Working Agreements

Recent studies have shown that clarity of expectations, coupled with a desire for flawless implementation leads to better than a 30% improvement in team member performance. While the desire for flawless implementation is usually present in functional working relationships, the question that bubbles to the surface is: How best to achieve clarity of expectations between leaders, teams, and team members? The method used needs to be flexible enough to accommodate all types of working relationships. This can include: leader-leader relationships, leader-follower relationships, leader-team relationships, team-team relationships, and follower-follower relationships. In addition, the collaboration method employed should be able to handle situations in which the working relationship is new, existing, troubled, or separated geographically. A construct to enable better communication and collaboration between the aforementioned relationships and situations is called a working agreement. 

Our working agreement and collaboration services may be utilized at all levels within a company. A working agreement is a flexible process that may be used in all types of situations, whether new or existing. The manner in which a working agreement can be utilized includes:

• Two individuals who are peers
• A superior and a subordinate
• An individual and a group, team, department, or region
• Two teams  
• Situations where individuals or groups are separated geographically and most of their interaction is not face-to-face
• Situations where a good relationship exists and the individuals/teams are seeking to move to a higher level of performance
• Situations when an individual or a team is underperforming and corrective action is sought 

 Improve collaboration, communication, and team member performance! Call Leadership Simplified today: 941-776-1121   

Case Study: Humana

Issue: A newly promoted leader seeks to work effectively with their new team.

Overview: New market president, David Miller, inherited a region ripe with potential, but stricken with average past results. He was charged with turning the region into the powerhouse of which the home office felt it was capable.

David had previously received executive coaching by Doug Van Dyke, so he was quite familiar with the concept of working agreements. David knew the working agreement process would help increase team communication, as well as help motivate team members to collaborate with each other. In addition, he saw the process of the working agreement as the perfect tool to get to know his new team better. David used his teambuilding leadership style to educate his colleagues on the benefits of working agreements. The team bought in to David’s vision, as well as his desire for effective collaboration and communication. By the end of his first week as market president, David and his team had created and signed a working agreement. By the end of the next week, he had working agreements with his top generals. David’s team was gelling and they were clearly focused on actions that would deliver standout results.       

Result: Within 18-months David’s market area went from near the bottom of their company’s rankings to #1!

Testimonial: “The working agreement process I learned from Doug Van Dyke is the best, quickest way I know of to get my team on same page regarding important expectations, and on the road to outstanding results.” 

David Miller

Market President

Humana

Kansas City 

Help your new leaders work effectively with their team! Call us today: 941-776-1121   

Case Study: Landmark Engineering & Surveying

Issue: Two leaders desire to work together more effectively

Overview: Landmark Engineering & Surveying had two leaders whose success was dependent upon successful collaboration with each other. Each leader was bright, capable, experienced, and well-liked by their teams. The problem? Their business relationship was acceptable, but not optimal. In order to reach more of their potential, Landmark called Doug Van Dyke regarding the working agreement process and executive leadership coaching. The working agreement would help the two leaders share clear expectations of each other, while executive coaching would help them learn new tools and skills. The leaders did a terrific job during the working agreement process and executed a signed agreement. In addition, each leader implemented the tools and techniques they acquired during the executive coaching process.

Result: Two leaders who collaborated more effectively – beginning the day after the working agreement process began! There was also less tension in the office. Productivity increased, which translated to higher sales and richer profits.

Testimonial: “Doug is a fantastic coach and works well with people at all levels of an organization. We have used his service for individual coaching, teambuilding, and business operation ideas. He is enthusiastic and truly cares that his help is appropriate for the situation. I have used other coaches and Doug is clearly the best of the lot. As a past TEC member I know I receive greater value from Doug while expending less time.”

David Hurley

President

Landmark Engineering & Surveying Corp.

Tampa, FL 

Help leaders work together more effectively! Call us today: 941-776-1121