In part 1 of this series, I presented some assumptions about how the positive discipline process should work. With this new set of assumptions, you'll replace your out-dated, old-school policies of "threats," "warnings," and "ultimatims" that create compliance instead of commitment.

I recently heard a client say, " I have never seen an employee stick around after having been through a performance improvement process."

The challenge in many organizations is that they view discipline the wrong way. The process is filled with warnings, threats, and ultimatums, and as a result good people leave bad managers.

On the other hand, when discipline is done correctly, it can be a process that helps an employee and team be successful.

It's really about building commitment instead of compliance.

We hear a lot about accountability. But, what does it really mean? What can leaders do to create an accountable organization?

Here are a few questions to consider.

Numerous leadership books will tell you that having a vision is important. But for many people, the idea alone is difficult to understand, which makes developing a team vision elusive.

Having a vision for your team is critical because it gives the members clarity on the team’s purpose and where it’s going. That clarity helps in day-to-day decision making, prioritizing, and understanding expectations.

Here is a simple 6-step process to help you create a meaningful and compelling vision for your team.

Entitlement:

• What will you (boss, team, organization, community) do for me?
• What will you (boss, team, organization, community) provide for me if I do that for you?
• I am waiting for you (boss, team, organization, community) to give me an opportunity.
• I am stuck with these choices.

Empowerment:

A challenge in too many organizations is that teams and leaders often seek agreement instead of commitment.

You probably know what I'm talking about.

Agreement happens when people sit in meetings, nod their heads, and then afterwards either fail to take action or deliver on time.

Commitment, on the other hand, occurs when people take responsibility and then follow through to completion.

Agreement results in head nods. Commitment results in action.

Is your team stuck in seeking agreement instead of commitment?

I often hear leaders say "I want my people to contribute more in our team meetings."

What most leaders don't realize is that limited conversation is often the result of their individual behaviors. For example, I recently attended a client's team meeting and noticed that he would ramble on for several minutes at a time and then ask "any questions?" and without hesitation begin talking again.

And, he didn't even know he was doing it.

Want to generate more conversation in your meetings?

Try these three ideas.

Is your team functioning at its highest level of potential?

Here are 8 questions to help you decide:

The first challenge that new teams often face is a lack of alignment. Usually happens when goals aren’t clear and common, and when there is ambiguity of roles and responsibilities. As a result team members quickly get siloed in their own agendas and egos instead of being focused on overall team results.

In Part 1 of this post I mentioned that collaboration trumps time management...every time. In others words, if you want to do things faster and better, instead of looking toward time management techniques to make 5% or 10% improvements, figure out how to work more effectively with others - on your team, across departments, and within the broader organization. For collaboration to work, relationships must be focused on open communication. How do you create open communication?