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Most organizations want more collaboration. Fewer know specifically why and that ambiguity is usually the reason the efforts to build it do not hold. This is the starting point for any serious attempt to increase teamwork across an organization. Clarity about where collaboration is actually needed, how it creates value in that specific context, and what would be lost if it did not improve. Without that clarity, the actions taken tend to be generic culture programmes, team-building exercises, values statements and the results tend to be correspondingly shallow. When you have that clarity, the research points to a set of levers that work. All of them, not one or two. People: teams with higher average levels of agreeableness tend to be more cooperative. Hiring and developing for this matters. Leaders who support change and model learning have the power to drive team culture more effectively than almost any structural intervention. Tasks: framing work as genuinely interdependent so that each person can see how their contribution connects to the whole makes cooperative behaviour more likely and attracts more cooperative people over time. Recognition: at the point where bonuses, promotions, and assignments are decided, the behaviours that are rewarded shape the culture more directly than any stated value. If collaboration is not being actively recognised at those moments, the culture will not sustain it. And one finding from the research on multi-team systems that I find particularly important is coordination among leaders across teams matters more than coordination within individual teams for overall system performance. In other words, get the leadership layer aligned on goals and values and then give the operational teams the autonomy to execute. Trying to coordinate directly at the operational level is actually counterproductive. The collaboration challenge is a leadership challenge. It starts, and is sustained, at the top. #Collaboration #TeamPerformance #LeadershipCulture #OrganisationalBehaviour #RandallPeterson

One of the hardest balances to master as a leader is staying informed about your team’s work without crossing the line into micromanaging them. You want to support them, remove roadblocks, and guide outcomes without making them feel like you’re hovering. Here’s a framework I’ve found effective for maintaining that balance: 1. Set the Tone Early Make it clear that your intent is to support, not control. For example: “We’ll need regular updates to discuss progress and so I can effectively champion this work in other forums. My goal is to ensure you have what you need, to help where it’s most valuable, and help others see the value you’re delivering.” 2. Create a Cadence of Check-Ins Establish structured moments for updates to avoid constant interruptions. Weekly or biweekly check-ins with a clear agenda help: • Progress: What’s done? • Challenges: What’s blocking progress? • Next Steps: What’s coming up? This predictability builds trust while keeping everyone aligned. 3. Ask High-Leverage Questions Stay focused on outcomes by asking strategic questions like: • “What’s the biggest risk right now?” • “What decisions need my input?” • “What’s working that we can replicate?” This approach keeps the conversation productive and empowering. 4. Define Metrics and Milestones Collaborate with your team to define success metrics and use shared dashboards to track progress. This allows you to stay updated without manual reporting or extra meetings. 5. Empower Ownership Show your trust by encouraging problem-solving: “If you run into an issue, let me know your proposed solutions, and we’ll work through it together.” When the team owns their work, they’ll take greater pride in the results. 6. Leverage Technology Use tools like Asana, Jira, or Trello to centralize updates. Shared project platforms give you visibility while letting your team focus on execution. 7. Solicit Feedback Ask your team: “Am I giving you enough space, or would you prefer more or less input from me?” This not only fosters trust but also helps you refine your approach as a leader. Final Thought: Growing up playing sports, none of my coaches ever suited up and got in the game with the players on the field. As a leader, you should follow the same discipline. How do you stay informed without micromanaging? What would you add? #leadership #peoplemanagement #projectmanagement #leadershipdevelopment

