Keys to Building a High Performing Team during Rapid Change

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Contrary to what you may have been told, the key to your success as a leader transitioning in a fast-scaling or re-organization environment is not diagnosing problems or stakeholder needs.?

It’s assessing the talent on your team as quickly and effectively as possible.

And I cannot emphasize this enough.

The one time I disregarded this piece of wisdom, I struggled for 12 months before finally getting the buy-in I needed to make necessary changes on the team.

I haven’t faltered since.

Picture a ninja. That’s how decisive I am about assessing talent.?

Why??

Because in the dynamic world of today’s business, building a high performing, collaborative team is paramount, especially during times of rapid change, transition, or uncertainty.?

Every day you leave a critical role unoccupied or toxic energy unaddressed on your team, it’s a cost to the business.

You, your team, and the larger mission you have been collectively commissioned to tackle suffers.?

The good news is that assessing talent on your team is a process not a skill–which means you can learn it right now and start customizing your strategy with very little effort.?

My approach to assessing talent hinges on understanding team dynamics and making timely adjustments that are intentional and strategic.

In this article, we will explore key strategies for getting up to speed on your team’s capabilities quickly and leveraging those insights to build a high performing team that can thrive in any environment.

Initial Assessment: Understanding Roles and Competencies

1. Analyze Formal Roles

The first step in assessing talent is to understand the formal roles within your team. This involves identifying the specific responsibilities and competencies required for each role. Key questions to consider include:

- What are the roles on the team?

- Who occupies these roles?

- What competencies are needed for each role?

- How critical is each role to the team’s mission?

- What roles are missing from the team but critical to collective success?

By detaching the role from the individual, you can objectively evaluate whether the role is being fulfilled effectively. This helps in identifying any gaps or overlaps in responsibilities and ensures that every role aligns with the team's overall objectives.

2. Identify Informal Roles

Beyond formal job descriptions, informal roles play a crucial part in team dynamics. These roles, such as the ‘jester’ who brings humor or the ‘devil’s advocate’ who challenges ideas, contribute to the emotional and relational functioning of the team--meeting critical psychological needs that often remain below the surface but can erupt like a volcano, debilitating your team.

Assessing these roles involves:

- Identifying who naturally takes on these informal roles.

- Ensuring a balance of opposing roles (e.g. challenger vs. preserver).

- Encouraging team members to occasionally switch roles to build diverse skills.

3. Call Out Role Nausea and Confusion

Role fatigue and confusion are common in periods of rapid change. Role fatigue occurs when individuals are tired of their current responsibilities, often expressed through phrases like “I’d love to try something new.” Role confusion, on the other hand, arises from unclear expectations and overlapping responsibilities and show up as complaints like "This isn't my job!"

To address these issues:

- Listen for signs of frustration or discontent.

- Clarify roles and responsibilities to eliminate overlap and confusion.

- Open a dialogue to understand individual experiences and aspirations.

4. Build Psychological Safety

A high performing team requires an environment where members feel safe to share ideas without fear of rejection or embarrassment. Psychological safety is the bedrock of such an environment, as highlighted by Google’s Project Aristotle. And trust is key to achieving psychological safety.

Leaders can foster psychological safety by:

- Encouraging open communication and active listening.

- Creating opportunities for team members to connect and build trust.

- Promoting a culture where questions and challenges are welcomed.

Strategic Adjustments: Making Changes That Matter

1. Fill Missing Roles

When a critical role is identified as missing, justify the need for this role by:

- Demonstrating its importance to the team’s mission.

- Providing evidence of the impact of its absence (i.e. communicating "what happens if we do nothing?").

- Requesting budget or re-purposing resources to fill the gap.

2. Balance Informal Roles

To ensure balanced team dynamics, encourage team members to experiment with different informal roles. This not only builds resilience but also fosters a deeper understanding of team dynamics.

For example:

- Assign the role of the ‘challenger’ to a typically risk-averse team member in a safe setting.

- Rotate the ‘preserver’ role among team members to maintain a focus on core principles, honor the journey to today, and mitigate risk.

3. Address Role Fatigue and Poor Performance

Engage in open, empathetic dialogue with team members to understand their experiences and aspirations.

Use this insight to:

- Provide opportunities for growth and new challenges.

- Reassign roles based on individual strengths and interests.

- Offer training, mentorship, or coaching to address performance issues.

A Possible Takeaway?

The first 90 days in a new leadership role are critical for setting the tone and direction of your team. By focusing on role clarity, fostering psychological safety, and making strategic adjustments, you can build a collaborative, high performing team capable of navigating any change.?

To get the most of your efforts, try these proven strategies early on:

- Assess both formal and informal roles within the team.

- Foster an environment of psychological safety.

- Address role fatigue, confusion, and poor performance through dialogue and strategic changes.

Building a high performing team is not just about managing tasks but about understanding and nurturing the dynamics that drive collaboration and innovation. By applying these strategies, you can create a resilient team ready to thrive in any circumstance.

What resonates most with you? Share your experiences and insights in the comments below.

About the Author

Ije Jemie Nwabueze Lean Six Sigma, CTI, ORSC, PMI-ACP, CBAP (pronounced 'E-J') is CEO and Founder of NextLevel Strategies, a business transformation consultancy, Team Coaching Head for Dreamcatchers Performance, a mental fitness executive coaching company, and Host of Real Talk: Conversations on Mental Fitness, a podcast for high performing leaders.

As a Lean Six Sigma strategy execution expert with 16+ years of experience at mid-market and Fortune 500 companies in 3 global markets, Ije has served as a trusted advisor to C-suite executives, managed complex transformational change and built high performing teams from the ground up.

Ije is also an executive and team coach for transformational leaders looking to re-imagine what is possible when navigating big transitions in their personal life, career or business.

If you would benefit from a fresh perspective on navigating urgent needs, book a no-obligation discovery call.