Four-Wheeler Bonds: A Day in the Life Sunday

On July 19, 1910, the governor of the U.S. state of Washington proclaimed the nation’s first “Father’s Day.” However, it was not until 1972, 58 years after President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day official, that the day became a nationwide holiday in the United States.

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Whether we choose to have a day to recognize a mother, father, grandparent or any another influential relationship in a child's life, or not, children need adults in their lives who love and adore them - always.

Because it's Father's Day, let's talk about dads.

Dads are cool.

I remember reading early on in my pregnancy about the tremendous ability a father has to influence the lives of their daughters. As much as this mom wanted her daughter to be hers and hers alone, she can't deny that there is a special connection between a dad and his daughter.

Neither will ever fully understand what it's like to be the other but that doesn't stop them from connecting. Rather, it creates a wide open space for dads and daughters to create their own unique experiences.

I knew our daughter was going to be in good hands.

In between four-wheeler rides, tubing, sledding, fishing, canoe rides, maybe-not-so-appropriate movies, bad jokes, You-Tube animal videos, late morning sleep-ins, McDonald's meals and visits to the neighbors, this father provides his daughter with a calm steady presence, unconditional love, respect, encouragement and a voice of reason to my maybe-a-little-overprotective motherly emotion.

Raising a child is joyful, but not easy. This dad stepped up to the challenge. Our daughter is growing into a confident, independent, capable and strong teenager. She's kind, respectful and funny.

Above all, she loves her dad.

Happy Father's Day, Bill.

Four-Wheeler Bonds: A Day in the Life Sunday by Lisa Rosendahl first appeared on lisarosendahl.com

Team Building. Can You Stand it?

You've probably been involved in a team building exercise at some point in your work life.

Perhaps it was a human knot, an mandatory weekend outing or a few hours in the workplace "getting to know" your colleagues. I am always interested in what leaders subject employees to under the guise of teamwork.

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I've never been a fan of forced team building.

As a leader, I want my people to know that I've got their back. I want to create a workplace where people choose to come to work. There will be bumps and bruises along the way but in this work place people know that if they stick with it and show up, they can be their best.

I stay away from over-exuberance and anything that is staged for the purposes of "see what I do for you."

I don't go for cheesy.

I go for building strong teams.

No man is an island and no leader can get the job done alone. Work gets done through people. Being forced to play a ridiculous game is not going to turn a struggling team around.

Step away from the idea of introducing "two truths and a lie" at your next team meeting and instead, observe your team in action. Assess how team members communicate and how they hold themselves accountable.

• Communication. Teams that perform well adopt communication strategies. Does your team come together to be sure the team is ready to move forward before an plan, action or decisions takes place? Does your team touch-base regularly? Do they meet to explore service, product or ways to improve? What is the level of emotion and hurt feelings in a typical team interaction?
• Accountability. Teams that perform well hold themselves, and others, accountable. Does your team raise the red flag when someones safety or the quality of service is at risk, an urgent decision needs to be made or to avoid a mistake is about to happen?  Do they establish agreements to ensure future success and team improvement? How often are issues not raised within the team later shared in hushed voices at the proverbial water cooler?                         National Center for Organizational Development

Now, assess yourself.

How do you communicate with your team and how are you helping or hindering communication? How do you hold yourself and your team members accountable for delivering results? Are you accurately assessing team member performance or do you have premature faith in their abilities?

In the end, leaders are judged on how well they make their organizations work. Teams that perform well deliver results. Effective teams dedicate time to understanding their work and know that improving the way they work is their work.

The best leaders create the work environment where this can happen. This is sustainable team building at it's finest.

Trust circle not required.

Team Building. Can You Stand It? by Lisa Rosendahl first appeared on lisarosendahl.com