Building Team Chemistry

Stanford University's genies STORM & CO-STORM are revolutionizing interdisciplinary teamwork by facilitating the creation of Wikipedia-style articles and Roundtable Discussion conversions. 📚 In a world where experts seamlessly unite across disciplines, Stanford's STORM and CO-STORM employ Autonomous AI agents to delve into a myriad of online documents and research papers, fostering real-time collaboration for transformative breakthroughs. 🔆 STORM, or Synthesis of Topic Outlines through Retrieval and Multi-perspective Question Asking, pioneers an innovative framework enhancing interdisciplinary collaboration. By amalgamating diverse viewpoints and utilizing advanced retrieval techniques, STORM amplifies research exploration's clarity and depth. 💫 Building upon this foundation, CO-STORM introduces Collaborative STORMing sessions, fostering structured environments for brainstorming, solution refinement, and implementation to tackle contemporary challenges effectively into a conversational format of discussions amongst various experts. ✨ Insights gleaned from these genies highlight the enrichment of research depth and solution diversity through multi-perspective question asking, the productivity boost from enhanced retrieval systems, and the accelerated innovation driven by structured topic synthesis. 🌟 From revolutionizing healthcare to addressing global sustainability challenges, STORM and CO-STORM empower teams to unleash the collective information retrieval potential of the AI agents in research and development, shaping a brighter future. 💫 My experiments with these tools:- 🔆 I sought an article on one of my research topics "Collaboration amongst human experts, LLMs, and AI agents towards evaluations of AI systems" via STORM which appeared to be a good first draft. STORM used four different agents - A basic Fact Writer, a Software Engineer, a Data Ethicist, an AI Research Scientist to create an engaging and well-cited article. Check it out here - https://lnkd.in/d8_yi_rG 🔆 I also tried a conversation-style roundtable discussion on another topic of interest "Responsible Governance Framework for Generative AI Adoption for Small and Medium Businesses". Check it out here - https://lnkd.in/du8ap4dm ✨ Explore the research and platform:- 📜 Paper - https://lnkd.in/dDBWvqte 👩💻 Code - https://lnkd.in/dfq8HTxE 🌐 STORM/ CO-STORM - https://lnkd.in/dK7gj6SC 💫 How could these approaches redefine your field of interest? Please share your thoughts! #StanfordSTORM #CO-STORM #Collaboration #AIInnovation #AgenticAI #ResearchLeadership #InterdisciplinarySolutions #Innovation #Stanford

It might not look like it, but I’m actually quite approachable. Not when I’m grilling candidates on The Apprentice, perhaps, but definitely in work situations. I’m particularly mindful of creating a collegiate, non-threatening environment where colleagues feel safe sharing ideas, concerns, and especially mistakes. Here are four actionable ways you can enhance approachability and build trust with your team: 1. Be present and visible Approachability starts with visibility. If your team rarely sees you or feels they’re intruding when they do, they won’t speak up. Walk the floor, join informal conversations, and make time for spontaneous interactions. Your presence signals you’re open to hearing them, even outside formal meetings. 2. Think aloud and invite the input of others Explain your reasoning — and uncertainties — when making decisions. This creates space for others to contribute ideas or challenge assumptions. During meetings, outline options and explicitly ask for input. This builds trust and shows you value diverse perspectives. 3. Admit to your own mistakes Leaders who own their errors make it safer for others to do the same. Share a recent mistake in a team debrief and what you learned from it. This “models imperfection” and encourages a culture of learning from failure. 4. Use debriefs as learning moments After key projects or challenges, organise post-mortem meetings to review outcomes. Ask open-ended questions like, “What could we have done differently?” or “What should we carry forward next time?” These sessions will also repair tensions from stressful moments. Approachability is a leadership skill like any other. It takes effort and focus. But by fostering openness, you’ll build stronger relationships, improve performance and create a culture of trust. What techniques have you seen that bring out the best in people?

A 15-to-45-minute conversation can make you a better leader. When I asked senior leaders at a recent Growth Collective workshop how often they have a non-work related conversation with their team, the response was either rarely or never. In most organizations, leaders know their team superficially. You might know what they're good at, what they like about the team, and what work excites them, but are there any efforts to know them on a deeper level? When did you last learn about any challenges they're facing outside work? Or how excited they are for their next family trip? Or how their parents feel about them working at this company? The conversations are limited to greetings and then perhaps to the weather before everyone goes about their business. But that's not how relationships, loyalty and a team are built. They're built by getting to know them as a person and their thoughts. When you have a more engaged team, they're likely to be more productive. For me, the way to do that has always been to participate in active communication and go beyond the usual "How are you?" You could schedule one-on-ones, plan team brainstorming sessions, eat lunch with them, or chat with them when they're on a break. You don't need to know every detail about their life, and you shouldn't, but getting to know what sparks joy for them is an effective way to build better, stronger relationships with your team. And please stop saying you don't have time for this. Convincing yourself that you don't have time to look after your team will only make your team think that you don't care for them. Building relationships will take time, but it's a conscious, thought-out decision you'll need to make. It's a small act that means a lot in the long run. The more you know your team, the more they'll realize how much you care for them, and the more they'll be loyal to you. So, I'll now ask you the same question: How often do you talk to your team for more than 15-to-45 minutes? #leadership #communication #team #management

