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What does it mean to make a team more than the sum of its parts? This was the theme of recent workshops we ran with teams in the UK, France, Germany and Switzerland – teams who were all about to embark on key phases of commercial development requiring them to work together intensely and deliver project results quickly.

We wanted to give people a real and ‘lived’ sense of the necessary ingredients for high achieving teams and how to reproduce that at work. As part of this process we asked people to share some of their best team experiences outside of work – and as a result were treated to some remarkable stories of rescue, resilience, escape and performance.

We heard about the choir whose members could not initially all sing in tune or read music and yet the sharing, mentoring and fun of learning for a common goal brought them all together to a performance standard.

We also learned how rapidly skills and resources were deployed across a group to get an injured friend to safety. Skills people had forgotten they had (orienteering) or taken for granted (local knowledge) were dusted off and put into action as sub-teams were needed to make a plan work.

What these stories had in common was valuable information about how we best work together – and, importantly, they were also understood at a deeper level by the teams than mere presentation of a theory.

Some of the messages people took away included: having a crystal clear view of the outcome (how great it will it be when we have finished); the importance of recognising and valuing excellence in team members in all its guises, not just role-related expertise; and caring about the collective output of the team.

Dorney Lake, with its elegant buildings, open vistas and elevated terraces, is an inspiring venue for teams wanting to step out of their comfort zone, or even just the office, and reflect on what it will take to push themselves to the next level of excellence.

We were in the glass-sided building – the Eton Suite - overlooking the finishing line. More information can be found at www.dorneylake.co.uk

This is a timely intervention for these leaders as - according to Critical Eye, the network site for leaders, too little is usually done in developing leaders for the communications excellence demanded of them in the radical transparency of the modern world. Interviews (by Kevin Murray, Chairman of the Bell Pottinger Group) with 60 CEOs and Chairmen of high profile, global organisations revealed their collective belief that communication is now a Top 3 Skill of Leadership and more needs to be done in developing future leaders in this area.
» Read more from Kevin Murray’s article about his forthcoming book the Language of Leaders

Through these programmes, we have worked with senior communications executives and speech writers, wanting to extend their leadership writing capabilities by exploring the communications psychology of effective business writing.

We have also helped global communications staff - whatever their mother tongue - expand their writing capabilities by focussing on some fundamental cognitive processes that underlie most linguistic communication. In recent months we have worked virtually or used mixed media with individuals from six continents and more than a dozen countries. The results have been extremely positive, with our last feedback including the following:

This whole process has been tremendously useful. I think it will transform my writing.
Head of CSR

I loved all of it - you’ve given me the tools to make my writing more human!
Global IT Communications

This has been a great course and I would like all my communications staff to undertake it.
Director of Internal Communications

» Further information

Business writing in these sectors has its own unique set of challenges and, with the increasing use of global teams and remote working, it is becoming ever more vital to write effectively as a means of influencing and generating results.

Managers in pharmaceuticals and healthcare need to write to translate technical complexity into clarity for their colleagues and for the industry’s multitude of audiences and stakeholders. They also need to write to inspire, motivate and build trust.

We believe we offer something that is truly unique – our programmes bring together an understanding of your business environment, deep expertise in medical journalism/writing practices and knowledge of the clarifying processes of communications psychology.

A number of clients have already reported considerable successes with our approach and are delighted with the positive changes achieved as a result.

» Further information

Some 4,000 clinicians, nurses and information specialists in the UK work alongside Macmillan Cancer Support to seek new ways of dealing with cancer patients to improve their care. For new ideas and projects to take hold, Macmillan professionals need the skills to engage colleagues in the idea of change and then act to implement it.

» Further information

Some people can stand up in front of audiences and lead them with integrity and apparent ease. What do these individuals do that makes them so good? How do they manage themselves and their communication so that others will follow? I have asked a number of these successful leaders to share what makes a difference - what beliefs, practices and view of leadership help them to be effective with people in this way?

This may sound like astute attention grabbing for a dry subject but in fact it is more than that – the Queen was included because Helen thinks carefully about her audience. With the picture of the Queen, she was giving us a visually appealing and easy way into the fundamentals of her own leadership style. Through the picture her message was – ensure people know you as a brand, flag change up, keep some things comfortable and, of course, retain what’s good – hang on to the organisation’s crown jewels.

READ FURTHER:
» Download and read the full conversation here