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Week 1 Discussion – Your Team Experience

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Please complete the following:

• Introduce yourself to the team. Be sure to let us know your preferred name.
• This week you will be introduced to the importance of teams, and you will share your experiences working in teams, preferably workplace teams.
• This week’s resources cover what a team is, why a team is important, and what teams do.
  • What are some of the best experiences you’ve had working as a team?
  • Why were they so successful? What was the worst team experience you’ve had?
  • What made it tough to be on that team?

Be sure to respond to at least one of your classmates’ posts.

Note: Please remember to include any citations for the sources you are using to draft your responses. These sources can include those found in the course materials and those found externally. For your convenience, the SWS In-Text Citation Generator can be used to create the citation for you.

Week 2 Discussion – Effective Teams

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Please complete the following:

This week, we learn about the different stages of development that teams experience. We also look at some key characteristics that successful teams share in order to see how a team becomes as effective as possible.

• Think of a team you have been part of (school, work, volunteer, etc.).
• Using the characteristics of an effective team that were discussed this week, explain what characteristics made your team effective and why.

Be sure to respond to at least one of your classmates’ posts.

Note: Please remember to include any citations for the sources you are using to draft your responses. These sources can include those found in the course materials and those found externally. For your convenience, the SWS In-Text Citation Generator can be used to create the citation for you.

Week 3 Discussion – Hiring Team Members

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Please complete the following:

Coach knows that picking the right players to work together can transform a football or racing team into champions. Finding the right players for your OWN team can help you reach success! However, how do you go about finding and selecting these crucial players, and how do you decide what roles they should play? This week, Coach shares his tips for scouting new talent for ANY team, plus the tools he uses to evaluate a team member’s potential.

• Imagine you’re looking for new team members to join your team (this could be a work, volunteer, or religious organization).
• After reviewing Coach’s tips for hiring the best players for your team, which ones would you use to help find the right candidates? Why?

Be sure to respond to at least one of your classmates’ posts.

Note: Please remember to include any citations for the sources you are using to draft your responses. These sources can include those found in the course materials and those found externally. For your convenience, the SWS In-Text Citation Generator can be used to create the citation for you.

Week 3 Assignment – Planning an Effective Team

Get your talent in the right place on your team, so they can make the team successful.

—Coach Gibbs

Introduction

Effective teams require effective team members with key traits and characteristics. The leader of an effective team must be able to define team roles, describe role responsibilities, choose tasks for each role, and seek out team members with the skills to complete these tasks. This assignment gives you an opportunity to show these skills. In addition, it prepares you to complete your final course assignment, A Report for Vice President’s Approval, due in Week 10.

Scenario

Your VP has asked you to create a new team for a new product or service the company is introducing. You will be building a team to support the product/service, which will consist of 5–7 members, which you will lead. In this assignment, you will complete the first step in the process of creating an effective team: planning. You will determine the roles needed on the team, describe these roles, choose the tasks assigned to each role, and identify the skills team members need to complete those tasks.

Instructions

Create a 1–2 page plan for your team that meets the following requirements:

• State your team’s purpose. This purpose should make clear the team’s shared goal, what the team does, for whom, and why.
  • Example: We produce financial reports so our customers can receive timely, quality investment information.
• Explain the specific roles you will need and what each will be responsible for. Describe the responsibilities of the role, including the types of tasks the team member performs. Remember to include yourself as the team leader. Your team can be no larger than 5–7 people.
  • As an example, you, as a leader, might opt to have a Business Analyst (BA) as a member of the team.
  • The Business Analyst would run reports, present an analysis of the data, and share findings with the leader and/or team.
  • The Business Analyst would work with the team leader to provide data and analysis about the new product or service.
• What are the skills and/or traits you have identified each role will require, and why are those critical?
  • Continuing with the Business Analyst example: The analyst must have strong analytical ability and be great at using creativity, reasoning, and past experiences to identify and solve problems effectively.
  • A trait that is important for this role includes being detail-oriented and focused.
  • Additionally, technical literacy is important as the BA must be proficient with basic computer skills.
  • The BA must possess the ability to work well in one or more groups and bring out the best in others (teamwork skills) and outcomes.
• Identify and describe three strategies a team leader could use to ensure the effectiveness of their team and why those are important to foster.

