives, beliefs and values? It may not be as often as you think or would like.
Reflect & Act:
Take the time to read the content of this page in preparation for your workshop.
Additionally, please take a few minutes to complete the short questionnaire accessed below, helping you to consider areas of focus and goals for your learning, before we meet.
CoachStation: Steve Riddle – Your Facilitator and Coach
We will be spending a day together working through this content in coming months, so it is worth spending a minute to introduce myself. My career spans over 3 decades across multiple industries, primarily in leadership roles. In 2011, I created my business, CoachStation, to focus on delivering effective and meaningful leadership and workplace development. A focus and passion for developing people, businesses and organisations has made a genuine difference that has been acknowledged by our clients and business partners.
Previous roles have included Head of Customer Service and Complaints for Toyota Finance Australia and National Customer Experience Leader for GE Money. I am a values-driven leader and coach who recognises the most important part of any organisation is its team members. I have been working with ADA for a couple of years now, coaching, mentoring and facilitating members of your leadership team and colleagues.
Consider the following questions and think about how you influence them within your team:
- How effectively do you communicate?
- What is your capability and willingness to address issues and conflicts as they arise?
- Do you regularly consider how team member’s work together and your input into this dynamic?
- When communicating, do you take into account the most appropriate method or form of communication i.e. face-to-face; email etc?
- How does making assumptions based on your own views, beliefs, and values lead to judgment in your conversations?
- How can differences of opinion and the escalation of conversations be influenced by your perspective of a person or the world?
- In terms of accountability, how important is it to have clear expectations not just between leaders and employees but also among colleagues?
Additionally, it would be ideal if you put some thought into the ideas below before the workshop:
- Respecting Differences: It’s important to value everyone’s unique ways of talking, working, and solving problems. Recognising and appreciating these differences and diversity in our team helps create a welcoming work environment where everyone feels important and understood.
- Active Listening: Good communication isn’t just about speaking but also listening carefully. When you really pay attention to what someone is saying, understand them, and remember it, you help build trust and avoid misunderstandings.
- Empathy: Being able to understand and share what someone else feels is crucial in getting along with team mates. Empathy helps us connect more deeply and makes the workplace a more compassionate and supportive work environment.
- Being Open and Honest: Transparency and honesty in communication are the foundation for trust and integrity within teams. It’s important to have a space where everyone can speak their mind and share their feelings safely without fear of judgement, helping to resolve conflicts and support collaboration.
- Adaptability: Being flexible and adaptable in how you communicate and interact makes working with others smoother. Knowing when to change or adjust your approach with different people or situations helps everyone get along and work well together.
As mentioned earlier, please take a few minutes to complete the pre-workshop self-assessment by clicking the CoachStation logo below:
