I recently had the opportunity to facilitate a workshop on "Team Member Effectiveness" for PhilHealth in Zamboanga. The event focused on giving attendees valuable insights and practices for developing cohesive, high-performing teams that get results.

Over the course of the session, we explored: the fundamentals of team development, self-leadership, building trust, managing relationships, and fostering team accountability. The workshop was an interactive format blending instruction with hands-on group activities and open discussions, which allowed participants to immerse themselves fully in the mindsets and behaviors that separate good teams from great ones.

We began by examining the science of how teams take shape and the progression they follow when forming, storming, norming and eventually performing. Developing strong self-awareness emerged as a critical first step on this journey that attendees seemed to appreciate. Before we can cohesively lead or contribute to a team, we need to understand our own tendencies, strengths and interpersonal styles.

From that foundation of self-leadership, we progressed into conscious practices for building trust, navigating team dynamics, and communicating effectively. Participants had opportunities to candidly discuss challenges they face and experiment with tools for overcoming them in a safe environment. The exercises allowed them to experientially reinforce and apply the principles we covered.

One of my key aims was to equip attendees with immediate actionability. So in addition to deepening their teamwork knowledge, each person left with fresh ideas, techniques and strategies they could implement right away to improve cohesion and performance. Based on the positive feedback, that objective was achieved:

"This gave me so many great insights for working better within my team, as well as being a better team member myself," one person commented. "The activities brought the concepts to life in an engaging way."

Another attendee remarked, "I have a new perspective now on what it truly means - and what it takes - to operate as a highly-effective team. And plenty of new tools to put into practice!"

Overall, attendees expressed feeling motivated and empowered to take their teamwork abilities to new heights. My goal is for this workshop to serve as a catalyst for more cohesive teams that achieve superior results. Because when employees unite positively toward shared goals, that's when the real magic happens for any organization.

I look forward to facilitating more engagements that help teams re-energize, realign and tap into their unrealized potential. It's immensely gratifying to equip people with strategies for coming together, working through challenges, and taking performance to the next level.