Leading High-Performance Teamwork

Strong, flexible, and productive teams provide the competitive edge companies need to produce better results. Companies with strong teams have higher quality, lower costs, increased profits, and exceptional customer service. Why? Because these teams are committed to a common goal and each team member is ready to fulfill his or her related responsibilities.

Team leaders must invest in the team and define process and procedures that enable them to reach high performance. There are three primary facets of exceptional teamwork that make a team unstoppable.

First, the leader must be sure that each team member understands his or her unique contribution to the team and organization. Each person on the team has unique skills, talents, and experiences. Leaders can leverage these assets by understanding the personality, style, preferences, and needs of each person on the team. Leaders must make time to discuss each person’s personal and career goals, values, beliefs, and interests. Once you understand the individual, you must also clarify the person’s role, responsibilities, and how he or she makes a difference to the team and company.

Second, the leader must help the team work together as an integrated unit. This means bringing individuals together and helping them reach the team’s overarching commitments. Team members need to discuss how to work together to coordinate their efforts and solve problems. Many teams establish norms and set ground rules for working together most effectively.

Teams can only achieve true synergy when they have a sense of camaraderie and cohesiveness. They need methods that enable members of the group to communicate and share information openly. The leader must create a collaborative atmosphere that recognizes each member’s contribution to the common team goal.

Finally, the leader should focus the team on the clarity of purpose. When team members understand their shared goals and common mission, it can add value and drive results for the organization. The team can also form relationships with key partners, suppliers, and allies to increase customer satisfaction.

At CMOE, we call this the I, We, It Framework for teamwork. As a leader, you can build a high-performance team by answering the following questions:

• “How do I fit?”
• “What will we accomplish?”
• “How will it drive results?”

Answering these questions will help you define how your team will contribute to the organization in unique ways. This means you must be flexible and adapt your leadership style to your specific situation and the composition of your team. Leaders who manage multiple teams or departments need to define how each team fits within the overall organization and contributes to the company’s mission. When you can articulate the team’s distinctive value proposition and empower and hold your team members accountable, you will be able to harness the collective energy of the team and drive high-performance results.

We know that building a high-performance team isn’t easy. CMOE has decades of experience training and coaching leaders around the world to increase team effectiveness. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you assess your team’s capabilities, help team members commit to a common purpose, and create better performance results for your organization.