Realize

It's a wrap on our semi-annual Realize retreat! We (Kristine Kern, Shelly Setzer, and Mary Silva Doctor) come together twice yearly in NYC for some hard work and fun. Our agenda has settled in a standard strategic planning retreat plus caring and connection. We check in with one another on what's happening in our lives that's important to us and how we are balancing our life goals with our consulting and coaching practices. Then it's on to the business of Realize - which capabilities we need to strengthen, what trends we are seeing in the market and with our clients, and how these impact our vision and shape our specific plan for the rest of 2024. The fun part is always great meals, some exercise, shopping, and a show - this time, we were astounded by the excellent Eddie Redmayne in Cabaret! So, what topics did we discuss? Of course, we talked about AI - how our clients approach it and how we'll continue integrating it into our work. We're watching the recent talk about 'coordination tax' - the costs companies see from their work in complex organizations (June 16 WSJ article). Meetings are another perennial topic - and we were intrigued by Derek Thomson’s recent Atlantic article on meetings. As experts in teamwork, collaboration, and meetings are core to our approach with clients, we need to be in tune with how these need to evolve. It's great to leave this meeting energized, cohesive, and aligned to take on the rest of 2024! What do you do at your strategic retreats? We're always looking for ways to improve and value your feedback! Your suggestions can help us grow and evolve, so please don't hesitate to share.

I think we all need to talk about unconscious bias again. We regularly receive 11 million bits of information at any one time, and our brain can process only about 40. Ninety-nine percent of these cues are processed unconsciously by our brains—bias results from the mental shortcuts our brain uses to process at this speed. One problem is that when we process unconsciously, it’s fast, which often makes it feel intuitive. The key is to check that. Action: Every time you recognize that you have an immediate gut reaction to someone, question it. Look for at least two (but preferably three) pieces of evidence that may contradict your automatic reaction. Ask yourself whether you would have reacted similarly if a different person had engaged in the same behavior. #unconsciousbias #bias #leadership #ceos #lessons

FACT: Research shows teams perform best when there’s equal participation from everyone. ACTION: At your next weekly meeting, keep track of who you hear from and solicit input from who you don’t. See how the discussion changes as you hear from more viewpoints. #teammeeting #inclusivity #introvert

Do you want your team to succeed? What we've found through working with countless organizations is that teams who succeed at a high level make sure they... - Collaborate actively within the team and with other teams in the organization - Have a meeting cadence that reflects the pace of communication and decision making needed for execution and innovation - Make smart decisions quickly - Have predictable meeting, communication and collaboration practices to help them be nimble - Excel in matrixed and cross-functional collaboration and execution - Have a diverse and talented team composition Is your team ticking off all the boxes? #highperformance #leadershipmatters #teamdevelopment

Do you want your team to succeed? What we've found through working with countless organizations is that teams who succeed at a high level make sure they... - Collaborate actively within the team and with other teams in the organization - Have a meeting cadence that reflects the pace of communication and decision making needed for execution and innovation - Make smart decisions quickly - Have predictable meeting, communication and collaboration practices to help them be nimble - Excel in matrixed and cross-functional collaboration and execution - Have a diverse and talented team composition Is your team ticking off all the boxes? #highperformance #leadershipmatters #teamdevelopment

Two key takeaways from this article are 1) Creating workdays that are not overloaded with meetings — taking frequent breaks is critical to keeping energy going. And 2) Designing a workday that balances high-pressure meetings with low-stakes tasks so our mental energy doesn't get bombarded. Share this because we all need an end-of-week boost! #motivation #teambuilding #timemanagement #leadershipskills https://lnkd.in/gZa_wtYK