ELEVEN
Congratulations your team has made it to the Next Level

What a journey this has been. When you began this book, you did not even know what a Next Level Team was, much less how to become one. You most likely have had some good experiences in team settings but also some bad ones. Now you can appreciate what we mean when we say that Next Level Teams

• Use all team members’ ideas and motivation
• Make better use of the team members’ and team leader’s time
• Increase productivity and satisfaction for you, your team, and the organization

Take a moment and give yourself credit for knowing more now than when you started reading this book. You know what to expect from a Next Level Team and how good it can feel to be a part of such a fantastic team of people.

But you know a lot more than just what to expect. You know how to use the skills that make a team a Next Level Team. By working through the three steps outlined in this book, you 122

1. Took on the challenge to begin learning Next Level skills
2. Accelerated the change—just when you had developed doubts
3. Mastered the three critical skills of a Next Level Team

Your persistence has paid off big time because you and your team are better off now than you were before. So give yourself and your teammates a big pat on the back for sticking to the process and seeing it through.

Because you chose to stay the course, you and your team know how to function as a Next Level Team. You know how to use the three skills that put your team way above the average work group. You have learned to

• Use information sharing that flows up, down, and sideways to build high levels of trust and responsibility for your team
• Use clear boundaries that are now quite wide to create freedom for your team to act with responsibility and clear focus
• Use self-managing skills to make effective team decisions on complex issues and to get great results for your team and organization

TIME TO CELEBRATE

Now take some time with your team to celebrate your achievement of becoming a Next Level Team. All of you are to be applauded for learning to use and apply these critical skills. Knowledge is a wonderful thing in the hands of a team of people who are willing to use that knowledge to get great results! We know you will enjoy the challenge of being at the Next Level and the pride that comes with achieving exceptional results. 123

Congratulations on becoming a Next Level Team!