The Alchemy of High Performing Teams
The Alchemy of High Performing Teams
Everyone wants a high-performing team but what does that actually mean?
What needs to exist for a team to be able to function at consistent levels of high performance? And does it need to be consistent levels of high performance all the time or is it high performance when it matters?
So many questions to think about when you are embarking on work with teams in this space.
The DNA of High-Performing Teams
High-performing teams understand their internal and external context. They have clarity of purpose and they understand what real teamwork means through clear rules of operation and buy-in. High-performing teams are also empowered by having clarity around their decision-making boundaries and having a team culture that promotes healthy debate targeted at moving things forward. It is through this shared identity, commitment, and engagement that a high-performing team achieves results – in a way that can look almost effortless to those of us on the outside.
Photo by Joshua Sukoff on Unsplash
The Leaders Role
So as a leader, what can we do to help create a culture of high performance? One of the things we need to understand is that the standard we walk past is the standard we accept. I love Gilbert Enoka’s (Mindset Coach and Manager, All Blacks NZ) quote “when it comes to high performance, there are two ways to do things. The right way, and again!” So, as the leader of a team or group, be really clear on what the standards are and then make sure you live by these standards and hold everyone else to account too, – even when no one is watching. This is what helps you become the leader people want to follow.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
The next thing is to work with our teams to ensure they are crystal clear on what the mission is. Why are we here? Who do we serve? Once you are clear on where you are headed, you are in a better position to come back and look at where you are and assess the gap. What are the digestible gaps we have to overcome as a team to achieve results and create high performance? Part of this gap analysis is looking at the talent within the team. What is the current bench strength of your team in relation to where you want to go? High-performing teams understand their bench strength limitations and then get creative about how they can bridge the gap until the opportunity arrives for them to directly get the talent they need.
Next, we notice that high-performing teams have ‘teamwork’ nailed. They have rules of engagement and high buy-in. This doesn’t just happen by magic; the team has spent the time discussing these things together so they can get on with the task at hand. High-performing teams do this internal work together, it’s not done to them!
Finally, high-performing teams are empowered. They have clarity around their decision-making authority and how they can use their resources. Sometimes, teams don’t have this clarity and so they spend a lot of time spinning their wheels and being unable to make decisions in a timely manner. Being empowered as a team also means you will have those healthy debates when they are required. It’s always about the work and never personal and high-performing teams know it’s okay to not agree on everything, all of the time. But, because the mission is so strong, individuals can put their own agendas to one side and do what would be right for the collective team. It’s by having the discussions and listening to differing points of view that the team ultimately makes and a decision that moves them forward in the best way possible.
By having teams work together on how they become an even better team, we start to create a shared identity, stronger commitment, higher engagement, and deeper impact.
Photo by Hans-Peter Gauster on Unsplash
Having a high-performing team is like a jigsaw puzzle. You could think of each piece of the puzzle as the individual team members. Each piece has its own unique place but doesn’t provide the full picture on its own. It’s when all the pieces are put together that you see the ‘big picture’ and get the true value of the sum being greater than its parts.
If you are looking to increase the performance and results of your team, we should chat to see if my Creating a Winning Team programme would be of interest to you.