Submission Requirements

• Gather and review the resources you’ve read during the first three weeks of the course. In your assignment, you should use specific phrases, ideas, and quotes from the Strayer Videos, Coach’s Huddle, Weekly Readings, and/or Discussion Questions to explain and support your thoughts.
  • Example: “When Coach talked about hiring a former doctor to work at JGR, it made me realize how important it is to identify and hire the right players for your team.”
• Check your assignment for grammatical errors.
• Review what you have written for clarity.
• Upload your assignment below.

This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards (SWS). The library is your home for SWS assistance, including citations and formatting. Please refer to the Library site for all support. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is:

• Outline the requirements and traits of an effective team.

View Rubric

Week 4 Discussion – Researching Potential Hires

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Please complete the following:

This week, we look at how a little research can go a long way toward finding the players that will help your team reach its goals. From talking to past employers to doing social media research, getting to know a candidate beyond their resume is crucial. As Coach has learned from working with hundreds of professional athletes, a player’s potential has more to do with their character than their stats. Review the article from this week, Number of Employers Using Social Media to Screen Candidates at All-Time High, Finds Latest CareerBuilder StudyLinks to an external site.. With reference to the information presented about researching candidates this week, address these questions:

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of using social media as a research tool? What’s one thing you would change in your social media presence if you were looking for a job, and why?

Be sure to respond to at least one of your classmates’ posts.

Note: Please remember to include any citations for the sources you are using to draft your responses. These sources can include those found in the course materials and those found externally. For your convenience, the SWS In-Text Citation Generator can be used to create the citation for you.

Week 5 Discussion – Reviewing Personality Traits

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Please complete the following:

This week, we learn how tests can reveal which jobs people are best suited for so that you can help your team reach its full potential. You learn about the different types of assessments and determine how they can be used when selecting people to be part of a team. Review your personality results from the DiSC assessment in JGR100.

• How can you use your assessment results to determine what your strengths are?
• How can you use them to predict what role you might fit best in on a team?
• Open DiSC Profile LoginLinks to an external site.to review your assessment results (you must use the email and password that you set up in JGR100).

Be sure to respond to at least one of your classmates’ posts.

Note: Please remember to include any citations for the sources you are using to draft your responses. These sources can include those found in the course materials and those found externally. For your convenience, the SWS In-Text Citation Generator can be used to create the citation for you.

Week 5 Assignment – Assessing Candidates

Introduction

Whether it’s a knowledge-based math quiz or a personal values survey, different tests assess candidates for different things. Tests can help a leader measure the skills and fit of potential team members. In this assignment, you’ll compare three widely-used, reputable, professional assessment tools and choose which of them is the best to apply in a specific hiring scenario. By exploring and comparing candidate assessment tools, you will prepare to complete the task of evaluating and selecting candidates for specific positions. You will receive feedback on this assignment that helps you prepare for the assignments in Weeks 7 and 10.

Instructions

Download the document Week 5 Assessment Tools [DOCX] Download Week 5 Assessment Tools [DOCX], and read about the three assessment tools: the DiSC assessment, the Cognitive Criteria Aptitude Test (CCAT), and the Emotional Intelligence Appraisal.

