The most common mistake I have come across is people sayingthey are part of a team when in fact they are really a working group and the
difference between the two is palpable. You’ll understand this if you’ve ever
been part of a high performing team!
When you are on a true team there is an energy and
enthusiasm that can be felt, they are clear about their purpose and there is a
commitment to deliver individual as well as collective results.
enthusiasm that can be felt, they are clear about their purpose and there is a
commitment to deliver individual as well as collective results.
Katzenbach and Smith define a team as a small number of
people with complementary skills who
are committed to a common purpose,
performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves accountable.
people with complementary skills who
are committed to a common purpose,
performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves accountable.
- Do you consider yourself to be part of a team?
- If yes, do you ever spend time reflecting on how you are
performing, or how you can make significant performance improvements? - Do you hold yourself individually accountable and mutually
accountable with your team mates?
If you don’t consider yourself to be part of a team you’re
likely to be a member of a working group where you interact with team members
primarily to share information, best practices and make decisions to help each
individual perform within his or her area of responsibility. There is no common purpose that binds
people together or joint work products that call for a team approach or mutual
accountability.
likely to be a member of a working group where you interact with team members
primarily to share information, best practices and make decisions to help each
individual perform within his or her area of responsibility. There is no common purpose that binds
people together or joint work products that call for a team approach or mutual
accountability.
So What?
All teams start out as a working group, an array of
individuals coming together to get a job done. As a leader it’s important to
recognise this as the development journey from working group to high performing
team takes time and effort not just from you, but from every member in the
team.
individuals coming together to get a job done. As a leader it’s important to
recognise this as the development journey from working group to high performing
team takes time and effort not just from you, but from every member in the
team.
The question is do you want to harness the collective
energy, skills and experience you have to deliver outstanding results? If you
do then the journey is worth taking.
energy, skills and experience you have to deliver outstanding results? If you
do then the journey is worth taking.
There is no one best place to start, or one best thing to
do. What I would say is hire an experienced facilitator or team coach to
support you and the team to get there.
do. What I would say is hire an experienced facilitator or team coach to
support you and the team to get there.
As the team leader you need to be seen as part of the teamwhich is why using an external facilitator is worth it – it also demonstrates
that you are prepared to be led which signals to the team that any one of them
can take the lead when necessary
Indicators of High Performing
Teams
Teams
So where are you and your team on the scale from work group
to high performing team?
to high performing team?
Use these indicators as a starting point and use a 1 to 10
scale where 1 is low and 10 is high. It will hopefully give you some idea of
where to start if you want to enhance performance.
scale where 1 is low and 10 is high. It will hopefully give you some idea of
where to start if you want to enhance performance.
- Trust – the team trust one another to get things done
- Healthy Challenge – the team are prepared to challenge each
other to achieve the optimum result possible and accept this as an essential
way of operating - Commit to action – when a decision is made they all commit
to delivering and deliver what is needed when it’s required - Accountable – they hold each other accountable and are ready
and willing to give each other honest feedback on contributions made - Focus on Results – they focus on what collectively has been
agreed
If you know there is work to be done and you are not quite
sure where to start email me and
we can explore options to move forward.
sure where to start email me and
we can explore options to move forward.
“When a gifted
team dedicates itself to unselfish trust and combines instinct with boldness
and effort, it is ready to climb.”
team dedicates itself to unselfish trust and combines instinct with boldness
and effort, it is ready to climb.”
Patanjali
