Greetings %$firstname$%,

Doreen and I welcome you to this initial issue of our newsletter, The Norquest Report. This newsletter will be issued monthly, and will contain articles on some of our products, tips designed to help you, and featured resources. If you have any suggestions on other things you would like to see included, please let us know.

In this issue we feature the Team Dimensions Profile™. So much of our success today is dependent on our ability to work effectively on a team. Relationships are sometimes difficult to maintain, yet that old acronym is still true today - Together Everyone Achieves More!

We hope that you enjoy The Norquest Report. We would be happy to receive your comments.

All the best,

Developing Success Oriented Teams
with the Team Dimensions Profile™

In today’s change oriented society and team based approach to the work environment, organizational success depends, more than ever before, on people working together effectively. This requires a clear understanding, by the individual, of his/her personal strengths, a real appreciation of the difference in others, and how their strengths interact with those of others. This knowledge is the foundation for successful team development.

In the mid 1960’s Bruce Tuckman developed a simple four stage model of team development that became an accepted theory of how teams develop. In his article “Development Sequences in Small Groups” Tuckman outlined four stages of team development – Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing. But while this model is a good explanation of the progression of teams, it does not explain the complex relationships in the team that result in the four stages. Each member of a team is an individual with his/her own characteristics and behavioral preferences. Their success as an operating team will depend to a large extent on how well they interrelate and capitalize on the strengths of each individual.

Many of us grew up with the Golden Rule – “Do unto others as you would like them to do unto you”. But today, Dr. Tony Alessandra, in his Platinum rule, disputes that. He argues that to build constructive relationships, we should do unto others as they would like to be done unto. Certainly a different perspective!

The former chairman of the board of the Chrysler Organization, Robert Eaton, has been quoted as saying, “any culture, by definition, exists primarily to prevent change, to set in stone the lessons of the past.” But this is simply not true in the change oriented business world of the 21st century. Organizations today face complex challenges. These challenges result in new and deeper demands on leadership. A cross-national study by the Centre for Creative Leadership indicates that today’s leadership involves more collaborative and innovative approaches. The quality of leadership is also likely to be a major force in helping organizations retain a competitive advantage in today’s marketplace.

People are different, and if leaders are to be effective they must understand that “one size does not fit all”. Leaders, to be effective, must adapt their approach to meet the needs of their followers. Teams are groups of diverse people united by a common goal or purpose. Operating effectively they exemplify the acronym T.E.A.M. (“Together Everyone Achieves More”).

In a well functioning team you can recognize 5 key roles being played out.

• Role #1 is that of the Creator who takes a conceptual approach to the task. These are the people who generate ideas.
• Role #2 is that of the Advancer who takes a spontaneous approach. These people communicate and/or promote the ideas.
• Role #3 is that of the Refiner who takes a methodical approach. These people challenge the ideas, and/or point out their weaknesses.
• Role #4 is that of the Executor who takes a normative approach. These people implement the ideas.
• Role # 5 is that of the Flexor who plays the role of the deal-maker and can step in to fill any gaps.

Although most people can stretch to perform each of the roles, these stretches are often stressful and energy consuming. The most effective teams consist of individuals who play to their strengths and use their natural talents. The key element to remember is that everyone has a preferred role that can be used to help teams create their best solutions.

The process is likely to follow a “Z” pattern. The Creator come up with an idea, the Advancer likes the idea and promotes it. Then the Refiner clarifies any objections, and pokes new holes in ideas that make them better, and the Executor gets the information they need to implement the plan or idea. Through the whole process the Flexor plays the role of the deal-maker – providing team balance.

Thus, in a well balanced team you have the Creators that develop new concepts, the Advancers who move things forward, the Refiners who examine the details, and the Executors who follow through on the implementation. While the Flexors monitor the process and step in to fill gaps on the team.

Team Dimensions Profile™ helps us identify our most natural approach and our most comfortable role on a team. We can also use theTeam Dimensions Profile™ to understand how to interact successfully with team members with different patterns.

Team Dimensions Profile™ describes an individual’s preferred role and explores its strengths and challenges. From it you can discover what you do best in a team atmosphere, and you can gain valuable insights into your work habits. In addition you can learn about other team members’ contributions, the value they bring to the process, and how to work effectively together.

In summary, the important lessons in this exercise are that:

• We all have natural strengths that enable us to perform certain roles comfortably
• Our individual tendencies toward change make us less effective alone than when we are part of a team
• We need to balance our strengths as team members
• Then its “Together we’re better!”
  

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Productivity Tip of the Month

I am constantly surprised by the number of people that have never heard of Snagit®, since it is an essential part of my tool-kit and scarcely a day goes by that I do not use it in some way!

Using Snagit®, you can select and capture anything on your screen and share it with others to visually clarify difficult concepts, create clearer documentation, and give your presentations a professional, dynamic look.

There are many things you can do to increase your productivity when using Snagit. Some of these include:

• Capturing anything you see on your computer screen
• Capturing parts of webinars that you wish to remember, – easier and faster than taking notes!
• Capturing screen images to explain things to people because it’s easier to explain with images instead of just text
• Don’t waste time cropping your captures. Snag exactly what you need, with just a click.
  

As Techsmith says “if you can see it, you can Snagit.”

Snagit® is available from http://www.techsmith.com at a cost of US$49.95; but there is a free trail available so you can check it out before you buy!

(Note that this is not an affiliate offer!)

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Inscape Publishing Conference held in Scottsdale Arizona April 9-10, 2010

Doreen and I were pleased to attend the Inscape Conference in Scottsdale this year. Called Mindlab 48, this annual event gathers distributors from all parts of the US and Canada. It allows us to share information as well as to hear some outstanding presenters. It was a very upbeat and lively gathering – taking the theme “Improvise, Innovate, Collaborate. An innovation this year was to bring several clients to the event and have them questioned on their use of Inscape products and the differences it has made in their operations.

The highlight of the meeting was undoubtedly the unveiling of Inscape’s new 360 feedback assessment for leaders. This forthcoming solution combines the best of 360° reports with the power and simplicity of DiSC®. As conference attendees, we were among the first to be trained to deliver Everything DiSC 363 for Leaders™ to our clients.

This will give leaders and coaches a more productive 360 experience.

Compared to other 360s, Everything DiSC for Leaders™ is more:

• Approachable
• Actionable
• Personalized

A special email is being sent to our clients concerning this outstanding new product.

And we were excited to be honoured as 2009 Emerald Award winners, the top Canadian distributors, and in the top 2% in the USA. “The Blake’s dedication to helping their clients attain higher levels of success through ongoing training and development is reflected in this achievement,” remarked Jeffrey Sugerman, president and CEO of Inscape Publishing. “We are proud to have Doreen and Bill as leaders in our Inscape Publishing community.”

Emerald Award status, Inscape’s second-highest award level is based on purchases of personalized learning assessments and facilitation materials from Inscape Publishing. In 2009, fewer than 1% of Inscape’s independent consultants worldwide earned the honor of Emerald Award. This is the 13th consecutive year that Norquest Associates has won an award.

Inscape Publishing products are sold exclusively through an elite network of over 2,000 independent consultants, trainers, and coaches. For more than 30 years, Inscape’s DiSC® products have been used worldwide in thousands of organizations of all sizes, including major government agencies, local and regional businesses and Fortune 500s.

Every year, over a million people learn to work more effectively with others using Inscape Publishing products.

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This Month's Quote!

“One half of life is luck; the other half is discipline – and that’s the important half, for without discipline you wouldn’t know what to do with luck.”

Carl Zuckmeyer
1896-1977, Writer and Playwright

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