Having previously outlined the key elements needed to build a high performing team in the second white paper ‘The Art of Building a High Performing Team’, the next step for all teams to make is how to then achieve success and ensure your team reaches its full potential. This third white paper in the Series will discuss key methods and strategies that teams can use to ensure they reach their full potential.
Based on experience through building high performing teams across the globe including countries such as; the United States, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Hong Kong, Japan and the United Kingdom, as well as extensive research on team development, we have outlined a number of core principles we believe to be beneficial to every team.
Stages of Team Development
An interesting theory which categorises stages of team development is a useful starting point to understand how successful teams are forged. In 1965 Bruce Tuckman (a psychologist from New York) believed that teams go through specific stages of development, from the first team meeting right the way through to when a project or specific goal is completed.
First Stage - Forming:
The initial stage is where team members meet for the first time, for example at a sales kick off and start to form working relationships with each other. During the forming stage a number of key areas are discussed including; project goals, individual roles and a timeline of when certain targets are required to be met.
Second Stage – Storming:
This is the stage where any potential conflicts between individuals will arise. Clashes in personalities and disagreements over how tasks are to be carried out are common causes for conflict at this stage. It is here where the leadership role becomes essential in order to recognise any conflict and diffuse situations which have the potential to cause issues and toxic relations further down the line. Conflict however should also not be seen as a completely negative force within a team as it is natural to have disagreements between peers. It is how these conflicts are resolved which will define how the team moves on in the future.
Third Stage – Norming:
After any potential conflicts have been resolved, people will start to appreciate each member’s strengths and start to work as team, all striving to deliver the overall goal as well as their personal targets. It is important to understand that it is unlikely that every member will always get on with each other on a personal level, however as long as they respect each other’s values and opinions on industry related matters then the team will not be impacted.
Fourth Stage – Performing:
By this stage everyone is aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses and can operate fluidly without guidance. Every team wants to reach this stage, but it takes perseverance, dedication, respect and a high degree of emotional intelligence that many teams don’t have. Only those teams capable of working through differences and harnessing everyone’s strengths will be able to operate as a high performing team. Once this stage has been reached it is necessary to maintain this level of performance, this can be done through clear and concise communication between all team members to ensure everyone remains on the same track and are working on the same end goals with a common agenda..
These stages of team development concisely represent the process needed to be undertaken in order to achieve the status of being a ‘High Performing Team’.
Guiding Team Principles
It is important that the team consistently operates with a common agenda rather than a set of individual agendas. Sharing a collective goal in a team oriented culture delivers results where every team member is accountable and responsible to each other and the team mandate. The team’s purpose should be clearly understood by every member and underpinned by a set of guiding principles acting as a beacon providing that unwavering direction. These guidelines should clearly outline the purpose of the team, the way in which it operates and the cultural values, which are not negotiable. Once established and agreed, it is important that the Leader and the team members hold themselves accountable to the principles.
Harvest Potential
Every member within a team has the ability to hit their targets and contribute an equal amount to the overall success of the team in which they are part of. Many individuals however are unable to reach their full potential, this can be due to many reasons such as poor leadership, lack of communication and conflict within the team to name just a few. This often leads to teams yielding average results where targets may be hit but no progress is being made in driving the business forward and accelerating growth. What is therefore needed in this case is an acknowledgement that there is a need to empower employees.
This can be done by appropriately delegating tasks that are in accordance with each individual’s strengths. It is also important to note that sales industries are extremely fierce and competitive with the most driven and hungry sales individuals consistently reaching and overachieving their quotas. By providing your sales team with challenges that are achievable this will motivate and galvanise your team into making more sales whilst ensuring the team continues to stay motivated, so they perform to their true potential. Achieving success doesn’t however lie solely from playing to one’s strengths as this creates a one-sided skill set. Identifying and understanding your weaknesses is a valuable asset to have and shows a level of emotional intelligence that is not present in every individual. As a result the team will then have a well-rounded skill set which will allow them to successfully undertake a number of varied tasks and challenges which present themselves.
Reward and Recognise
It is no secret that people like to be rewarded for effort and achievement when they have dedicated their time into helping the business succeed. To be rewarded shows that others have recognised the hard work you have put in, this sense of accomplishment is a key contributing factor to overall job satisfaction as rewards play on people’s egos and encourage them to maintain high standards. Recognition is a direct contributor to sustaining high performance and will in turn drive the team forward to go above and beyond, resulting in individuals consistently achieving 100%+ of their quota. It is quite often the responsibility of the leader to reward their team which relies on the leadership actively engaging with their team and being switched on to how well they are performing. For the team to be aware that their leader is an ever-present member increases the sense of trust and inspires everyone to work for each other, creating a high performing team which works for everyone. Leading from the front is a term often used for those Leaders who set clear examples of what is possible and it also displays confidence to the team that the Leader is with them.
Passion and Drive
According to a study published by Deloitte, up to 87.7 percent of America’s workforce is not able to contribute to their full potential because they don’t have passion for their work. Less than 12.3 percent of America’s workforce possesses the attributes of worker passion. This ‘passion gap’ as it has been called is an important part of a company’s overall success as those who possess greater levels of passion are determined in achieving higher levels of performance. Their importance to businesses is especially heightened in today’s company culture where there exists a rapidly changing business environment. These individuals can drive sustained performance improvement as they remain committed to helping the business grow. Deloitte’s study recommended that companies redesign their work environment to promote and provide worker passion which will open the possibility to workers improving their learning opportunities, culminating in a consistent improved performance level. There are several ways to boost passion levels. Encouraging people to connect, providing them with a sense of purpose and appreciation are great first steps. Empowering Managers to drive a sense of passion, as strong Managers should be able to inspire teams to the point where their passion becomes infectious and ripples through the team/s. To help people relate to the feeling of passion, it is sometimes beneficial to encourage a “passion project” outside of work.
Regular Reviews
Whilst the team may be in control and on the critical path for achieving the plan, it is always key to take time for regular reviews as a team. The metrics for success and the guiding principles and activities to achieve success would have been defined at the beginning of a mandate or project. However, circumstances or factors outside of a team’s influence or control can occur, sometimes taking the team off track. It is vital that a team has the agility to pivot in a new direction if required to overcome and outperform a situation or market condition. Equally, a team may be ahead and may wish to set themselves a stretch goal to push through as in recognition that they may be able to reach an elevated level of performance and outcome for the team.
Conclusion
The word “Team” originally denoted a group of animals harnessed together to pull a load, but the modern sense ‘group of people acting together’ emerged from this in the 16th century. Today, teams are in every aspect of our childhoods and adult lives and are important for achieving with every member working in a common direction towards an end goal. High Performing Teams take things to the next level as outlined in this paper. What sets a high performing team apart is the shared commitment to the purpose, vision and extraordinary goals. High-performing teams as a unit are aligned in their focus, purpose, and priorities to achieve. The key enablers are trust, progression, communication, staying true to the purpose and values and most importantly the ability to maintain momentum as a team in any situation.
