5 Keys to a High-Performing Team

As an avid rugby fan, I enjoyed taking time over the holidays to re-read one of my favourite books – Legacy by James Kerr. It’s about what he learned from one of the most successful rugby teams in history, the New Zealand All Blacks, and how they built and sustained a world class, high-performance culture.

As we move into 2021, it’s clear that developing a winning culture will be crucial for all teams, not just those on the rugby field. Here are my five biggest takeaways from Legacy and why they’re important for all businesses as we manage in an environment of turbulence and uncertainty. 

1. The power of culture.

Reading the book reinforced my belief that purpose, capability and attitude are the three key elements of a winning culture. A team lacking any of those will struggle to realize its potential and win. Leaders of winning teams create the vision and define the purpose, so that team members are aligned and passionate about bringing the mission to life. For a team to succeed, every individual needs to embrace the purpose and live the mission.

Successful teams are empowered by leaders to grow their capabilities. It’s the role of every team member to grasp the opportunity to improve, to take ownership and ensure they have the capabilities to win today and five years from now. To achieve sustained success and foster a winning culture, that shared desired to get better is critical.

Winning teams bring a positive attitude every day. They act with passion, energy and optimism. They avoid focusing on the negative and what’s not working and model the attitudes needed to win.

2. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

The notion of the collective being more important than any individual or star player is a constant theme throughout the book. “It’s about thinking about the team’s interests before yourself,” says All Blacks legend, Andrew Mehrtens. “If it’s not good for the team, don’t say it and don’t do it.” Kerr uses the example of a flock of birds, travelling together as a group in a graceful V-shape. “One bird leads, another follows, another takes the lead, in an endless synchronized support system.” It’s more efficient than flying solo and no bird gets left behind.

At Manulife, one of our core values is ‘get it done together’. It’s a philosophy that has become a key part of our culture and is embraced by our team members from all corners of the world. It means that individual glory and plaudits have become secondary to the overall success, and wellbeing, of our team. This collective mindset is crucial for our team. To progress and win, particularly in challenging times, everyone must be prepared to put personal agendas to one side and move in the same direction. They must look out for each other, show empathy, and ensure no one is left behind.

3. Never be too big to do the small things.

After every game, regardless of the result, the All Blacks players tidy up the dressing room. The All Blacks call this ‘sweeping the sheds’ – it’s about fostering humility and keeping your feet on the ground. All team members are expected to pitch in and do jobs that some outsiders may consider beneath elite athletes. Crucially, each team member recognizes the value and significance of this work.

This attitude is also applicable in business, and I’m proud to see it being adopted across our Manulife team. It must start from the top, but it can be applied to colleagues at every level. We embrace getting our hands dirty for our teammates and our customers – it builds character and team spirit.

4. “Champions do extra.”

This is a phrase from the book that particularly resonated with me. Winning takes more than just doing the basics. If you and your business want to win, everyone needs to buy into this philosophy and “get on the bus” to victory. Companies in all sectors are being forced to find new ways to serve their customers and that means doing extra. It’s a mantra that is relevant to every individual in every role. Doing the extra work with grit and tenacity makes a vital difference.

Just like an athlete puts in the extra effort in training so they can perform when it matters, teams need to find the resilience to push the boundaries and the determination to quicken the pace. Doing extra also means carving out time to learn and deepen your understanding, making it a personal goal to become an expert on your industry and the trends that impact it.

5. “Games are won in inches and seconds.”

In business, making those seemingly small improvements that enable you to win are only possible when people are rallying together as one team, determined to do one thing a bit better, every day. Those gains happen when people are working in a learning environment, where the operating principle is for every individual to be driven and empowered to grow, every day. Leaders in business need to find ways to instill that mindset at scale and ensure that striving to continuously learn becomes an intrinsic motivation for team members.

New All Blacks players are given a small black book, which details the history of the team and includes photos of legendary teams of the past. But, the book also has a number of blank pages, waiting to be filled. The message is clear: write your own legacy. Take ownership, learn, and make the team better. Be a leader and be accountable for your results, good or bad. At Manulife, we’re fostering a culture that is built on the same ethos.

I’m a rugby fan, so the book has special importance to me, but the lessons in Legacy are relevant to all of us. As we move forward and face further uncertainty, it will be absolutely essential for business leaders to create teams like the All Blacks – teams that support each other and empower individuals to perform at their best.

-Roy