New Team Leader Workbook

A Self-Study Guide for New Teams and Newly Appointed Leaders

Adapted by Mitchell W. Manning Sr.from the work of the BurroughsWellcome and GlaxoIntegration team 1995 - 1997.

Principles

The objectives of New Team Start Up and New Manager Assimilation include Creating a shared understanding of what the team leader and

members expect of each other in terms of values and operating practices

Building trust and partnership among team members as a

foundation for productivity Identifying the major challenges facing Glaxo Wellcome from

the perspective of your area and developing a plan to stabilize the business

Agreeing on how to move forward in the integration process,

now that the team is in place

MeTeam Process

People SurveyOrganisation

Skills Business Unit Goals

New Team Start Up

Implications

While conducting new team start up and new manager assimilation requires an investment of time and energy by the leader and team members, the returns are

• Increased group effectiveness• Reduced anxiety and uncertainty• Greater likelihood of successful group interaction• Increased speed in achieving business targets• Greater commitment to team and team objectives

Actions

Before beginning this process, it may be helpful for you (the newly appointed manager) to consider the following questions Manager’s Questionnaire (see pages 6-5, 6-7) What are my key deliverables? What do I feel is the purpose of this area/unit? This team? What are the major business challenges we will face in the next

year? What values from my experience do I hope to incorporate into

the way that we do business? What do I feel are the particular strengths of each team

member? What will be different about this area/unit in one year? What will be different about this team in one year? What, in addition to the objectives on the previous page, do I

hope to accomplish during this day long process? To Do 1. Send invitations to the participants with the purpose of the New

Team Start Up Process, why it is important to you, the objectives for the day, location, time, and the anonymous input/prework sheet (see pages 6-8, 6-9).

2. Arrange for a meeting place away from work with appropriate

meals and refreshments. 3. Designate someone to call the information from the anonymous

input sheets. (Information should be taken word for word from the input sheets and organised by question number.)

New Leader’s Questionnaire

1. What are my key deliverables?

2. What do I feel is the purpose of this area/unit? This team?

3. What are the major business challenges we will face in the next year?

4. What values from my experience do I hope to incorporate into the way that we do business?

New Leader’s Questionnaire

5. What do I feel are the particular strengths of each team member?

6. What will be different about this are/unit in one year?

7. What will be different about this team in one year?

8. What, in addition to the obejectives on page ___ do I hope to accomplish during this day long process?

Pre-work for Team Members

Purpose This tool is designed to allow participants in the upcoming New Team Start Up to provide input into the discussion in the form of questions, answers, and advice. Please respond to the following items and return to (NAME and ADDRESS) by (DATE). The information will be collated into one list of responses and no input will be directly attributed to anyone. Thank you for responding and returning this form. It will make for a most productive meeting. New Manager Assimilation Process 1. What do you know about (Newly Appointed Manager)? 2. What would you like to know about (Newly Appointed

Manager)? 3. What concerns do you have about (Newly Appointed Manager)

becoming your manager? 4. What advice to you have for (Newly Appointed Manager) that

would be important for his/her success?

Pre-work for team members

New Team Start Up 5. What is the purpose and vision of our area/unit? 6. What major challenges do we (the team) face in the next six

months? 7. What values/characteristics are most important to our success? 8. How would you define a good team leader? 9. How would you define a good team member? 10.If you had unlimited power/resources, what three key

organisational issues would you resolve? How? 11.What will define our success as a team?

Agenda: Team and New Leader

Introductions: (45 minutes)

The new manager should set the stage for the day by presenting his/her expectations for the day and for the team. The responses to questions from the prework assignment may be helpful in setting the tone. Each team member should have an opportunity to introduce themselves. Suggested format questions may include:

Name, background, hobbies/interests, one part of their former company (Glaxo or Wellcome) that they hope is preserved in Glaxo Wellcome, an expectation for the day. (The leader may want to record the expectations on a flip chart to refer to during the day.)

New Manager Assimilation: (1 Hour - 1 1/2 Hours)

(The Newly Appointed Manager should prepare in advance of the meeting his/her responses to the New Manager Assimilation Process Questions 1-4.)

Flip charts of the questions team members asked about the new manager should be created in advance. The newly appointed manager should then go through each of the questions and respond to them to the satisfaction of the team members. The new manager should check for understanding from the team and encourage discussion of the items. Honesty and straightforwardness will pay off at this point.

Break Team Activity: (45 Minutes)

A teamwork instrument (examples given) or a team icebreaker exercise would be helpful at this point to illustrate difference in styles of team members in the way that they solve problems, think, communicate, and make decisions. This is an opportunity to learn more about one another in a non-threatening, non-evaluative way.

Team Purpose and Values: (1 Hour)

Team members should come to a consensus agreement on the purpose of the area/unit the team represents. They should also have a frank discussion and come to a decision about the values that will be important for the success of the merged unit/area. (The New Manager should post the collated responses to Question 5 and Question 7 in preparation for this discussion and record the decisions that are made by the team.)

Lunch

Agenda: Team and New Leader

Team Challenges and a Planfor Stabilizing the Businessin the Short Term: (2 Hours)

Team members should identify the key challenges that the area/unit faces in the next sixmonths (Questions 6 & 10). They should choose those challenges that are most significant forthe short and long term success of the unit. They should then spend time identifying solutionsto the challenges, assigning responsibility to team members for championing the solution, andidentifying timelines for accomplishment.

Break

Clarifying Roles andResponsibilitiesof Team Members: (45 Minutes)

Give the team an opportunity to identify those critical tasks and areas of responsibility theybelieve fall under their remit. Ask each person to share and look for overlaps or gaps inresponsibility. The team leader should spend time helping team members clarify andnegotiate to an agreed upon outcome.

Setting Team Norms andDefining Success: (1 Hour)

The newly appointed manager should post the collated responses to Questions 8, 9 and 11 inpreparation for this discussion. In reviewing the responses to the team leader, norms aboutwhat the team leader should or should not do are articulated and recorded. In reviewing theresponses about effective team membership, norms about team members should be voiced andrecorded. In defining the success of the team, the expectations, hopes and aspirations of teammembers are clarified.

Summary and Next Steps: (30 Minutes)

The newly appointed manager should summarize from the posted flipcharts the agreementsthat were made by the team to the critical questions raised in the New Manager AssimilationProcess and the New Team Start Up Process. He/she should take the responsibility to see thatall of the agreements and the plan for the next sixty days are typed and distributed within thenext two working days. Any additional next steps can be added at this time.

Information and Resources:

1. Team planning book (revised Wellcome Book)2. Support/facilitation/counseling role/mentoring from HR

Mitchell W. Manning Sr.

Mitch has chartered, trained and managed more than 250 employee teams accountable for more than 2000 completed projects and responsible for more than $100,000,000 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA).

Links to Mitch are:

Mitchell W. Manning Sr. on LinkedIn

Mitchell W. Manning Sr. at MindRead.net