Imagine you are running a super teams workshop. You have already had a pre-meeting with the leader in which you both agreed on the goals for team session. The leader has also created their provisional picture of perfection. During the workshop you will provide practical tools that people can use:

* To set-up the team to succeed.

* To agree on the team’s picture of perfection.

* To agree on each person’s contribution to achieving the picture of perfection.

Here are three steps you can take when running the actual workshop.

1) You can set the scene, outline the super teams model and invite people to set-up the team to succeed.

* Welcome people.

Get the basics right. Ensure people are greeted properly. Provide them with coffee, tea, fruit or whatever. Make sure all the ‘hygiene factors’ are taken care of successfully.

* Start the workshop.

Invite the leader to kick-off the session. They can to give the background the workshop - the reasons for meeting today - and outline the goals. The leader then hands over to you.

* Establish credibility and set the scene.

Establish credibility in your own way. Different people have different ways of demonstrating they know their subject. Follow the style that works for you. Repeat the goals for the workshop. Give an overview of the day. For example, here is a possible schedule.

9.00 Start: introduction and goals for the workshop.

* Super teams: an overview

* Setting-up the team to succeed.

Creating the right conditions for achieving success.

Lunch

* Clarifying the picture of perfection.

* Clarifying each person’s contribution towards achieving the picture of perfection.

* Continuing to build a super team.

17.00 Close.

Make clear working contracts. Explain what you see as: a) Your role during the day. b) The team’s role during the day.

* Give a brief introduction to super teams.

Do this in a way that fits for you. For example, I often start by saying that super teams have several characteristics:

- They have a compelling ‘story’, a clear strategy and people combine their strengths to achieve success.

- They have ‘similarity of spirit and diversity of strengths’.

- They make clear contracts. Contracting is crucial when working together to achieve the picture of perfection.

* Give an activity in which people clarify some of the elements that make up a super team.

People need an opportunity to ‘own’ the learning. So invite them to tackle the exercise called Super teams. Each person is to identify a team they have admired and what they did right to perform brilliant work. They are also to make a flip chart describing their example and put these around the room. People then form trios and share their findings. Bring the group back together. Invite two or three people to give a short summary of what their chosen team did well. Write these principles on a flip chart. You can then keep referring back to these themes during the workshop.

* Give further input on building a Super Team.

Go through the super teams model. In your own words, you may want to say something like: “There are many ways to climb a mountain. Similarly, there are many ways to build a great team. Here is one approach we will be looking at today.” Talk through those parts of the model that you feel are relevant. Give real-life examples that illustrate each theme.

* Invite people to create the foundations for setting-up the team to succeed.

Ask people to tackle a series of exercises under the following headings.

a) People - the spirit we want in the team.

They are to do tow things. First, to brainstorm and then agree on the characteristics – the spirit and qualities – they want people in the team to demonstrate. For example: to take responsibility; to be positive; to be professional; to be customer-focused; to deliver. Second, to give specific examples of how each of these qualities would be demonstrated by people in the team.

b) Satisfying sponsors.

They are to do three things. First, to make a list of the ‘sponsors’ – the people who can hire or fire them - who they must continue to satisfy. Second, to describe the specific results they believe each of these sponsors wants delivered. Third, to describe the specific things they can do to satisfy these sponsors.

c) Controlling the controllables.

They are to do three things. First, to describe the specific things they as individuals and as a team can control. For example, their attitude, professionalism, etc. Second, to describe the things they can’t control. For example, their bosses, the market, etc. Third, to describe how they can build on what they can control and manage what they can’t control.

d) Super team contract.

They are to do two things. First, to describe what they see as the leader’s responsibility in the team. Second, to describe what they see as the team members’ responsibility in the team. This can then become the basis for their working contract.

e) Quick successes

They are to do three things. First, to describe the potential quick successes the team could achieve. Second, to give a probability rating of being able to deliver each of these successes. This to be done on a scale 0 – 10. Third, to describe the specific things that can be done to improve these ratings.

