I’ve known my guest, Bernard Desmidt, for several years and it has been wonderful to see his success and impact in the world of work. A corporate coach, facilitator and author obsessed with the importance of team dynamics and the factors that contribute to high-performing teams, Bernard emphasises the significance of moods, language, and the body in team dynamics and introduces the concept of the five disciplines of flourishing teams. He is fascinated by the paradox of teams - where great things can be achieved but where we’re also stuck in the day-to-day tactical work. Many teams are just ‘fine’, but Bernard wants to make them flourish and that means less leadership focus on results and more on relationships.
Shifting leadership focus from results to relationships
Why you should listen: What leadership mood are you bringing to the table?
Team development brings big emotions
We explore the three domains of leadership
Leadership language can bring people in or keep them out
Leadership in the body - the physical component of safety
Harmony through honesty - radical candour in team development
Take action
Ask yourself what am I contributing to the meeting? More specifically, what is my mood? What is my mood, and how is that being amplified into the room and the experience for others?
Tip of the week: Composure, p66 - Emotional Akido and matching attention with intention to connect with other humans.
About Bernard Desmidt
Bernard Desmidt has over 20 years global experience as a leadership coach, facilitator, trainer and speaker who helps executives create high performing cultures. Bernard is the author of Inside-Out Leadership and Team Better Together. Find out more about Bernard’s work: https://www.bernarddesmidt.com
Related episodes on team development
232 Leadership principles for happy teams with Susie Walford
178 The leadership skills required to manage remote teams with Faith Rees
329 Sinking teams, swearing and safety with Adrian Baillargeon
Key moments
Planet human - Co-working spaces are struggling as the future of work is still unclear. Creative ideas are needed for the real estate left empty.
Planet Zoë - I’m off to Canada for a big family celebration as my dad turns 80 and my brother marks his half-century.
The importance of moods in team dynamics (00:11:57) Looking at how moods influence our actions and behaviors, and how different moods affect our space of possibilities.
The role of moods in securing cooperation and commitment (00:13:17) Moods act as signposts, indicating the need for cooperation and commitment. Frustration and anger are related to feeling unheard or taken advantage of.
The significance of collaboration in teams (00:20:50) Differentiates between cooperation and collaboration, highlighting that collaboration, which involves aligning on goals and problem-solving together, is necessary before cooperation can occur.
The discipline of discovery (00:27:42) This is where teams discuss the mandate they have been commissioned with by stakeholders and what stakeholders value and find difficult about them.
The discipline to declare (00:29:01) Teams declare their purpose and the cause they serve that is greater than themselves.
The discipline of design (00:30:22) Teams design their culture and ways of working, focusing on effective working relationships, trust, and respect.
Teams rise and fall on the quality of their working relationships (00:38:09) Bernard discusses the importance of team dynamics and how relationships impact team performance.
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About your host, Canberra leadership expert Zoë Routh:
Zoë Routh is a leadership futurist, podcaster, and multiple award-winning author. She works with leaders and teams to navigate future horizons.
She has worked with individuals and teams internationally and in Australia since 1987. From wild Canadian rivers to the Australian Outback, and the Boardroom jungles, Zoë is an adventurist! She facilitates strategy and culture sessions with audacious teams.
Zoë's fourth leadership book, People Stuff - Beyond Personality Problems: An advanced handbook for leadership, won the Book of the Year at the Australian Business Book Awards in 2020. Her fifth book is a near future science fiction dystopian novel, The Olympus Project.
Zoë is the producer of the Zoë Routh Leadership Podcast, dedicated to asking “What if…?” and sharing Big Ideas on the Future of Leadership.
Zoë is an outdoor adventurist and enjoys telemark skiing, has run six marathons, is a one-time belly-dancer, has survived cancer, and loves hiking in the high country. She is married to a gorgeous Aussie and is a self-confessed dark chocolate addict.