LavaCon Las Vegas 2016 Presentation

1. All for One and One for All!
Lessons in Leading Successful Teams
Cynthia C. Currie, PMI-ACP®, PMP®
Senior Program Manager | cynthia.currie@hpe.com | +1 603 488 5027
LavaCon Conference | Las Vegas, NV | October 2016
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2. In this session, we’ll cover how to …
 Create a strong identity for each member
of your team.
 Set and manage goals at the team level.
 Manage perceptions and create the
perception you want others to have of
your team.
 Handle mistakes and turn them into effective
learning.
 Incorporate professional development at the team level.
 Surround your team with the right network.
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3. Creating a strong identify for each member of your team
Encourage your team members to be who
they really are – authenticity is critical.
Share corporate profiles, LinkedIn profiles,
and even résumés.
Have each team member develop that
all-important elevator speech.
Share information about outside hobbies,
interests, and activities.
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4. Setting and Managing Goals at the Team Level
Set goals once a year, review progress monthly.
Focuses the team on what to accomplish as a team.
Aligns with organizational goals.
Is larger than individual performance goals.
Can and should include professional development.
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Increase Sales 20% Reduce OpEx $1M Increase CSAT +20 Industry Cert.
Bob
Carol
Ted
Alice

5. Managing Perceptions and Creating the Perception You Want
–This is a marketing exercise that never ends
–YOU are the product you want people to buy
–Perception is based on:
– Things you can control
– Things you can’t control
–People make gross generalizations – all the time!
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6. Exercise: Testing your own perceptions
Type/Role/Generation Characteristics
Type A personalities
Type B personalities
Lawyers
Bankers
Ivy League Graduates
Baby Boomers
Gen Xers
Millennials
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Other influences: Gender, Race/Ethnicity, Religion, Political Affiliation, Disability (visible, in particular)

7. Exercise: Testing your own perceptions
Type/Role/Generation Characteristics
Type A personalities aggressive, ambitious, controlling, highly competitive, preoccupied
with status, workaholics, hostile, and lacking patience
Type B personalities relaxed, less stressed, flexible, emotional and expressive, and have a
laid-back attitude
Lawyers know-it-alls, arrogant
Bankers ruthless, calculating
Ivy League Graduates pompous, pretentious
Baby Boomers extremely hard-working, motivated by position, perks, and prestige,
dedicated, loyal
Gen Xers independent, self-reliant, productive, competent, comfortable with
authority
Millennials entitled, demanding, want instant respect from others
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Other influences: Gender, Race/Ethnicity, Religion, Political Affiliation, Disability (visible, in particular)

8. Managing Perceptions and Creating the Perception You Want
Understanding how perceptions are formed
and informed is critical to managing them.
How do you know what perception exists
about you?
Consider how you perceive others.
How do you want others to describe you
when you are not in the room?
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9. Exercise: Creating your own personal brand
 Choose three – and only three – adjectives that describe you.
 Look up definitions and synonyms as you think this through.
 Take great care in choosing your adjectives.
 Roll up other adjectives into your final three.
 Create a visual display of your three adjectives and hang it in your office.
 Be prepared to support your adjectives.
 Act according to your adjectives.
 These sum you up, and provide a clear statement on your unique value and
competitive advantage!
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10. Example three adjectives
Enthusiastic … Evangelist … Entertainer
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11. Managing Mistakes and Turning Them into Effective Learning
DO…
 Understand that mistakes are
inevitable
 Own it, acknowledge it, declare your
learnings, and then leave it behind.
 Work out what went wrong and why.
 Make the changes needed to ensure
you don’t repeat the mistake.
 Forgive yourself.
 Refocus your attention on your proven
track record.
 Move on quickly.
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DON’T…
 Get distracted by it.
 Dwell on it.
 Continue to talk about it.
 Beat yourself up about it.
 Allow others to continue to replay it.

12. Incorporating Professional Development at the Team Level
Focus your team on its professional development
Training and education
Industry certifications
Conferences
Guest Speakers
Book Club
Advisers, Mentors, and Sponsors
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13. Book Club – How to get started
Identify an appropriate book.
Ensure everyone has the book. (buy it, rent it,
hardcover, eBook, cost, budget, personal
expense)
Divide the book into manageable sections.
Have team members volunteer to lead a team
discussion of each section.
Put the sections on a reasonable timeline.
Have each leader create a presentation about their section.
Stick to your timeline and roll out the sessions.
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14. Advisers, Mentors, and Sponsors
Advisers
• Answers discrete career
questions, generally
isolated, and not in the
broader context of your
career goals.
• Skills, experience, and
network to give you good
strong advice on a
particular issue or
challenge.
Mentors
• Answers discrete career
questions and provides
tailored career advice.
• Trust is paramount.
• You share the good, the
bad, and the ugly facts
about your career.
• They provide honest and
unequivocal feedback
that is helpful to your
career progression.
Sponsors
• Uses their internal
political and social capital
to move your career
forward.
• Advocates for you behind
closed doors and makes
a case for you.
• You share the good, the
good, and the good facts
about your career.
• Most important of your
relationships
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15. Surrounding Your Team with the Right Network
A network is a series of connected relationships.
An effective network is diverse and includes all kinds of people.
An effective network consists of four types of relationships.
Your team’s network can be viewed as a sum of the networks
of the members, at least in a professional sense.
Networking is one of the most powerful and
important competitive advantages in business.
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16. Action: Assess your team’s network
Where do we have connections?
Where should we have connections?
Identify the gap.
Create an action plan and track it to completion.
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17. The payback
All individual team members know their unique
value.
The team knows its unique value.
Value can be clearly articulated by all.
The team is a safe and supportive environment.
Everything peaks!
Perceptions re-form as they are informed by changes in your team.
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18. Balance in your life is critically important
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