The PEOPLE Process TYPE Talk Understanding People is what it's all about.
March 2011

Greetings!

Welcome to the first edition of Team Skills Notes. The purpose of this newsletter is to highlight the tools that create the Positive Functions of a Team that are learned and experienced in the Team Skills Training.

We will be intermixing the Team Skills Notes newsletter with our regular personality type newsletter. In other words, this month you'll receive Team Skills Notes, and next month The PEOPLE Process personality type newsletter and that will be the format each month thereafter.

Please contact me with any comments you have regarding specific articles you'd like to see in our monthly newsletters. Our mission is to increase the understanding and use of personality type theory both individually and in teams.

Warm regards, Pam

IN THIS ISSUE
  • The Positive Functions of a Team
  • Building TRUST
  • About the Author - Pam Hollister, INTJ

  • Building TRUST

    When it comes to teams, trust is all about vulnerability. Team members who trust one another are comfortable being open, even exposed to one another about their failures, weaknesses, and fears. Vulnerability-based trust is predicated on the simple - and practical - idea that people who aren't afraid to admit the truth about themselves won't engage in the kind of political behavior that wastes everyone's time and energy, and more important, makes the accomplishment of results unlikely.

    Vulnerability-based trust is rare because it is hard to achieve. That's because we have this crazy desire for self-preservation. The idea of putting ourselves at risk for the good of others is not natural, and is rarely rewarded, at least not in the ways that we expect. But looking out for number one can be lethal for a team.

    It's important that we learn to get comfortable being exposed to one another, so that we can honestly say things like "I was wrong," "I made a mistake," "I need help," "I'm not sure," "you're better than I am at that," and even, "I'm sorry." If we can't speak these words when the situation calls for it, we'll end of wasting time and energy thinking about what we should say, and wondering about everyone else's true intentions.


    About the Author - Pam Hollister, INTJ

    Pamela Hollister developed The PEOPLE Process - "Understanding People is what it's all about" - with the intention of providing a package and trainings that would simplify the understanding and use of personality-type theory. Pam has over 35 years of professional business experience with emphasis on entrepreneurship, marketing and business communications. She has created and directed Team Skills training programs for General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, and personality type trainings for a large number of Fortune 500 companies, the US Air Force, the Department of Energy, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and numerous school districts throughout North America.



    The Positive Functions of a Team

    FUNDAMENTAL ATTRIBUTION ERROR: We have a tendency to falsely attribute the negative behaviors of others to their character, while attributing our own negative behaviors to environmental factors. This fundamental attribution error often creates misunderstanding and distrust among team members. By getting to know one another better and understanding each other's personal histories, team members can avoid this problem.

    Personal Histories Story: The members of a team that had been together for a number of years were sharing their personal histories. When it came time for one particular guy to explain his biggest challenge of childhood, he hesitated for a moment and then explained that when he was eight years old, his twelve-year-old brother was murdered, and that was tough on him. One of his teammates sitting across the table from this guy was stunned, and after a moment said, "I've worked with you for nine years and I never heard about that." To which his colleague said, "Yeah, I was just never sure about the right time to bring it up."

    • Trust is the foundation of teamwork.
    • On a team, trust is all about vulnerability, which is difficult for most people.
    • Building trust takes time, but the process can be greatly accelerated.
    • Like a good relationship, trust on a team is never complete; it must be maintained over time.

    Quick Links...

    Communications and Personality Type - Extravert & Introvert

    Teamwork!

    Your Leadership Story

    The PEOPLE Process Blog



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