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5 Steps To Building A High Performing Team
Have you ever heard the expression, “God works alone, everyone else has a boss.”?
At work, it’s true.
One of the most common questions from everyone’s boss is, “why can’t your team deliver?”
When things go wrong or don’t get done, as they certainly will from time to time, someone has to explain that. And if you are the leader of a team, that someone is generally you.
While this is one of the most common questions, it’s not necessary one of the most useful. Because there is not really a simple or clear answer. And reasonably when the question needs to be asked, there is no answer that will satisfy the person asking it, because they need to be able to explain your answer to their boss.
So if there is no good answer to the question, let’s work on ways to prevent the question from being asked. Or at least limit the number of times you’ll need to hear it.
One of the biggest factors that impact delivery is the team that is delivering it, and the leader who leads them.
Here are 5 ways to elevate your team to the top of their game.
1. Take Inventory
Take an objective look at your team and determine everyone’s strengths and skill sets. This is not about their personality or their value as a human. This is about their strengths and skills and how they are being utilized. Don’t forget to include yourself in this inventory and seek feedback if necessary. Evaluating the team without evaluating the leader don’t produce a true inventory.
2. Identify Points of Failure
Where are things falling off or not getting done? Are things going great to a certain point and then everything falls apart? Where is it falling apart? Does nothing get done on a Friday because you are running at half staff? Does your company you run 24×7 operations but only have 8-5 services and support?
3. Target Missing Skills
When things fail or don’t get done it is generally because a skill set is missing. Often that skill set is being provided off the side of someone desk in their spare time, which rarely works. If it is important enough to cause a failure or non delivery, it is important enough to have someone do it as a formal part of their job responsibilities. Telling your boss that your team is too busy or that you need more resources rarely flies unless you can clearly quantify what you need.
4. Provide a Choice
Executives are expert decision makers. Let them decide if, once you have completed this process, they want to action your findings. The other option is to keep doing what you’re doing and getting the results you’re getting.
5. Measure The Results
If your executive opts to provide additional resources, as the leader of the team, it is your responsibility to show the added value the company has received. Did it decrease client wait times, reduce client complaints, increase up time or decrease down time? When changes are made make the time to clearly show identify the results everyone is expecting from the additional investment.
Getting clear on the problem is often 90% of the corrective action. Making the time to get a clear and objective picture of the situation will let your team function as the high delivering professionals they are.
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About The Author
Shauna Gingras is the founder/VP of Project Management at SRP Consulting. Shauna founded SRP Consulting in 2015 to bring her experience working with large clients in business and technology to the changing small business market. Since it’s founding, SRP Consulting has grown to include consultants from 5 countries providing consulting and advisory services to their clients throughout North America and Europe.
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