Is your team struggling to overcome interpersonal conflicts, poor performance, or process issues? Solve your challenges with Right-Minded Teamwork’s Work Agreements, and guide teammates to do no harm while working as one. What Is This Book About? Right-Minded Teamwork (RMT) is a business-oriented, psychological approach to team building where acceptance, forgiveness, and adjustment are teammate characteristics, and 100% customer satisfaction is the team's result. Work Agreements are the third of RMT’s five core tools, called the 5 Elements. Work Agreements are collective team pledges to transform non-productive, dysfunctional team behaviors into positive, constructive, team-based choices and actions. Work Agreements are not guidelines or ground rules. They are emotionally mature promises that guide a team to work collaboratively towards the shared goal of achieving customer satisfaction. With Work Agreements, your team can openly resolve issues that are already hurting or which have the potential to hurt team performance. This book will teach you how to successfully create and implement team Work Agreements. Strictly speaking, there is no one absolute right way to facilitate Work Agreement dialogues, but the fundamental principles for team transformation are captured in the 10 Steps covered in this book. Learn them, and you will succeed. Is This Book for You? This book is written primarily for team facilitators. However, team leaders and teammates may also follow these steps to create powerful, effective, Right-Minded Work Agreements that solve and prevent interpersonal and process problems. Work Agreements: Navigate Team Conflict If you’ve ever been part of a team, you know it is not a matter of if conflict will occur among teammates. It is a question of when. Like a complex machine without an operator's manual, if strong teamwork is not actively maintained, team performance will eventually degrade into separateness and egotistical self-interest. Work Agreements draw teammates back together again by transforming dysfunctional work behaviors into mature, behavioral teamwork promises that produce real results. It is far better to have Work Agreements in place before teammate disagreements happen because established Work Agreements can serve to mitigate and even make positive use of teammate clashes. However, even if your team is already in conflict, it’s still not too late (and will never be too late!) to create and actively live team Work Agreements. A Note from Dan Hogan, Co-Creator of RMT In the thirty-five years of my team-building career, I facilitated over 500 teams in varying states of conflict and dysfunction. Every team created some kind of Work Agreement and succeeded as a result. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Work Agreements work. They are right for every team, everywhere, forever. If you use them, I promise they will help make your team(s) and the world a better place. Let's get started right now. Dan Hogan, Certified Master Facilitator

Right-Minded Teamwork (RMT) is an intelligent and empowering teamwork system. It is for everyone, everywhere, forever. Apply RMT, and you will improve your work processes and strengthen your relationships. Apply RMT, and your team will achieve 100% customer satisfaction. Apply RMT, and you make the world a better place. It is an honor to introduce you to this unique, real-world, continuous improvement method. RMT has already improved the lives and teams of thousands of people worldwide. Apply this process in your team, and you, too, will reap its benefits. Is this book for you? This book is primarily intended as a resource for leaders and facilitators. But it is also much more than that. The content you will find here can positively benefit everyone, everywhere, on any team. RMT is a universal, self-evident, self-validating process with the power to transform even the most challenged team. What is this book about? This book teaches two significant Right-Minded Teamwork (RMT) concepts: The RMT Myth, a short tale that presents the underlying teamwork philosophy, and 2) The RMT team-building process. The RMT Myth is a short, simple story. It follows three characters: Reason, Ego, and you, the Decision-Maker. The Myth illustrates the Right-Minded Teamwork philosophy, sort of like an aspirational thought system. The RMT Myth advocates for teammates to follow Reason’s path to oneness and shared interest instead of following Ego’s disastrous advice to seek separateness and prioritize selfishness. In other words, the Myth illustrates what “right-minded” thinking and behaving look and feel like. Once you have read and understood the RMT Myth, you and your team are ready for the Right-Minded Teamwork process. Unlike the story about Reason, Ego, and the Decision-Maker, the RMT process is no myth. It is practical, deliberate, and reliable. The RMT process is a set of interconnected, team-building methods that together form a self-perpetuating, continuous improvement system. It allows you to integrate the aspirations of the RMT Myth into your team in a way that helps you achieve your business