Team Liftoffs

Category: Articles

  • Values for Using AI with Teams

    Values for Using AI with Teams

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    by

    Neal
    in , ,

    In this conversation, Matthew Gwyther and Neal Taylor explore the relationship between teams and AI and values that can be used to augment the team with AI. Key takeaways Key Values for augmenting teams with AI Transcript NealSo Matt we were talking about Teams and AI and I thought just as a way of introduction:…

  • Doing a Liftoff with Large Groups

    Doing a Liftoff with Large Groups

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    by

    Neal
    in ,

    Navigating Large Group Liftoffs: Insights from Diana Larsen Facilitating a liftoff with a large group can be a daunting task. In a recent session, Diana Larsen shared her experiences and strategies for managing liftoffs with 40+ participants, emphasizing the importance of skilled facilitation and structured planning. Team Coordination: Diana highlighted the need for breaking large…

  • Team Metaphors

    Team Metaphors

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    by

    Neal
    in

    The Good ship in slack waters. The metaphor brings the team meaning. As you start to build up your team, you’ll notice certain images, narratives, and symbols filter through in the language that people use. But it’s not something that can be contrived. Often it’s compelled by the situation, by the dynamics of the team…

  • Teams: Spirit and Myth

    Teams: Spirit and Myth

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    by

    Neal
    in

    A basic rule of thumb for any 4×4 adventurer is that the amount of fuel determines how far you’ll be able to travel through the desert. The amount of water determines how long you’ll last. You need both. You can calculate how many miles it is from one checkpoint to another, but you cannot predict…

  • Team Liftoffs Lounge: Pre-Rubicon Reading Material

    Team Liftoffs Lounge: Pre-Rubicon Reading Material

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    by

    Neal
    in

    The rubicon represents the moment of commitment to a course of actions. When Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon in 49 BCE, he broke Roman law and sealed the fate of the Republic. The Rubicon was a small river marking the northern boundary of Italy, and generals were forbidden to lead their armies across it under…

  • Mini articles inspired by Liftoff

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    by

    Neal
    in

    Jim and Melissa York have written a series of mini articles which explore some of the key concepts of a Liftoff: What is a product vision? What is a team mission? What is a mission test? It’s always refreshing to read what other people write about these elements, because there’s always an opportunity to learn…

  • Heilmeier Catechism

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    by

    Neal
    in

    George H. Heilmeier, a former DARPA director (1975-1977), crafted a set of questions known as the “Heilmeier Catechism” to help Agency officials think through and evaluate proposed research programs. The keen observer may notice that a good liftoff ensures that such questions are also answered, and collaboratively. What’s also interesting is that the removal of…

  • Can you do a Liftoff in stages?

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    by

    Neal
    in

    Technically, yes! We believe it’s best to run a Liftoff as a consecutive two-day event, but it is possible to do it in stages. For example, I once facilitated a Liftoff in two parts: first, I worked through the Purpose section with leadership and team, then a couple of weeks later, we covered Alignment and Context with just the…

  • What’s the difference between Team Chartering and a Team Liftoff?

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    by

    Neal
    in

    Team chartering is what we believe is the minimum chartering required to successfully start a project or endeavour together with a team. We define this as chartering the purpose, the alignment and the context. The purpose, alignment and context serve as a triad that compliment each other. It is a minimum because, as can be…

  • First Draft of a Liftoff Miro Template

    First Draft of a Liftoff Miro Template

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    by

    Neal
    in

    This is the first draft of the Miro template and is really an attempt to bring together all the key activities into one single view. I’ve entered around the Purpose-Alignment-Context Triad, and then per circle we see quite visually that there are three key activities. And here we have a reference to the Pattern Language…