The Secret to Building High Performing Teams | Leadership Tips

'How do some teams outperform others?'

'Why do some teams win awards consistently?'?

'Is it the leader?' 'Is it the nature of work?' 'Or is it the team itself?'?

I have been leading teams for over two decades now, different locations, different industries, different sizes. And over the years, I have learnt some secrets about how to build high performing teams.??

And I am going to share five simple tips that will help you transform your team! After all, Knowledge Grows by Sharing!.?

Today, there is a huge issue impacting teams, groups and organizations called SILOS! ?

And the first tip is to #1 Break the Silos! