#14 - Building High-Performance Teams!
1 Jun 24
One of the most enjoyable parts of being a leader is to create a team of people who are able to perform at the highest level of performance.
To do it, there are a set of foundational principles which should be taken into account. These will set up the conditions, or foundations on which to start growing the team.
Setting the right culture is key. Culture drives everything and this very much depends on the leader.
Remember, whilst everyone has niche skillsets, the key is to create an environment where autonomy and collaboration work hand in hand to work to move everyone collectively towards a common goal.
As a leader you want to grow your garden simultaneously, not just watch individual plants thrive!
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#14 - Building High-Performance Teams!
What?
Let's face it we all want to build and lead teams which are inherently high-performing.
But trying to select the right group of people who are good operators individually, yet who are able to work seamlessly together is no easy task.
It's a little like trying to build a sports car, and making sure all the various sub-systems perform the role they were designed to perform.
But it also involves designing the interfaces between the various sub-systems to work effectively too. And that's not easy.
Why?
People are complex pieces of machinery.
They can be a joy to work with, or not. They can be predictable, or not.
They come with unseen issues which may not surface for a long time. Then, when they are visible it may come unexpectedly.
People also come with egos, pride and aspirations. This is perfectly normal.
But when building a team, the role of the leader is to understand how best to make the component parts work together. What makes each team member tick? What are their strengths and weaknesses? What skills do they possess? How do they fit in to the wider team and complement other skills already held? How do they interact with others? Do they work collaboratively or work in a stove-piped manner? What motivates them? What are their aspirations in terms of their careers? What could throw them off balance if to monitored, and the correct support provided?
Like a gardener who tends their flowers, each team member requires nurturing and certain conditions to be created which will stimulate growth.
It will be different for each team member. But the leader's role is to balance all of the above and try and make the whole garden grow simultaneously, not just individual plants.
How?
High-Performance team building starts with establishing a number of foundations upon which the team may be built. I'll go through each one below:
- Culture - What culture do you want to encourage? A transparent, no-blame culture where people are not worried about being 'blamed' is a good way to demonstrate that 'stuff inevitably happens'. It's how you deal with it that matters,
- Self-correcting - Encourage the team to always look for opportunities to learn and refine. A self-correcting culture can go a long way to addressing many issues before they occur,
- 'There is no such thing as a stupid question' - There really isn't. Those that don't question are putting the organisation at risk,
- Select your team members based upon skillset but also how they will complement other team members. Having people in the team who are brilliant but can't work with others is a recipe for disaster. Each person must be capable of collegiate working,
- Empower your team members to make decisions and to be autonomous,
- Encourage a coaching culture where the junior members learn from those who are more senior,
- Make work fun. Inject humour whenever you can to make work a great place to spend time,
- Reward great performance and recognise it publicly,
- Arrange social events every so often to build team cohesion,
- Understand what motivates your team members and create the right environment in which they are able to thrive,
- Ensure your team have access to you for any issue,
- Outline the team goals and what you are trying to achieve. Re-iterate them at every opportunity to ensure they are embedded,
- Be firm but fair when dealing with performance or disciplinary issues,
- Monitor their workload. Re-distribute the work as appropriate to help them out if they are struggling,
- Stress comes from many different areas, including from home. Monitor individual behaviours as stress affects each person in a different way. Offer to ease work/life stress as best you can for people to make it easier for them,
- Ensure they know that you have their back at all times and will fight their corner if need be.
In Summary
I hope that you enjoyed reading this newsletter and that it has given you food for thought.
Building a High-Performing team takes time. It requires deep thought to try and carefully balance and align the component parts. The ultimate aim is to try and select the correct blend of people that are able to work both individually in their niche areas but also collaboratively to achieve the common aim.
It's also one of the most enjoyable activities of being a leader! Good luck!
Have a great week!
Whenever you're ready, here's how I can help you:
- Resources - Reading is an essential component to developing your own authentic leadership style. Check out my resources page for really inspiring books which I have found invaluable within my own leadership journey,
- Coach Station - Singular issue 60 minute coaching sessions,
- Coach Journey - Bespoke coaching packages of 6 or 12 sessions for transformative change,
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