047. (Re)Forming High Performance Teams with Deborah Wathen Finn

A special episode recorded on International Women’s Day 2022.  We are joined by the inspirational Deborah Wathen-Finn, the President of the Wathen Group. Deb has an incredible track record of success working as a woman in the male-dominated industry of public transit before moving on to form the Wathen Group. 

She shares with us her secrets for how she forms and (re) forms high performance teams.

Deb’s secret is to treat people with respect; treat them like they matter; and actively engage them in the change process.

It is often the people on the shop floor, those closest to the action, that have the best ideas of what is needed to be done. Create an environment where people feel their voice is heard; where there opinions are valued and where people have the psychological safety that allows them to speak up. This will provide great insights into what he happening in your team and business and what can be done to achieve high performance. 

We spoke of the challenges of the “messy middle” where change efforts can get lost without effective communication and engagement with middle management. You can have executive management with a clear vision and you can have those at the shop floor with a desire to change and do better and the message is lost in middle management if there is not effective communication.

Deb’s inspirational story is not one to be missed.

🌐 Connect with Deborah:

• Website: www.thewathengroup.com  

Send us a text

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