There is a massive difference between being a group of people who work together and being a high-performing team. It doesn’t matter if you are working in an agile organization or one that is more traditional, a group of people who share an understanding of how they work, why they work, and how they can show up and support one another every day are going to achieve greater things than those who lack that understanding.

If this is something your team is struggling to develop, this podcast will provide a case study of how you and the people you work with can begin to develop the type of connection they need to rise and thrive together. In this podcast, Erich Hahn joins me to talk through the experience he and his team had in working through the Modus Right Environment Exercises (REE). Erich and have both been through the Modus Institute’s Lean Agile Visual Management program where we went through Modus Right Environment Exercises with teams and saw firsthand how they transform the way people form as a team. Whether you are starting up with a new team, or are working on one that has become a bit stuck, these tools will deeply impact how you engage with one another. 

One note, before you watch or listen to the podcast, the names of these tools will be familiar, but they are not the same ones you’ve used in the past. As you’ll see in the interview, Modus Institute uses these tools in a unique way that provides layers of insight that you would not gain otherwise. 

This podcast was originally recorded in video. You can find the video version here: https://youtu.be/Pp7BXnjZMh0

To Learn More About Modus Right Environment Exercises and Lean Agile Visual Management:
Modus Institute: https://www.modusinstitute.com
The Collaboration Equation: https://www.collaboration-equation.com
Free Modus Public Forum: https://bit.ly/3JfzgbL

If you’d like to contact Erich with follow-up questions:
LinkedIn:  https://bit.ly/3ybPgFp
Email: erichch@comcast.net

(Re)Start Your Team Using Modus REE with Erich Hahn

At the Modus Institute, Jim Benson and Mark Kilby have created a new offering called Successful Distributed Teams. This new course focuses on how to build strong remote teams, how to create a humane, healthy balance of productivity and accountability, and what tools you can use to make it all work. In this interview, Jim and Mark join me to discuss what happened when they combined the many years of experience they each have in shaping remote teams that work. We cover how the idea of remote work has changed over the past few years, what makes it so challenging, and things you can start doing to foster a thriving collaborative remote team. 

This podcast was originally recorded in video. You can find that version here: https://youtu.be/TnFzQr80tBg

To learn more about Successful Distributed Teams
https://modusinstitute.com/course/successful-remote-work-teams

To check out Mark Kilby and Johanna Rothman’s book From Chaos to Successful Distributed Agile Teams
https://tinyurl.com/5fbnynxe

Contacting Jim
Web: https://modusinstitute.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jimbenson
Email: jim@moduscooperandi.com

Contacting Mark
Web: MarkKilby.com
Mastodon: https://hachyderm.io/@mkilby
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkilby/
Email: mark@markkilby.com

Successful Distributed Teams

Summary
In this conversation, Dave Prior and Jim Benson discuss the challenges of remote work, the impact of collaboration tools on productivity, and the importance of creating humane workspaces. They explore the dynamics of meetings, the toxicity of over-communication, and the need for regular maintenance in team processes. Jim shares insights from his course on cleaning toxic waste in workplaces, emphasizing the significance of visual management and effective communication to foster a healthier work environment.

Takeaways
	•	Work should be done without fear or trepidation.
	•	Remote work requires understanding information needs within teams.
	•	Meetings often become unproductive due to over-communication.
	•	Context switching can lead to frustration and decreased productivity.
	•	Creating humane workspaces is essential for team dynamics.
	•	Regular maintenance of team processes prevents issues from escalating.
	•	Collaboration tools need to be used intentionally and effectively.
	•	Visual management can help reduce workplace toxicity.
	•	Toxic systems lead to hiring toxic leaders.
	•	Addressing workplace toxicity is a collective responsibility.

Chapters
02:11 Introduction to Jim Benson and Work Dynamics
05:09 The Challenges of Remote Work and Collaboration Tools
08:07 Meeting Overload and Productivity Killers
11:14 Communication Tools and Their Inefficiencies
14:11 The Impact of Context Switching on Work
17:07 Creating Humane Workspaces
20:10 The Role of Tools in Team Collaboration
23:08 Cleaning Toxic Waste in Work Environments
26:15 Conclusion and Course Information

Links from the episode
Cleaning Toxic Waste Course: https://modusinstitute.com/course/toxic-waste
Modus Institute: https://modusinstitute.com/
The Collaboration Equation: https://www.collaboration-equation.com/
The Agile Network December Micro Conference (Dec 16-17): https://theagilenetwork.com

Contacting Jim
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimbenson/
Email: jim@moduscooperandi.com

Are Your Collaboration Tools Hijacking Your Productivity? with Jim Benson

A podcast about Agile and Project Management

New tracks tagged #Modus Institute