Despite ruling on several divisive issues, the justices have long maintained they are civil and get along well despite the fierce disagreements. Why? Because even the U.S. Supreme Court has ground rules!

As a leader, we want to build and strengthen our team. But what if we are actually dividing our team - and we don't even know it? You may consider using more inclusive language on your team.

Want to test your team alignment? Try this thought-provoking team activity.

When it comes to teams, curiosity is a powerful quality that inspires connection and conversation.  While some people might think it's a "trait" where some people are simply more curious than others, I think it's a skill you can build...and even cultivate within your team.   Here are strategies to cultivate curiosity in your team, organized for clarity and action.

As you conduct your internal review and environmental scan, consider these key business trends that may affect your strategic plan.

You want to be a valued team player - the MVP of your team? Not just the go-to person for crunch time, but the one who brings out the best in everyone? Well, it's not just about getting your tasks done or being Mr. or Ms. Nice all the time. It's more like being the secret sauce that makes the whole team deliciously successful.

Some people create New Year's resolutions that rarely stick.  Instead, I create an "annual theme" to rally around.  It's a mantra to use throughout the year to continually test whether I am moving in the right direction.  It's the one thing that is most important to you.  It can be a goal, but I typically find one or two words that encapsulate all areas of your life.

There are many ways to influence others — and most team members try to convince others of what they want and then sell the benefits.  If this works, great!  If not, you may want to try these techniques to gain influence.

A client recently asked me, "What do you do when you’re facilitating strategic planning and there are people that aren’t engaged? They don’t believe in the process and think things can just continue the way they’ve been."   Indeed, facilitating a strategic planning session can be a challenging task, especially when some participants aren't fully engaged and skeptical about the process. However, with a well-thought-out approach, you can overcome this obstacle and ensure that everyone's voices are heard and that the planning session is productive.

One of my fellow Board members has a wonderful saying that resonates with me and most (if not all!) of my clients: "No Agenda; No Attenda!" But what does that really mean?  Does EVERY meeting need to have an agenda?

If you’re bringing together multinational teams, there are several measures you can take to ensure teamwork as they come to gather.

High-stakes meeting facilitator Kristin Arnold shares a guest blog on leaving a lasting leadership legacy of kindness from Michael Kerr.

What would you do if you knew that communication with your teammates was going to fail?  After all, you inherently know that there will be a communication mishit, but we just don't know when or where it is going to be!  Whether it is during a face-to-face meeting, a virtual meeting, email, text message or shared document, here are some ideas to improve team communication. To improve team communication as the speaker AND a listener, listen here.

Volunteer organizations usually have a plethora of boards, committees, task forces, and other types of teams to help achieve the organization’s mission. Many of these team members are busy professionals, inspired by the organization’s good work.  However, when push comes to shove, higher priorities prevail. Follow these tips to keep your boards from being “bored.”

I had an interesting conversation with one of my clients about her people working with teams vs. leading teams.  This might appear to be a subtle nuance at first blush, but let’s dig a little further to discern the difference.

High-stakes meeting facilitator Kristin Arnold shares how team leaders can set up their teams for success with "the team launch."

Team goals provide the team with needed focus and direction.  An all-encompassing vision or simple, well-defined goal statements provide the team with a unified sense of what is important.  To set clear team goals try these strategies.

One clue: No agenda, no attenda! Follow these five strategies and you'll see your meetings be much more productive.

High-stakes meeting facilitator Kristin Arnold shares techniques for active listening in order to enhance teamwork.

The next time you go to your team meeting, take a few moments to observe the team functions and roles.  At any particular moment, someone is leading, taking notes, keeping on track and on time, as well as participating in the meeting.  Watch closely who is performing each function.   The team leader may be working very hard at all of these functions — not only leading the meeting, but keeping notes on a yellow legal pad, steering the agenda and the timetable, and answering questions without a whole lot of participation. If that leader is you, well then my friend, you are working too hard!