Team Building Plan
Companies with as few as one person constitute a team. “How?” you may ask. A one-person operation has to team up with clientele, vendors, or contractors to be successful. It seems a strong argument can be made that every person, everywhere must know and understand the skills involved in leading or participating in a healthy team
One of the challenges teams face is constant, evolutionary motion. They are either moving toward a goal or away from a goal. Teams are typically in one of three stages:
- Stage 1 - Formation / Reformation
- Stage 2 - Integration / Inspiration
- Stage 3 - Disintegration / Dysfunction
Another challenge teams face is that each team member may have different goals or a different understanding of the team goal and their role in its success. We work with your teams to bring unity and success through building
- Operational clarity
- Decision-making consistency
- Healthy communication
The DREAM4 Team Development Plan assists you and your team discover and own the truth of where you are and take meaningful steps to understand the next steps toward a healthy team and organization. Our Organizational Health Assessment is a great also place to begin the journey to discovering your current team dynamic.
What is Included?
Assessments
We use nationally recognized assessments that inform and inspire teams to gain greater understanding of themselves and their strengths they bring to the team.
Book Studies
We tailor all our educational resources around the specific team and team dynamic for your company. Every team is a bit different, so the resources we use will change with each team.
Interactive Training
We provide trainings that get each team member engaged. There are no spectators in what we provide. Each team member takes a role and responsibility in bringing value to the training we provide. We believe people learn best through interaction and experiences that bring transformation.
Workshops / Retreats
Every Team Development plan includes team specific and on-site workshops that focus on the learning and assimilation of skills for team development. We can also provide intensive retreats and off-site training for teams needing the focused intentionality of that environment.
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How It Works
Like leaders, teams are not made accidentally or through osmosis. The DREAM4 framework is designed to assist teams to make steady progress towards maturity and momentum.
We tailor our approach to each team and business need. Below is a brief outline of the curricula and methods we use for the Team Building Plan:
- Year 1 - Typically, nine in-person or remote sessions which develop our four attributes of healthy teams: trust, communication, commitment & support. We first start with developing individual and group self-awareness by utilizing the Cliftons Strengths Finders Assessment.
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Year 2 - By year two, we are tailoring the team performance model toward the specific needs of your organization. No single team or organization progresses the same way or at the same rate. Therefore, we customize our solution in year two within our trademarked framework to maximize leadership / team performance.
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Year 3 - While year three is an optional part of the plan, we encourage participating in a third year. During this phase of the program, we solidify the skills and concepts from years 1 and 2. We have found that three years of consistent input yields the most lasting results.
Sessions are spread out and scheduled with your team approximately every 6 weeks. One to one meetings are a key component to overall success. We offer key assessments that identify team and leader strengths early on to allow them to maximize those areas as well as identify blindspots to be aware of and work through.
The DREAM4 approach for building a healthy team is centered around four key elements:
Step 1 - Group and 1-1 Sessions
Group Meetings - The group meetings are designed to bring leadership awareness, topical discussion, team interaction, and practical application. Each session works through specific components of our framework and provides a clear path for each leader to mark and measure success.
1-1 Sessions - Between the group meetings, team members are encouraged to maintain their focus on their goals and develop accountability for the work they have committed. 1-1 Sessions are offered as additional services to help participants in this process as needed.
Step 2 - Assess and Benchmark
All DREAM4 Team Building work is supported by quantifiable data. We create and provide assessments that are given at the beginning and end of every specific year or workshop.
One specialized assessment that is utilized is Clifton’s Strength Finders. This provides specific leader insights into the strengths they possess and how to leverage them for greater success in the organization. We take each person’s strengths and form a composite matrix. We then work with the team to see how these strengths form the health and working picture of the team.
Step 3 - Measure and Adjust
Milestones - We have specific milestones built into our plans that allow us to tweak and adjust the plan for the progress of the team. Discussion items, issues, and areas of growth differ in every organization, so we work to adjust to the specific needs presented along the way.
Measurements - In addition to our DREAM4 assessments, we set up unique and specific measurements that provide teams and individuals with a way to mark their growth and help them stay focused when challenges arise.
Step 4 - Provide Next-Step Guidance
At the end of every phase of the Building a Healthy Team Plan, DREAM4 will provide customized recommendations for the organization’s next right step. This will include items that the organization can do on their own as well as other DREAM4 services that will continue to help move the organization forward.
The DREAM4 Team Building Plan is designed to assist teams to function at their highest level. Our Leadership Development Plan and our Personal Wellbeing Plan are effective programs that complement the Team Building Plan in fully developing a healthy organization. The DREAM4 Team Building Plan is designed to assist team members align and function at their highest level.
Healthy Teams FAQs
The Cliftons StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment allows individuals to develop a deeper level of self-awareness. DREAM4 believes this is the cornerstone for any development, individually and collectively. When people understand how they naturally think and operate, they begin to understand where they fit among a team.
In addition, when teammates begin to understand how others think and operate, they build an appreciation for the different skills represented in a team. This group self-awareness leads to less interpersonal friction, a more efficient team, and more group-oriented results.
When listening skills are developed and empathy is demonstrated by team members, trust is built within the group. This dynamic opens the door for the sharing of ideas and cooperation, which creates a strong, more effective team.
Yes. It begins with an understanding of what empathy is and the desire to learn and practice it. Another necessary element is being held accountable to work on demonstrating empathy daily. When team members demonstrate a desire to understand another person, they are showing they care about them as more than just a coworker. This strengthens the team dynamic.
One of DREAM4’s favorite sayings is that “If you’re not working on it, it’s not getting better.” We often believe that teams will gel if just given time. This is simply not true – teams need intentional time and effort to build vulnerability-based trust and communication habits.
It doesn’t just happen. Our four-step process of team development allows for the focus on relationship and results.
- Trust is the understanding that team members can be themselves without fear of their mistakes or shortcomings being held against them.
- Communication is the willingness to share without personal agendas or attacks.
- Commitment is deciding as a group and moving forward together, even if there was initial disagreement.
- Support is simply two-way accountability. Team members must provide encouragement and challenge when needed.
First, you’ll be able to feel it. There will be less tension and friction. You will notice results happening more quickly and efficiently.
And it is always helpful to be able to measure and quantify team dynamics. DREAM4 creates and utilizes our own assessments given at the beginning and end of the Team Building Plan. This will allow team members to see how the work done through the plan has significantly improved their interaction and ability to work together efficiently and effectively.
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