Transformative Leadership Conversations with Winnie da Silva

The Joint Work

26m · Published 02 Nov 07:12

“Every once in a while we discover a question that turns out to be particularly powerful in terms of the benefits that come from a team grappling with it. And so the question is this: ‘In order for this team to deliver on our business objectives this year, what is the high value, highly interdependent work that we must do together? ” - Peter Axelson

In this podcast episode, Winnie and Peter discuss the concept of "Joint Work" as a critical building block for developing effective teams. They emphasize the importance of identifying the shared work that a team must do together, which is distinct from individual or subgroup work.

Episode Highlights:

Pizza Story

Peter shares the origin story of this concept of Joint Work. When working with a group of managers to help them understand the importance of understanding their shared work as a team, he uses a pizza analogy. He distinguishes between the "crust work" (individual work) and the "points work" (work requiring collaboration across the whole team).

Three Categories of Work

Winnie and Peter introduce the three categories of work that effective teams must define: individual work, subgroup work, and joint work. These categories help teams understand the different levels of interdependence in their work and then build the appropriate collaboration mechanisms.

Joint Work Continuum

Joint work varies greatly in quantity across teams, forming a continuum. Some teams may have a small portion of joint work (like small points on a pizza), while others have a significant portion (like large points). In general, as the size of a team increases, and as the functional diversity of a team increases, the amount of joint work in the team decreases. Some teams will end up having a small amount of joint work and some teams will end up having a large amount of joint work. Having more joint work is not “better” than having less - what’s important is that the team has clearly defined that work which entails a high level of interdependence.

Powerful Question

Peter highlights a powerful question for teams: "In order for this team to deliver on our business objectives, what is the high-value, highly-interdependent work that we must do TOGETHER?" This question encourages teams to reevaluate and redefine their work. Peter notes that across the hundreds of teams with which he has worked, every team has, to some degree, changed how they define the work of their team.

Joint Work Discovery Process

Winnie and Peter describe how they help teams discover their joint work. This process includes a workshop setting where the team reviews their business objectives and defines their joint work. They use seven categories of joint work to help the team think broadly about what their joint work should be.

Work Process Alignment

Winnie and Peter stress the importance of aligning work processes with the team's joint work. They explain that team meetings and other processes should be reflective of the type and amount of joint work.

Benefits of Defining Joint Work

Peter highlights two key benefits. First, teams that invest in defining their joint work often realize they have been doing the wrong work together. Second, these teams become more focused, experience less tension, have more productive meetings, use time efficiently, and collaborate more effectively.

Winnie and Peter acknowledge that defining joint work is, at first, a challenging and messy process, but one that produces huge benefits for teams. They offer their assistance to teams interested in delving deeper into this concept.

Resources

Winnie da Silva on LinkedIn

Get the whole season and the companion guide at Winniedasilva.com

Mining Group Gold by Thomas A. Kayser

Alignment on Business Objectives

9m · Published 02 Nov 07:09

“While many teams can figure this out on their own, some of them need help ensuring the objectives of the team are clear and aligned. What's important is that this is addressed very early on in the process.” - Winnie da Silva

In this podcast episode, Winnie and Peter discuss the importance of ensuring clarity and alignment on a team's shared objectives. They emphasize that these objectives are specific to the team and distinct from the business objectives of the company.

Episode Highlights:

Team Objectives Support Company Objectives

Team objectives should align with and support the broader company objectives, but are typically different in level and scope.

Early Focus on Clarity and Alignment

Early in the team development process, it's crucial to assess how clear and aligned the team is regarding their shared objectives - because so much depends on them.Team objectives influence many basic team processes - defining the shared work, planning meetings, making decisions, measuring success, allocating resources, setting priorities, and more. Understanding the current state of the team’s objectives is key to planning the team development process.