goals. This book will teach you the RMT process, including seven of RMT’s proven team-building methods that lead to continuous improvement. Why Consider RMT? There are three common team-building practices: education, games, and social events. As far as real team building goes, none of these approaches is effective. Not one of them produces proven, reliable results. If you have participated in them, you know what I mean. Still, many well-meaning team leaders continue to use these ineffective tactics, trying to make them work. Usually, this is because they do not realize there is a better way. A real-world approach to team building is the better way. It is also the most reliable way to achieve and sustain high-performance teamwork. Right-Minded Teamwork is a real-world, team-building process. Applied intentionally, it has the power to transform your team, bringing you together to work as one. That is why RMT is worth considering for your team. The future of RMT… As I write this, RMT is, to my knowledge, the only model of its kind. However, I pray that it is not unique and that real-world methodologies become the prevailing team-building approach around the world one day. I'm optimistic this future is on its way. I believe that as more people like you understand and embrace this superior approach to creating stronger teams, we will see less and less of those ineffective approaches. I also believe in a better future for teams because I know I’m not alone in wishing for it. For decades, my clients expressed the same desire. They were changed by our work together and what they learned, and they went on to share RMT’s concepts and principles with others. Through them, the ripple effect began. Through you, it will continue. Together, we will build better teams: teams that do no harm, get work done and work as one. Dan Hogan

Ready to see your team shine? With Right-Minded Teamwork (RMT), your team can compassionately address interpersonal conflict, regain focus, and produce astounding results. What Is This Book About? RMT is an intelligent and empowering teamwork system that guides teams to overcome interpersonal challenges, improve processes, and work together seamlessly to achieve business goals. It is a business-oriented, psychological approach to team building where acceptance, forgiveness, and adjustment are teammate characteristics, and 100% customer satisfaction is the team's result. RMT produces positive business results by allowing your team to work together as one, do no harm, and get real work done. In this book, you will learn about RMT's core framework of interlocking teamwork components, called the 5 Elements: 1. Team Business Goal: Achieve 100% Customer Satisfaction 2. Team Psychological Goal: Commit to Right-Minded Thinking 3. Work Agreements: Create & Follow Commitments 4. Team Operating System: Make It Effective & Efficient 5. Right-Minded Teammates: Strengthen Individual Performance First, we’ll take an in-depth look at each of RMT’s 5 Elements. Then we’ll review a proven implementation plan consisting of three, team-building workshops conducted over a six-to-12-month period. Once your team completes their third workshop, you will move into a 90-day, continuous improvement operating plan that allows the team to achieve their goals, do no harm, and work together as one. Is This Book for You? This book will teach you exactly how to implement Right-Minded Teamwork in your team. It is primarily intended as a resource for team leaders and facilitators. But it is also much more than that. The content you will find here can positively benefit everyone, everywhere, on any team. RMT is a universal, self-evident, self-validating process with the power to transform even the most challenged team situations. Real-World Team Building Most team-building programs do not address or resolve a team’s real issues. There are many common team-building practices, like education, games, and social events, but as far as real team building goes, none of these approaches is effective. Not one of them produces proven, reliable results. Right-Minded Teamwork is the most reliable way to achieve and sustain high-performance teamwork. It is a real-world approach to team building that directly addresses team issues in a non-confrontational, compassionate way. Apply RMT, and improve work processes while strengthening teammate relationships. Apply RMT, and help your team achieve 100% customer satisfaction. Apply RMT, and make the world a better place. A Note from Dan Hogan, Co-Creator of RMT As I write this, RMT is, to my knowledge, the only model of its kind. However, I pray it is not unique. I hope one day real-world methodologies like RMT become the prevailing team-building approach around the world. I'm optimistic this future is on its way because I know I’m not alone in wishing for it. Though I’m now retired from active facilitation, for decades, I served teams around the globe as a Certified Master Facilitator. I repeatedly heard my clients express the same desire I had: That this kind of approach to team-building would become commonplace, for the betterment of everyone. They were changed by our work together and what they learned, and many of them went on to share RMT’s concepts and principles with others. Through them, the ripple effect began. Through you, it can continue. Together, with the help of RMT, we will build teams that do no harm, get work done, and work as one. Dan Hogan, CMF

