Building highly effective virtual teams The ongoing challenges of creating the magical bond between team members in small and big endeavors can be elusive. What’s more, in the last few decades, this has become increasingly challenging. This presentation provides you with the much needed practical advice on how to create an effective collaborative team environment. You will learn to: Identify the characteristics, challenges and opportunities of (virtual) leading teams; Define key strategies for leading effective (virtual) teams; Recognize what (virtual) team members need and expect from (virtual) team leaders; Employ key techniques to build trust. The presentation follows the Nine must haves of team of leaders as appear in Michael’s book. The Must-Haves of a High Performance Team Must-have #1: Develop clear goals and plans Must-have #2: Effective communication Must-have #3: Improve and maintain positive relationships among member Must-have #4: Clarify roles and responsibilities Must-have #5: Enhance mutual trust Must-have #6: Solve problems and make effective decisions Must-have #7: Value and promote diversity Must-have #8: Successfully manage conflict Must-have #9: Provide development opportunities and recognition

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Building Highly Effective
Teams
BASD, NYC, 16th May2016
Michael Nir
President Sapir Consulting
All rights reserved to
Sapir Consulting

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Michael Nir
• President @ Sapir Consulting US LLC
• M.Sc. Engineering, PMP®, SAFe™ accredited
• Author of 11 bestseller business books
• Global clients - telecoms, hi-tech, software
development, R&D environments and petrochemical
& infrastructure
• Integrating the hard and soft parts of Business,
Development and more
cs.com-m.nir@sapir
The Agile PMO – great results NOW
Objectives
 Identify the characteristics, challenges and
opportunities of leading teams;
 Define key strategies for leading effective teams;
and recognize team-member’s needs;

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It is not
Magic
We knew
IT

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We Sometimes
forget
IT
What are the must haves of high
performance, effective teams
PAIR DISCUSSION
 Identify 3-4 must haves
based on your experience
 Discuss with a partner
 Reflect – how can you
measure the must haves
you’ve identified?

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The must have of highly effective teams
NINE MUST HAVES
 Must-have #1: Develop clear goals and plans
 Must-have #2: Effective communication
 Must-have #3: Improve and maintain positive relationships among members
 Must-have #4: Clarify roles and responsibilities
 Must-have #5: Enhance mutual trust
 Must-have #6: Solve problems and make effective decisions
 Must-have #7: Value and promote diversity
 Must-have #8: Successfully manage conflict
 Must-have #9: Provide development opportunities and recognition
Develop Clear Goals and Plans
MUST HAVE #1

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Develop Clear Goals and Plans
MUST HAVE #1
Remember, people need
goals to align themselves
with and to give them a
sense of direction
Effective Communication
MUST HAVE #2

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Effective Communication
 Regular, transparent,
focused and related
to team goals
MUST HAVE #2
Improve and Maintain Positive Relationships
Among Members
MUST HAVE #3

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Improve and Maintain Positive Relationships
Among Members
MUST HAVE #3
 Trust your intuition
 Observe physical gestures
 The out affects the in as much as the in
affects the out
Improve and Maintain Positive Relationships
Among Members
MUST HAVE #3
“People will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did, but
people will never forget how you
made them feel.”

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Clarify Roles and Responsibilities
MUST HAVE #4
Clarify Roles and Responsibilities
MUST HAVE #4
Often, especially in virtual teams
interactions, we fail to clearly
specify roles and responsibilities

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Enhance Mutual Trust
MUST HAVE #5
 Number one answer from
workshop participants
 How does trust look?
 Take a minute to draw
TRUST
 Observe the LABEL
Enhance Mutual Trust
MUST HAVE #5
 Trust is crucial for a highly effective teams
 We need to look beyond the label
 Identify behaviors that exhibit trust
 Some increase trust some decrease, what are
they?
 These are conduct indicators, measure them!

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Solve Problems and Make Effective
Decisions
MUST HAVE #6
Solve Problems and Make Effective
Decisions
MUST HAVE #6

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Solve Problems and Make Effective
Decisions
MUST HAVE #6
 It is easier to avoid pitfalls in decision
making when there is clear and
established process to follow
Solve Problems and Make Effective
Decisions
MUST HAVE #6
1. Recognize the problem
2. Define the problem
3. Gather information
4. Develop alternative solutions
5. Select the BEST alternative
6. Implement the BEST alternative
7. Evaluate the outcome

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Value and Promote Diversity
MUST HAVE #7
Value and Promote Diversity
MUST HAVE #7
 Team members are productive when
empowered to use their strengths:
 Cultural
 Gender
 Age
 Experience

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Successfully Manage conflict
MUST HAVE #8
Successfully Manage conflict
MUST HAVE #8
 Key is to look beyond
positions – into
interests

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Provide Development Opportunities
and Recognition
MUST HAVE #9
Positive Negative
Addition Positive
Reinforcement
Pleasurable and
increases probability
of repeat behaviour
Punishment
Unpleasant leading to
a decrease in repeat
behaviour
Subtraction Extinction
Avoidance of an
unpleasant stimulus
increases the
likelihood of repeat
behaviour
Negative
Reinforcement
Removal of a pleasant
stimulus decreases
the likelihood of
repeat behaviour
Provide Development Opportunities
and Recognition
MUST HAVE #9

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Provide Development Opportunities
and Recognition
MUST HAVE #9
 The vicious feedback cycle –
our experience contradicts the
theory
Provide Development Opportunities
and Recognition
MUST HAVE #9

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Genuine feedback – constructive and
relevant
MUST HAVE #9
Positive Negative
Addition Positive
Reinforcement
Pleasurable and
increases
probability of
repeat behaviour
Punishment
Unpleasant leading to a
decrease in repeat behaviour
Subtraction Extinction
Avoidance of an
unpleasant
stimulus increases
the likelihood of
repeat behaviour
Negative Reinforcement
Removal of a pleasant
stimulus decreases the
likelihood of repeat
behaviour
What are the must haves of high
performance, effective teams
PAIR DISCUSSION
 Reflect with a partner: the
nine must haves
 How do they compare
with your list?
 Identify 2-3 actionable
items as take aways
 Start TODAY

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The must have of highly effective teams
NINE MUST HAVES
 Must-have #1: Develop clear goals and plans
 Must-have #2: Effective communication
 Must-have #3: Improve and maintain positive relationships among members
 Must-have #4: Clarify roles and responsibilities
 Must-have #5: Enhance mutual trust
 Must-have #6: Solve problems and make effective decisions
 Must-have #7: Value and promote diversity
 Must-have #8: Successfully manage conflict
 Must-have #9: Provide development opportunities and recognition
Thank you!
I wish you success in Building
and leading your highly
effective teams
cs.com-m.nir@sapir

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