The-Product-Space

What is a high performance team and why is it needed?

As we are moving to the new era of rapid growth and change it’s increasingly important and crucial to have a team who works together in a way that delivers superior results. Further, it becomes extremely important with the role of product leads to have and build such team. We term them as a high performance team . Let’s see the definition

“High-performance teams is a concept within organisation development referring to teams, organisations, or virtual groups that are highly focused on their goals and that achieve superior business results. High-performance teams outperform all other similar teams and they outperform expectations given their composition”

What distinguishes high-performance teams from other groups is that a team is more than a collection of people simply following orders. To function effectively, a high-performance team also needs:

• A deep sense of purpose and commitment to the team’s members and to the mission.
• Relatively more ambitious performance goals than average teams.
• Mutual accountability and a clear understanding of members’ responsibilities to the team and individual obligations.
• A diverse range of expertise that complements other team members’ abilities.
• Interdependence and trust between members.

How to build a high performance team?

1. The high-performance teams are led by example; be a high-performing leader first – High-performing leaders know their strengths and weaknesses. They are highly self-aware and competent, both emotionally and intellectually. High-performing leaders have the unique ability to communicate a big-picture strategy and vision and simultaneously understand the details entailed in executing it. A high-performing leader is a great listener, can ask powerful questions, and is committed to bringing the best out of his team and members. Creating accountability and effective delegating are vital skills a high-performing leader masters well. A high-performing leader dares to be vulnerable to build trust and strengthen relationships.
2. Establish clear goals, roles, and responsibilities – High-performing teams have clearly defined goals and understand their role in achieving them. Goals are not only aligned but clearly defined, so everyone knows exactly what they need to do and how to get there. Generally speaking, a company’s goals take two forms: quantitative goals (e.g., Growth by X%, Revenue/Profit, New Product Launches, etc.) and qualitative goals (particular leadership traits and values, communication guidelines, etc.). In an ideal world, these corporate-level macro goals are broken down into department-level micro-goals and measured through regular performance reviews. Conflict and inefficiencies can quickly derail a talented and productive team. A leader of a high-performing team eliminates unnecessary conflict by clearly defining each person’s role and responsibilities. This prevents confusion over project ownership, keeps workflows and deadlines organized, and ensures accountability across the board.
3. Embrace diversity of thought and wide-ranging skill sets – Diversity of thought helps teams to minimize blindspots and empowers individuals to challenge the status quo. As David Rock, cofounder of the Neuroleadership Institute, and Heidi Grant, a social psychologist, note at the Harvard Business Review, “Working with people who are different from you may challenge your brain to overcome its stale ways of thinking and sharpen its performance.“If you want your team to be as innovative as possible, then integrating individuals with diverse backgrounds and skill sets is the way to get there.
4. Follow a clear vision and mission – In a 2016 LinkedIn study, 64.7% of job seekers said that not knowing, or disagreeing with, a company’s mission, values or purpose is a deal-breaker when considering a future employer. The study also found that 52% of professionals want to work for a company whose mission and vision match their values. These findings mean that you must have a clear mission that you consistently convey to your team members from the moment they are hired. Post your mission on your website, reiterate it on your social pages, and reward employees for exemplifying your company’s values. Teams perform best when their actions impact the “greater good” beyond their individual goals. They are also more likely to stay at your company and become high performers.
5. Create an efficient infrastructure and automate repetitive work – One of the keys to building a high-performing team is establishing a consistent reporting cadence (weekly or monthly). You want to do this in a digestible format with highlights (significant accomplishments, wins, and progress towards goals) and lowlights (significant challenges, corrective actions, owners, and due dates) that are easily shareable with all key stakeholders. This will help you to measure current progress against long-term goals, keeping you and your team accountable. Establishing an efficient infrastructure dovetails with another critical consideration: the importance of automating repetitive work. We spend 28% of each workday reading and responding to emails. That’s a hefty chunk of time we could be spending on other, more mission-critical tasks. Rote and mundane tasks such as payroll, lead tracking, email marketing and social media management can and should be automated. Many apps and tools at your disposal can leave you time to focus on what matters, so don’t be afraid to take advantage of them.
6. Empower team members with decision-making authority – To supercharge your team and make them as effective as possible, you want to empower your team members to make the necessary decisions to achieve their goals. Decision-making authority also increases an employee’s sense of ownership and drives accountability. As Casey Anderson says in the Small Business Chronicle, “When employees are involved in making decisions, they gain a professional and personal stake in the organization and its overall success. This commitment leads to increased productivity as employees actively participate in various aspects of the company and wish to see their efforts succeed. “
7. Encourage ongoing personal and professional development – A recent survey by TalentLMS found that 91% of companies and 81% of employees say up-skilling and re-skilling training boosted work productivity. In comparison, 80% of employees say such training boosted their confidence.Give employees opportunities for growth and reward them for attending conferences and enrolling in special training programs. Millennials and Gen Zers expect employers to provide opportunities for up-skilling on the job, so if you want to recruit (and retain) future innovators, you need to invest in learning opportunities for your team. Create a culture of learning, and you will see the returns.