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒍𝒖𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔: 𝑻𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕, 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 Creating healthy work relationships is vital for a positive and productive work environment. Key strategies include #effective #communication, which involves active listening, clear and concise expression, and promoting open dialogue. Mutual respect is another cornerstone, requiring respect for diversity, professionalism, and regular appreciation of colleagues' contributions. Building trust is essential, achieved through consistency, maintaining confidentiality, and being transparent in actions and intentions. Empathy and #emotionalintelligence also play crucial roles, as they help in understanding colleagues' feelings, managing one's emotions, and resolving conflicts constructively. Collaboration and #teamwork strengthen relationships by encouraging joint efforts, valuing contributions, and aligning with shared goals. Personal connections are important; getting to know colleagues and participating in social interactions foster #rapport. Supporting colleagues during challenging times further solidifies these bonds. Maintaining boundaries is crucial to ensure professionalism and respect for personal space and work-life balance. Continuous improvement in relationships can be achieved by seeking #feedback, reflecting on behavior, and engaging in professional development. 𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑩𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉𝒚 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔 ✅ 𝑬𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: ✔️ Active Listening: Focus fully on colleagues when they speak, showing that you value their input through engagement and feedback. ✔️ Clear and Concise Communication: Articulate thoughts and expectations clearly to avoid misunderstandings; use straightforward, respectful language. ✔️Open and Honest Dialogue: Cultivate an environment where transparency in sharing thoughts and feelings is encouraged. ✅ 𝑴𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕: ✔️ Respect Differences: Embrace diversity by acknowledging and respecting different perspectives, backgrounds, and ideas. ✔️Professionalism: Treat everyone with courtesy and professionalism, irrespective of their position in the organization. ✔️Appreciation and Recognition: Regularly acknowledge colleagues' contributions, reinforcing their value within the team. ✅ 𝑩𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑻𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕: ✔️Consistency and Reliability: Build trust by being dependable and following through on commitments. ✔️Confidentiality: Keep sensitive information private, which helps foster trust among colleagues. ✔️Transparency: Be open about intentions and actions to eliminate suspicion and strengthen trust. In short, healthy work relationships are built on respect, trust, empathy, and effective communication. These relationships contribute to a supportive and unified workplace where everyone feels valued. What would you like to add more?

Building stronger workplace relationships is easier than you think. Here's what actually works (after 10+ years in team management): 1️⃣ Start with genuine curiosity - Ask about their projects - Listen more than you speak - Remember personal details they share 2️⃣ Create connection points - Schedule regular coffee chats - Join or start team activities - Offer help before they ask 3️⃣ Practice professional empathy - Acknowledge their challenges - Celebrate their wins (big and small) - Be reliable with commitment 4️⃣ Foster open communication - Share knowledge freely - Give credit where it's due - Address issues directly, but kindly 5️⃣ Respect boundaries - Keep work conversations professional - Don't force social interactions - Honor their time and space The key? Consistency in these actions. These aren't just "nice to have" practices. They're essential for creating a workplace where everyone thrives. Remember: Strong workplace relationships aren't built overnight. But small, daily actions make a huge difference. Try these today. Your future self (and team) will thank you. 📌 Share if you know someone who could use these tips P.S. Which of these will you try first? Drop a comment below. #employees #workplace #team

Leaders: create an environment where your team doesn't second guess themselves. Failure is okay. Difficult conversations need to happen. Worthwhile work is hard. But here's the thing: your team will fail to execute according to your standards when you've built a system around fear (whether intentional or not). And even worse, the standards they can achieve. Here's how I try (and fail at times) to build a culture of trust on the marketing team: Encourage Transparency: Make it safe for your team to share challenges, ask for help, and voice concerns. Have monthly or quarterly meetings with every team member, make it a safe space to share their concerns. Show Your Vulnerability: Lead by example, show your own vulnerability. Admit your mistakes, and model how to learn and move forward. Get Agreements: Fear often arises from uncertainty. Be clear about goals, priorities, and what success looks like. Share Before Ready: Encourage your team (and yourself) to share work-in-progress ideas, drafts, and projects. Waiting for "perfect" never works. Give Feedback With Empathy: Feedback should be constructive, not destructive. Focus on the behavior, not the person. Fear can stifle even the most hardworking and intelligent. It also blunts creativity, slows your team, and severely limits trust. It's your job to remove the barrier.