When the Alarm Sounds: What Have We Really Learned? On April 21, 2025, a fire erupted on Petrobras’ Cherne 1 platform in Brazil’s Campos Basin. Though inactive since 2020, 176 personnel were onboard for decommissioning preparations. The blaze injured 14 workers and disrupted operations. One individual fell into the sea during the chaos but was safely rescued. This incident adds to a troubling pattern in offshore operations: • Deepwater Horizon (2010): Blowout, 11 fatalities, massive environmental disaster. • Cidade de São Mateus FPSO (2015): Gas leak, explosion, 9 fatalities—most were emergency responders. • P-36 (2001): Explosions, 11 fatalities, platform sank days later. • Trinity Spirit FPSO (2022): Explosion and fire off Nigeria’s coast, resulting in at least 7 deaths and a significant oil spill. Different contexts, but common failures—especially in emergency preparedness and response under pressure. What keeps going wrong? • Emergency teams overwhelmed or underprepared. • Communication breakdowns during critical moments. • Plans that didn’t match real-life complexity. • Delayed actions due to unclear leadership or roles. • Systems designed for control—not for chaos. These are not just technical issues. They are human and organizational challenges that require a different kind of preparedness. If we want to protect lives, we must evolve. Emergency preparedness must be treated not as a checklist, but as a core capability—something that is rehearsed, challenged, and deeply embedded in how we operate. That means: • Training for uncertainty: Go beyond rehearsed steps—simulate confusion, stress, and noise. • Building shared leadership: Empower teams to think, adapt, and lead at every level. • Practicing together: Response is collective performance, not individual action. • Treating drills like real events: Prepare emotionally and cognitively—not just technically. • Learning constantly: Review, revise, and challenge assumptions before an alarm rings. Because when the alarm sounds, your systems fall back on your people—their preparation, their mindset, and their trust in each other. We shouldn’t need another tragedy to remind us that the strength of our emergency response is not measured by the equipment we install—but by the people we prepare.

Emergency and crisis management entails preparing for and responding to critical situations that could disrupt normal operations or pose significant risks to an organization. Under the security risk management (SRM) framework policy, organizations should aim to incorporate emergency and crisis management goals thus getting more value from the security function in building resilience and business continuity. Emergency and crisis management protocols that should be incorporated within the SRM program include :- 1. Emergency threat identification – This should be an initial element as the organization’s emergency response will be determined by the nature of threat and personnel capability to identify it. 2. Emergency notification plan - In the event of a critical threat, there should be a communication plan to notify staff as soon as possible about what they are expected to do. This should be managed through tested internal communications channels such as emails etc. 3. Personnel responsibilities - Assign relevant staff respective responsibilities for a smooth emergency response process. A selected group of staff members preferably line manager / supervisors /team leaders should be part of the emergency response management team and should be assigned response actions and are to be notified when an emergency crisis arise. 4. Evacuation and assembly - Include evacuation procedures in case of a threat action that warrants so .The procedures should include proactive evacuation through ideal communications systems as well as reactive evacuation as a result of the discovery or notification of the threat. Evacuation of offsite critical assets and staff should also be factored in where necessary. Assembly areas where a threat warrants external assembly should be factored in. The evacuation plans should include procedures on how to provide safe egress of physically challenged employees to safe zones. 5. Response force and the jurisdiction of organization emergency operational plan - Where the threat has probability of magnitude impact the threat emergency response plan should consist a response force overview outlined in its structure. The design of the organization’s protective system should assume that the response team is capable of handling the threat. 6. Contingency plans – A formal structure responsible for steering the organization through the more strategic implications of a threat. With outward focus towards the stakeholder liaison, establishing contingency facilities, HR issues, maintaining customer confidence, maintaining financial well being, coordinating and maintaining communication with stakeholders etc   7. Business continuity – Establish recovery time objectives for various aspects of business operation, offsite recovery contingency capacity operating at both the strategic level and at departmental recovery level with individual responsibilities under the plan cascaded down the organization. #Securityriskmanagement