This is a Team-Building Facilitator's Guide and Teammate Handbook. This book is about Team-Building, The Right-Minded Way. I bet you're one of those smart people who prefer a real-world workshop over a "pretend" one, right? Real-world team-building does not subscribe to the idea that games, outdoor exercises, or social events are the most effective approaches. They can be a lot of fun, but they're not valid substitutes for getting real teamwork done because they are indirect and do not resolve the team's most pressing teamwork issues. They are pretend workshops. This approach has nothing to do with right brain behavior or right wing political philosophies. This teamwork approach is based on choices that, taken together, define your team's right-minded thought system. Stop. Make certain you understand this essential point. People often ask, "Who decides what is right?" The answer is simple: your team decides. Learn how to facilitate and incorporate these 9 choices in your team using straightforward exercises. Use this book with other RMT courses such as our free and comprehensive 12 Step online course: How to Design a Right-Minded Team Building Workshop. When you incorporate Right-Minded Teamwork into your team-building practice, You will create satisfied team-building customers that recommend you to other teams. You will have truly helped your client team to successfully address and resolve their real-world team issues, and You will build a long and rewarding team-building facilitator career that will produce many life-long and enduring friendships.

Successful teams who consistently create and sustain teams that work as one integrate the essence of the nine, Right-Minded choices into their team. There is no one right way to apply them I suggest you start by reading and understanding each choice and then follow the instructions found in the Leader & Teammate Actions section that show specific actions you can take to apply each choice. Hi there! I’m Dan Hogan. I have been in your shoes, wondering how in the world to lead teammates towards greater collaboration and team effectiveness. In this book, you will find specific actions you can take to achieve better teamwork, or as we call it, Right-Minded Teamwork (RMT). Successful team leaders who consistently create and sustain teams that work as one integrate the essence of the nine, Right-Minded choices into their team. You "collectively" taught me these choices. I started facilitating team-building workshops in 1986. Much has changed since then, but I worked with many talented leaders and teammates, quite like you, even in the early days. After my first few years, I began to notice these Right-Minded choices emerging in my awareness. I did not invent them. I learned them from people like you. Observing their effectiveness, I dedicated my career to promoting them and helping teams learn to apply these choices successfully. Today, so many years later, they are still self-evident, self-validating, and universal best practices. When I published the first edition of this book in 2013, I gave copies to many of my team leader clients. Robin Hensley was one of those talented leaders, and, after reading it, she shared her review: [RMT’s 9 Right Choices is] a fast read that takes you straight to the root of team dysfunctions and gives you proven, step-by-step tools to improve team function and deliver results. I have paid thousands of dollars for team trainings and workshops that are better summarized here. I am glad to be reminded to choose Reason over Ego and stay in my right mind. Robin Hensley, VP IT, UPS Robin’s was just one endorsement I received. Her response, along with others, spoke about the real-world value of these nine concepts and choices. They affirmed what I had already seen through my years of team building and facilitation efforts: When you persistently include these choices into your team through team-building workshops, your team will improve. You become a successful Right-Minded Teamwork leader and facilitator. Truly. With these choices in your mind, you no longer have to wonder what you should do. The answer is always, “Do no harm, and work as one.” Application: Start by understanding all nine choices. Find a Leader & Teammate Actions section that outlines specific actions you can take. By the time you finish reading the last choice, you will know how to apply them. Remember: It Is About the Dialogue. These nine choices are undoubtedly important. But they are secondary to your team’s dialogue about them. They will serve as catalysts for your teammate discussions and the eventual creation of team Work Agreements. Regardless of your approach, every application will include a healthy, functional, and empowering dialogue that moves your teammates towards acting and behaving as one