Ground Rules Teleclass Series - Ground Rule 8

Groups usually avoid uncomfortable issues. Sometimes avoiding these issuesdecreases their performance. Even when this happens, almost all teams still avoid conversation about these issues in the one place where they could do something about them: in the group.

These issues do get discussed frequently – outside the group. Group members talk about these issues with those they trust, assuming that their concerns will be kept confidential. The most common one: the management style of the group's formal leader.Second most common? The competence of a team member.

Avoiding these issues creates unacceptable risk for groups. They lose focus, creative energy, and end up making decisions that people don't actively support. Members get frustrated, start to buy out, and contribute to the problem by keeping their concerns to themselves. Unfortunately, you probably don't have to imagine what this is like.

Ironically, when we're faced with these kind of group issues, we think it's more risky to raise them than to leave them alone. The opposite is almost always true.

I'll show you how we use this ground rule to help groups discuss these difficult issues productively. This is not easy, not without risk, and not comfortable. That's not the point. The point is increased effectiveness.

• Where and when to raise these issues - especially the question of raising them in the group or "offline"
• Building an agreement in advance about how to deal with undiscussable issues
• How to work with group members who are reluctant to address issues in the group
• How to raise undiscussable issues with people who have more power than you
• How to reduce your risks when discussing undiscussable issues

Your stories, opportunities and challenges will be the practice field. I'll share some key concepts – mostly via advance reading – and we'll quickly move into "clinic" mode, where we work together to make the material practical and meaningful for you.

We'll do all this in a fast-paced, focused way, and the class will be highly interactive. We're limiting live participation to ensure this, and the teleclass will be an hour long.

There will be a short written assignment beforehand, as well as some prereading. This will help us focus, in the call, on your learning and your real situations.

If you can't attend, you can purchase a recording of the entire class. If you choose this option, you will still receive all the supporting materials and assignments.

If you are still reading, I think you'll find the teleclass quite valuable. I invite you to participate.

• The advance assignment and course materials to help you get the most out of the teleclass.
• The dial-in information for the teleclass (if you're participating live)
• The digital recording of the teleclass. We will send you a link to download it (or, if you need it, ship you a CD recording), along with the materials above.
• The complete transcript of the call, if purchased.

If you think this teleclass is what you're looking for, I invite you to join in right here.

I encourage you to sign up for the entire Ground Rules teleclass series to maximize your learning; when used together, these groundrules are much more powerful than they are on their own.