The delight of teamwork is in small day-to-day interactions that lead to wins and belonging.
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In a nutshell
Charlie Gilkey is an executive and business coach who honed his approach to training teams in the US army. It is his belief that team habits are the key to success within organisations.
In his words;
In a world where most leadership, teamwork and change management books focus on lofty ideas, the future of work, and grand strategies, I’m proposing something simple and mundane: if you want your team to work better, focus on your team habits.”
He splits his book into three parts, to be read in order or scattered:
- Part 1 is an overview of team habits, the categories of team habits and why they’re the key to working together.
- Part 2 goes into each category of habit. It includes practical steps you can start incorporating into your organisation.
- Part 3 explains how you can build a plan to change your team habits.
By the end you’ll be able to identify bad habits and have the tools to implement and maintain better habits that will transform your team and organisation.
Book Club Notes
This is one of those books you read, think about, and then want to go reread – this time actually using it as a roadmap to create change. So much of what he shares seems obvious, but obvious doesn’t mean it’s done or easy to do. It’s also easy to read it and brush it off as something you can’t do. Either because you’re not in a managerial position, or your organisation is too big or set in its ways for you to effect change. Charlie dismisses the above by demonstrating that it is teams who actually create organisational culture and anyone working in a team has the power to effect change – one small habit at a time. Even if the only habits you can change are your own. It’s practical, actionable and a book that will act as a reference you come back to again and again.
4 Ways to Write Better Emails
We all use emails to communicate. Charlie’s 4 tips will not only help you write better emails but communicate better as they can be applied to any written form of communication – whatsapp, slack channels or team messages.
- Use the 5-sentence rule: Limit all email responses to 5 sentences or fewer. This forces you to think more concisely and stay more focused. Shorter emails are also easier to respond to, meaning you’re more likely to get a response.
- Cut one-third: Practice cutting one third of the words you would normally use out of every communication.
- Make it scannable: When formatting a longer communication, use numbered lists, bullet points, and subheadings to make it as scannable as possible.
- Use simpler versions of complex terms: A lot of verbose words that make us sound smart have one – or two-syllable equivalents that are easier to understand, faster to say and more understood.
Read If
You work in a team on a daily basis, but especially if you lead teams.
Rating
Writing – 8/10
Applicability – 9/10
Timelessness – 9/10
Shareability – 10/10
The Nitty Gritty
Published by: Profile Books, distributed by Jonathon Ball Publishers
Genre: Business
ISBN: 9781800819405
Pages: 267
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A note on our book ratings
Readability: How easy is it to read and understand what the author is saying? Do you need a dictionary or PhD to understand it?
Writing: How well written is the book? Do you find yourself wowed by the writing or unimpressed?
Applicability: How applicable is this book to daily life? Is there enough advice and actions that are easy to start applying?
Timelessness: Is the content of the book timeless or is it something that in a few years won’t have relevance?
Shareability: How likely are you to share the book?
