From the center for management and organization effectiveness.

Teamwork: We Have Met the Enemy and They Are Us

Business & Money

Steven J. Stowell

Matt M. Starcevich

Business Culture

Center for Coaching & Mentoring inc

Leading Groups to Solutions addresses the collaborative process of building consensus, creating synergy, and harnessing collective energy to create innovative solutions. The practical ideas guide facilitators through combining the best individual thinking into one focused effort and creating shared commitment so that the implementation of solutions is supported and sustained long term. Whether leading, participating as a team member, or both, you will find that this book provides a practical framework for facilitating effective teams.

Leading Groups to Solutions: A Practical Guide for Facilitators and Team Members

Management & Leadership

CMOE Press

There has never been a greater need in the history of the human experience for people working in groups to perform at a higher level in order to solve our social, technical, political, and environmental problems. As organizations grow in size, work becomes more complicated, and competition heats up across the globe, teamwork holds the best possibility for solutions to complex problems that will enable individuals and businesses alike to flourish. From all corners of the business world, people are interested in tapping into the energy, synergy, and ingenuity that only comes from a high performing team. From our perspective, this phenomena is neither a fad, nor a flavor of the month management technique designed to squeeze more out of people. Legions of leaders, managers, and employees are rediscovering that teamwork can increase productivity, offer satisfying rewards, and produce quality relationships in the work place. 
 The authors of The Team Approach contend that there are stunning parallels between the forces of teamwork that are observable in nature and what we see in modern organizations. Mother Nature and history are both powerful teachers as they have combined over and over again to demonstrate that teamwork is ageless and timeless. The authors will illustrate and elaborate on the key building blocks of teamwork in virtually any setting through their Diamond Model of Teamwork. This remarkably clear and easy to understand models will help anyone form and develop a team that is capable of unbelievable achievements. The elements that make up the Diamond Model of Teamwork are universal. So it doesn t really matter if you are serving on an R &amp; D project, government agency, sales team, manufacturing group, school staff, or a group of NBA referees huddling and debating a call. The principles and skills described in The Team Approach can help any kind of team make the leap to the next level. 
 Dr. Stowell and Ms. Mead make the case that team success is everyone s responsibility. Consciously or unconsciously everyone chooses to either help the team pull together or pull apart with their actions and words. Team members who choose to be enrolled and actively involved in the pursuit of a clear purpose with a deep sense of responsibility will generate an unbeatable force. With the right team anything is possible. 
 The book has been written in a straight forward, reader-friendly fashion and is full of examples, real experiences, metaphors, thoughts, and stories to pull you easily through and explain the core concepts of the Diamond Model of Teamwork. The Team Approach is designed more for the practitioner than the academician. In a special chapter of the book, the authors explore the unique issues and challenge that leadership teams encounter and how to work through them. So, if you are looking for specific, actionable ideas to implement in your team, you have come to the right place as the authors and their colleagues share insights from 40 years of combined study, consultation, and teaching on the subject of team development. 
 Regardless of the particular area of interest, readers will come away with renewed motivation to help elevate their team to a new standard of performance.

The Team Approach: With Teamwork Anything Is Possible

Self-Help

Stephanie S. Mead

Success

Why is it that we as bright, articulate, and caring human beings have such difficulty holding effective conversations regarding important issues? Do you, like many people, vacillate between avoiding emotionally charged issues and going into attack mode in order to win and dominate discussions and debates? Are you tired of coaching communication models that seem to rely on disguised manipulation instead of clear and candid dialogue? Courageous Coaching Conversations is a leadership fable that uses a unique approach making you the center of the story to present key steps in preparing for and successfully navigating through the challenging and important communications we all face. Whether you are a leader or an individual contributor in your organization, there will undoubtedly be many times where you will find yourself in a difficult situation. These situations come in all shapes and sizes, and typically involve people with different goals, opinions, and interests, in varying kinds of work relationships boss-to-subordinate, peer-to-peer, or even subordinate-to-boss. These situations impact results and the performance level of the person, team, or organization, as well as the emotions of the people involved. The inability of people to effectively connect in these situations leads to an overall dissatisfaction in relationships, team culture, performance, and results. To avoid these pitfalls, people need the skills to have a courageous coaching conversation. You know that you are in need of a courageous coaching conversation when you encounter the following situations: -You need to get beyond the surface level of the situation and understand the heart of the matter. -Your messages are not being received or are misunderstood by the other person or persons involved. -Your ideas are met with continuous resistance. -People are not following through on assignments and commitments. -Controversial and uncomfortable situations are not being addressed. -Problems remain unresolved. Research reveals that there are some very predictable traps that we fall into when discussing challenging issues or topics with others. This innate reaction is tied to the fight-or-flight response. Regardless of who we are, these very predictable patterns emerge during important, complex, and sensistive conversations. Understanding what these patterns are and how to craft more productive conversations is the goal of this book. The concepts underlying courageous conversations aren t abstract, and they aren t theoretical. They re really, really simple. The beauty of this framework is its simplicity. Put yourself in Adrian s shoes and go on a journey of discovery that will guide you toward developing your own courageous coaching conversations. Walk with Adrian and discover how the Courageous Coaching Conversations Model will help you: -Focus on the issue or problem rather than the personality of the person. -Be direct, honest, and open, but not overbearing, when communicating with others. -Learn how to foster conditions that will enable people to act with high levels of candor, respect, and responsibility as they engage in difficult, complex issues.

Candor: How to have courageous coaching conversations when it really matters

ED.D.

Tony I Herrera

PH.D.

The Art of Strategic Leadership: How to Guide Teams, Create Value, and Apply Techniques to Shape the Future

wiley

Develop the qualities of strategic leadership and become an active contributor to the short- and long-term success of your organization Today's organizations face two daunting challenges: 1. How to create new sources of competitive advantage to sustain long-term growth, and 2. How to engage leaders at every level of the organization so that they are more proactive and forward-looking in their area of responsibility. The Art of Strategic Leadership uses a unique approach to examine what it means to be a strategic leader. Instead of focusing on the skills, behaviors, and tools found in typical books on strategic leadership, the authors shed light on the attributes and qualities necessary to lead strategic change and help transform a business. Strategic leadership is what modern leadership is all about. Organizations expect leaders to anticipate and be proactive more than ever before. In this book, the authors draw on their vast experience working directly with leaders at all levels and use an intriguing narrative to explain this inside-out approach to understanding strategic leadership. The narrative follows the journey of how one manager discovered these critically important qualities. You will experience first-hand how these values and attributes manifest in the lives of realistic leaders; how they orchestrate long-term strategic change needed for the organization to compete and survive and actively shape the future while delivering short-term results. The Art of Strategic Leadership&nbsp;provides the content that will help you informally assess and reflect on your own strategic leadership qualities--those that are strengths and those that indicate areas you need to develop. It will guide you as you incorporate these values and qualities into your own leadership style and become a more effective catalyst for change. This book will help you in the following ways: <ul> <li>Develop a more proactive, forward-thinking approach to leadership</li> <li>Approach strategy from both short- and long-term perspectives</li> <li>Adopt the core values and principles of a strategic leader</li> <li>Model the qualities exhibited by powerful leaders</li> </ul> Strategic leaders serve as powerful examples to others in the organization. Their qualities and traits spread rapidly to those around them, empowering people at every level to take a more active role in meeting the demands of the future. The Art of Strategic Leadership will help you deepen and broaden your understanding of the core qualities of strategic leadership, leaving you better equipped to lead yourself and your team to a better place and create greater value for customers, owners, and employees.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Steven J. Stowell. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Steven J. Stowell