What are your secrets for developing high performance team skills?

1 Define your purpose and goals

One of the first steps to create a high performance team is to have a clear and shared vision of what you want to accomplish and why. This will help you align your actions, communicate effectively, and measure your progress. You can use tools like SMART goals, OKRs, or mission statements to define your purpose and goals and make them visible and accessible to everyone on the team.

2 Foster trust and psychological safety

Another key factor for high performance teams is trust. Trust means that you can rely on each other, share feedback, and admit mistakes without fear of judgment or retaliation. Trust also enables psychological safety, which is the ability to express your ideas, opinions, and emotions freely and constructively. You can build trust and psychological safety by being transparent, respectful, supportive, and accountable to your team members.

3 Embrace diversity and inclusion

High performance teams are not homogeneous, they are diverse and inclusive. Diversity means that you have different perspectives, backgrounds, skills, and experiences that enrich your team. Inclusion means that you value and leverage those differences and create a sense of belonging and empowerment for everyone. You can embrace diversity and inclusion by being curious, open-minded, empathetic, and respectful of your team members and their contributions.

4 Communicate effectively and efficiently

Communication is essential for high performance teams, especially in remote or hybrid settings. Effective communication means that you can share information, ideas, and feedback clearly, concisely, and respectfully. Efficient communication means that you can use the right tools, channels, and frequency to avoid overload, confusion, and duplication. You can communicate effectively and efficiently by being proactive, responsive, attentive, and adaptive to your team's needs and preferences.

5 Collaborate and co-create

High performance teams are not just a collection of individuals, they are a cohesive unit that works together towards a common goal. Collaboration means that you can coordinate, cooperate, and integrate your efforts and resources with your team members. Co-creation means that you can generate, develop, and implement solutions together with your team members and other stakeholders. You can collaborate and co-create by being flexible, creative, participatory, and solution-oriented.

6 Learn and improve continuously

High performance teams are not static, they are dynamic and adaptable. Learning means that you can acquire new knowledge, skills, and insights that enhance your team's performance and potential. Improvement means that you can apply what you learn to optimize your processes, products, and outcomes. You can learn and improve continuously by being curious, reflective, experimental, and feedback-seeking.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?