When Maria took over a global team scattered across time zones and cultures, collaboration was minimal, and trust was fragile. Fast forward one year — that same team launched two major projects ahead of schedule, with record engagement and zero turnover. The shift? Maria made relationship-building a leadership priority — not a "soft skill" to be sidelined. The Lesson? Strong relationships aren't just feel-good perks — they’re the invisible engine behind high performance, resilience, and innovation. Common Relationship-Building Pitfalls: 📍 Transactional Interactions — Focusing only on tasks, not people. 📍 Poor Listening — Hearing words, but missing emotions and intent. 📍 Neglecting One-on-One Time — Teams feel like cogs, not humans. 📍 Avoiding Difficult Conversations — Letting issues fester instead of building trust through honesty. 📍 Blurry Boundaries — Bringing work stress into personal relationships. ✅ How to Build Meaningful Connections as a Leader: 📍 Active Listening — Give full attention, ask clarifying questions, reflect what you hear. 📍 Specific Recognition — “Good job” is forgettable. Tailored praise is powerful. 📍 Regular One-on-One Check-ins — Go beyond tasks to understand motivations and challenges. 📍 Handle Conflict with Care — Clarity + Empathy = Trust during tough conversations. 📍 Prioritize Personal Relationships — Boundaries, presence, and vulnerability matter. Relationships aren’t distractions from leadership — they’re at the heart of it. 📩 Get practical leadership strategies every Sunday in my free newsletter: CATAPULT. 🧑💻 Want to become the best LEADERSHIP version of yourself in the next 30 days? Book a 1:1 Growth Strategy Call: https://lnkd.in/gVjPzbcU #Leadership #TeamCulture #RelationshipBuilding #ExecutiveCoaching #FutureOfWork

As a former Senior Director at L'Oréal, here's 5 of my best practices that have led me to manage highly motivated and engaged teams. #𝟭: 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘂𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 No matter their level of seniority or expertise, building an inclusive and safe environment for your team to share their viewpoints, ask questions and contribute actively to the conversation is one of the biggest unlocks for them to feel truly empowered. #𝟮: 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 "𝘄𝗵𝘆" 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀. Don't just tell them what you need them to do. Share the bigger picture context behind why they need to do this. It will allow them to associate a true purpose to the work they do and be more involved in the end outcome vs. just feeling like a cog in a machine. #𝟯: 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝗔𝘀𝗸. Managing effectively means understanding your individual team member's needs and ensuring the structure and projects tied to their role line up well with that. Otherwise, you run the risk of having a demotivated team who feels disconnected with the work they're doing because it doesn't match their core motivations. #𝟰: 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀. Let your team see that you are no stranger to handling obstacles and willing to get your hands dirty to do what needs to get done and make the hard calls. Never be "above" the work. Value post-mortems and learnings from setbacks & failures, just as much as you value major wins and successes. It's in the most difficult of times that your team's true strengths shine through and you need to help them uncover that. #𝟱: 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘀. It's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day work and forget to acknowledge rightful wins. I can promise you that recognition goes a long way and can come in all forms. From a small shout-out in a team meeting, to 1:1 feedback, to further exposure for the projects they're leading...take the time to celebrate your team vs. just giving constructive feedback of what can be done better. What would you add to the list? #teammanagement #peoplemanager #leadership #leadershipdevelopment -------- Hey! I'm Tiffany Uman, a globally recognized career strategy coach and workplace expert empowering high-achievers to become the top 1% in their careers and quantum leap their confidence, growth and income. FOLLOW me on LinkedIn for daily career tips and hit the notification 🔔 to catch all of my latests posts!

This quote got me thinking. Early in my career, I struggled with how people showed up. I was often called too intense, I was often perceived as overwhelming, but the truth of it is I SHOWED UP! I was engaged, I was committed, and I wanted to make an impact. Not knowing why there was such a difference between how I showed up and others, I learned … that ONLY 31% of employees are enthusiastic and energized by their work? Imagine that almost 70% of the people in your team are there because they just have to 🫣 I honestly can't imagine that, which is why I implemented some solutions in my teams, most of it worked, some of it I’m still testing & trying … Here are some things I did: 👉 Trust & Empower: I involve my team in decision-making processes and push decisions to them when possible. This fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility. 👉 Celebrate Feedback: I create an environment where feedback is frequent and constructive. It encourages continuous learning and growth. 👉 Connect 'Why' to Vision: I share a compelling vision to motivate team members and clearly explain why their contributions matter. 👉 Offer Development: I signal my commitment to personal growth with training and development opportunities. It sparks motivation and increases loyalty. 👉 Recognize & Praise: I acknowledge achievements and make saying ‘thank you’ my default. A little recognition goes a long way to boost morale and motivation. 👉 Promote Diversity: I embrace diverse perspectives and backgrounds to enrich the work environment, prompt healthy debate, and drive innovation. 👉 Encourage Collaboration: I encourage teamwork on projects. This builds a sense of community and belonging while also accelerating learning 👉 Challenge Comfort Zones: I push and encourage team members to expand their skills and what they think is possible. It promotes growth and enthusiasm. 👉 Cultivate Inclusivity: I ensure all voices are heard. For example, I make sure extroverts don't steal the show and create the space needed for quieter team members to speak. Be the leader that serves, empowers and inspires. And all will go just fine 🙌 #EmployeeEngagement #TeamMotivation #WorkCulture