MOL 624

Michelle LiButti

Course Analysis

In this course I was able to learn more about teams, coaches, mentors and leaders. My
knowledge has greatly improved and I have already started to use the information that I am
learning. I am finding the material to be beneficial at this time in my current leadership role. I
believe that as I learn and grow, I am able to help others to do the same. I know that I will
continue to develop skills and apply the information in future leadership roles as well, as it is
proving to be so beneficial.
To begin, I learned a lot about teams and teamwork through this course. In order for a
team to be effective and successful they have to have a sense of purpose, have clear goals and
have shared values. Tasks need to be clearly identified. Each members interests should align
with the common goal to help keep motivation and enthusiasm high. Each person should have
clearly defined roles that are interdependent on the rest of the team. The team role should also be
identified, are they a tactical team, a problem- solving team, or a creative team? I learned that
the size of the team is important and that teams should be smaller in size (no more than 20
members) to be most successful. I also learned about virtual teams and how they are unique in
several ways. Members of virtual teams work interdependently across boundaries, often in
different time zones and in different countries, leading them to be more diverse than face to face
teams. Virtual teams rely on technology as their main form of communication, many times never
meeting face to face. Virtual teams can be more flexible in regards to the type of work they can
accomplish, and their initial start-up and formation activities and initial structure are more
critical than traditional teams. The factors they share with traditional teams that contribute to
their success include clarifying objectives, roles and responsibilities and team formation.
Understanding the technology being used in a virtual team is pertinent to the success of the team.

Virtual teams have some advantages over traditional teams. These include: quick formation or
readily disbanded, adaptable to many different situations, can span across distance, time and
boundaries, faster marketing times (can work 24 hours), and cost savings. They also experience
some disadvantages including: role ambiguity, difficulty interpreting decisions, inability to read
social cues due to lack of face to face contact, and language and cultural barriers cause
misunderstandings. There are also trust, commitment and relationship difficulties due to not
being face to face as in a traditional team.
I learned that sometimes a team can become stuck. A stuck team can be identified in
several different ways. In a stuck team, only a couple of people continue to dominate the
discussion, discussion goes off the agenda and consumes too much time, and certain individuals
hold up team progress by missing meetings and failing to deliver on task commitments. Stuck
teams have a loss of energy and enthusiasm and a lack of purpose or identity. There can be
cynicism and mistrust as well as interpersonal attacks and finger pointing. It is important to
recognize the factors that lead teams to becoming stuck, as well as the many ways that members
and leaders can intervene to overcome these pitfalls. Celebrating small wins is an important way
to help teams avoid becoming stuck in the first place. Becoming stuck and finding ways to
become unstuck can lead teams to create new opportunities and new ways to interact with one
another to identify their purpose and achieve their goals.
I have a better understanding that conflict in teams is not always negative. I have
learned that as conflicts are addressed, it is much more likely that innovative solutions will
emerge. This can happen if all members are encouraged to bring up what is bothering them and
work toward creatively exploring options to reduce tension. Members can also be encouraged to
focus on the problem, not each other. This will lead to a more productive outcome, as they are

allied against the conflict, rather than personal issues. Addressing the conflict can also resolve
misunderstandings that often occur as a result of misinterpretation of information. Conflict can
be looked at positively as a learning experience and can help to shape different ways of doing
things in the future.
As a leader it is my role to ensure that successful and positive communication occurs
among team members and between members and myself. Understanding and implementing
effective communication strategies can help to ensure that the team performs to
the best of their ability. Creating a positive and encouraging environment and team culture are
important ways to help ensure that team members will be comfortable sharing information and
discuss necessary and relevant information with one another. As a leader I am responsible,
during team discussion, for facilitating communication, stimulating member contributions, and
focusing the teams attention. I have a better awareness of the biases that occur naturally in
communication between team members. As a leader and team member, I feel it is my
responsibility to spread this awareness to other members of the team. I also feel that it is my
responsibility to introduce strategies for more effective communication and promote these at all
times. I have to promote a positive environment and help develop a culture where people feel
comfortable engaging in communication with team members and with me. I feel that I have to
show that I am part of the team by setting a good example and holding myself to the same
standards as all other members. I need to be able to manage the group interactions, as well as
give individual, and team feedback.
If my team becomes stuck, I can encourage members to ask questions, communicate
directly with each other, identify the personal benefits that they will gain from the teams
success, and hold each other accountable. I will ask each one to be conscious of listening,

