High Performing Teams Aren’t Accidental
Trevor had been at the helm for a few years, having adopted his team from an old-school leader with a 20-year tenure. Some of his team was from that era, and some were new. He had changed a lot since coming aboard, but he hadn’t brought the team together to work on itself. As a result, he didn’t have a good idea of where the team stood. There was subtle resistance in some of what he was trying to do, and between some team members. Furthermore, Trevor perceived that his team was just cruising along with their heads down…or maybe even in the sand. He wanted a team that was sailing.
High-performing teams don't get to their high-performing state by accident. They invest in themselves as a team. They work on the team itself, increasing its capacity to do good work together that achieves a level of collective intelligence greater than any individual on that team.
Leaders: How do you know if your team is "high performing"? And what can you do about it if they’re not?
The team members:
Are rallied behind their main goal or purpose.
Demonstrate respect for each other in their interactions.
Come together to work through the muck when things get tough.
Actually enjoy working together.
Genuinely care about each other.
Leaders — if your team is struggling to reach high-performing status, there is something you can do about it. You can put your team on the path to becoming high-performing today. This is true even if there are obstacles in your path, such as:
Big changes are coming up in the business
The individuals on the team don't seem that close (there may even be some rifts)
The team is new and hasn't yet found its groove
Here are three straightforward steps to getting your team on the path to becoming high performing.
1. Gather your team together in an environment removed from the day-to-day workplace.
Whether it's a 90-minute meeting or a two-day offsite, the leader sends the message that the team has a mandate to self-reflect and to work on itself. Craft a few reflection questions and design a clear process for answering them, making sure to get all voices in the room. It truly can be that simple. Try to do this regularly, even if it’s only once per year.
2. Set up recurring feedback mechanisms.
For example, if you have a weekly team meeting, simply ending with a check out provides a small, easy feedback mechanism for the team to self reflect, fostering a culture of continuous improvement. These mechanisms are not outside of the work environment like the previous step, but rather integrated into the work itself.
One client we worked with does "apologies and appreciations" at the beginning of their monthly team meeting. This is an excellent example of another feedback mechanism that is integrated into the work rhythm.
3. Create a clear vision.
As the leader, it's up to you how collaborative the creation process is. You, as the leader, can "set" the vision, or you could engage the team in a collaborative vision-creation session. Or perhaps some combination of both. What you're ultimately trying to create here is strong alignment in the direction of the vision, so that there is an understanding among the team about
a) Where the team is headed, and
b) What kind of team it is becoming in order to get there.
The vision is the compass that tells the team where their "True North" is. (It's not the roadmap.)
As you can see from these steps, to create a high-performing team, leaders need to invest in working on the team itself. There is also a certain stance among high-performing teams: "We are together, facing the problem we're solving in the world. If we have disagreements, we're still on the same side, facing the problem we're tasked to solve. We get through the disagreement because we're committed to our vision for the difference we're working to make in this organization and for the world."
Leaders: What resonated with you from the steps above to get your team on the path to performing at its highest level? Choose one next step to start working on. And if you truly feel stuck, we are here to help!
With our guidance, Trevor brought his team together at an offsite. It was there that he shared his vision of where he had been and is continuing to take the organization. The team got a chance to wrestle with the vision and add to it. They also set up a more transparent accountability structure for what was to happen between their staff meetings – a feedback mechanism. In working with their team, they used the Enneagram to get to know each other better so they didn’t inadvertently misinterpret each other’s actions. Trevor’s team is clearly on the path to performing at its highest capability.
At Integrative Leadership Strategies, we do our best to practice what we preach. Not only do we support teams in becoming high performing, but we also work on our team. Check out our latest ‘Meet the Team’ series on LinkedIn here to get to know us better!
