Leading with Emotional Intelligence: Hands-On ... - always yours

TEAMWORK AND COLLABORATION TOOLS AND STRATEGIES 151
themselves and communicate that they value the input. Below are
some suggestions.
• Leaders and the team decide how they are going to make
decisions (i.e., by majority, minority or content expert, unanimous,
or consensus).
• Expectations are clarified from the leader to the team, from
the team to the leader, and within the team. (See team
Expectations exercise on page 180 for how to do it.)
• Meetings and team guidelines are established that flow out
of agreed-upon expectations, such as “One conversation at
a time,” “Stay focused,” and “Defer judgment.” (See more
about meetings beginning on page 155.)
4. COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
AVERAGE: Avoids confl ict, jumps to conclusions, and may fail
to effectively communicate his or her thoughts. Communicates the
same way to everyone.
STAR: Makes thinking known and heard, identifies assumptions,
acknowledges and resolves confl icts. A Star treats each
person as a “chess player” with unique talents and varies his or her
communication to fit the person.
ACTIONS to do the unnatural and be more effective:
Leaders give the team specific tools for communication and working
through confl ict; otherwise, the strongest, loudest, and most senior
voice tends to prevail. Below are some suggestions.
• Teach communication skills such as how to listen better,
inquiry versus advocacy, and summarizing what is said.
• Appreciate differences and then communicate uniquely to
each person to fit that person’s style.
• Assign a devil’s advocate to enliven conversations and
protect against “group think.”