Working with Teams Without Defined Objectives

Teams exhibit a wide range of alignment on their shared objectives. Teams that have not yet defined their shared objectives can benefit from various approaches, including coaching the team leader, facilitated work sessions, involving senior leaders, or translating higher-level business objectives into team-specific goals.

Peter and Winnie stress that addressing clarity and alignment of team objectives is a critical early step in the team development process.

Resources

Winnie da Silva on LinkedIn

Get the whole season and the companion guide at Winniedasilva.com

Foundation of Sound Interpersonal Relationships

40m · Published 02 Nov 07:06

“We don't need to be best friends in order to have a sound working relationship. But you do need to know each other as people. … It doesn't take a great deal of effort to learn those kinds of things about people and the benefits can be pretty big.” - Peter Axelson

“You really need a basic amount of trust in and respect for each other. While you definitely want to see other positive attributes in a relationship, these two, trust and respect, they are the absolute must haves. So everything else, all the little things that make relationships run well, they all can be sorted out.” - Winnie da Silva

In this podcast episode, Winnie and Peter discuss the importance of sound interpersonal relationships within a team, which is a fundamental building block in Peter's Team Development Methodology.

Episode Highlights:

Definition of Sound Relationships

In the context of a team, sound relationships are characterized by a basic level of trust and respect. While not needing to be best friends, team members should know each other beyond their professional roles and engage with each other on a personal level.

Impact of Relationship Quality

Even one problematic relationship within a team can significantly hinder the team's effectiveness. Dysfunctional relationships lead to distractions and unproductive behaviors, affecting the entire team's performance.

Common Reasons for Neglecting Relationships

People often discount the importance of building strong relationships within teams due to a belief that relationships will naturally develop over time. There's a misconception that work relationships will reach a "good enough" state without explicit investment. This passive approach often fails.

End Goal

The ultimate goal of focusing on sound relationships isn't merely to create great relationships, but to foster effective collaboration. Interpersonal relationships are a crucial requirement for successful teamwork and collaboration.

Not All Relationships Can Be Repaired

In some cases, relationships can be too badly-damaged to be repaired. The two important factors in determining this are the degree to which trust and respect for each other have been eroded, and the degree to which the two people are willing to do the very hard work of putting the relationship back together.

How Relationships and Collaboration Are Intertwined

Effective collaboration relies on sound relationships. Damaged or underdeveloped relationships can undermine collaboration, while poor collaboration often contributes to strained relationships.

Enablers of Cross-Boundary Collaboration

To improve relationships and collaboration, a tool with six "enablers of cross-boundary collaboration" is introduced. These enablers include:

Knowing the person beyond the basics
Understanding the person's context or world
Reviewing roles and points of interdependence
Making explicit what you need and expect from others
Making agreements for working together
Establishing a process for ongoing, timely, and honest feedback

Using the Tool

Teams are encouraged to use this tool to identify and address areas where their relationships and collaboration can be improved. It can be particularly useful in teams for dealing with friction in relationships and/or ineffective collaboration.

Importance of Prioritizing Relationships

The podcast emphasizes that deliberately investing time and effort in building relationships and improving collaboration are fundamental parts of the job. Team leaders must prioritize this, setting the example for their team members.

Overall, the podcast highlights the critical role of sound interpersonal relationships within teams and provides practical tools and strategies to enhance these relationships and, in turn, improve collaboration.

Resources

Winnie da Silva on LinkedIn

Get the whole season and the companion guide at Winniedasilva.com

E10: The Stories We Tell Ourselves with Peter Axelson

Metrics & Building Blocks

32m · Published 02 Nov 07:03

“Long term, if you don't also pay attention to the satisfaction and learning dimensions, then over the long term, … the ability of that team to remain effective over time is really going to get compromised.” - Peter Axelson

In this podcast episode, Winnie and Peter provide an overview of the Team Development Methodology, which will serve as the foundation for the subsequent episodes of this season. They discuss the key elements of this methodology and emphasize the importance of measuring team effectiveness. The episode also touches on the reasons behind Peter's passion for working with teams and his journey in developing this methodology.