Communication patterns during work are the most important predictor of team success, more significant than all other factors like individual intelligence, personality, and skills combined. Researchers at MIT's Human Dynamics Laboratory found communication patterns so powerful that they could predict which teams would succeed by analyzing their interaction data. They identified three critical dimensions that determine team performance: 1️⃣ Energy: The Fuel of Great Teams Energy measures the number and nature of exchanges between team members. A single exchange is a comment plus an acknowledgment—like a nod or "yes." The research showed that the most valuable form of communication is face-to-face, with phone and videoconference following (though effectiveness decreases as more people join calls). Most surprising? The data showed that 35% of team performance variations could be predicted just by the number of face-to-face exchanges. When a bank call center adjusted break schedules so team members could interact more informally, productivity jumped by 20% in lower-performing teams. 2️⃣ Engagement: The Distribution of Energy While energy measures total communications, engagement reveals how evenly that energy is distributed across team members. The research found that teams with balanced participation, where everyone contributes roughly equally, consistently outperform those with uneven engagement. Partially engaged teams (where some members dominated while others barely participated) made demonstrably worse decisions than fully engaged teams. This effect was particularly pronounced in teams that communicated primarily by phone. 3️⃣ Exploration: Reaching Beyond the Team The third dimension, exploration, measures how much team members communicate with people outside their immediate group. This creates the vital influx of new information and perspectives that prevents groupthink. Higher-performing teams, especially creative ones, consistently sought more outside connections. What's fascinating is that exploration and engagement exist in tension. Energy spent exploring outside the team isn't available to engage within it. Instead of focusing on who's on the team, we should design how the team communicates. Some of the most effective interventions are surprisingly simple: - Ensuring everyone contributes equally in discussions - Scheduling synchronized breaks to increase cross-team communication - Using visual feedback to help teams see and improve their patterns Quality of interactions during the workday matters more than quantity of social activities. At some point, we leaned on team-building to solve engagement. However, team performance isn't built through forced activities but through meaningful daily communication. -- 💡 Exploring the intersection of #peopleanalytics, #organizationalculture, and #behavioralscience to build thriving workplaces. Follow for insights, research, and ideas.

The first hour of a crisis defines the outcome. In most organisations, that hour is spent clarifying authority. Who has decision mandate? Who escalates to the board? Who speaks externally? Who protects people? Who assesses financial exposure? If these questions are answered during the event, the structure is already failing. Crisis compresses time and degrades judgement. Information fragments. Priorities collide. Pressure escalates. Clarity must exist before the disruption. ⸻ 1️⃣ Formal Crisis Structure A crisis team must be explicitly designated and visible at executive level. Core functions: • Executive authority • Risk • Legal • Security • HR • Communications • Technology • Operations Each role requires: • Named deputy • 24/7 accessibility • Documented decision mandate Undefined authority leads to hesitation. Hesitation increases exposure. ⸻ 2️⃣ Pre-Assigned Accountability Before any incident, define ownership for: 📢 External communication 💬 Internal employee messaging 🛡 Personnel safety decisions 📦 Client prioritisation ⚖ Regulatory notification 💻 Technical containment 💰 Liquidity and financial impact Overlapping responsibility slows escalation. Absent responsibility creates escalation. ⸻ 3️⃣ Escalation and Contact Protocol Executive chain of command. Board notification thresholds. Regulatory sequence. Critical vendor escalation. Security and emergency access. Reviewed quarterly. Unavailable decision-makers during a disruption represent a control deficiency. ⸻ 4️⃣ Rehearsal Tabletop exercises. Scenario simulations. Time pressure. Incomplete information. The objective is behavioural consistency under stress. Judgement narrows in crisis. Preparation compensates for that narrowing. ⸻ Crisis does not test intelligence. It tests governance design. From a board perspective, crisis readiness sits within fiduciary duty. Authority, capital protection and reputation are interconnected. ⸻ For executive teams: If a serious incident started tonight, would decisions be taken within 30 minutes? When was your structure last tested under realistic pressure? If this is relevant to your role, save it. Crisis frameworks are built before disruption, not during it. #CrisisManagement #RiskManagement #CorporateGovernance #BoardLeadership #Risk #BusinessResilience #ExecutiveLeadership #CRO

