Reflection on High-Performing Teams
All my life, I have managed many small and large teams to provide high-quality outcomes for our customers and ensure that we continually add value to them. As the relationship with the customer grows, their expectations also grow, especially when they receive high value from teams.
Customer expectations are always increasing, requiring high-performance teams to continuously exceed their expectations.
Evolving from Manager to Leader
As I evolved from a manager to a leader, I learned to enable my team to perform at their maximum by:
- Adjusting strategies,
- Being aware of team members' needs,
- Holding them accountable, and more.
I engaged the Training Department and external consultants to help my team handle:
- Conflicts,
- Emotions,
- Negotiations, and
- Giving feedback to become a "High-Performing Team."
While these sessions were useful, I often questioned the return on investment of these interventions.
The Nature of High Performance
It is natural for teams and individuals to experience periods of highs and lows.
World-class sports teams, musicians, actors, etc., all go through cycles of high performance and low performance.
This led me to wonder:
Is it fair to expect consistent high performance from individuals and teams?
While I would like to say “why not,” I recognize there are moments of “lows” when teams expect support from leadership and systems.
Key Insight
High performance is an outcome in a context and not an attribute of an individual or team.
The Dynamics of Teams
High-performing teams may not perform as well when the context or configuration changes.
Teams are dynamic by nature:
- Membership changes,
- Environments change, and
- External expectations evolve.
For example, in cricket, the “high-performing team” baton has shifted over time between England, Australia, New Zealand, West Indies, India, and others.
Models for High-Performing Teams
If you google "high-performing teams," you’ll find many models emphasizing aspects like:
- Shared purpose
- Vision
- Clarity of goals
- Roles and responsibilities
- Safe environment
While these models have merit, whether they ensure consistent performance is doubtful.
For instance, Patrick Lencioni’s model highlights Trust, Conflicts, Commitment, Accountability, and Results as critical aspects of team performance.
- Trust and safety are dynamic. A single statement can disrupt the safety of the entire team.
- Commitment varies over time due to monotony or overwhelming challenges.
- Accountability diminishes over time as relationships deepen, driven by a fear of damaging bonds.
Challenges in Team Dynamics
- Changing roles: Team members’ roles evolve unconsciously over time.
- Leadership style: Leadership approaches change with the context.
- Collaboration: Maintaining collaboration becomes difficult as subgroups form among old and new members.
Dynamic market conditions and events like the Great Resignation only amplify this dynamism.
A Call for Regular Interventions
Does this mean that regular interventions are required to help teams reflect on these aspects?
Yes, it could be one solution.
Building Self-Managed Teams
But what if there’s another way?
- What if teams could become self-managed?
- What if teams could adjust to dynamic changes from market forces and internal environments?
- What if teams could build the resilience to adapt and continue providing expected outcomes?
A Shift in Focus
Wouldn’t it be wiser to focus on building teams that continuously learn, rather than focusing on teams performing high?
- If we focus on learning, wouldn’t performance naturally follow?
- Even during “low” moments, a team that continuously learns is more likely to experience an upward performance trajectory.
What’s Next?
In the next part, we will explore:
- Aspects of a future-ready and sales-sustaining team.
- How to get there.
Author:
Nitin Goyal
Systems and Team Coach
