Tony Easton
High Performance Team Development
When two choral voices sing together, there may be two separate tunes sung in parallel. What we are aiming for is the third element, something neither can produce on their own...a harmony. In business teams this requires discipline and explicit communication.
Approach
In working with teams, I am always conscious of how cynical many team members may be about a team development intervention.
The set up is key. Individual one to ones before the group sessions can help significantly. I might ask the question 'what would need to happen in the team sessions for you to stop feeling cynical?'... and then design the intervention based on that feedback.
Individual sessions preceding the team get together are also crucial to uncover the real issues, and quickly. The team leader may have a very different view from the members about what it will take for the team to perform at its potential. This needs to be understood, discussed, and agreed...by the whole team.
Outputs of my team interventions normally include an understanding of The Jungian based 'Insights' model and what that means to adapting and connecting with others; and a team 'charter', which will list behaviours all sign up to and review constantly.
I will always go in with a planned structure, but will often change on the fly in order to follow what emerges as important areas for the team to discuss, and for which the team has energy to change.
Philosophy
My philosophy on teams is that 'the team' and its behaviours need to be 'programmed' and treated almost like a new born baby despite the fact that the team is comprised of fully developed adults.
Assumptions are challenged by private ballot and often what was thought to be obvious - agreed vision, shared goals, codes of behaviour, ability to get on, morale high - is often exposed as being more confused than originally thought. Through discussion the 'embryo' is explicitly nurtured and introduced to disciplined behaviour.
I am always uplifted by the magic teams can find when they have the courage to be open with each other, go back to basics, and write the script for how the team will operate.
Experience
20 years in financial services, from sales, marketing to senior management. Global marketing roles with Reuters, including postings to US, Canada, and Continental Europe.
Board level positions at NatWest Stockbrokers (Head of Marketing) and Societe Generale (MD, Fimatex UK).
A few examples of recent team development programme assignments:
2 day team development session for the board of TDA, a west country advertising company
- Design and co-delivery
- Cheltenham,7 board directors
- 1 day individual sessions
- 2 consecutive days team workshop
- Understanding self, team leadership, influencing, working globally, leading change, decision making, commercial acumen, and strategy.
UK leadership programme for 12 senior execs reporting to the board, Delta Rail
- Design and co-delivery
- Derby and London
- 6 months, 4 x 1 day
- Individual coaching in between sessions
- Mix of teamwork and leadership training
- Collaboration and appreciating different personalities, Coaching skills, decision making, inspiring communication, giving direct feedback
6 day team dev programme for AXA
- Design and co-delivery
- Bristol
- 1 year, 3 x 2 days
- Individual coaching in between
- Mix of getting the team working better together, more creative solutions, decisions made in more timely fashion.
- Excellent feedback, recommendations passed to CEO, and further work commissioned with us.
Team development day for Asia Pacific Board, Cambridge University Press
- Design and delivery
- Hong Kong
- 1 day 1-1 sessions, 1 day team workshop, I day consulting at their board meeting.
- 10 executives from 6 countries, including China, H-K, US, Korea, Wales, Australia and UK.
- Main day based around ' Insights', facilitating feedback to each other and agreeing team values they want to sign up to.