Every manager’s dream is having a harmonious and high-performing team that pulls together to help the business become successful and more profitable. But this doesn’t just magically happen, there are some foundations you have to lay to achieve success.
A high performing team is built on the back of a high-performance culture; the right conditions have to be in place so that employees want to do their best, and keep doing their best.
Here are the 5 keys to creating high performing teams.
Rally everyone behind a common purpose
If your employees know their ‘why,’ they are more likely to want to do better. There has to be a purpose to what they are doing; something to work towards that’s bigger than them.
• They have to know how their role contributes to the bigger picture and why it’s important.
• They have to be able to see how their work fits in with other people’s work to achieve goals that they couldn’t achieve by themselves.
• It also helps for them to understand the bigger impact of what they do that goes beyond your business- who are you helping? What difference are you making to clients, customers, and the wider community?
All of these give people a strong sense of purpose so they are more inclined to want to perform better.
Make sure employees are challenged enough in their role
People perform better when they are challenged in their role.
They shouldn’t be given gargantuan tasks or seemingly impossible goals that will make them feel overwhelmed, but they should be given things to aim for that will stretch the limits of what they believe they are capable of.
If these tasks and goals are aligned to their individual goals and strengths, as well as the wider business strategy, so much the better.
Employees will rise to challenges and they’ll be motivated to perform better.
Give employees praise and feedback
Employees want to know ‘how am I doing?’ especially when they’ve been working hard.
If you don’t give regular constructive feedback, this can affect motivation and morale. Give praise for a job well done and be specific, even if this is done informally in passing.
A ‘thank you for your input on this project, keep up the good work’ said in passing in the corridor can be even more valuable than formal feedback.
It makes employees feel noticed, valued, and more likely to perform better.
Give employees the chance to grow and develop
If an employee is not challenged enough in their role or there’s no room to develop, they will soon become disengaged and look for pastures new.
To motivate someone to perform well, they need to be in a job role doing tasks that best play to their strengths and skills. They also need to be able to see that there are opportunities to progress and grow.
This might include being able to learn new skills, spending time working in another department, or being given a leadership opportunity.
Help people build resilience
Resilient teams are high performing teams. Leaders should offer support and encourage employees to reframe failures as learning opportunities. This will help teams carry on striving to perform well even when they are faced with setbacks.
Creating high performing teams is about creating the right environment in which employees can thrive and grow, individually and collectively.
Your team might be performing well, but what if they could be doing great?
Do you have some ideas on how to improve business and team performance but have no clue about where to start?
As the The People Mentor for winning teams, I can help you create the conditions needed for high performance.
My bespoke packages of training, workshops, and support will help you build and develop the well supported, engaged, and energised teams that will supercharge your business performance and profitability.
I know you’ll feel wary about investing in anything in these uncertain times, but think of my guidance and support as a way to help you reduce costs, improve employee engagement, and take the business forward even quicker than you could imagine.
Book a call about exactly what’s possible.