Episode Highlights:

Measuring Team Effectiveness

Peter explains the five key metrics he uses for measuring team effectiveness: Quality, Efficiency, Satisfaction, Individual Learning, and Team Learning.

Importance of Metrics

Winnie and Peter highlight that teams often focus on quality and efficiency but neglect satisfaction and learning. They stress that neglecting satisfaction and learning can lead to deterioration in quality and efficiency over the long term.

Inviting Challenge

Winnie and Peter discuss the value of inviting clients to challenge the methodology and assumptions. They explain how this process can lead to healthy discussions and help teams see different perspectives.

Overview of Building Blocks

Winnie and Peter introduce the eight building blocks of the Team Development Methodology. They emphasize that while teams are diverse and will have different development needs, these eight building blocks represent the most common ones.

The Eight Building Blocks

Peter provides a brief overview of each building block:

Building Block 1: Foundation of Sound Interpersonal Relationships
Building Block 2: Clarity and Alignment on Team Objectives
Building Block 3: The Joint Work
Building Block 4: Process Discipline
Building Block 5: Shared Responsibility Mindset
Building Block 6: Aspirational Culture and Norms
Building Block 7: High-Quality Conversations
Building Block 8: Continuous Improvement Mechanisms

Resources

Winnie da Silva on LinkedIn

Get the whole season and the companion guide at Winniedasilva.com

NTL Institute

E10: The Stories We Tell Ourselves with Peter AxelsonE11: Tell Me What You Really Think with Peter Axelson

Introducing Season 4: A Team Development Masterclass

11m · Published 02 Nov 07:00

In this episode of Transformative Leadership Conversations, Winnie da Silva and her special co-host, Peter Axelson, provide a sneak peek into Season 4, offering a glimpse of what's in store for this Team Development Masterclass.

They delve into the practical tools, examples, and insights for this season, all aimed at helping leaders and team members build effective teams. Subsequent episodes will take a deeper dive into each foundational building block, offering extensive discussions, real-life case studies, and hands-on exercises that listeners can immediately implement with their own teams.

Their ultimate goal is to empower leaders and team members with the skills they need to build and lead effective teams. So if you're looking to take your team to the next level, be sure to tune in!

Episode Highlights:

Winnie and Peter share their history and why they enjoy working together. They explain that Peter's practical, no-fluff approach sets their content apart from the plethora of resources on teams and leadership available today. Peter's methodology is based on years of experience and is aimed at helping teams become skilled and independent rather than dependent on ongoing support.
This season aims to provide practical tools, examples, and ways of thinking to help leaders develop and lead effective teams. It covers five metrics for gauging team effectiveness and eight building blocks within Peter's Team Development Framework. Each episode highlights a specific building block, providing insights, examples, and exercises to help teams develop and grow effectively.
The season is designed for both sequential and selective listening, making it accessible and informative for all. The goal is to help leaders lead, build, and continue developing effective teams that achieve outstanding business results. Winnie encourages listeners to provide feedback and share their experiences.

Resources

Winnie da Silva on LinkedIn

Get the whole season and the companion guide at Winniedasilva.com

Walking the Camino: Leadership and Life Lessons

0s · Published 27 Oct 15:38

Walking the Camino: Leadership and Life Lessons

In this bonus episode, Winnie reflects on her experiences this summer walking the Camino with her family and the leadership and life lessons she learned along the way.

Be prepared but don’t over prepare. Allow for serendipitous opportunities to emerge for a more present experience.

Sushil planned all of the logistics to get us to our

starting place. After that, we just started walking, following the signs as we

went. We didn’t know where we were going to stay or where we were going to eat.

We trusted the path thousands of people before us had traveled. We always found

a place to eat and sleep. Sometimes, meticulous detailed planning down to the

hour can often get in the way of spontaneous discovery.

Align on the final destination. Even if it’s not clear

how you’ll get there or how long it will take.