This took me 5+ years to figure out... The power of compounding in leadership. Successful leaders build: • trust • collaboration • psychological safety • momentum Here's my story: When I first became a manager, I had no idea what I was doing. I had only a few skills to effectively lead the team. And I soon realized that I needed more. So I read books and articles. I asked questions. I took courses to expand my skills and knowledge. And I learned that it's not any one action or idea. Instead, successful leaders understand how to compound their results. → 1% better every day = 37x better in a year Each action builds on other actions. Here are 10 areas on which to focus: 1️⃣ Hold 1:1s 1:1s provide opportunities to set goals, motivate, and give feedback together. ↳ Don't cancel or reschedule. ↳ Do ask questions and listen. 2️⃣ Communicate Teams thrive when there is clear, frequent communication. ↳ Don't hide information. ↳ Do repeat info through several mediums. 3️⃣ Delegate Responsibility Employees are more engaged when given the trust and responsibility to complete tasks. ↳ Don't abdicate responsibility. ↳ Do consider task-relevant maturity. 4️⃣ Set Goals The team should clearly understand what they are working towards, and how they contribute. ↳ Don't dictate goals unilaterally. ↳ Do allow for personal and stretch goals. 5️⃣ Share Knowledge Teams work more efficiently and effectively when accessing collective knowledge. ↳ Don't try to do everything yourself. ↳ Do have the team share best practices. 6️⃣ Ask Questions Questions signal that the team's opinions and insights are valued, promoting collaboration. ↳ Don't ask questions but ignore answers. ↳ Do pose open questions for more insights. 7️⃣ Give Feedback Feedback motivates employees and reinforces the right actions aligned with goals. ↳ Don't use the feedback sandwich. ↳ Do give sincere praise and celebrate wins. 8️⃣ Create Vision and Values Clear vision and values align your team around shared goals and guide actions. ↳ Don't set and forget your MVVs. ↳ Do involve the team when developing. 9️⃣ Promote Continuous Learning Investing in continuous learning leads to high engagement and retention. ↳ Don't be afraid to coach and mentor. ↳ Do view failures as learning opportunities. 🔟 Foster Resilience Resilience helps teams effectively manage challenges, as well as recover from setbacks. ↳ Don't ignore the impact of stress. ↳ Do set an example by taking time off. Although we expect instant results these days, you need patience to build a high-performing team. When you do these actions consistently over time, you let compounding work its magic! PS. Which of these do you find most challenging? ***** 👋 I'm Chris Cotter. 🔔 Follow for more on leadership. ✳️ I help managers level up for success / happiness. DM me!

🚨🛡️ Emergency Situations Don’t Rise to the Level of Hope… They Fall to the Level of Preparation. 🛡️🚨 Whether you work in law enforcement, security, healthcare, education, or emergency management, one thing remains true: 👉🏾 Key security protocols save lives. In high-stress emergencies, confusion spreads fast. The organizations that respond effectively are the ones that train, prepare, and communicate BEFORE the crisis happens. 🔑 5 Critical Security Protocols Every Organization Should Prioritize: 1️⃣ Clear Communication Plans Everyone should know who to contact, how information is shared, and what chain of command looks like during a crisis. 2️⃣ Access Control & Accountability Knowing who belongs where during an emergency is critical. Secure entry points and accountability systems reduce chaos and increase safety. 3️⃣ Regular Training & Drills Protocols are useless if nobody remembers them under pressure. Realistic training builds confidence, muscle memory, and teamwork. 4️⃣ De-Escalation & Decision-Making Skills Not every emergency requires force. The ability to stay calm, think critically, and communicate effectively can prevent situations from escalating further. 5️⃣ Unified Teamwork & Leadership Emergencies expose weak leadership quickly. Strong teams operate with trust, adaptability, and professionalism when seconds matter most. 💬 The best security professionals aren’t just reactive — they’re proactive, prepared, and disciplined. Preparation today can make the difference tomorrow. Stay alert. Stay trained. Stay ready. 👊🏾 #Security #EmergencyManagement #Leadership #PublicSafety #LawEnforcement #SecurityManagement #Preparedness #CrisisManagement #Training #DeEscalation

