Before sharing how the best leaders are differentiating their teams, it’s important to start with this wisdom: The members of “your” team are on several teams.
To expect a colleague to be dedicated solely to “your” team’s agenda
- demonstrates small thinking,
- sets the stage for a divided organization,
- and commits the members of “your” team to abysmal suffering: Few among us enjoy being agents of organizational chaos and conflict. We all seek high performance.
With the understanding that your team is only as strong as it is in sync with other teams, here are three dynamics of high performing teams that are unseen or forgotten by teams that struggle to deliver on priorities:
- Define the role of being a high-performing teammate. High performing teams are comprised of individuals who create value through others. Therefore, effective leaders included in the roles and responsibilities for each team member clarity of expectations on what it means to be an effective teammate. (Think of being a teammate as a role or job that must be fulfilled.)
- Define the purpose of the team. This key is so obvious it is hidden. As we’ve supported leaders strengthen their networks of teams across global organizations, often we’ve elicited confusion in response to this question: What is the purpose of this team?
Peter Drucker, among others, emphasized this principle of high performance 80 years ago. Yet, our experience is that it is a minority of employees in most organizations that can confidently answer this question: What unique value does your team create?
- Define the psychological boundary of each team. Human beings crave belonging to a community. When someone doesn’t know where “home” is, they wander and deviate from plans.
Leaders of high performing teams create clarity of 1) how the team is defined, and 2) how the team successfully integrates into other teams.
When the definition of “team” – in the context of other teams – is established, the organization benefits from the thinking and behaviors consistent with employees who feel included and safe.
In sum, how will the members of your team answer these three questions:
- How do you know when you are an effective teammate?
- What is the unique value this team creates?
- Who is on this team?
Successful leaders make it easy to see what it means to be on a high-performing team.
