My last post covered 5 signs you’re on a losing team.
Well, I don’t know anyone who wants to be on a losing team.
The opposite of a losing team is a winning team. Many refer to these as “High-Performance teams.”
Working on a high-performance team, or a team that consistently outperforms expectations, is an incredible experience.
Achieving results is not the only awesome thing about working on a high-performance team. There is something fantastic about actually enjoying the team you work with.
The work gets done, but you actually want to be there.
You’re excited to work with these people.
So, how do you know if you’re on a winning team?
Here are 5 Signs You’re on a Winning Team:
- Feel It: People are Authentically Valued – when you join a high-performance team, you are welcomed. You may not understand exactly what you’re going to be doing, but you’ll know you are a part of a team. People treat each other with respect. When people have conflict or disagreement, people are ultimately valued over ego, hierarchy or “cliques.”
- See It: Culture of Clarity – high-performance teams have a lot of clarity about what they are working to achieve (vision) and why they are working to achieve it (motive). The details of how things get done (strategy) may change from time to time, but there are a set of very clear outcomes that the team understands it is working toward those outcomes together.
- Hear It: Speak The Same Language – building on the culture of clarity, high-performance teams are not just “engaged,” they are highly invested in working toward the same desired outcome. They speak the same language and if they don’t understand something, they seek to understand it. They make suggestions. They learn. They disagree respectfully. They work forward together.
- Do It: Freedom to COAL – Communicate, Organize, Act, Lead. It may seem obvious, but team members need freedom to communicate, organize, take action and lead within their own spheres of influence. When valued, highly-invested team members are free to work together toward clear, well-defined outcomes, those outcomes can be achieved faster and with intense momentum.
- Integrity Trumps Accountability – on a high-performance team, “accountability” is certainly in place, but it becomes more of a figurative “hood ornament” than a requirement. They get things done because team members have high-integrity, high-commitment and are mutually committed to the same outcome. They see each other achieving outcomes and each person knows their part. They don’t necessarily need someone to hold them accountable. Integrity pulls them forward.
Doesn’t that sound like an incredible team?
What are some characteristics of great teams you’ve worked on? Comment below and tell me what aspects of team-building you’d like to hear more about!