Read each hiring scenario (these are also included in the document):

• Scenario 1: Your human resources department needs to hire a new Employee Relations Manager (ERM). This person’s job is to manage conflict and workplace issues between managers and employees across three separate departments. The ERM must be able to handle disgruntled employees and managers with compassion, discretion, and professionalism in situations where tempers may run high.
• Scenario 2: You need one more person on a team you’re putting together to launch a new tech startup business. You want to make sure this person’s personality balances out with the others you’ve already hired. Specifically, you’re looking for someone enthusiastic and outgoing but also detail-oriented and focused.
• Scenario 3: You’re hiring a new financial analyst for your organization. This position needs an individual with strong problem-solving and reasoning skills as well as in-depth mathematical abilities.

For each scenario, compare the three assessment tools, and decide which one would be the most effective in evaluating a candidate for the position. Write an answer for each scenario in one well-developed paragraph in which you identify the most effective tool and explain why it is more appropriate than the other tools.

Submission Requirements

• Check your assignment for grammatical errors.
• Review what you have written for clarity.
• Upload your completed assignment below.

This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards (SWS). The library is your home for SWS assistance, including citations and formatting. Please refer to the Library site for all support. Check with your professor for any additional

Week 6 Discussion – Your Sales Pitch

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Please complete the following:

From football teams to Fortune 500 companies, recruiting superior talent is essential to fueling a team’s successful growth, as you see from Coach’s story of getting John Riggins to rejoin the team formerly known as the Washington Redskins. However, convincing someone to join your team can be a tricky business. This week, we look at ways to effectively recruit with key insights that’ll help you convince someone that they need to join your team!

• Imagine you’re preparing to recruit someone to be part of your team.
• Name three things you would try to do or use in your sales pitch to close the deal.
• Why do YOU think those things would help you land your recruit?

Be sure to respond to at least one of your classmates’ posts.

Note: Please remember to include any citations for the sources you are using to draft your responses. These sources can include those found in the course materials and those found externally. For your convenience, the SWS In-Text Citation Generator can be used to create the citation for you.

Week 7 Discussion – A Balanced Team

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Please complete the following:

Hiring people with complementary skills and styles can lead to a more effective team. When you’re picking out the members of your team, you will need to apply what you have learned about them (from your research and the evaluations) to the selection process. This week, you learn how to balance your team, so you have complementary skills and styles.

• Think about what you have learned this week regarding balance.
• Why is it important to make sure you have a balanced team?
• What can happen if you have too many people with the same strengths or weaknesses?

Be sure to respond to at least one of your classmates’ posts.

Note: Please remember to include any citations for the sources you are using to draft your responses. These sources can include those found in the course materials and those found externally. For your convenience, the SWS In-Text Citation Generator can be used to create the citation for you.

Week 7 Assignment – Selecting Your Fantasy JGR Team

Introduction

Over the last few weeks, you have learned how to start identifying the roles and skills needed to build an effective team. You have also discovered methods for selecting and evaluating potential candidates. Now it is time to put your team-building techniques into practice by participating in a case study with real employees from Joe Gibbs Racing! This assignment allows you to demonstrate your knowledge of actual team-building techniques and leadership qualities. In addition, this assignment prepares you to complete your final course assignment, A Report for Vice President’s Approval of your Team, due in Week 10.

Scenario

Imagine that you work at JGR. The CEO has tasked you with being the Team Leader for a committee that will plan a one-day summer team-building retreat. All JGR employees will be attending the event. The purpose of the retreat is to foster unity, trust, and cohesion between the organization’s employees. The event will start with a welcome and introduction, and then everyone will break out into group team-building sessions. The whole team will reconvene for a company-wide lunch, followed by a keynote speech.

As the Team Leader for the event planning committee, your job is to choose four other JGR employees to be on your committee.

Instructions

1. Download the Week 7 JGR Roles and Employees [PDF]Download Week 7 JGR Roles and Employees [PDF].
2. In the Week 7 document, read the four role descriptions, Logistics, Budgeting, Programming, and MC/Host. For this assignment, you will choose four team members to fill these team roles.
3. Watch the Week 7 Strayer Talk, Building Your Team: Finding the Right Balance, which describes the 10 JGR candidates you may choose from for your Fantasy Team. Brief information on the candidates is also provided in the Week 7 document.

