The Situation: Adapting to different communications styles
A director and seven members comprise a team of eight. The director has been head of the team for the past four years. Two members are new to the group. Recently, her VP was directed to complete a 360 with the team on her performance as well as on the performance of each team member. The VP comes in quarterly for a team performance update; the good, the bad and the ugly but appears to have difficulty sitting through the session. The 360 clearly indicated that team members were not aware of performance issue areas. In fact, in some cases, members felt blindsided. The overall goal was to help the team communicate more effectively and help the Director coach members to deliver better results.
The Solution:
The VP, director and the team members took the Platinum Rule assessment. The VP was a director (task driven and competitive), the director was a socializer (outgoing and not good at delivering bad news) and the rest of the team consisted of relators (great team member qualities) and thinkers (very systematic). In a wrap-up session, the team discussed the different styles and how each type benefited the team.
The Outcome:
It was determined, agreed and acted upon that the VP would put a timeline on meetings. The team agreed they would be succinct with communications when meeting with the director. They also requested time to talk when issues arose, not just at the formal VP meetings. The socializer (the director) agreed. One year later, the team continues to be effective in meeting goals. The key element now working is the group being direct with inter-communications.
Action is the foundational key to all success. Pablo Picasso