Mastering the Art of Team Leadership:Building and Leading a High Performing Team
Jammu Nivani
September 12, 2023. 4 minute Read
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In this article, we will explore the art and science of building teams that not only meet but also beyond expectations. It will reveal tactics, highlight best practices, and share priceless ideas to unite diverse people into a force capable of incredible feats.
Do you see any commonality in the following?
Roman Army, Apollo 11, Egyptian Pyramids, & Wikipedia.Prima facie, there is no apparent commonality in the above,
So let's look a bit further to see what these four stand for:
1. Roman Army
Testudo formation, a technique of forming a shield wall at the top of the building to protect soldiers from various types of attacks in the battle,
requiring the men to move in perfect synchrony so as not to let any crack open in the formation that would leave them vulnerable.
Undoubtedly, such a formation required flawless teamwork, for which an enormous amount of training and communication had to occur.
2. Apollo 11
Team Apollo 11 created history by taking the first man to the moon, and this historic achievement wouldn’t have
It has been possible, but for the fantastic team effort that, after years of research and hard work, devised a way to take man to the moon.
3. Egyptian Pyramids
The Egyptian Pyramids are a great symbol of excellent craftsmanship. Built as tombs for the Pharaohs,
It required ingenious ways of moving and lifting the quarried stone blocks by large groups of men since heavy machinery.
Still needs to exist, and such an endeavor could have only been achieved by solid and well-coordinated teamwork.
4. Wikipedia
The common goal of Wikipedia is to make information free, easily accessible, and understandable to everyone.
This requires a humongous effort at managing a database of over 6 million articles in the
English language, and that is made possible by a team composed of volunteer writers, translators, and editors committed to keeping the “free encyclopedia” website updated and brimming with trustworthy information.
All the above four are legendary examples of high-performing teams.
What is a High Performing Team?
From a management and leadership perspective, a high-performing team is a model in which individuals/groups build superior teams to achieve path-breaking results.
The essence of a high-performing team is all about striving for excellence through two-way open communication, mutual trust, common goals, shared leadership, clear job roles, and
Constructive conflict is where each team member accepts accountability for their workload and actions.
Characteristics of a high-performing team
- Clear and focused goals
- Strong work ethics
- Aligned teams
- Clearly defined roles
- Efficient and effective communication
- Diverse and complementary skills
- Continuous learning
- Transformational leadership
- Respect, trust, and safety
- Effective conflict resolution
- Performance measurement and improvement
How to build a high performing team?
Building a high-performing team is arduous today because rapid technological advancements continuously restructure the working environment.
Here are a few tips to help build a high-performing team;
- Start by developing a stable team in terms of manageable team size.
- Develop cohesive and value-aligned team dynamics.
- Foster an environment of open communication.
- Advocate learning culture
- Set manageable and realistic objectives.
How to Manage a High Performing Team?
Managing a high-performing team is always an immense challenge for any leader simply because the effectiveness of such a team is highly critical for driving the organization’s productivity, motivation & profitability.
- Key focus areas for managing a high-performing team;
- Develop an in-depth understanding of current and future work and business dynamics.
- Develop an environment that fosters trust in the workplace.
- Speedy resolution of workplace conflicts
- Set SMART goals
- Master emotional Intelligence
- Practice open feedback
How to lead a high performing team?
- Clear & precise understanding & defining of roles and responsibilities
For the effective and efficient functioning of any team, it is essential that the roles and
Responsibilities are clearly defined, and it then becomes the responsibility of the team leader to make sure that everyone in his team knows exactly what is expected of them.
- Goal setting
Setting clear goals & objectives helps give the team a direction to work towards and helps keep the team focused and motivated.
- Regular and open communication
Effective communication is vital & critical for developing a successful, high-performing team; therefore,
it falls on the leaders to communicate regularly and keep their teams always aware of what is happening.
- Flexibility
Leadership flexibility is about being adaptable and willing to work with diverse people under diverse conditions.
Flexibility is an essential skill for leading high-performing teams leaders as, inevitably, things may change frequently,
and leaders need to be highly flexible in adapting to such frequent changes.
- Learning from mistakes
Making mistakes and learning from mistakes is critical for growing as a leader simply because
It allows for experimenting and trying new things, without which one can never realize his full potential as a leader.
- Proactive conflict management
Conflict is an inherent part of team dynamics, and all conflict is not destructive.
Some portion of disagreement is a must to generate healthy and new notions, and for this the leader has to be proactive in managing conflict, lest the battles take an ugly, destructive turn.