Complete a 10–12 slide PowerPoint presentation in which you do the following:

1. Describe the role of Team Leader and how you will fulfill that role.
   • Explain your skills and personal strengths needed to be an effective team leader.
   • Think about your personal DiSC assessment results from JGR100. What is your DiSC work style, and how will you select team members to complement your skills?
   • What will you be responsible for as Team Leader? What will you handle personally, and what will you delegate to other team members?
2. Select a candidate for each of the four roles described above, and justify your selections.
   • Review the candidates by viewing the Week 7 Strayer Talk and the document JGR Employee Profiles.
   • Consider how each choice’s particular skills and personality will help them perform their role successfully.
   • How do these team members’ strengths complement yours? What skills and/or personality traits do they have that will help your team in areas where you feel challenged?
   • Explain how chosen team members complement you in more than one case.
3. Create 10–12 Microsoft PowerPoint (PPT) slides for the JGR CEO in which you present the team you have put together for the one-day summer team-building retreat.
   • Include a title slide and reference slide in addition to the required slides (not included in the 10–12 slide count).
   • Include speaker notes or record audio for each slide’s content.
   • Use specific phrases, ideas, and quotes from the Strayer Videos, Coach’s Huddle, Weekly Readings, and/or Discussions to explain and support your thoughts.
   • Write in a professional manner using proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, and SWS.

Submission Requirements

• Check your assignment for grammatical errors and clarity.
• Reach out to your instructor if you have any questions.
• Upload your presentation below.

This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards (SWS). The library is your home for SWS assistance, including citations and formatting. Please refer to the Library site for all support. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is:

• Evaluate candidates for team roles using team leadership skills.

View Rubric

Week 8 Discussion – A Mentor, Coach, Advisor

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Please complete the following:

Your team isn’t just people who work under you; you must surround yourself with people who can advise you, challenge you, and keep you honest—including mentors, coaches, and advisors. All members of a team must be aligned toward common goals. The team must have shared expectations and clearly identified priorities. Last week, you put together a fantasy team of four JGR employees to plan and run a daylong conference.

• Think about this team’s individual strengths and weaknesses.
• Then determine whether your team would most benefit from a coach, advisor, or mentor.
• What sort of person do you think would be a good advisor, mentor, or coach for this team based on the team’s needs and why?
• How will their expertise make the team more cohesive?
• Remember to keep your focus on what role would best serve the team and you as a leader rather than a specific person.

Be sure to respond to at least one of your classmates’ posts.

Note: Please remember to include any citations for the sources you are using to draft your responses. These sources can include those found in the course materials and those found externally. For your convenience, the SWS In-Text Citation Generator can be used to create the citation for you.

Week 9 Discussion – Who Leads by Example?

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Please complete the following:

Never forget that the most important member of your team is you. You must behave as a team player—in Joe’s words, “lead from ahead, not above.” To foster collaboration and success within your team, you need to lead by example and be a member of your own team. Don’t ask your team members to do things you wouldn’t do yourself. This helps break down barriers between team members and leaders and creates a sense of teamwork. This week, you see examples of how other leaders apply these principles to their own teams.

• Identify someone in your professional work life (past or current) who leads by example.
• Describe their specific actions and the impact that those specific actions and their leadership has on others.

Be sure to respond to at least one of your classmates’ posts.

Note: Please remember to include any citations for the sources you are using to draft your responses. These sources can include those found in the course materials and those found externally. For your convenience, the SWS In-Text Citation Generator can be used to create the citation for you.

Week 10 Discussion – A Past Position

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Please complete the following:

As the needs and goals of your team evolve, you will need to be flexible and able to adapt your team. You may have to fill vacant positions or realign to accomplish your goals. As you move forward, it’s important to fill the roles with the strengths you need and move people to where they perform best. Sometimes you will have to change your strategy, but not your people, so you can play to your strengths. Changing needs does not always require a change in members. It’s up to you to use each team member in the most effective way. This week, we learn how to lead a team to success using the talent one already has.