Our goal: get to Santiago. We budgeted 10 days. After the

first two days we realized this isn’t walking, it is hiking. Mountains. We’re

not a particularly outdoorsy or athletic family. All of our walking in NYC

didn’t fully prepare us for this. At first we’re like 10 days? We need more

time! But as our bodies and minds adjusted to the hiking we got it done in 9

days! Having clarity on the final goal pushed us forward.

The people you surround yourself with will drag you down

or bring you up. Choose wisely.

We thought we’d meet lots of people along the way. But

for the first half we were mostly on our own. So, we really depended on each

other to keep our spirits up. Later on my youngest daughter connected with a

woman walking with her adult son. They told each other stories; they raced each

other along the way – sometimes backwards! This woman was so kind and caring.

She gave my daughter the energy and confidence she needed that day to keep

walking.

Embrace negative feelings with compassion: encourage

honesty, listen, empathize, adjust when you can, remember the goal, keep

going.

Our bodies were sore at the start. Like I can’t walk, I'm

so sore. There were shin splints. Some of us got a cold. One night we stayed at

a hostel with no hot water, it smelled like a wet dog (because there was one)

and there were lots of flies. Not the best. One day we climbed an elevation of

5,000 feet. Each of us hit a wall at different times. The rest of us listened

and gave extra support to the person who needed it the most.

Understand each person’s motivation. The drive we have to

move forward can be different for everyone.

Each family member was motivated to walk “yet another

mile” in different ways. Popsicles. How fast can you walk a mile? One piece of

candy per mile. Listening to music. Or an audio book. Searching for kitty cats!

A beer at lunch.…

Unexpected people can bring wisdom and joy in unforeseen

ways.

As we began our trek on day two, we encountered an

artisan selling hand-made rosaries and other trinkets. The guy, a Colombian

transplant, looked just like Mr. Bloomsbury from the Curious George

movie–scrawny, long silvery hair held in a ponytail with a gigantic mustache to

match. As we said our goodbyes, his message to Sushil was: “Descanso!” Which

means: take it easy. Don’t rush the Camino.

Six hours later after a spectacular trek up to 4900 feet,

we entered a tiny 1500 year old village nestled in the Galician mountains.

Loitering about when we arrived was a man who looked exactly like our Mr.

Bloomsbury. Apparently, he had forgotten to give Sushil his rosary! So he got

on his motorcycle, rode into the mountains and miraculously found us!

Roles will always emerge, whether purposely or by

default. Be proactive in the role you want to play and the contributions you

want to make.

At the end of the Camino, we decided to give out

“participation awards.” We collectively decided what contribution we thought

each person made (in secret). Rummaging through a cheesy gift shop we found

gifts that symbolized their “award”. Hilarity ensued as we tried to explain how

their award somehow was represented in this weird little present. Sushil

received “The Camino Sherpa Award” for being the “spiritual guide” of our walk.

Our daughters received the following awards: The Mood-Lifter Award, The Purist

Award, The Most Resilient Award. I got the “General Award” which I thought was

pretty lame until they clarified it wasn’t “in-general” but for being the

commander/enforcer of sorts.

Mindset changes everything. Sam Sanchez from Apple

Fitness says: “You are meant to do hard things.” Besides, the most difficult

feats bring the most satisfying rewards.

Mindset was everything when walking the Camino. And if my

mindset wasn’t right, usually this impacted everyone else. Honestly, this quote

popped into my head all the time. Everyday we encountered some sort of

challenge. But if we believe we are meant to do hard things, that means we are

meant to be here, to figure it out, to push through. I thought about the

experience we were giving our kids. To push through, to be resilient, to do

this thing even if it was really hard at times. The finish was sweet. Looking

back now is even sweeter. You forget the hard things.

Mommy, Are Your Scared?

0s · Published 28 Apr 11:56

Bonus Episode: Mommy Are You Scared?