- Appreciation & reward
t is the leader’s actions that set the tone of his team, and therefore, it becomes the responsibility of the leader to make every member feel the
A display of appreciation best achieves the importance & value of his contribution & input, and this and having in place a mechanism for rewarding successful contributions.
- Open feedback
One of the ways a leader can help his team members grow is by providing honest and open feedback that goes a long way in helping.
Identify areas for improvement and help foster amicable working relationships.
- Preach & practice teamwork
As a leader of a high-performing team, the leader must understand the dynamics of cooperation and be able to foster an environment.
That supports and nurtures teamwork. Activities encouraging collaboration go a long way in helping members know each other better and building trust and cooperation.
- Encouraging creativity
Creativity helps members find new and innovative ways to deal with problems and helps come up with new ideas and solutions.
Also, a creative working environment gives the necessary confidence and comfort when taking risks or pursuing new ideas.
However, in practice, when it comes to leading a high-performing team, leaders need much more than just the above set of skills; they have to encourage, inspire, challenge, empower, and
Set a model for their followers for which, coming from my vast experience, I recommend the following practices as a must-do for lasting success;
- Develop and share an inspiring vision
create a vision that sets the course for an inspiring future and energizes the people by appealing to their values, life goals, and dreams.
- Set a role model
consistently conduct yourself, walk your talk, live your values, and set an example of yourself for others to follow.
- Challenge the assumptions
as a leader, avoid being content with business as usual; instead, look for opportunities to change, innovate, grow, take risks, and create a culture where people are encouraged to learn from failure.
- Be passionate
use both the head and the heart; use your passion to unleash enthusiasm, look for novel ways to accomplish tasks, and celebrate small victories.
- Empower
and strengthen your team members by delegating, sharing information, and empowering them with the necessary skills for achieving the desired outcomes.
Tips for being a successful high-performing team leader:
- Excel at listening
- Delegate with full effectiveness
- Be firm in decision-making
- Encourage open and two-way communication
- Maintain a positive attitude
- Take the blame and share the credit
- Lead by example
- Celebrate success and recognize contributions
Role of communication in high performing teams
Effective and efficient communication is a high-performing team’s lifeblood; therefore, a leader must prioritize communication to ensure productivity, profitability, and motivation.
Excellent communication helps high-performing teams in the following ways:
- Every team member knows their objectives and their role in achieving them.
- Members of a high-performing team are aware of each member's strengths and the group's compounded strength as a whole.
- Develops two-way trust and mutual respect between team members.
- Nurtures self-managed teams.
What Differentiates High Performing Teams"?
High-performing teams’ key differentiation is the relentless pursuit of excellence, going beyond the ordinary and evident and consistent in achieving objectives.
This is how high-performing teams are different from ordinary teams:
- They are ever willing to adapt and innovate
- They are comfortable when it comes to collaborating with cross-functional teams
- They believe in mutual accountability
- Strategically, they leverage easy-to-use processes and technologies to monitor and measure performance
- Strategically, they leverage easy-to-use processes and technologies to monitor and measure performance
- Their key focus is on team achievement
- They make continuous and shared learning a key component of their everyday work
Team synergy in High Performing Teams
Building a high-performing team is more than putting together a group of people with diverse talents and a common goal; it’s about leveraging the collective skills, diverse perspectives,
specialized expertise and complementary skills to excel at achieving results time and again.
Synergy is how a team works together to produce great results repeatedly and when.
In high-performing teams, synergy is all about the sum being more significant than the parts.
In a high-performing team, team synergy is about empowering collaboration and communication in a manner that helps.
Use each individual’s unique talent to enable the team to deliver the best results and ensure success.
The importance of trust in High Performing Teams
When it comes to building a successful, high-performing team, the leadership must create an environment that is based on trust,
supports conflict resolution progressively and fosters effective communication.
Trust, a feeling that others can be relied upon to do what they have to do, is an essential factor that helps create enduring bonds among the team members.
It falls upon the leader to improve his credibility and reliability to help foster trust in his team.
Tips for building trust in a High Performing Teams
- Always commit with care and live up to your commitments
- Trust your team, do not micromanage
- Take responsibility for the actions of your team, and do not indulge in a blame game when things go out of order
- Keep things straight, do not distort facts to suit your convenience
- Always work on points and not on assumptions.
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Final Thoughts
Building and nurturing a high-performance team is necessary and challenging in today’s fast-paced business environment.
However, with the right culture and organizational processes, capturing the essence of high-performance teams that render a productive, innovative, and better-engaged workforce is possible.
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Good luck Team oneliner! You never fail to educate and teach the reality in the most digestible manner ! Would love to see a post on “How to avoid ego clash in a team”