• Think about a past or present position you’ve held.
• Were you using all of your strengths and skills in that position?
• Were you given the opportunity to take on a new role to better utilize your strengths and skills?
• How did this affect your performance?

Be sure to respond to at least one of your classmates’ posts.

Note: Please remember to include any citations for the sources you are using to draft your responses. These sources can include those found in the course materials and those found externally. For your convenience, the SWS In-Text Citation

Week 10 Assignment – Forming Your Team

Introduction

Throughout this course, you have learned what steps you will need to take to put together a successful team. You will use your knowledge about each step of the team-building process and its significance in a final report for your VP. You will explain what makes teams important and effective. This assignment gives you an opportunity to analyze your leadership potential while applying business writing skills.

Scenario

Your VP has asked you to create a 5–7 member team that you will lead for a new product or service the company is introducing. You have taken steps throughout your course to begin building your team. You will deliver a business report to your VP for your final team proposal.

Instructions

Write a 3–4 page report to the Vice President to include the following sections:

1. Title Page

Include a title page with the following information:

• • Project name.
  • Prepared by: your first and last name.
  • Prepared for: your VP’s first and last name.
  • Company name.

2. Introduction

Your introduction should be 1–2 paragraphs summarizing what you will cover in the report as well as your reason for writing the report. Be as specific and concise as possible when writing your introduction so that the reader can clearly understand what they will find in your report.

3. Body

The body of the report will include three labeled sections:

Envisioning the Team

Based on the Week 3 assignment and feedback, describe your team’s purpose, its roles, and critical skills. Include the following:

• • The team purpose statement (the shared goal).
  • The specific roles that will make up your team and what each is responsible for. That includes a description of responsibilities and the types of tasks each member performs.
  • The skills/traits each role will require and why those are critical.

Picking Your People

Describe your plans for researching, recruiting, and evaluating the best candidates. Don’t forget to review the Week 5 assignment on evaluating candidates and the instructor’s feedback. Support your rationale with examples and references from course resources. Use the following suggestions to get started:

• • Share your scouting techniques to recruit the team members.
  • Share your plan to research applicants or potential candidates, including the supporting rationale.
  • Share how you will attract and persuade the most valuable candidates to join your team.
  • Provide examples of key roles on your team and explain the evaluation or testing recommended for those roles and why those are appropriate.

Leading an Effective Team

Explain what makes the team and you as a member of your own team effective. Include the following:

• • Identify and explain four characteristics that will be important for your team to be effective and successful and why those are key. Provide support for your points from course resources.
  • As a member of your own team, explain strategies you will use to be the leader your team needs. Provide support from course resources and your DiSC assessment.
    • Consider strategies for increasing team effectiveness.
    • Think about what you learned about your personality traits from the DiSC assessment and complementary strengths in your team members.

4. Conclusion

Summarize the findings or results discussed in the report and reiterate the most important recommendations.

Week 11 Discussion – What Have You Learned?

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Please complete the following:

Return on Investment Reflection

Every course you take is an investment in the “Business of You.” Take a moment to reflect on what you’ve learned over the last 11 weeks and answer the following:

1. How will you apply what you have learned in this course in your professional and personal life?
2. What challenges did you have in this course, and how did you grow from them?

Course Reflection

Reflect on the past 11 weeks and everything you have learned.

• What are two things you learned about building an effective team that you didn’t know before?
• What’s the most surprising thing you discovered about the process of putting together a team?
• How will what you’ve learned about building teams help you create your own winning team in the future, specifically?

Be sure to respond to at least one of your classmates’ posts.

Note: Please remember to include any citations for the sources you are using to draft your responses. These sources can include those found in the course materials and those found externally. For your convenience, the SWS In-Text Citation Generator can be used to create the citation for you.