Steps to hiring the right people for high-performance team

As a leader, I believe that you are only as good as the team that surrounds you. After all, you can’t do it all yourself. As Vince Lombardi once said, “Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”

Teamwork is critically important. In fact, research shows that 97 percent of employees and executives believe lack of alignment within a team impacts the outcome of a task or project. So what can you do? Simply focus more on making sure your teams are effective.

1. Interview well – The team is only as good as their respective parts. To be blunt, I meet many leaders across the country who are not skilled at interviewing. Two aspects that will immediately improve your interviewing results are having a comprehensive interview process that includes at least three interviews and asking open-ended questions to uncover skills, competencies, and attitudes. Also, have multiple rounds so you get more clarity on the person’s effectiveness.
2. Have an orientation – Orientation should be a process, not just a class. Design a 30-60 day process where new team members feel welcome, learn their job responsibilities, and get to know other team members. Orientation should be on purpose, not accidental. Make a concerted effort to make new team members feel welcome immediately after hiring them.
3. Team meetings matter– Team needs to get to know each other even when location differently. Have consistent team meetings. It will build a sense of Esprit de corps.
4. Have a team’s mission statement – Many companies have mission and vision statements, but sometimes, it’s too global and too far removed from employees’ day to day work. Think about creating a team mission and vision statement that is aligned with the company one. If you manage the logistics team, how can you have a team mission that supports the larger company mission?
5. Have team guidelines – Have a team meeting and let members discuss how they are going to work together. For example, they may say “always treat each other with respect.” That is a start, but don’t stop there. Ask what would respect look like? What would respect sound like? Create behavioral guidelines as a group. “Remember, teamwork begins by building trust,” said writer Patrick Lencioni. “And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability.”

What NOT to do as a ‘Leader’ to ‘not’ lead to high performing teams

1. Complaining – No one likes negativity, especially when it comes from leadership. Employees look to leaders for inspiration, guidance, advice and hope. Dale Carnegie sums it up best in his book, How to Win Friends and Influence People. “Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain – and most fools do,” Carnegie writes. “But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.”
2. Art of criticism – Mistakes happen, from the mailroom all the way up to the boardroom. It comes with the territory. How we deal with them determines our maturity as a leader. Destructive criticism will only demoralize your team even if it’s done behind closed doors. Instead, leaders must learn the fine art of giving constructive criticism. Acknowledge their strengths and how employees can improve.Praise and recognition are things everyone craves. Successful leaders tap into that desire by offering feedback that is not only helpful, but transformative too.
3. Failure to listen – Henry Ford knew that listening is one of the most valuable skills a leader possesses. On his board, he had numerous people that disagreed with him. He didn’t want a bunch of Yes Men, but rather people that would challenge his thinking.Listening is a skill that is often overlooked by many. Those leaders that fail to listen, won’t be leaders for long.
4. Lack of vision – Business is ripe with stories of companies that failed to see the changing winds. Blockbuster refused to let go of their cash cow and fell prey to Netflix. Yahoo underestimated the power of Google’s search engine. Kodak created the digital camera, but stuck with film and paid the price. Innovation is always just around the corner. Leaders must keep their ears to the ground and take swift action when they hear the rumbles in the distance.
5. Indecisiveness – As a leader, one must develop the ability to make decisions quickly. Indecisiveness is a productivity killer for teams who often have so much on their plate that one delay in their pipeline can cause all sorts of logjams. Decisiveness tells their employees there is a plan in place and we know what to do. Even if it turns out to be the wrong course of action, through taking action in the wrong way, you will learn how to correct course quickly. Without action though, people become paralyzed, unsure of how to proceed.
6. Failure to study – Great leaders understand the power of books. In the words of Walt Disney, “There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” They start their day by filling their minds with knowledge. They read articles and books both in and outside of their field. They know the golden rule of learning “garbage in garbage out.” They feed their mind with ideas and inspiration. They get into the right mindset, before they even leave for work.
7. Dodging accountability – This is an absolute killer. As a leader, the buck stops with you. If you’re not willing to accept responsibility for the mistakes made in your organization, you set a dangerous standard.After you’ve made it to the top, you need to make sure you don’t let bad habits set in. Despite the simplicity of the aforementioned mistakes, mastering them takes a lifetime.

Hope this article gave you an insight into high performance team and how to be a high-performance leader in order to build such a team. Do subscribe and comment below to let me know your thought. Have a good day.

Reference –

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/developingandsustaininghigh-performanceworkteams.aspx”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-performance_teams

https://www.entrepreneur.com/living/6-steps-for-hiring-the-right-people-to-build-effective-teams/342396

https://www.entrepreneur.com/leadership/lead-by-example-7-ways-you-may-be-a-bad-example-for-your/371227