unified team. Now that you have a clearer sense of the RMT journey, I want to take a moment to congratulate you on your new role. Incorporating these 9 Right Choices into your team-building repertoire means you are now a Right-Minded Teamwork Leader and Facilitator. Your specialty is team transformations. My support: It took countless workshops, a 35-year career in active team-building facilitation, and the collective wisdom of so many teammates and leaders to conceptualize and build RMT into the robust model it is today. Though I no longer facilitate actively, choosing to pass that torch on to the next generation of leaders and facilitators, I will always continue to promote Right-Minded Teamwork. The reason for my continued passion is quite simple. I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that RMT is right for every team, everywhere, forever. If you use RMT, it will help make your teams and the world a better place. Let’s get started now. Dan Hogan

Team games, outdoor exercises, and social activities do not teach teammates how to overcome real-world work challenges. Right-Minded Teamwork (RMT) does. Your team’s path to RMT begins with a series of custom-designed, team-building workshops. In this book, you will find complete instruction on RMT’s 12 steps to design practical, team-building events that teammates actually want to attend. It is an honor to introduce you to RMT’s unique 12 step process in how to design a real-world workshop. This method has improved the lives and teams of thousands of people worldwide. This book and the online training program will teach you how to design practical, powerful workshops using Right-Minded Teamwork’s 12 Steps formula. The 12-step process includes three phases: 1. Contract: Designing the workshop (Steps 1-9) 2. Commence: Facilitating the workshop (Step 10) 3. Carry On: Keeping up the momentum (Steps 11-12) In the thirty-five years of my team-building career, I facilitated over 500 teams in seven countries. I worked with many of those teams for several years. I used this process every time. Even though they may not have even recognized I was applying these steps; every team leader appreciated the structure and thoroughness of this process. As a result, we consistently designed workshops that teammates could not wait to attend because they knew they were going to get real work done. And they did! In our book, Right-Minded Teamwork in Any Team: The Ultimate Team Building Method to Create a Team That Works as One, I shared the following RMT definition. Right-Minded Teamwork (RMT) is a business-oriented, psychological approach to team building where acceptance, forgiveness, and adjustment are teammate characteristics, and 100% customer satisfaction is the team’s result. When you apply the 12 steps in designing your workshops, you practically guarantee teammates will strengthen their ability to accept, forgive and adjust to challenging team situations. At the same time, they increase their likelihood of achieving 100% customer satisfaction. In this book, first, I will explain the art and science of facilitation and how one succeeds as a team-building facilitator. After that, I will briefly discuss the range of team-building exercise options available to you, ending in what is your best option - the real-world approach. And yes, Right-Minded Teamwork is a real-world approach. I’ll introduce you to the 5 Elements of RMT, the philosophy behind this powerful and continuous improvement method, along with a successful implementation plan. All of the above helps to establish the context for the rest of the book. After that, I’ll give you an overview of the 12 steps and then immediately discuss each step one at a time. In the final two sections, you will find a Glossary of Terms & Resources plus a robust collection of templates, checklists, and team exercises. You will also find four successful team implementation stories that would be well worth your study. And finally, welcome to Your New Role as an RMT Facilitator. Incorporating this design process into your team-building repertoire means you are now a Right-Minded Teamwork Facilitator someone who specializes in team transformations. Using RMT, you help to transform dysfunctional souls into healthy and functional teammates. You guide teammates to convert their mistakes into Right-Minded attitudes and behaviors. Whether you’re new to facilitation or continuing to build your team-building toolkit, add RMT to your practice today. There’s no reason not to: All parts of Right-Minded Teamwork, including these 12-Steps, are available for your use. There are no licensing or certification requirements. My Special Support Function: It took countless workshops, a 35-year career in active team-building facilitation, and the collective wisdom of so many teammates and team leaders to conceptualize and build Right-Minded Teamwork into the robust model it is today. Though I no longer facilitate actively, choosing to pass that torch on to the next generation of facilitators, I will always continue to promote Right-Minded Teamwork. I know that RMT and these 12-Steps are right for every team, everywhere, forever. If you use them, you will do your part to make the world a better place for everyone, everywhere, forever. Let’s get started now. Dan Hogan

