Dr. Dennis O'Grady

Perhaps you’re thinking, “Here we go again, talking about teamwork — but leaders just talk the talk and don’t walk the walk.” Well, you’ve got a point. Teamwork begins with good communication — first, with yourself; secondly, with whomever you’re talking; and thirdly, with your identified customers. Open and positive communication creates satisfying interactions with everyone.

TEAM TALKS

Let’s take a quick look at each side of the teamwork coin, the negative and the positive. The answers below come from an Instigator-type extrovert, Jerry Rex, who is the president of Morris South, Machine Tools Systems, which is a thriving privately held company.

WHAT CREATES A STRONG TEAM?

Clear goals and open, honest communication, along with a willingness to give credit where credit is due.

WHAT DISRUPTS A SMART TEAM?

Lies and secrets, hyper-active egos, incompetence, lack of effort.

WHAT ONE THING MAKES TEAMWORK DIE?

Lack of fairness or failure to engage the team.

WHAT ONE THING HELPS TEAMWORK FLY?

A common goal or mission with which everyone can relate.

ARE YOU MESSING UP COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY, OR ARE YOU IMPROVING YOUR COMMUNICATION SKILLS A LITTLE EVERY DAY IN EVERY WAY?

Why can’t we just talk and listen to each other in a neutral mindset? We can when you use the Talk to Me© effective leadership communication system.

Let’s take a look at how to be negative. Here’s how to mess up teamwork with yourself and others:

1. SOMEONE ALWAYS HAS TO BE THE FALL GUY OR GAL. Making excuses and blaming others for failing to implement “little steps” to solve problems starves teamwork.

2. MENTAL RUTS AND TALK STALL-OUTS close your mind to new possibilities. Always needing to be right takes you down the wrong talk street.

3. EXTREMISM…either/or versus both/and thinking…is like putting your foot down on the accelerator as you near the end of a dead end street.

4. CHOKE HOLD ON THE STATUS QUO. This unfairness is created by infighting or by trying to unfairly control information, creative solutions, credit, partnering, or crucial resources.

5. You COMPARE APPLES TO ORANGES when you believe people should use your communicator style of Empathizer or Instigator, when in fact, they are your opposite communicator type who motivate and hear things differently.

6. UNPROVOKED CRITICISM occurs when someone you trust turns on you, dressing you down in public — a customer, boss, or coworker venting an angry spleen on you, leaving you upset and reeling.

7. MENTAL ANGUISHING clouds your mind with worries and woes and helps to spread the blues around at work, making you and others anxious.

8. By refusing to talk to people, or by holding back helpful critical feedback, you CUT OFF COMMUNICATIONS because you don’t want to hurt someone else or risk being shot down.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION ALWAYS LEADS THE PACK

Today companies everywhere realize that by using cutting-edge communication tools, they will have a greater edge over their competition. On what one thing does everyone agree? “If we can communicate better, our team will be able to effectively and creatively solve emerging problems, and our profits and team morale will grow.” Good teamwork begins with you and me…which means that you and I must first walk our respective talk.

WHO IS COMMUNICATIONS PSYCHOLOGIST DENNIS E. O’GRADY, PSY.D.

Dennis O’Grady is an effective communication keynote speaker and workshop leader who delivers corporate training which actually improves communication fast, from top to bottom. Dennis is the original developer of the powerful Talk to Me© effective communication system. You can experience the benefits of his communication system directly by interacting with the 12 dimensions of the 2 communicator types (and switch within the 4 talk lanes when one is closed) in his book by the same title. Talk to Me: Communication Moves To Get Along with Anyone is available at www.drogrady.com and Amazon.