Building a high-performing team doesn’t happen overnight. The best teams, be they in business or in sport, have an implicit understanding of each other, an innate knowledge of what they are trying to achieve and a shared desire to reach their goal.
According to the Harvard Business Review, “high-functioning teams are what make high-performing companies click. Whether the task is to create an innovative service or implement a new system, groups rather than individuals are shouldering more of the burden than ever before. The ideal team merges individual talents and skills into one super-performing whole with capabilities that surpass those of even its most talented member.”
Building and developing a high-performing team is no accident. It takes time, resource, energy and collective will to achieve, but the results can be well and truly priceless. Team building is more than just a kick-off day or an activity outside of the office; it’s something that should happen each and every day, forming a foundation of company culture.
Here’s what you need to do to turbo-charge this team building:
Build everything on trust
Trust is everything. It’s the common thread linking every individual in the team together and the more this trust grows, the stronger this thread becomes. A team without trust isn’t really a team at all, it’s just a group of individuals.
Trust within teams often boils down to knowing your colleague or team-mate will be there for you. This isn’t just about trusting in their individual traits but trusting in their ability to fulfil their job to the best of their abilities. Everyone has a role to do in a team, the team needs to trust these jobs will be done and that roles will be fulfilled. When this happens it removes doubt and questions from the mind while building confidence and allowing the team to focus on delivering an improved performance.
The best way to build trust is simple; start trusting people! But don’t trust blindly, trust also has to be earnt because when it’s forged through experience it becomes stronger still.
Operate outside the comfort zone
This technique is where team-building days often play a big role. When we take someone outside of their comfort zone we strip them of their safety and security. Once we’re outside of our comfort zones there is a natural increase in anxiety and pressure. Learning how to deal with this and make effective decisions while under pressure is key to ensuring better team performance. Alongside this, we’ll typically be challenged with how we can think on our feet to solve problems when they are presented to us. Effective decision-making and adept problem solving are key indicators of strong teams.
Put the right people in the right place
And let them do the right thing! It’s all too easy to fall in the trap of prioritising responsibility among strong team members, but just because someone is capable, it doesn’t always mean they should bear the lion’s share of the work. Understand the strengths of the individuals within in the team and then play to those strengths. Employees who do jobs they are good at will enjoy work, and employees who enjoy work are more productive employees!
Establish an identity
We often talk about culture and environment because they are absolutely key when it comes to establishing an identity. Knowing and understanding these values helps teams know who they are and what they stand for. The identity of any team is made up of the collective input and ‘buy in’ from each member of the team. Having this identity (and having the whole team aware of it) helps reduce any tensions within a team leading to greater efficiency and productivity.
Understand the goal
Whether it’s understand key performance indicators that are team specific or understanding the overall vision, mission and goal of the business, employees who know what they are trying to achieve and where they are going, are able to work more effectively in order to reach there.
At Quinyx we adopt an approach where we try to create a culture in which every employee in our team knows and understands their role and how it contributes to the success of the business on an individual and team level.
We help teams across all industries perform better by working more efficiently and in the right direction. We’ll help you do the same.