Unlock the true power of collaboration within Scrum Teams and beyond with this practical guide packed with tips, tools, and real-life scenarios to elevate your facilitation skills. Scrum requires healthy collaboration, not just between the members of the Scrum Team, but also between the Scrum Team and its stakeholders to gather feedback and input. Collaboration is the heart of thriving Scrum Teams, but most available resources on collaboration focus solely on meeting formats and neglect to show how Scrum Teams truly harmonize their efforts and make informed decisions effectively. This book bridges the gap by not only providing effective facilitation techniques but also delving into the how and why of facilitation--all geared toward improving effectiveness, achieving impactful outcomes, and helping Scrum Teams work through challenges. Obtain tools and insights for Scrum Teams to better facilitate team interactions to leverage group diversity. Learn from real-world scenarios that illustrate common Scrum Team challenges and how they can be overcome with effective and timely facilitation. Discover comprehensive facilitation approaches accompanied with effective guidance on when to use them, how they can be combined, and how they can help to achieve desired outcomes.

Achieve Your Company Goals with a Team Management System For an organization to achieve its vision, mission, and strategic objectives, everyone must do their part. But without a Team Management System (TMS), it can be challenging to keep teams moving in the same direction. A strong TMS ensures attitudes and work behaviors are aligned throughout your organization. Your TMS calls on each team to set performance goals aligned with the enterprise's strategic objectives. Every quarter, teams report progress towards achieving stated goals. Why Use Right-Minded Teamwork’s TMS Model? In this book, you will learn the Right-Minded Teamwork (RMT) approach to implementing a Team Management System. As you follow this four-phase plan, you will align teammate attitudes and work behaviors with company values to produce results. Within the first six to 12 months, your TMS will begin paying for itself. Within the first year, your TMS will demonstrate consistent, enterprise-wide gains. In this book, you will find detailed guidance on implementing all four phases. You will also find operation agreements, charters, and specific actions to take for the first 90 days and beyond. Here's How RMT’s Team Management System Works TMS is much like your employee performance management system but on a team level. Every team in the enterprise sets performance goals that align with and help achieve the enterprise’s strategic plan. Every quarter, each team measures and reports its actual progress towards achieving those goals. The following teams should be initially involved in establishing the organization’s TMS: Executive Leadership, TMS Steering Team, and Internal team-building facilitators. Eventually, the TMS is rolled out across the organization, and all teams participate. Phase 1 – Executive Leadership launches TMS. Here RMT is implemented in the executive team; RMT is adopted as the enterprise’s standard teamwork process and Executives establish a Steering Team that will start up and initially manage the TMS. Phase 2 – Steering Team creates, organizes, and pilots the TMS. Here the Steering Team creates the enterprise’s startup TMS, chooses team facilitators, pilots the startup TMS in a few teams, and fine-tunes the TMS in preparation for a broader enterprise rollout. Phase 3 – Measure performance and roll out the TMS to all teams. Within three to four months after startup, the first quarterly TMS results are reported, The TMS is rolled out to more teams within the first 12 to 18 months and within 24 months, TMS quarterly reports demonstrate beneficial enterprise results. Phase 4 – Continue TMS for growth and sustainability. The Steering Team is transformed into a stable growth and management phase with the executive team's support and guidance. Benefits: Why Establish an RMT-Based Team Management System? When an enterprise has a strong Team Management System, you increase the likelihood that every team is aligned with the enterprise's strategic plan, thus operating with focused clarity. This enterprise-wide alignment ensures all teams are pulling the organization in the same direction. Consequently, the organization regularly achieves a higher percentage of its strategic goals year over year. Within the first six to 12 months, RMT’s version of a TMS will begin paying for itself. Within the first 18 to 24 months, TMS will report consistent and demonstrable enterprise-wide results. These results, when communicated internally, will foster employee motivation and pride. When communicated externally, the enterprise’s reputation and stature increase. Start your journey today, and achieve enterprise-wide success with RMT’s Team Management System.

