The success of your team meeting is directly proportional to the amount of planning you have invested in that meeting. You can't just show up and expect magic to happen without a little bit of forethought.

Your team has worked hard and now needs management support and/or commitment to implement your recommendations. Hopefully, you have been keeping the management group informed of your team’s progress, so the presentation should not be “new news.” Nevertheless, take time to prepare for your final presentation.

One of the major challenges with brainstorming an idea is that people want to immediately evaluate the idea. It's like playing "whack a mole" where creativity gets squashed with every suggestion.

I was recently working with a team that loves to play "whack-a-mole". While I stated the traditional brainstorming ground rules, I also added one more to prevent this tendency to evaluate every single idea:

"Be curious."

Here's how.

Team members often need "coaching" from the team leader and their teammates. It's a normal phenomenon for people new to a team or to a task that ranges from instructing, guiding, and inspiring them to be truly empowered to accomplish the task.

But even with coaching, what if you don't think they are up to the task?

When do you let it go? Give up? Recognize that it's NOT WORKING?

Recognizing your team's efforts can significantly boost morale, foster a positive work environment, and enhance productivity. Here are some cost-effective ways to acknowledge and appreciate your team's hard work.

Despite ruling on several divisive issues, the justices have long maintained they are civil and get along well despite the fierce disagreements. Why? Because even the U.S. Supreme Court has ground rules!

As a leader, we want to build and strengthen our team. But what if we are actually dividing our team - and we don't even know it? You may consider using more inclusive language on your team.

Want to test your team alignment? Try this thought-provoking team activity.