Prepare flip charts for each exercise ahead of time and put the flip charts on the floor. Ask people to go and stand on the topic they want to tackle and, in this way, form small groups. (You are reinforcing the voluntary principle.) People have 30 minutes to complete the exercise, including writing up the flip chart, before returning to the whole group. Each team then makes a 5-10 minute presentation. Frequently this leads to discussion. (By now it is probably time for lunch.)

Why introduce such exercises before exploring the picture of perfection? People will already have a rough idea of the goals. From a learning point of view, however, it is good to encourage participants to be active, rather than passive. People must also gain a sense of ownership in creating the foundations for the team. You will soon move onto the POP.

2) You can clarify the team’s picture of perfection.

You can help the team to do this in two stages: a) The leader presents the picture of perfection; b) The team members then get a chance to add to the POP. Let’s look at these stages.

* Invite the leader to present the picture of perfection.

The leader presents the road map towards achieving the picture of perfection. They can then describe the benefits and key strategies for achieving the goals. People can ask questions for information. They will later get a chance to add to the POP.

* Invite people to add to the POP.

Before the workshop the main elements of the road map will have been transferred to flip charts. You can now ‘roll-out’ the road map in front of the team. Give each person a pack of Post-It Notes. They have 10 minutes to write things they would like to see added to the POP. They are to write one idea per Post-It, but compile as many ideas as they wish. Each person then goes up in turn and puts their suggestions on the relevant parts of the road map. They are also to explain what they have written on each Post-It. The leader can take away the suggestions and consolidate the road map. They have the final say, of course, but it is good to incorporate many of the ideas into the road map.

Please note. Depending on the make-up of the overall team, you now have two options:

a) You may be running the workshop for a relatively small team. If so, invite people to clarify their individual contributions to the POP. (See later in this piece.)

b) You may be running a workshop for a big team, however, in which there are ‘teams within the team’. If so, invite people to go into their natural teams. They are to produce their team’s ‘Road map towards achieving the picture of perfection.’ They should then present this back to the big group, showing how their road map feeds into the overall POP. People can then complete the individual contribution exercise within their natural teams - perhaps a week or so after the workshop.

Let’s imagine, however, that you are working with a team of individual contributors. You can then go onto the next step.

3) You can clarify each person’s contribution towards achieving the picture of perfection.

* Invite people to clarify and present their best contribution towards achieving the goals.

Super teams encourage people to build on their strengths. So invite people to consider the activities in which they deliver ‘As’, rather than ‘Bs’ or ‘Cs’. Bearing in mind their strengths, invite each person to tackle the exercise called My contribution to the picture of perfection.

Give them 45 minutes to complete this work. Each person is then to make a 10 minutes presentation to the whole team about their contribution. Everybody then knows what mountain they are climbing, why they are climbing it and everybody’s part in reaching the summit. The leader can meet with each person after the workshop to make clear contracts about their part in achieving the picture of perfection.

* Invite people to clarify their ‘take away’ from the day.

It is now time to wrap-up the workshop. One approach is to ask people to clarify Three things I have learned - or relearned - today. Give individuals a few minutes to write these down by themselves, then to briefly share them, either in pairs or in the whole group. Doing such an exercise gives people a feeling of success. Thank people for their contribution to the workshop.

* Invite the leader to conclude the session. They can describe how they want to maintain the momentum and continue building the super team.

Keep close to the leader during the day and make sure they are happy that things are on track. During these discussions, invite them to consider how to maintain the momentum after the workshop. For example, getting the ‘teams within the team’ to report back within two weeks. They can report the progress they have made – including how they have got some early successes.

Ask the leader to close the workshop. They need to focus on: a) Their plans for meeting individuals to finalise each person’s best contributions to the goals. b) Their plans for maintaining the momentum. This is not a one-off – people will be asked to keep updating the whole team on their contribution to the picture of perfection. c) Their plans for getting some quick successes. Finally, they can thank everybody for their contribution to the session.

This is one way to run a super teams workshop. Take the ideas you like and use them in your own way.

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