Are adversarial choices keeping your team divided and in conflict? The Right Choice Model paves the way for teammates to do no harm and work as one. Share the Right Choice Model with your team, and teach teammates to make positive, productive choices that align with team goals. What Is This Book About? When difficult team problems occur, teammates have two options: become an ally, or become an adversary. When you are an adversary, you are a victim or a victimizer, always pointing the finger at others. When you choose to be an ally, you work collaboratively with your teammates to achieve team goals. You demonstrate positive and accountable work behaviors. This book and the Right Choice Model will guide you to create a team of productive, supportive, Right-Minded teammate allies. Is This Book for You? If you want to help your team achieve better teamwork, Right-Minded Teamwork can help. This book teaches team facilitators, team leaders, and teammates how to use the Right Choice Model to create powerful, effective, Right-Minded teams that do no harm and work as one. What Is "Right" in Right-Minded Teamwork? Right-Minded Teamwork (RMT) is a business-oriented, psychological approach to team building where acceptance, forgiveness, and adjustment are teammate characteristics, and 100% customer satisfaction is the team's result. The concept of “right” in Right-Minded Teamwork and the Right Choice Model has nothing to do with right-brain thinking or right-wing viewpoints. It is about what your team, together, decides is "right" for you. Your team's preferred way of being and behaving, identified as a set of collective teamwork choices, defines your team's Right-Minded attitudes and work behaviors. How the Right Choice Model Works Usually introduced during a team workshop, the Right Choice Model consists of an “upper loop” and a “lower loop.” Both are captured in the Model’s graphic illustration, explored in this book. The upper loop of the Model describes the cycle of successfully addressing problems using Right-Minded behavior and accountability. The lower loop describes the ineffective cycle of wrong-minded victimization. The Right Choice Model also contains an important, Right-Minded question for teammates to use when difficult situations arise. This crucial question can be distributed as a physical resource by handing out Right Choice cards, available at RightMindedTeamwork.com (see the Resources section of your book for instructions). On one side of the cards is the Right Choice Model’s crucial teamwork question; on the back is the definition of Right-Minded accountability. These cards give teammates a way to apply the Right Choice Model day in and day out to make positive, team-oriented choices. This book explores the key concepts behind the Right Choice Model and contains three approaches for integrating Model into your team. Praise for the Right Choice Model I’ve used the Right Choice Model for 20+ years and still live by the process today in my professional and personal life. It’s a great way to kick-start a new team or invigorate a seasoned one. - Ken McCall I have been using your Right Choice Model in most of my workshops since 2005. I enjoy it, am inspired by it, and find it very useful. For team-building activities, Right Choice is definitely highly recommended. - Teca Pedro I can tell you without a doubt that my team and I use the Right Choice Model all we can and we LOVE it! Our team has really grown and achieved a lot through the program. - Cindy Thomas

Effective software teams are essential for any organization to deliver value continuously and sustainably. But how do you build the best team organization for your specific goals, culture, and needs? Team Topologies is a practical, step-by-step, adaptive model for organizational design and team interaction based on four fundamental team types and three team interaction patterns. It is a model that treats teams as the fundamental means of delivery, where team structures and communication pathways are able to evolve with technological and organizational maturity. In Team Topologies, IT consultants Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais share secrets of successful team patterns and interactions to help readers choose and evolve the right team patterns for their organization, making sure to keep the software healthy and optimize value streams. Team Topologies is a major step forward in organizational design for software, presenting a well-defined way for teams to interact and interrelate that helps make the resulting software architecture clearer and more sustainable, turning inter-team problems into valuable signals for the self-steering organization.