Welcome leaders, friends, and listeners! While working on Season 4, I have a bonus episode to share. My daughter was in an ice-skating accident in February and I immediately tapped into a leadership program I teach called Managing Stress & Building Resiliency.

There is teaching and knowing something and then there is living what you know.

In this episode, I share a bit about my experience with my daughter and how I applied perceptual practices from this program. I also offer thoughts and reflections on how you can apply these practices too.

Key Takeaways from this Bonus Episode:

The power of applying perceptual practices in the face of stress and adversity.

Letting go of things beyond your control and focusing on what you can influence.
Reappraising events to suspend judgment and consider alternative perspectives.
Adopting contemplative practices to cultivate resilience and inner peace.

Reflection questions for personal application:

Identifying areas of life where you're holding onto things you can't control.
Exploring how stress may be distorting your perception of events and seeking alternative interpretations.
Considering the integration of contemplative practices into your daily routine.

Insights for leaders:

Understanding the importance of relinquishing control in leadership and focusing on influence.
Conducting a control/no control/influence inventory to prioritize energy and resources effectively.
Embracing reappraisal as a tool to avoid rushed judgments and foster open-mindedness.

Recognizing the role of leaders as culture makers:

Acknowledging that a leader's resilience influences the resilience of their team or organization.
Encouraging leaders to model emotional authenticity and vulnerability during challenging times.
Emphasizing the significance of listening to and seeking input from team members.

To learn more about my work in executive coaching, leadership development and team effectiveness check out my website, connect with me on LinkedIn or email me at [email protected].

Reach out and tell me what was helpful about today’s episode or any suggestions you have for my show.

Please leave a review and tell someone else about this show!

You Should Smile More with The Band of Sisters

0s · Published 16 Dec 17:47

Season 3; Episode 9: You Should Smile More with The Band of Sisters

The Band of Sisters is a tribe of six women: Dawn Hudson, Angelique Bellmer Krembs, Katie Lacey, Lori Tauber Marcus, Cie Nicholson and Mitzi Short - who all met when they worked at PepsiCo. Each of these women are impressively accomplished executives in their own right with a deep bench of experience working in competitive and traditionally male dominated industries.

They have a lot to teach us. And in fact so much so they recently published a book this fall called You Should Smile More: How to Dismantle Gender Bias in the Workplace.

What I love about their new book is how you get a variety of different perspectives and approaches on the same issues many, many women have faced over the course of their careers. Yet they don’t just rely on their own experience, they interviewed women and men to hear about their experiences and perspectives – and included these in the book as well.

In this final episode of Season 3, three of the six sisters: Lori, Dawn and Cie generously offer us a taster of their new book. They bring a fresh perspective on improving the lives of women in the workplace in the face of offenses at work that gradually have an outsized impact on women. You’ll hear some super practical ways women can respond to gender bias in the workplace and how women and men together can build intentionally inclusive and productive cultures at work.

Key Takeaways from this Episode:

Culture is Critical

· Despite leaders’ best intentions, gender bias continues in the workplace.

· Leaders need to create an environment where people can speak truth to power and speak openly about the things that get in the way of having a great culture. This can include women giving direct feedback to other leaders about how they experience gender bias in the workplace.

· No matter how hard you try, you lose touch when you have a more senior position – men and women. And if you don't put mechanisms in place where people feel comfortable coming to you, you've become part of the problem.

· During COVID, people realized they have more choices for how and where they work. However, microaggressions in work culture were just as common in virtual spaces (think Zoom) as they were in physical spaces (the office).

· Men and women come out of college and business school today used to dealing with each other pretty equally. Yet in corporate culture which has been passed down through decades this is not the case. Often, the leader will have a vision for a gender-neutral company that attracts and retains talent. But things that happened in the past get passed down inadvertently. Younger people today are almost less equipped to deal with it.

Include Men

· Women alone can’t solve gender bias; it’s critical for men to be part of the conversation and solution.

