In a world where speed and results are paramount, building a High Performance Team is no longer an option, but a necessity. These teams are not only exceptional in their performance but also a source of inspiration for others within and outside the organization. But what makes a team a high performance team, and how can you as a leader achieve this? Let’s explore this question by combining both local and international insights.
What is a High Performance Team?
High performance teams are groups that consistently achieve better results than average and do so with an exceptional level of collaboration, creativity, and dedication.
Characteristics of these teams:
– Psychological safety: Google’s famous Aristotle project revealed that psychological safety is the most important factor for a successful team. Team members must feel safe to admit mistakes, ask questions, and introduce new ideas without fear of rejection.
– Shared vision: The team has a clear, inspiring goal that is shared by everyone. This provides direction and motivation.
– Diversity and inclusion: Research from the US emphasizes that diverse teams are more innovative and resilient. Different perspectives lead to better decisions and more creative solutions.
– Feedback culture: American companies like Netflix and Amazon employ a direct and frequent feedback culture. This ensures continuous learning and adaptation.
– Ownership and autonomy: Teams that are given responsibility for their work and make decisions perform better.
Practical Tips for Leaders to Build a High Performance Team
As a leader, you naturally play a crucial role in building a high performance team. Here are some practical steps you can take:
1. Create a strong team culture: Ensure team members feel safe. Trust is the foundation of psychological safety. You secure this by showing exemplary behavior as a leader. You also secure the company culture using core values and core value behavior.
2. Always invest in leadership: To achieve a good high performance culture, I believe leaders need to develop well and quickly. Just as a top athlete has a coach, a leader should have one too. They must set a good example, provide coaching leadership, and create an environment in which the team can flourish.
3. Set clear goals: It seems like a no-brainer, but it can still be quite challenging in practice. SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Acceptable, Realistic, Time-bound) help maintain focus and direction. You can also use frameworks like OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) or EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) to provide focus and direction.
4. Encourage continuous feedback: Give and receive regular feedback to improve and grow. Netflix calls this ‘radical honesty’, an approach focused on growth and improvement, not criticism.
5. Promote autonomy and ownership: Give team members the freedom and responsibility to carry out their tasks, leading to more engagement. It’s quite a search to find the balance between maintaining control and giving trust.
6. Celebrate successes: So important. Be wary of taking successes for granted. Pay attention to them, individually and collectively.
High Performance in Practice
The so-called PITPACK model is a useful framework that describes seven essential elements for effective leadership and team development. In summary, these are the seven elements:
– Phases: Recognizing the different developmental phases a team goes through.
– Involvement: Actively involving team members in decision-making and processes.
– Trust: Building mutual trust within the team.
– Processes: Implementing clear and efficient work processes.
– Accountability: Encouraging a culture where team members take responsibility for their tasks.
– Communication: Promoting open and effective communication.
– Key: Identifying the core factors that contribute to the team’s success.
These elements together form a practical and directly applicable approach to developing High Performance Teams. By integrating these aspects into your leadership style, you can create an environment where teams function optimally and excel.
For an in-depth insight into these steps and how to apply them, I recommend reading further in the book “My Best Team Ever! 7 Steps to Golden Leadership“.
Or make an appointment to explore what you need within your company to establish a High Performance Team.
