What is the Best way to Create and Maintain a High Performing Team?
There’s a lot out there on high performing teams. My favorite has always been super simple:
Purpose
Challenge
Respect
Purpose — Why are you here? What do you do and how will it impact the world in a beneficial way? Can you believe that I once got in a debate with a high-end VP in a 50,000+ organization because they said their CEO told them their purpose was to: “make money”. I think I will have to write on purpose alone, but in brief — ALL companies have a Basic Need = Make Money. Cashflow is the life-force enabling the business wheel to go round. And that is NEVER your purpose. You provide a product or service for which your customer pays you money. And your purpose is WHY do you provide that product or service? The company who’s leader believes their purpose is to “make money” has completely lost touch with the pulse of their business, and is destined to make very, very bad decisions. More on purpose later.
Challenge — Why should your employees care about their work? More than just the purpose, the best work is designed to be interesting and sensory stimulating — physical, mental, and positive emotional (exciting, joyous, and fun). I liken it to what makes a great story — be it a book, play, movie, or video game — all have the same need: to connect with the person and overcome a challenge. If people feel disconnected from the work, down goes performance. If the challenge is too easy or too difficult, down goes performance. If the challenge is motivated by negativity, down goes performance. I have also heard leaders comment about how “this work is just uninteresting” or “boring” or “monotonous” or “dull”. Strange how they deeply manage to create “interesting, stimulating, and fun” work for themselves, but not their team. There is always a way, and there is always improvement — enabling the team to OWN the work with resources to CHANGE the work. Any team, properly lead to figure out HOW to make the work — interesting, stimulating, & fun and more productive, will find a way.
Respect — Purpose and Challenge, if done correctly, will build respect. And there are also a few basics that can either build respect, or tear it apart — Appreciation, Pay, Authority, and Growth. Appreciation and pay is the recognition and reward — all people feel a need to have their work be valued. These are demonstrated every day in either constructive means of praise and individual finance or destructive ways in a lack there of. Additionally, a great leader once said, “We have been asking our employees to give us their HANDS for years. If only we asked them for their HEADS and HEARTS as well, then what might we achieve.” When you make productivity of the team more than just doing the work — when they have the authority to make decisions, to own the work, and change the work; then they use their minds and their emotions to create the impossible. Coupled with individual and team development, and work-created developmental opportunities, you continue to provide an environment of interest and stimulation. A word of caution — I have seen leaders give authority, with no other resources — time, money, and connections — that’s like handing the team wood to build a house and keeping away all the plans, nails, screws, and tools — then being disappointed at the lean-to they created. This act works wonders to disrespect. Remember, respect is constantly being moved — up or down — every single second of every day by your actions as a leader. Which direction do you drive?
Happy Thanksgiving!
Chris
See…that is Simple. Want help creating and maintaining your ultra-high performing team? Our purpose is to co-create the best companies the world has ever seen. Contact us to get started with your journey together.
Photo: Adam Spring — and a shout out to the Amiga engineering team for their outstanding pixel graphics for Gamers