Whilst there is so much doom and gloom economic commentary lately, many of my clients, are still focused on sustaining and creating a culture of high performance. Business survival favours those who can use challenges as opportunities. How can we use this time of uncertainty and unpredictability to build an even higher level of team performance?
If a team of high performing individuals is put in a team, surely the sum of the parts will make a high performing team.
Not necessarily.
Well not easily, not all the time and in fact hardly ever. In fact, in challenging times, team members can adopt a mindset of me first. My job security, my development, my opportunities. If the collective goal and purpose are not strong enough, individuals will look to their own sense of purpose, which is counterproductive to a high performing team mindset.
To have a sustainably high performing team, the collective output of the team, and the team culture need to be stronger than any one team member.
Here are six ways to create a high performing team in your organisation.
- Recruit the best people for the roles
This one is obvious. It takes time, but a lack of effort at this stage will create pain later.
Think about the roles you are recruiting. What does the team need? Ensure you are considering technical skills, experience and importantly all forms of diversity, particularly cognitive diversity; different points of view, and different ways of thinking that will help your team grow collectively and individually.
- Design your team structure and roles well
Your team structure and the roles need to be well thought out. What’s the purpose of the team and the roles in the team? What are the capabilities you require in the team? Roles need to have clear accountabilities and measures for success. If they don’t you may be inadvertently setting up your team members for confusion, frustration, and tension with other team members. Role clarity provides boundaries for team members to work within and helps them understand how their individual role contributes to other roles and the broader team goals.
3. Invest in team development
A good time to start is right at the beginning of the team’s formation, or when the team is going through a change. Using a diagnostic like the Clarity 4D or the Hermann Brain Dominance Instrument provides individual team members with greater insights into their communication style and behaviour. These tools also provide a team profile so that collectively the team can think about the mix of styles and preferences in the team and how this will either help or hinder team goals. Teams can also focus on topics that are meaningful for the team such as managing change, resilience, communication and trust. Some time to focus on setting or revisiting the team strategy is also a good investment of time for any team.
4. Create high trust in the team
“Trust is the glue of life… It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships” (Stephen R Covey)
Trust is the key principle for the basis of any relationship. So many other factors that are necessary for a high performing team stem from trust. Communication, accountability, achievement of results and conflict are all necessary components of a high performing team. Without trust, the team’s ability to achieve is severely impacted.
What does trust look like in a high performing team?
- Team members are open to giving and receiving genuine feedback from colleagues
- Vulnerability and authenticity are encouraged and displayed
- There is a high level of commitment to achieving goals
- Individuals have a high degree of accountability at an individual and team level
- Conflict or expressing diverse views respectfully and with pure intention is encouraged because it is understood that this brings about better results for the overall team
5. Don’t be complacent about team culture
Culture is energy. It can change its form depending on multiple factors such as who’s in the team. At the start, generally, there is a sense of positivity, excitement and growth and therefore the perception is that the culture is healthy. However, if complacency creeps in and attention and focus turn only to operational achievement, the culture of the team will suffer, and eventually so will results. To prosper, culture needs constant care and attention. This involves regular pulse checks on the culture. Ditch the annual engagement survey that most people loathe. Regular pulse checks will give you real time feedback on how people are experiencing work and what you can all do as a team to maintain or improve the culture.
6. Ensure team goals and individual goals are aligned
I like to call this the goal cascade process. When an individual’s goals are aligned with the overarching organisational goals, they can see how they contribute to the broader team. This alignment can increase an individual’s sense of purpose as they know that they are part of something bigger, they belong, and they are needed. As humans, we love this feeling. So be transparent about the organisational goals and help individual team members find the alignment between the organisational goals and their goals. A goal cascade exercise can help achieve this.
High performing teams can be created with careful attention to who you have on the team, having the right structure and roles, clarity of purpose, a shared understanding of that purpose, goal alignment, high trust and a consistent focus on the culture.
Placing your energy here will mitigate the risks associated with this period of uncertainty and lack of predictability for your team and your business.
Rita Cincotta coaches, facilitates and speaks on individual and team performance, leadership development and ways of working. She works with organisations to develop human centred solutions that help people and businesses to thrive.