The Top 10 Performance Factors for Teams
Image source by Vojko Kalan
Memo to the new team, 2/23/13:
Raise your hand if you love wasting time on:
- Meaningless drivel.
- Frustrating stagnation.
- Superficial relationships.
- Worthless discussions.
- Trivial decisions.
- Mediocre results.
- Mundane impact.
If wasting time excites you, create dysfunctional teams.
Members of dysfunctional teams:
- Dread meetings.
- Can’t wait for meetings to end.
- Return to meaningful work after meetings.
Functional formation path:
New teams follow predictable formation paths; forming, storming, norming, and performing. Tragically, many teams never perform.
10 high performance factors for teams:
- Buy-in based on acceptable agreement. Go all-in based on 70% or 80% agreement. Express disagreements but leave all reservations in the meeting. When two people agree 100% of the time, one of them isn’t necessary. Waiting for 100% agreement means you’ll always be waiting.
- Individual responsibility. Everyone grabs the rope and pulls. Reject drifting and drifters.
- Honesty. Say what you think clearly, kindly, and respectfully. Going along to get along equals mediocrity.
- Accountability. Ignoring nonperformance guarantees no performance. Avoid dancing around people, it’s dysfunctional.
- Clear, agreed upon patterns for narrowing options and making choices. How will you make decisions?
- Trust. What happens when others are honest?
- Preferred communication channels. Email or phone, for example
- Pursue results. What are you accomplishing? All talking informs doing or its wasted time.
- Create momentum by building on wins. Wins are platforms not easy chairs.
- Ask awkward questions. Dance with elephants before they crush you. Don’t expect perfect answer, however.
High performance is never a gentle accident.
Successful teams:
- Trust.
- Argue.
- Commit.
- Follow through.
- Celebrate.
Above list inspired by, “5 Dysfunctions of a Team.”
How much do you want to matter? High performance teams make you matter more.
Added resources:
“The Three Pillars of High Performance Teams”
My leadership coach Bob Hancox sent me this “Team Decision Making Tool.” Informed consent is enough.
Pattrick Lencioni’s pyramid of “5 Dysfunctions of a Team.” (Image source, me)
What team performance factors can you add?
I love your first point. I was once part of a church leadership group which felt it had to have consensus to move forwards, and manipulated/cajoled those who disagreed into agreeing for the sake of unity. The inevitable result was people who agreed in the group, then told others outside the group that they really didn’t agree, but went along with the decision to keep peace. What a mess!
Your approach works.
Thanks for boiling it down to very few words.
Thank you Marc.
That’s one of many mistakes I’ve made with teams. It’s a formula for stagnation or pretending. But either way expecting 100% agreement isn’t team work… it’s bury your head in the sand work!
Dear Dan,
I agree with you on the suggested factors of team performance. I would always believe that to speak honestly and to take stand one needs to be fearless. One should not have fear and it comes only when people have incompetence.So, you are right that one need to look at heart. Honesty is inside out force. Team members should have group goal on the top of the individual goal. It means one need to sacrifice for the team goal. I agree that accountability is the important component to unite team. Member should believe in not taking individual credit in case of success and accusing someone in case of failure. This mindset is the inhibiting factor of performance.
One factor that builds team together is Synergy. Synergy should prevail in the team. Besides each team member should act as a guide, mentor and torch bearer to each member. Every one is leader in the team. This feeling makes each member responsible for effort, passion, energy and cohesiveness to achieve outcomes.
Thank you Ajay.
Love the “torch bearer” for others idea. I want to be part of a team where I can bear someone’s torch AND they bear mine. Powerful.
I totally agree
Google sent me this:
Demming
Love it, live it, breathe it, be it.
Shifterp Out
the success of the team does’nt always mean that everyone participated in this success so in my opinion credit should be paid to whom participated in that success to encourage everyone to be a real team player
I agree that the right hire starts it all. Finding team members with the attitude and passion will start the path for success. Not having the entire skill set can become a blessing as the team can help mold for success and skill diversity can add a new dimension.
Trust. What happens when others are honest? Totally brill. I will use it and thank you much.