One singer, One song!

One singer, one song.

I spend a lot of my time talking to businesses about high performance and high-performance teams, discussing the raw components of what makes a truly high-performance environment and how they might foster this in their area of work.

My views on high performance were formed during my time as a firearms officer with Greater Manchester Police, where the team I was a part of was nothing short of excellent. It is with this lens that I often tailor my advice about training and development.

Trust was implicit, it was foundational to everything we did as a team and without it we were impotent. If I had to turn my back to a threat, I trusted my colleagues and their training to deal with it, allowing me to concentrate on my objectives. We practiced, we adapted, and we tested, all under stress and pressure. Our extensive training made our actions and reactions, common and known. They were predictable.

We failed fast, we gave each other feedback and delivered the hard messages both directly and with care. Nothing was ever interpreted as personal, but instead for the good of the team. No one ever feared creating any conflict.?We fed back and fed forward in order to remove inconsistency, weakness and doubt.?No one was immune, we all failed, with style, understood why and corrected our behaviours along the way to achieve a better result.?

We were committed to each other and the purpose of our endeavours. We had unwavering dedication to each other and the wider team. Safety was paramount, so that we all got to return home each day to our families. We were prepared to take difficult decisions and be accountable for them. The phrase that I heard often, ‘rather tried by 12 than carried by 6’, still echoes in my head daily.

We were accountable, to each other, to the law and to our own high standards of engagement.?No one was more or less accountable than anyone else, regardless of rank or experience.?We practiced shared and devolved leadership.

Leaders were agile. They were part of the team, not separate or removed in any way but truly in the mix with the rest of group. We all took turns of assuming the lead role, depending on who had the best view or the greatest insight in the moment.

One singer, one song.?The song is the plan, the singer is whoever makes it. Number one in the line, first at the door, he, or she who sees most. That’s not to say we only sang one song, just one song at a time, ready to adapt if needed.?We rarely focussed on the result, it took care of itself because of our focus on everything else, it was a natural outcome.

Does this sentiment resonate with you and your team??How do you build and develop a culture based on trust, healthy conflict, commitment and accountability to achieve your results??The lessons are transferrable and easily learnt.?They take courage and patience to see through but are long lasting when you truly commit.??If this is something you want to discuss or explore further, please get in touch. [email protected]