Extraordinary Team Tips

Strategic planning facilitation is one of the most high-stakes activities any leader will take on. Get it right, and you'll rally your team around a clear, inspiring direction. Get it wrong, and you'll end up with a glossy binder of plans that collect dust while the organization drifts (I call that "credenzaware!"). Here are seven of the most common mistakes and how to avoid them.

High-stakes meeting facilitator Kristin Arnold shares why offsite meetings fail and how to improve them with strategic meeting facilitation.

High-stakes meeting facilitator Kristin Arnold shares how to prioritize strategic initiatives AND create an interrelationship digraph.

With all of the invisible help joining our meetings, are meetings becoming more effective? Or less human? Here's how I see AI transforming meetings and a quick tip to explore it's potential with your team.

With a few intentional shifts, a ho-hum meeting can become a high-impact ritual your team actually looks forward to. Here's a "before and after" look at one team's transformation from dreaded meeting to dynamic power session.

I was talking with a client about "the small stuff" that makes magic happen. Those seemingly inconspicuous rituals, behaviors, and mindsets that, when practiced consistently, drive extraordinary results. Here are 10 micro-habits I've observed in high-performing teams I've worked with.

Great brainstorming isn't magic—it's well-structured messiness. When you design your session like a sandwich (start with clarity, move into freeform ideation, and close with purposeful evaluation), you give your team the space and structure they need to generate and act on truly original ideas.

Before you send that next meeting invitation, ask yourself these seven crucial questions to determine whether you really need a meeting. And if that answer is "yes," how to make it a good meeting.

Overconfidence feels good. It's seductive. But unchecked, it can lead us into risky territory, blindsiding us with problems we could have seen coming. Before charging forward with a decision, especially one that feels too easy or unchallenged, try conducting a "pre-mortem." Instead of examining what did go wrong after the fact, you imagine what could go wrong before it happens. Here's how to do a Pre-Mortem:

Too often, organizations reach for training when what they really need is alignment and ownership. If your team already knows what great service looks like, repeating the basics won't move the needle. What they need is a facilitated workshop.

Making your team's contributions visible isn't just good for them; it reflects positively on you as a leader — highlighting your ability to build, nurture, and lead a high-performing team. Here's how to ensure your team's work shines brightly across the organization.

A powerful metaphor isn't just a cute analogy. It becomes a shared mental model—a common language that helps people visualize the work ahead, understand their role, and navigate the inevitable setbacks along the way. Metaphors are especially helpful when the company culture likes and/or participates in the activity!

What separates the teams that just perform from those that consistently achieve? My friend and colleague Steven Gaffney has been pondering the same thing. The Steven Gaffney Company recently completed a national research study on Consistently High Achieving Teams (CHAT) and joined me on the podcast to unpack the results.

AI isn't magic—but it is a powerful tool to help teams tackle repetitive processes, streamline painful workflows, or add efficiency to tasks that require human intelligence. But just like an Oreo, AI is only as good as the layers you build around it. Let me break it down for you.

While they may sound similar, a strategic plan and a growth plan serve distinct purposes. One sets the overall direction of your company, and the other focuses on how to expand your market presence and revenue. Understanding the difference can help you prioritize your efforts and ensure your business thrives. The growth plan actually "sits inside" your strategic plan.

The best book clubs strike a balance between structured discussion and free-flowing conversation - which is why having a facilitator (or at least some semblance of a plan) is crucial. So, whether your book club is thriving or teetering on the edge of chaos, here are a few ways to keep the discussion engaging, inclusive, and—most importantly—fun.

In many organizations, the CFO is viewed as the "numbers person"—the one who tracks financial performance, ensures compliance, and keeps an eye on cash flow. But what if I told you that the CFO is actually one of the best people to facilitate strategic conversations and lead cross-functional teams?

Let's explore how you can lean into your strengths, take initiative, and drive team success—all while positioning yourself as a key contributor and future leader.

By systematically evaluating growth strategies against these criteria, your team can identify the most viable, impactful, and sustainable growth strategy for the business.

Where does technology fit in a strategic plan? The answer depends on a number of factors. Here's what you need to know.