honoring all points-of-view, and teach them to disagree constructively and respectfully. I will
help them recognize each others needs and to become more sensitive to these needs as well as
look at how their own actions or inactions can impact their team members. I will encourage
members to follow through with commitments and speak authentically, as this will help everyone
to collaboratively develop trust in one another.
I am also aware that leaders are able to regulate the emotions of individual team members
and the whole group in order to enhance team performance. As a leader I know that my
emotions strongly influence group emotion and performance. As a current and future leader, it is
important for me to continually work toward creating a culture and atmosphere that is positive
and encouraging. I need to encourage that we begin to develop group norms that will help us to
support behaviors for building trust, group identity and group efficacy, as I learned that these are
the three conditions essential for a group to be effective. Through development of these norms
the team has the potential to develop high emotional intelligence. As a team develops emotional
intelligence they become more cohesive and in turn more effective. Members begin to let their
guard down, because they have developed clear norms and they know what to expect. The
environment has been built around trust, understanding, empathy and compassion. Members
begin to be able to give and receive feedback improving their ability to reach consensus and
make decisions. As a leader, I will continue to promote the environment most conducive to
developing a high level of emotional intelligence. I realize that as the leader, that my emotions
can affect not only me, but other individuals and teams that I am part of. I will continue to
develop the skills necessary to be aware of my emotions and how to regulate them appropriately,
and I will make the effort to help others to do the same. I will also continue to develop the skills

necessary to be more aware of others feelings and help to positively confront and affect these. I
will assist team members in doing the same.
To manage team conflict, I can encourage members to set guidelines ahead of time to
help the team work through disagreements. I will ensure that the conflict is handled directly and
that all team members participate in the discussion. I understand that it is easier to manage
conflict when members know each other on a personal level so I can begin to ask that each
person share personal and professional updates at the beginning of each meeting to build
relationships and improve communication. As a leader I will intercede if the conflict turns
personal.
Through course materials I have learned the difference between coaching and mentoring.
Coaching is more task oriented, is short term, performance driven, and the coach is usually a
trained manager or leader that helps you to develop specific skills. Coaching seems to be more
about developing your professional skills. Mentoring is more about the relationship between the
two people and has an emotional component. Mentoring is also a more long term relationship.
A mentor can be someone other than your manager, someone that you choose or are matched
with based on your needs and compatibility with this person. Mentoring can help you develop
personally and professionally.
As a coach or mentor I will make sure that I develop a plan with the coachee/mentee, that
specifically states what the purpose of the relationship is, clearly defines our roles and what is to
be accomplished and identifies boundaries of the relationship. We can state up front what types
of things we find annoying or bothersome, to help either to avoid doing these things. This will
help us to get to know one another better as well. We will also develop an action plan that
clearly identifies what goals they want to accomplish, measurable objectives, action they will

take to achieve these goals, what I am responsible for doing, and a time frame for each goal
achievement. To build the relationship and encourage trust, I will make sure that my
coachee/mentee is aware that I truly care about them both personally and professionally and I
want them to learn and grow as much as they can. I will also set the tone to create a trusting
relationship with open and honest communication. I will let them know that I too, expect to
learn from them and that the experience is rewarding for both of us. We can openly discuss the
obstacles that could arise in either type of a relationship and come up with proactive solutions to
address them before they even become an issue. A good way to reduce obstacles is to schedule
regular meeting times and adhere to these meeting times. This is the basis for reviewing progress
and providing feedback. During these meetings it is important that I give honest, relevant
feedback and bring forth any concerns I have in regards to the original agreement or action plan.
It is important that I create an environment of trust, so the coachee/mentee also feels comfortable
giving feedback and addressing concerns. I can share my own experiences with them, and allow
them to make mistakes without judging them. It is important that I ask probing questions during
our sessions, to allow them to learn from their experiences and foster self-directed learning. To
ensure that we are communicating effectively, we both need to ask clarifying questions. We need
to clearly understand what the other is saying to avoid any miscommunication. We both also
need to communicate honestly with one another. It is the responsibility of the coachee/mentee to
be ready to accept and apply feedback, as not doing so will also hinder the learning process and
goal achievement. I have to pay attention and get to know the individual to help them create
realistic, attainable goals and I have to be willing to put in the effort it will take to keep them on
track and accountable. When goals are not challenging enough, the coachee/mentee can lose
motivation, therefore I know that I need to continue to challenge, encourage and motivate. I also

need to listen, be empathetic and patient. I need to take time to recognize achievements and
celebrate successes of my coachee/mentee. They should feel encouraged and supported by me. I
am also more aware of the signals for closure, therefore, we can discuss these at the beginning of
the relationship and act accordingly if the relationship needs to come to an end.
The three things that I enjoyed the most in this class were developing a realistic coaching
plan, participating in a mentoring relationship and researching Project Light. The coaching
program that I developed was specific to my work-site and I have already implemented it on a
small scale. Little by little, I am learning how to be a more effective coach, and I am seeing how
beneficial it can be to both me and the team members. I cannot wait until it is fully in action. I
also have benefited a great deal from having a mentor. I think that having the class participate in
a relationship of their choice and getting that hands on experience is priceless. I am so grateful
for that opportunity. I also liked learning much more about Project Light. I work at the
organization where it was started, yet I had no idea how much went into the development and
maintenance of the program. It was great to be able to talk with Ron Knott first hand and get to
know personal details from him. He was accommodating and more than willing to talk about the
program. I really have enjoyed this class and I know that the information will stay with me for
years to come.