Belbin

One of my targets for Personal Development: improve team management skills. First action: Team Roles session with team under expert supervision. Today we had our team roles session. I expected a lot; every one of out nine collegues filled out an Online Personality Questionnaire with 104 items.

The team as a whole lacked an implementer and had no real coordinator. Five out of nine members had 'some' preference for implementer, my senior collegue Jeanette had preference for coordination.

My own roles from this survey were clear: strong preference for shaper and plant roles, and often for monitor evaluator. No coordinator, teamworker and implementer role preference whatsoever.

This enlightened the team discussion: it explains why we do not implement plans and manage out decisions. It also explains why team members expect me to coordinate more. My proposal to delegate some tasks in the coordinating role led to discussion about the managerial function. I understand that I should do some coordination.

Actions:

1. Planning monthly meetings of advisors and operations.

2. Shorten team meetings to 1 hour

3. Delegate the chair to Jeanette

4. Point on the meeting schedule: implementation

Part 2 of the course: postponed until towmorrow. Started reading Sun Tzu. Slowly, a bit uncanny, however, not without success!

First night of French classes

Learning through the internet proves to be efficient and amusing. The BBC has a fairly good brush up course for people like me - with rusty French skills. It provides 12 weekly episodes with two videos and excercises under the rather dull title Ma France.

It was a tad boring, indeed, but I managed to refresh the basics of presenting oneself and introducing others, and getting around in traffic. Never knew a car in argot was a caisse - used bagnole or voiture - nor that a traffic jam was a bouchon - maybe because I use public transport.

I particularly liked the internet version of the dictée (dictation), in which you type the sentence spoken by the teacher. This works very well, because you get direct feedback after one sentence. Thoughly enjoyed the experience, definitely back for more tomorrow.

Starting up French Class

Starting up my French. So far I have bought the odd issue of Le Monde during the holidays. Nice, but not really helpful. Articles I understood were about cycling.

1. Downloaded two articles on French Economy from OECD.org/france, with counterparts in English. Hope to read them somewhere next week and summarise them.

2. Bought two Strategy books on Sun Tzu and the Martial Arts in French. Hope to get them next week, in time for my strategy classes, to read, and summarise by chapter as extra work.

3. Signed up for Ma France, the BBC's online Distance Learning Programme in French for advanced learners. Hope I will be able to keep up.

4. Sent Esther Korterink, French teacher-cum-sister in Law, an e-mail regarding the best book to buy on business in France. We'll see...

5. During all this hard action, I watched three policiers on TV5 Monde. Rather good acting, superficial stories, spinning out in endless conversation, as expected. Poor camera work (steadiness, focus, colour) - watched the Beeb too much, I fear.

- Learning point: cannot translate this text in FRENCH!