Team motivation — Teaming With Ideas

Kula, Culture and Community

“So, you know the old saying: fish stinks from the head. What I hear with that saying is that a leader can really determine the culture of a community, for good or for ill. And I feel when my students saw the way I treated each individual student, they learned to treat one another with that same degree of respect and warmth, and to really take the time to see one another as individuals and as human beings, to see their vulnerabilities and their strengths.”

If I were to distill a lesson for people managers out of this, it would certainly be start with hearing and seeing the individual, as a foundation of building a collaborative environment at both the beginning and the end.

Team LeadershipCarlos Valdes-DapenaJanuary 11, 2022Culture, yoga, Team motivationComment

Keep Teams Dreaming with Angela Mangiapane

“If I were to start today, going back to the role that I had, we would do things differently. I would say let's look at our purpose.” Angela Mangiapane was leading an HR group in Latin America in which everyone insisted their needs were different and misunderstood. She somehow managed to refocus them into visualizing what Mars Latin America might look like in 10 years. From there, they planned their talent needs, even their billing operations. She had them do dreaming exercises as a tool to get things delivered. Her team is now energized, doing sprints and stand-up meetings. Hear her stories here.

Team LeadershipCarlos Valdes-DapenaMarch 16, 2021Visualization, dreaming, problem solving, Team motivationComment

Teams' Aptitude AND Attitude with Arturo Arteaga

I divide my team and how I communicate with them between attitude and aptitude. If someone has the right attitude but not the aptitude, I can work with them on the knowledge and capability building. Someone who has the right aptitude but not the right attitude is more difficult because you are losing some trust there.

Clarity of communication and motivation are essential for the individuals on the team. A manager must understand the individual’s context and ensure they’re understanding the manager’s contextually nuanced meaning.