Employees need to be given tools to be successful in order for them to feel fulfilled at work. They also need to identify with the company values and know exactly where they fit in the grand scheme of things. Business leaders need to know how to set a vision (informed by their values and goals) and then mobilize their team to see things through.
But we often find leaders lack the time and/or know-how, and are looking for resources to help cement their values and achieve their goals.
We learned this through investing in and working with startups and early-stage entrepreneurs, who often came to us to develop systems to make their companies more cohesive and efficient.
It’s people (not the product or service) that will ultimately determine success or failure.
We have found three powerful sets of tools that, when combined with our facilitation, produce real and measurable results.
Stagen
Our co-founder Scott attended the Integral Leadership Program from Stagen (a leadership training program dedicating to investing in human capital) and brought some powerful tools back with him – tools that help teams become higher performing and live true to their values.
Using tools and practices from Stagen, the teams we have worked with have become laser-focused on results – having learned how to become better communicators and having an increased sense of accountability. We practice what we preach, and we’ve incorporated these practices into our business as well. As facilitators, this puts us in a unique position to understand the power (and sometimes challenges) that arise as these practices are adopted.
TTI
Additionally, we use TTI and their robust behavioral assessments. We have witnessed significant results when individuals and teams are able to understand themselves on a much deeper level. People are complex beings. By using TTI we have the ability to combine up to five sciences to explore the depths of a person. We have found solely looking at one dimension by itself (i.e. DISC) is not nearly as powerful as combining the power of DISC with Internal Driving Forces, Soft Skills and Emotional Intelligence.
Understanding is the first critical step to increased collaboration. Collaboration is essential to achieving results.
EOS®
We have two on-staff Implementers of the Entrepreneurial Operating System® (EOS). Our team first implemented EOS® within our own organization three years ago. In that time, we have finalized our purpose and values, set our vision, and have been steadily working towards our goals – gaining more and more traction. This tool helps business owners get what they want out of their business. It is a people-centric framework to operate a business and provides laser-focus to what can be a scattered and chaotic environment.
Tools That Work
As we began using these tools with the startup community, we quickly realized these are very applicable to a broader community of businesses.
While I was on maternity leave in 2016, I spent a lot of sleepless nights mulling over what made these tools so effective. How did they work together? How could they be taught more effectively to employees? How can we bring tools that are usually reserved for C-Suite executives and offer them to people throughout organizations?
We knew that if business owners invested not only in personal development but in team development for their people it would pay off BIG in the long run.
Upon my return, I began developing a program that pulled together all of the tools we had seen so much success with, and developed a unique curriculum – that would set employees up for success in their work roles and in life.
We at MAC6 are truly passionate about seeing businesses succeed, and that means making sure employees know who they are, what their strengths are, and what fulfills them at work.
Funny story: to take some of our own medicine in answering those questions, Kyle and I actually switched operational roles. He was working primarily in the leadership programs side of the business (the side that I loved). I was working primarily in real estate, and building communities (the side that he loved). If we hadn’t gone through these assessments and the other tools, perhaps we would have never realized that we were missing out on the potential to achieve even more results by switching roles.
Our New Programs
We are still very involved in EOS® Implementation and Role Benchmarking, but I’m extremely excited to announce the culmination of my blood, sweat, and tears: our Team Development programs.
We now offer three programs that are designed to equip your people for success (plus, let’s be honest, they’re fun).
The first is our feature program, which we are bringing to all companies who realize that their people are their biggest asset. This will break them free to the next level of business. It is an experiential journey, which will create lasting change in higher performing teams. If our clients aren’t quite ready to take the plunge and make the full commitment to this eight week course, we have segmented key portions of this program, based on the same science and tools.
EXPEDITION | Higher-performing teams and a values-driven culture.
8-week course – $495/person
This experiential program focuses on achieving higher team performance by eliminating dysfunction and focusing on ingraining company values into your culture. We’ll walk your team through a process of both individual and team exercises that build the skills and knowledge necessary for achieving results, increasing employee commitment and creating a Conscious Culture.
EXCURSION | Unlock TEAM effectiveness
Full-day – $295
We will discover the strengths and weaknesses of your team as a whole, identifying key opportunities for improvement that can make your team higher performing. Assessments will help you identify each team member’s natural and adapted behavioral style, which leads to internal understanding and cooperation.
EXPLORATION | Discover INDIVIDUAL potential
Half-day – $175
This program is about self-focused discovery. Your people will take TTI’s DISC, Driving Forces and Soft Skills profile assessment, which includes natural behavioral styles and driving forces. These assessments allow employees to find the kind of work that energizes and excites them (leading to higher productivity), as well as pinpoint areas of potential weakness. During our half day session, we will also explore how to best work together while acknowledging everyone’s different styles and driving forces.
As a facilitator, I’ve seen these programs changing lives for the better.
Here’s a basic example: in TTI, we learn that some people tend to be more comfortable with touch, and others would rather anything else. In one company’s journey, we found some tension between two employees centered around the issue of physical contact. One employee, in particular, was incredibly uncomfortable with one of her team members level of friendly (and innocent) physical contact, but had been afraid to express her discomfort for years. As a result, she began avoiding conversations and interactions with him and, unable to collaborate, their work suffered. Once that friction was uncovered in the assessment, the team member was able to find a better way of encouraging and interacting with her. She no longer has anxiety at the office. Everyone’s a lot happier and more productive.
When companies invest in their employees and teams, they get happier people and a bigger impact. And really, when people are happy it translates outward.
I want to see people become not only better coworkers, but better spouses, parents, and community leaders – helping other people thrive.
If your company is interested in one of our culture-focused leadership programs, I’d be more than happy to talk with you! Jennifer.Burwell@Mac6.com
Jen