Teams: How Well Do You Know Yours

Why all 3 Centers are Important


Have you been trying to get your team to step up and produce at the next level? Are you stretched to meet or exceed your goals and being asked to do MORE with LESS? Do you struggle getting your team members to take more action, make more independent decisions and take responsibility for their decisions?

As an executive coach I often am asked to work with teams. One of the first areas I explore is identifying where the leader and each of its members function within our Three Centers of Intelligence. Let me provide you with some examples that will help explain this.

I have worked with leaders and teams that rely on being logical, driven by data and a few key objectives and focus on making decisions by overemphasizing their cognitive intelligence. Relying on our “mind” alone means we miss out on opportunities to “connect” with people, building relationships and trust. How often do we “over-analyze” the situation and fail to follow our instincts, as often we “already” know the answer but are afraid to trust making a decision without more facts.

And then there are teams that only seem to drive forward with intensity. Sort of like a car transmission that only goes forward fast, without a reverse or neutral gears. Over-reliance on our instinctual 

center of intelligence and quickly moving into action can lead to only average performance, as we miss the opportunity to pause, some of which might mean building relationships or listening for better information.  Often I hear “ready, fire and aim” associated with these teams.

Teams that know how to rely on their emotional center of intelligence are harder to find, although you might find a few while shopping at select retail establishments where teams are trained to connect with customers through relationships and the total customer experience. However, too much reliance on the emotional center might mean they feel as though they are on a rollercoaster without time to think clearly or take the best action for both themselves and others. They can lose sight of the tasks and miss important “details” as their focus is more about people and “feelings.”

So how can you work with more balance and commitment from each team member? How might you take the extra time to benefit from all three centers of intelligence? One of the first places to begin is to stop, pause and identify which of the three centers your team predominately works within. How about each member?

For your next team meeting, how could you structure the time so that everyone has a chance to express what was meaningful to them about their work and each other? How might they be able to tie what they do each day to the greater goals of what the organization is trying to achieve for its customers? How could you impact their sense of belonging to the team so that they want to contribute at their best in a way that brings them personal meaning? How might you role model showing up as an entire person instead of only talking about the tasks at hand, what was completed and what needs to be done?

I often find that the best team leaders bring balance to the picture and understand how to communicate and motivate effectively by understanding their team members. Do you know the dominant center each team member utilizes on your own team?

Jenny Yoder brings a wealth of life and work experience to each client coaching relationship. Coaching clients benefit from Jenny’s broad experience in sales, marketing, services/product management, operations, small-business ownership, and change and transition employee communications consulting within the high-tech industry. Her previous roles in multiple leadership capacities provide context and a reality-based foundation for her coaching relationships.  See More>