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Team Rhythm
Book

Team Rhythm

Eleven ways to lead your team from overwhelmed to inspired

Iris Clermont
Rethink, 2023
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable
  • Overview

Recommendation

Executive coach Iris Clermont urges readers to join together in foot-stomping, hand-clapping, and finger-snapping in rhythm. She’s full of ideas, so be prepared: you won’t know what to expect next. Clermont recommends opening your mind; later, she recommends opening your nose, ears, and senses to become more alert to stimuli around you – advice you aren’t likely to find in any other business book. However, Clermont is innovative as well as sometimes idiosyncratic, and her book is well organized. Each chapter begins with a rhythmic assignment, a cadence to use in clapping or stomping together. In league with such music-based tools and techniques, Clermont presents solid, well-grounded leadership and team enhancement recommendations.

Summary

Use the “team rhythm” approach to energize your team.

Changes of any sort – organizational, cultural, technical – can burden or overwhelm employee teams. Change can send some members into self-destructive modes of negative reactions and behaviors. Now, leaders can offer an antidote to team members who fall prey to this self-defeating, regressive mindset: the energizing and empowering team rhythm strategy.

The basic team rhythm concept is based on a “xylophone model” with 11 keys or aspects: listen, define a vision, be present, rely on expert decision-making, expedite conflict resolution, build trust, commit to your team, incorporate virtual work, appreciate diversity, take breaks outdoors, and use the “feedforward” feedback process.

“Rhythm” captures the kinetic aspect of this team-empowerment concept. It calls for beat-driven, participatory breaks or “accents” in your work processes, though you don’t need musical talent or a background in music to put it to work. The team-rhythm program involves having your team share quick, easy, empowering physical activities or “accents,” including...

About the Author

Business coach Iris Clermont is also the author of Team Magic: Eleven Magical Ways for Winning Teams. She launched her consultancy in 2008 and has worked mainly in the area of communications with corporate teams in 20 countries.

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