I spent 4 years as the performance psychologist for the Toronto Raptors. Here are the 8 processes that separate elite teams from everyone else: The research on team performance is conclusive. These processes are the biggest predictors of whether your team succeeds or fails. Most organizations optimize for 2-3 at best. Here's the complete framework: 1. Collectivism: We over me Teams that prioritize collective success over individual achievement consistently outperform those filled with talented individuals who operate independently. When people genuinely care more about the team winning than personal credit, everything else gets easier. 2. Collective Efficacy: Belief that we can win together This is the team's shared confidence in their ability to succeed. It drives buy-in to systems and strategies, enables teams to adjust tactics mid-execution, and activates confidence in individual members. 3. Teamwork Knowledge & Skills: People actually know how to collaborate Most people have never been taught how to work effectively in teams. The research shows this is the second most important predictor after collectivism. You can't assume people know how to be good teammates. 4. Shared Mental Models: We see the game the same way When everyone understands the playbook, the strategy, and their role within it, execution becomes seamless. Shared mental models enable teams to coordinate without constant communication, adapt to changing conditions, and support each other proactively. 5. Interpersonal Relationships: People genuinely trust each other Healthy relationships won't necessarily make your team great, but unhealthy relationships will absolutely break it. Teams need genuine trust and connection to share information freely, resolve conflict quickly, and support each other through adversity. 6. Team Cohesion: The group sticks together under pressure Cohesion is what keeps teams intact when things get difficult. It's built through shared experiences, clear values, and consistent reinforcement of what the team stands for. Teams with high cohesion don't fracture when faced with setbacks. They lean in together. 7. Psychological Safety: You can speak up without fear Google's Project Aristotle found this was the #1 predictor of team effectiveness. Psychological safety enables teams to learn faster because people can acknowledge mistakes without fear of punishment. 8. Diversity of Thought: Different perspectives make us stronger The research follows the Goldilocks principle: too much diversity creates conflict, too little limits creative problem-solving, and moderate diversity optimizes for both innovation and cohesion. If you want sustained success, start by auditing your team against these 8 processes. Where are the gaps?

Your team isn’t overwhelmed because of work. They’re overwhelmed because of confusion. I see this in almost every team I coach: → Everybody's busy and end up working in silos, → Everyone's "running with the ball" but not necessarily towards the same goals → Teams duplicate efforts because no one knows who's handling what → Every request feels urgent because context is missing. Here’s what intentional leaders do differently:👇🏻 1️⃣ Define Goals That Actually Guide Decisions: Not just what we want to achieve - but what we're willing to sacrifice to get there. Clear goals eliminate the guesswork about what matters most right now. 2️⃣ Create a Decision Framework: Who decides what? What needs consensus? What doesn't? Clarity reduces rework. It speeds things up. 3️⃣ Set Bright Focus: Every week, every month, every quarter - name 2–3 things that matter most. Not 10. Not 5. The discipline of saying "not now" is what creates real momentum. 4️⃣ Build Rhythms, Not Just Sprints: Chaos loves irregularity. When you anchor decisions, feedback, and strategy into consistent rituals - chaos has fewer places to hide. 5️⃣ Communicate the "Why" - Not Just the "What"  Without context, people overwork. With context, they align. And alignment is the antidote to chaos. You don’t need to control everything. ❌ You need to architect enough clarity that your team can navigate the unknown with confidence. ✅ Because work doesn't need to feel like chaos - even in a startup. What’s one structure you’ve introduced that made your team calmer and faster? Drop it below - let’s build better together. 👇 Follow Alexandra Erman for more! 🫱🏻🫲🏼