From the desk of Caspar:
I screwed up this week.
It was in one of the teams I’m a part of. One team member said something to me four times and I didn’t hear it.
They got cross at me because I wasn’t listening and didn’t hear the message.
This stung. It really stung.
Firstly because I’d upset someone because of my inability to hear the message.
And secondly because as someone who specialises in teamwork, it was a glaring example of how not to do teamwork.
I stopped and reflected.
How could I have got it so wrong.
I observed that all our communication had been by email.
Now, as those who know me, will know that I like to speak to people. I notice that my primary method of communication is to read people and their body language and reactions. It’s what you do on a stage when you gauge the energy of the room. It’s what I do when I’m with a team. You feel the response. The communication comes over in multiple ways.
With a world largely working from home, by Zoom, by phone, by email, I wonder how many other people are experiencing this and mis-reading the messages from your team.
In my case I immediately took ownership for the mis-read. It was my mis-reading that caused the problem.
What form of communication do you rely on most? Do you prefer written words, speaking or picking up the vibe? What’s missing in our online world?
I’ve made a mental note for all the teams I work with to make sure I’m speaking (not just email) and asking what’s going on for them and remembering to just stop and listen. And then listen again. Both to what is being said and what is not being said.
Tip: Good teamwork is all about trust and trust begins with listening and acting. Are you listening properly to your teams right now and hearing all the messages going on
Reasons to be cheerful
One of the rituals I’ve followed for years is to every day write down things that I am grateful for, my reasons to be cheerful.
Even in the midst of each of us and the world figuring out how to adapt there are always reasons to be cheerful.
A big one right now for me is the glorious weather we have been having and in the UK, we’re set for a couple of weeks of hot weather. Bright early mornings and long light evenings for me are definitely reasons to be cheerful.
I’ve seen friends in lockdown turning their hand to gardening, to dialling up exercise and new things that they are learning. All great reasons to be cheerful.
What are yours? What’s your reason to be cheerful today?
Almost there….
I’m delighted to share that my new book will be launching very soon. Launch date is 16th July 2020. It’s a book for our times about teamwork.
Details of the online event will be shared in the next email. It’s been three years in the making and I can’t wait to share the details.
Fireside Chat
Tomorrow evening UK time (Thursday) is when Rory Stewart, British diplomat, author and politician, as he re-lives one of his most memorable and remarkable journeys in conversation with Honor Wilson Fletcher MBE, CEO of The British Exploring Society.
Last chance to join us..
https://www.britishexploring.org/afghanistan-to-wildestan-fireside-talk-with-rory-stewart/
Leadership tip of the week.
One of the most powerful exercises I do when I work with teams is to create a conversation around strengths - around what each persons superpower is. The shared understanding unlocks where each of us are strong and highlights where we need to work with others where are weak. This simple video walks you through a very human and simple way to find out what your strengths are..
https://www.casparcraven.com/super-powers
PS If you like this, you can subscribe to my YouTube Channel to get these tips every week rather than just every fortnight.
Thought for the day
Building trust with those you work with is the magic that turns a group of people into a team. Listening, really listening and then acting on what you've heard is the underpinning of that trust building.
Continuing to develop that skill has never been more important than it is today as we adapt to new ways of working where in person interactions have reduced and reading of body language and small signals are trickier on Zoom and by phone so be alert to what's really going on for each person you work with.
“We had the pleasure of hosting Caspar as our key note speaker during our global supply chain transformation kick off, adding the perfect spice to our program - ”making the impossible possible”.
Thanks Caspar for a great hour and for motivating and energizing our team!
In this time of difficulty and uncertainty - we have never been more convinced and ready to change our industry than now!”