The 5 Remarkable Qualities of High-Performing Teams

Let's be real-- high-performing teams do not form overnight.

It takes time, positive leadership, going through some adversity, adapting and building camaraderie that unites people together toward a common mission. Great! But, how do we do it, Christopher? Funny you ask. I'm here to tell you.

High-performing teams have commonalities that help them to consistently achieve results and work well with one another.

Please pre-order my new book today, The Champion Leader; I'll show you how to build a high-performing team: https://www.thechampionleaderbook.co/

Here are five remarkable qualities that I’ve found lead to building high-performing teams:

1. Camaraderie

Camaraderie between a group of people is my most important hallmark of a high-performing team. Merriam-Webster defines camaraderie as, “a feeling of good friendship among the people in a group.” I have seen this feeling cultivated and transformed into an extremely powerful, positive energy that leads to major accomplishments.

When you care for someone else beyond the transactional nature of completing a business task, you’ll work harder for them, sacrifice for them and seek to find solutions together. The bond of competing together for a mission or goal is special. There is no limit to what a team with great camaraderie can do.

“Don’t take your culture for granted. There needs to be a constant renewal of values that lead to camaraderie.” — Coach K

When all employees are on the same page, and giving maximum effort, teams can enter into a new stage of confidence and maturity. You'll start to see large increases in output through the long-lasting respect, admiration, friendship and loyalty earned from shared experiences.

In his book, “Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success, Phil Jackson writes about the 1995–96 Chicago Bulls team that he coached, one of the greatest sports teams of all time. That team finished the regular season 72–10 and won a world championship. They forged a remarkable camaraderie at the beginning of the season. They were concerned with achieving and reaching the peak of their potential, not worried about their competitors. Granted, that team had Michael Jordan.

Your team will not have Michael Jordan!

But the principles remain the same: Championship teams care for each other and lead altruistically, with a genuine desire to see each other succeed. While pursuing their goals, they make every sacrifice along the way to look out for one another to ensure victory.

2. Focus on the Moment

Focusing on the task at hand with full presence is vitally important. High performing teams never look too far ahead and don’t get stuck wondering about the past and what could have been. They prepare and execute with commitment and high energy.

Fidelity Investments CEO Abby Johnson said, “Every day, you have to get up with new energy and new ideas to contribute to pushing the organization forward . . . a relentless focus on continuing to try to improve everything you do."

Shut out all distractions. The key to building a high-performing team is to bring everyone together for a common goal, to focus on the task at hand, and execute to the best of your ability.

3. Attention to the “Little Things”

The “little things” are the crucial details that determine the outcomes of business deals, tasks, projects, and long-term team success. This can come down to micro-level details such as holding a five-minute meeting to ensure everyone’s on the same page or thanking a team member for a contribution. The “little things” aren’t, well, little at all. They’re the tremendously important words and actions that make a difference in your team succeeding. These “little things” don’t just happen by chance or luck.

Earlier in my business career, I saw a multimillion-dollar deal completed because my team took the time to meticulously proofread every detail of the proposal. We captured everything 100% accurately. Our competitor did not. I cannot stress enough how important it is to cover all bases. Come up with your own list of what these things are. Speeches can motivate, and emotional language can inspire. But those things alone do not build high-performing teams. Smart, disciplined work, a positive attitude, and a willingness to do all the “little things” that focus on results, team-building, and innovation are what create a winner.

Look at your team. Ask yourself, “Am I doing everything that I can to be great? Or am I only focusing on certain core areas?” Hold yourself accountable. And be assertive to hold other people accountable. When you do this with empathy, you have earned their trust. A comprehensive checkup of your team will allow you to identify all of the methods and actions you can integrate into your repertoire so that it will show up when it counts.

4. Commit to a Goal

High-performing teams begin each project or fiscal year with very specific end goals in mind. In business, it could be reaching a new revenue goal or adding a new product to the line. A goal can also be an improvement, in terms of profit, reaching key metrics or personal development goals from the year before.

Metrics for human resource (HR)–related items could be:

• Time to hire;
• Employee net promoter score (eNPS);
• Employee turnover rate; and
• Employee engagement.

I find that these are excellent ways to track your HR-related goals and keep you on track. You likely know the challenges or key areas to focus on in your organization. When you take inventory and plan for team success, leave no stone unturned. Brainstorm all of the things you need to do in order to be successful.

Then, have an overarching main goal, along with several other subgoals you aspire to accomplish. Measure yourself against these goals to make sure your performance is in line with your expectations.

5. Control Attitude and Effort

There are two things you can always control: your attitude and your effort. Having a positive attitude means being willing to do whatever it takes to make your teammates and yourself better. It means showing up and leading at your best. A positive attitude produces mental toughness, which leads to perseverance and taking accountability for your performance.

Hard work, or maximum effort, guides you to get the job done and be there for others. It means spotting opportunities and risks and looking out for your team to support them through every challenging moment. If you rely on this approach, you will see positive results.

Everyone meets with temporary defeat, on occasion, but persistent, perseverant people power through by relying on a positive attitude and determined work ethic. The more people you have on your team who embody these qualities, the greater your chances are at reaching your goals.

So, there you have it. Building a high-performing team takes hard work and intentional, caring effort. What are you willing to commit to?

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Christopher D. Connors is the author of The Champion Leader (pre-order now- available in May). He's a keynote speaker, executive coach, and globally recognized expert on emotional intelligence. Christopher consults with executives and leaders at Fortune 1000 companies and with organizations spanning many industries.

His writing has appeared in World Economic Forum, CNBC, Thrive Global, Virgin and Medium. He is the #1 best-selling author of Emotional Intelligence for the Modern Leader, one of the top selling emotional intelligence books in the world. He is also the creator of the top LinkedIn Learning course, Leading with Emotional Intelligence.