Joseph Jennings’ Post

I’ve been on both the giving and receiving side of this idea. I will say that a simple compliment goes a long way. Always show your appreciation for your team. Without them, what do you have? In addition, please don’t constantly put your team down by telling them that no one can do their job. Especially if those same employees are doing their jobs well. If there are mistakes made, there is no reason to yell, curse or degrade them. As the supervisor, it is your job to create a quality team. You have the power to uplift them to achieve success or to tear them down and make work a terrible experience for them. If you always insult them, treat them poorly, and make them feel worthless, you will not create a healthy environment where a solid team can thrive.

We are taught at a young age that a high five is a result of a good job. The endorphins or ‘feel good’ emotions that it releases make you want more. As we get older, the feeling of giving a high five to a team mate can work in the same manner as getting one. Knowing you have strong teammates that recognize a great job and want to ‘high five’ that, can spill over to our adult jobs. It’s important to make sure your team knows that you appreciate them, sometimes it’s as simple as a ‘high five’. Being a great leader is being able to consistently build your team up so they know this isn’t a one person game, it takes everyone to make a team work.

Authenticity is essential for building a high-performing team; think of yourself as a magnet when hiring. Consider Shackleton’s reputed recruitment approach: “Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success.” This straightforward ad drew precisely the kind of adventurers needed for such an incredible mission. It’s all about attracting those who are ready and willing for the challenge from the start. Being authentic is how you attract the right talent (and repel the wrong talent).

"I'm too busy." How often do we let these words inhibit our relationships? It's easy to put our to-do lists above personal connection. But we can't let the "musts" drown out real meaning. As a leader, one thing I've always focused on is building my team. I'm always looking for ways that we can collaborate and grow (both together and personally). But there's one main big thing required to do this, and that's time. If we aren't willing to invest time to connect, we'll struggle to build a successful team. Imagine if you came home to your spouse and only talked about the chores you have to do. After a while, it wouldn't go well! It's not until we put down our phones, turn off the emails, and tune out the noise that we can form deeper relationships. Giving someone our time is one of the most loving and respectful things we can do. While we can't get it back, time invested makes a difference in the lives of others. Which of these traps avoided today would give you back some time? • Not Having a Clear Vision • Lack of Self Discipline & Procrastination • Inadequate Planning and Disorganization • Assigning Importance to the Wrong Things • Attempting too Much • Relentless Quest for Perfection • Sweating the Small Stuff #peoplefirst #welovehills #CMG

When it comes to building a successful team, what qualities come to mind? Individual talent? Shared goals? While these are important, the true essence of a successful team lies in these eight fundamental elements: 1️⃣ Trust - The foundation of any strong team. 2️⃣Partnership - A shared commitment to achieving common goals. 3️⃣ Share - An open exchange of ideas and knowledge. 4️⃣ Harmonise - Aligning individual strengths for a collective purpose. 5️⃣ Network - Leveraging connections for mutual growth. 6️⃣ Collaborate - Working together to solve complex problems. 7️⃣ Support - Providing a safety net for each other during challenging times. 7️⃣ Work - The fuel that drives a team towards its objectives. By embodying these principles, we can create teams that are not just effective, but extraordinary. Teams that celebrate each other's successes, learn from failures, and above all, strive for excellence together. 🚀

"Permission: Don’t ask permission, ask forgiveness, make the decision" This a Supered operating principle, and TBH, I think it's my favorite. Why do I love it? When I say this phrase to my team, what I'm really saying is... "I trust that whatever you're are about to do is the right decision." But...what if it was the WRONG decision? 😅 1. If it was potentially the wrong decision, I trust that you will be able to fully explain to me your reasoning as to why you thought it was the right decision. 2. If it was potentially the wrong decision, I can seek to understand that there is a gap in knowledge and training I need to address. 3. If it was the mostly right decision (with some tweaking), I can trust that you will take the feedback to make it the whole right decision for next time. It requires a LOT of trust...this is true. But trust is the main building block of building a team. So, if you don't feel like you can say this to your team...welp. Time to do some trust falls 😉

There are many ways to think of trust. But in The 5 Behaviors of a Cohesive Team, we focus on vulnerability-based trust. Why? Because when we focus exclusively on our strengths and posturing around them, two things happen: 1) We're not being honest with each other, because we all have shortcomings. (And we all know it.) And so we attempt to build a team on a false foundation. 2) When we hide, ignore, or pretend not to have shortcomings, we are reinforcing a spirit of independence, not of teamwork. We are saying "I don't need you. I'm good." Even when things may be falling apart. It may feel counterintuitive to be open about shortcomings at work, where the goal is success and anything that smells like failure can feel threatening. But, within a true team, we rely on one another and we're not afraid to acknowledge that. Vulnerability-based needn't mean anything more than our ability to say these three things: I need help. I was wrong. I am sorry.

🚀 As we are at beginning of the month, here is my top list of ‘things I have learnt’ in October📚 1️⃣The term 'Anchoring', means taking the time to focus on breathing whilst identifying 4 colours and items around you, and then repeating them in your head. Reduces anxiety and works a treat before difficult conversations (or just to calm yourself down). 2️⃣ 'You have to risk failure to succeed' (taken from the Diary of a CEO - Steven Bartlett). I no longer view failure as the end, but rather the beginning (as many successes we now have at EdCo are due to failing multiple times before). 3️⃣You can't wing old systems in a new environment. EdCo has grown, is growing, and now we are working on a whole new system revamp (first things to go are the multiple excel sheets). 4️⃣I need to delegate better. If you have a team, you should trust others to do what they do best, and not try and do every little thing yourself. That's why you have a team! 5️⃣ Toddlers have a 6th sense known as 'I can smell what my dad is eating even if he hides and closes the door'. I can no longer eat a Snickers in peace.

Compassionate yet Firm: Striking the Right Balance Leading a diverse team, comprising individuals from various backgrounds and age groups, has been one of the most electrifying experiences of my career. However, it's worth noting that managing such a team isn't always as straightforward as it might seem. Team leadership goes beyond merely practicing active listening and exhibiting gentle guidance, both of which have gained significant attention lately and hold substantial value. Throughout the years, I've come to realize that being a team leader means being a steadfast guide, guiding each team member towards their collective goals. This guidance can sometimes involve "demanding" more than they believe they are capable of, demonstrating that their potential extends far beyond their own self-imposed limits. Finding the right balance is akin to walking a tightrope between a gentle approach and a more assertive one. Easy? No, I anticipated that. Satisfying? Oh yes! Every time a team member achieves a goal, it feels like a collective victory, a shared accomplishment. Witnessing the satisfaction on their faces not only validates their potential but bolsters my confidence as we navigate this tightrope together.

A lesson in trust! My 6 month old puppy taught me a very valuable lesson about trust at 3:30am this morning. I woke up to my puppy trying to get comfortable on the other side of me. It took me a minute to realize the only thing keeping him from falling off the bed and hitting the floor was my arm. In the middle of the night when I'm not even awake yet he trusted me to catch him and not let him fall. This got me thinking about the trust it takes to build an effective team. Do you trust your team? How did they earn your trust? How did you earn theirs? Trust is a 2 way street that has to be earned. Without it can you be an effective team and have effective communication?