· Women are saying ‘this still happens all the time’ while men honestly say, ‘I didn't know that was a thing’.

· Men and women together need to create an inclusive culture that expects and reinforces inclusive behaviors from everyone in the company.

Make an Impact

· Fixing micro events are usually small things, so they're easy to change or adapt. But those small changes can have a big impact.

· Just being in the room, gives you the power to make a difference.

· This stuff shows up every day in every way. When you're in the room where it happens, it’s an opportunity to say something. You have to go from being a bystander to being an ally.

· Women tend to think they’re the only one that experiencing gender bias or at first they tend to chalk it up to being the most junior person in the room. Until another women opens up.

Intention Matters with Marianne Manseau

0s · Published 09 Dec 08:00

Season 3; Episode 8: Intention Matters with Marianne Manseau

Marianne Manseau is the Area Vice President for Pernod Ricard a global wine and spirits group whose ambition is to turn every social interaction into a genuine sharing experience. While Marianne’s friendly spirit is immediately apparent, underneath that smile is an extremely intentional, hardworking, and ambitious woman. Marianne shares her experience learning to be vulnerable, why intention matters and how her father and three brothers helped shaped the person she is today.

Key Takeaways from this Episode:

Listen to your team

· Listen to your team’s pain points and show that you listened to them.

· Be intentional about bringing people in earlier to get their buy-in, make them to be a bigger part of the process than just their feedback.

· “Bring folks to the launch and not just the crash.”

Be vulnerable

· When you're uncomfortable, that's when you should think about how vulnerability might help. I have learned to get comfortable with the uncomfortable. That's where I feel I'm growing. And I feel like I'm giving my team the best of me, because I'm allowing myself to go through the process with them and not just lead them through it.

· Show more vulnerability. I can lead the team without having all the answers.

· Be authentic in the moment. If you’re, scared, don't be afraid to say it. Share what you think along with what might go wrong.

· There's a range of emotions we have as humans, but we still have to make tough decisions.

Valuable lessons

· Business lesson from my dad: Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.

· Feedback is critically important. Ask for it and be willing to hear it and process it. Figure out where you need to action. You don't have to action on every single element. Let go of feedback that doesn't serve you as long as you really allow yourself to hear it. It.

· Intention matters. Be sure to express your intention so people know where you’re coming from. By giving people insight into your intentions, you can also show your flexibility and where you’re open to change.

Experiences in becoming a leader as a woman of color

· How we see ourselves is not always how others see us.

· Some people may only see me as a person of color or as a female and others may not see that at all. I'm a strong leader with the potential to do more. I also happen to be a strong woman of color.

· I had three older brothers. I quickly had to learn to hold my own. I never thought it was unique to be in a room full of males. They all championed me in very different ways, but they played a role in driving my confidence. They see toughness in me when I feel defeated, they see results that I've achieved when I might just be focusing on a missed opportunity. I sometimes see myself as a little sister. They see me as a leader.

· Early in my career, I was fortunate to have a really great manager: Greg Ellison. He set the tone for me in this industry. He didn't treat me differently than the other males on the team, but he was intentional about creating space for me, and he taught me how to create space for myself. He didn't allow me not to speak up in meetings. He celebrated me when I pushed back or challenged ideas. He always had my back. He was the first professional extension of how my brothers treated me.

· In my current role, there was a powerful moment when I interviewed an African American male candidate. He said to me, right up front in the interview, ‘There aren't many people that look like you and I in the company, especially in leadership, and you being in your role gives me hope that will start to change’. It reminded me how I look has an impact on others and how they see me as a leader.

To learn more about my work in executive coaching, leadership development and team effectiveness check out my website, connect with me on LinkedIn or email me at [email protected].

Reach out and tell me what was helpful about today’s episode or any suggestions you have for my show.

Please leave a review and tell someone else about this show; look below for some instructions on how to leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

I look forward to sharing another transformative conversation with you next week!

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