We all dream of a high-performance team. Between recruitment, the time available to your managers for coaching and the market, how do you develop the characteristics of high-performing teams while taking into account the people and the context you currently have?
In this article, there are 5 key features, including a tool to make a concrete and clear inventory of your team’s talents.
Here are five characteristics of high-performing teams
Feature #1: See reality as it is
The manager and the team know and recognize their team members for who they are. A new manager, a senior technical specialist, a recruit more with skills more or less aligned with his position… I don’t care. Everyone knows exactly what is part of the team, what everyone’s roles are and understands each other’s challenges.
To start working on this, the manager himself must have clarity and be honest with the reality that makes up his team.
For example: your new hire has only 50% of the skills of the position they hold. If this is the case, “seeing reality as it is” means that you have to assume this choice, and perhaps modify the position, manage your expectations and those of others or adapt the management time required in order to support the recruit in his or her integration.
Here is an enlightening tool for managers who want to see reality as it is:
First, think about your team.
Then, make a list of 9 columns:
1.Name
2. Current position
3.TOP 3 strengths : What are the TOP 3 strengths/skills or quality) of this person?
- TOP 3 points for improvement: What are the priority areas of development of this person? For example: communication, conflict management, office automation tools, uncontrolled particular processes, etc. That is, all the points of improvement that you see for this person in this position.
- Potential for success: Score out of 10 the potential for success of this person in the position as it is currently defined. For example: Considering the position, the strengths and the areas for improvement, I think that the potential for success in this position for this person is 6/10.
- Management coaching time required: To be completely honest, how long does this person need to be coached per week in order to succeed in their position?
- Level of Confidence: What is your confidence level out of 10 that this person can succeed in the position?
- Reflection: What are your current thoughts on the analysis you have just made?
- Action: What would be the most relevant action to take at this time, given the context in which you find yourself? Your actions can be to accept, relocate, train, adapt the role, restructure your team, offer coaching, etc. The whole spectrum of actions by you, by others, is available! Use your creativity according to the resources that may be available to you!
The goal is to have clarity on the state of your team, in order to choose which characteristic you could emphasize right now.
In conclusion on this #1 characteristic for high-performing teams
The ability to see reality as it is for you, for your team, allows you to integrate the next characteristics and to better accept the situation and the people if you are not completely satisfied.
Characteristic #2: Being curious and accepting mistakes
The 2ndcharacteristic of successful teams is that the manager remains curious first. This means: open-minded, open to learning, questioning, opening up to a new way of doing things, etc.
If you’ve noticed, I always start with what the handler can do for said feature.
A consistent manager does what he asks of others.
When the manager asks more questions and listens more, his team understands that this behavior is accepted and encouraged in the team. The employee also understands that he can do the same thing with his colleagues and his manager.
Regarding errors.
You’ve probably read this elsewhere before: you have to accept making mistakes. Is it harder said than done? Again, start with yourself.
You probably also know that without mistakes there is no learning possible. And that without learning there is no evolution.
So if you know all this, and you continue to have a discomfort with mistakes, it may be that you need to break the ice and have more courage.
So, for your next mistake (sorry… yes you will 😉 do it), take responsibility for what you have done. The idea is not to feel guilty and talk about it on the TV news. Just acknowledge yourself that you made a mistake and go into solution/learn mode:
- What do I learn from this?
- What should I put in place to avoid this mistake again?
There are usually no detailed action plans to do, trust yourself, you wouldn’t do it again if you have integrated learning.
And the same goes for your team! Make sure they take responsibility, learn and put things in place so it doesn’t happen again!
If you are uncomfortable with your mistakes and want to go a little further, here is an article or its video that can help you.
Feature #3: Spend quality time together
High-performing teams spend quality time together and get to know each other! Whether it’s organized or not.
If in your case, the remote working mode that has set in, this time will have to be planned instead because you have probably lost the informal time of the coffee machine.
All occasions are good: team activities such as BBQ / restaurant, lunch at work, breakfasts, team meetings, team building activities, training, etc.
Feature #4: Be fair
High-performing teams feel that the treatment they are offered is fair: whether it is in terms of the allocation of projects, salaries and even speaking up in team meetings.
In other words: offer transparency in your processes, be fair and everyone should feel legitimate in what they do.
There’s nothing worse than knowing that the person next to me earns more than me and has the best plans if I feel equivalent.
To experience equity in a team, you need an effective and responsive performance evaluation process. Everyone should know where they stand (what they have to work on, their strengths, etc.).
Yes, there are negotiation skills that come into play and the market. That said, don’t be too reactive and think about the impacts of your decisions on your entire system!
Feature #5: Streamline communication
Communication should be used to tell each other what is, what is happening.
At a minimum, your team should know:
- How is the company doing?
- What are its objectives.
- How its objectives relate to the company’s strategy.
- By the way, what is the company’s plan this year?
- What is the legitimacy of the changes that are taking place? What are the impacts?
In addition to what was mentioned above, high-performing teams:
- resolve conflicts in a timely manner;
- abolish rumors as soon as there are any.
In conclusion
The 5 characteristics of high-performing teams are:
- Seeing reality as it is
- Be curious and accept mistakes
- Spending time together
- Demonstrating as a team
- Streamline communication
A corporate culture in which you don’t bury your head in the sand, stay serious about your management and know and also consider your employees as trustworthy people has all the characteristics of a successful team.