How to create the foundations of a strong and high performing team
Every organisation wants strong and high performing teams.
The workplace has seen a lot of change over the last few years, but it’s clear teams are the future and factory workers are a dying breed.
However, creating a high performing team is often easier said than done.
They’re the holy grail and leaders in every industry work long and hard to achieve them. You can spend hours reading books, going to workshops, investing in team building training… just for it to remain as elusive as ever.
The key is to get your team off to the strongest start by making sure the right foundations are in place for your team to grow and thrive.
1. Get clear on your team purpose
To be able to be most effective as a team, they need to know why they exist.
Knowing their purpose helps people feel like they are a part of something bigger and gives them a clear framework to work against.
Most organisations already have a purpose statement… but this won’t necessarily be the same as your team's purpose.
The general purpose of the team is that they are there to live out the values and beliefs of the organisation so that it can thrive, but what in particular does your team do?
Take action: Get your team together and collaborate on what your team's purpose is. If you already have one, does it need any tweaks? Has anything changed? By getting your team involved they automatically feel more aligned and connected with the purpose.
2. Make empathy the default
Empathy has been a buzzword in the workplace for the past few years, and for good reason!
It’s a key element of emotional intelligence and often considered a ‘soft’ skill, but the power it can have within an organisation is huge.
75% of employees would choose an employer with a strong culture of empathy over an employer offering a slightly higher salary.
73% would choose an empathetic employer even if it meant changing their role, industry or career path.
83% would consider leaving their current organisation for a similar role at a more empathetic organisation.
For some people, empathy is easy to access and manage. For others, it has to be practiced and worked on regularly.
Take action: Create opportunities to connect with your team and for them to connect with each other. Utilise check ins, ask for a trip report or introduce an arrival question. Using techniques like this works wonders for developing interest and understanding of each other’s lives and subsequently develops more empathy.
3. Establish team agreements
If you want to work together as a team cohesively and avoid misunderstandings, you need to make sure there are clear expectations set out.
These agreements can be thought of as team rules…but they shouldn’t be used to restrict individuals and instead should be decided on as a group, for the benefit of the group.
These agreements can be expectations like “We will arrive five minutes before meetings”, “loud conversations will be had in meetings rooms whilst people are working in the office” or “everybody has to contribute at least one thing in check ins”.
If these agreements are being regularly flouted, you can question whether your team agreements need to be reevaluated. This shines light on the behavior rather than the person and gives everybody the opportunity to either adapt their behavior or adapt the agreement for the good of the team.
Take action: Bring your team together and establish some agreements that work for you. Unspoken rules aren’t enough. You have to document them and make sure your working agreements are visible and accessible to the whole team otherwise there's no accountability.
4. Learn to value one another
For a team to be able to work together effectively they have to value each other.
Teamwork, communication, respect, trust - and all those other good things you need for a strong and high performing team - are all based on value.
Often when we're in a pressurised environment ‘feedback’ is purely confined to constructive criticism or “hey, I need you to do this better”. While this feedback is an absolutely crucial part of any team or individual improving, it doesn't remove the need to also provide regular positive feedback or valuing.
It can feel awkward and uncomfortable at first, especially if you’re not used to it, but with time it gets easier and creates deeper and more authentic relationships between team members
Take action: Learning to value one another really is as simple as telling your team what you value about each other. It might feel strange in the beginning, but regularly get your team together and keep sharing the positives, and watch your team go from strength to strength.
5. Create the ritual with reflection
To keep your finger on the pulse of your team and make sure the foundations are still relevant as you grow you need to reflect.
The workplace, and the people in it, are constantly changing. What works one day might not further down the line. To make sure your team has the right foundations in place to succeed you need to reflect, reevaluate and adapt often, as a group and individually.
Take action: Rather than waiting for annual reviews or performance meetings to roll around, create the ritual of reflection and practice it on a regular basis. Try coming up with a framework you can start huddles with or go through at the end of projects. Questions like, ‘What is going well?’, ‘what isn’t?’, and ‘what can we change?’ gives you a clear structure to follow and makes it easier to get the ball rolling.
Keep it up!
You’ve had a good start, but why stop now? Download the free Braver Leaders course here for a more in depth look into how to create the foundations of a strong team.