Jo Keeler spoke at Goldsmiths University recently on the teams and performance
As Managing Partner at Belbin, Jo Keeler travels the world to talk about teams and how they can become high-performing. More than ever, the only constant in the workplace is change - so how can the next generation of leaders learn in way that will enable them to be successful in the future, when we don't know what it will look like? When we add developments in AI and technology we find ourselves at a critical intersection in our human relationships. How can we be human and still take full advantage of all the learning available from big data?
You might expect a lecture to be a one way flow of information - but the Postgraduate Students at Goldsmiths University had their own well thought through views on all of these topics and more, so we learnt just as much from the 90 minutes we spent with them, as they did from us!
“Not finance. Not strategy. Not technology. It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage, because it is so powerful and so rare.” Lencioni | The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
After establishing the need for teams, Jo provided a whistle-stop recap of how the Belbin Team Roles were discovered.
Students then took part in an exercise where they reflected on their own preferred and least preferred roles - and those of their peers.
“To be authentic is to be the same person to others as you are to yourself. In part that entails paying attention to what others think of you, particularly people whose opinions you
esteem and who will be candid in their feedback.” Harvard Business Review | The Focused Leader
Engaging conversation then followed on what authentic leadership looks like and why it is important. A final element of discussion on the best size for a team facilitated the final exercise where attendees worked together to form perfect teams.
Jo Keeler said "It is always a delight to guest lecture - and the students at Goldsmiths University did not disappoint. They were enthralled to read their own Reports - and those of their peers. Their curiosity and open attitude to learning made for a multitude of debates - in fact there were so many that we had to adjourn to the pub to continue the conversations!"