We all know the importance of a high-performing team – deadlines hit, problems solved, ideas generated, priorities achieved, results and growth delivered.
How we create a high-performing team that’s not quite so easy, and the uncomfortable truth is, the problem might just be us, the leader.
We’re busy, we have a myriad of priorities to juggle and our own tasks to deliver, and we just need the team to deliver on theirs. So how do we get them firing on all cylinders?
We need to ask ourselves if we’re really giving them what they need to succeed. What might be obvious to us may not be to them, our communication may not have been as effective as we thought, or we may not have taken the time to listen.
If we want our team to perform well, we have to do the groundwork and understand that we as the leader are accountable for the whole team’s performance, not just our own.
Share the ‘why’
If we want people to deliver they need to care about the result, and that means sharing why what they’re doing matters, and how it how it fits with the bigger picture. We need to give them purpose and get them engaged. If they don’t know what company’s purpose and priorities are how can they meaningfully contribute to them? Make sure they’re aware of company as well as team goals and why what they’ve been asked to do matters. A collective purpose can provide a good source of motivation as well as a sense of shared fulfilment.
Provide clarity
Most people want to do a good job, but we need to take the time to explain ‘what good looks like’. This means being clear about both the task and the outcome required, and checking back to ensure they’ve understood.
Clear goals and expectations help individuals focus and maintain momentum, but a lack of clarity can be both demotivating and stressful.
Notice and use their strengths
Over time your team members will gain more experience and develop additional skills. So take the time to understand what they are capable of today, not 2 years ago, and put this to work. You may be able to delegate something to them you previously had to do, they could provide extra capacity on a project that needs additional support, or you can task them with coming up with ideas to improve a clunky process. Not only are you utilising their current talents more effectively, but noticing their progress and giving them an opportunity to work on something new and interesting is likely to increase their motivation as well.
Get out of their way
If you’ve shared overall goals, got them excited about the mission and been clear about required results your team may well come up with better ideas about how to do this than you. Creating an environment where they feel able to take the initiative and ownership of the results, and then getting out of their way, can pay dividends. They feel trusted and empowered, and you get back some of that most valuable asset – time!
Our team at BHP Consulting have all successfully run companies, through good times and bad. We know business and we know good leadership. Whether you have recently moved into your first leadership role or are a more experienced leader looking to refresh or re-energise your leadership skills, our Business Leadership Academy is for you. To learn more, click here or contact Rachel, our programme lead, at rachel.hannan@bhp.co.uk
