My guest this week is team performance expert and author Adrian Baillargeon who shares his fascinating journey from corporate work in Saskatoon, Canada, to becoming an independent consultant in Australia via Major League Baseball in Africa!
We delve into the importance of creating a sense of belonging within a team, the impact of poor leadership decisions, and how to turn around a sinking team. Exploring the concept of teams that ‘swear by each other, not about each other’, and Adrian's book of the same name, we discuss how teams can create a sense of trust and authenticity, allowing for honest conversations. Despite his competitive sports background, Adrian’s not just about the homeruns, he believes in the power of collective achievement: we can get more runs on the board together than we can alone.
Team development starts with trust and trying new things
Why you should listen: getting out of the weeds for a bigger leadership perspective
Work on clarity for relationships, purpose, roles and responsibilities
We explore poor leadership decisions and their impact on team members
Feedback for leadership and team growth
Why emotional maturity drives psychological safety
How ‘Shining’ teams make it safe to swear
Take action
Get clear around your purpose and the goals you want to achieve as a collective, and the relationships, how you connect and understand each other in order to succeed.
Decide - what does good look like for you and your team?
Tip of the week: From my book, Loyalty, head to page 67 for sample agendas for regular engagement and gatherings with your teams.
About Adrian Baillargeon
Adrian is a leadership team performance specialist obsessed with helping some of the best leaders win the games that matter most to them.
With 20+ years of corporate experience across Canada, Africa and Australia, he has worked extensively in marketing, sales, strategy and joint venture management. He has been involved with transformations, mergers, downsizing, and expansion and has received state, national and global awards. Adrian is the author of Teams That Swear.
Key moments
Planet Human: The defunding of the national space mission [00:00:04]
Planet Zoë: Working with the New South Wales DPI and young farmers on the topic of risk and resilience. [00:02:31]
Adrian's background and journey from Saskatoon to Melbourne [00:04:41]
Leadership and creating a sense of belonging [00:11:04]
Discussion on the role of leaders in creating a sense of belonging and the impact it has on individuals.
The impact of poor relationships on sinking teams [00:13:59]
Exploration of the indicators and consequences of being in a sinking team, including mental health issues and lack of progress.
The groundwork for effective teamwork [00:20:07]
Creating agreed behaviours, promises, and psychological safety in teams.
Teams that swear [00:22:38]
Exploring the positive and negative aspects of swearing in teams and its impact on trust and team performance.
The power of feedback [00:29:51]
The importance of receiving feedback in a safe environment and how it can be used for personal growth and development.
Creating a sense of belonging [00:31:24]
The value of feedback that may initially be painful to receive and how it can lead to personal improvement and skill development.
The concept of the infinite game [00:37:12]
Exploring the difference between finite games and infinite games in business and leadership, and the importance of thinking about the bigger picture and long-term goals.
Recognising and understanding team roles [00:42:24]
The conversation focuses on the importance of recognising and understanding the roles of different teams within an organisation, specifically the leadership team and the team being led.
The regular cadence of engagement [00:48:39]
Discussion on the importance of regular engagement and a sample agenda for daily or weekly stand-up meetings.
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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.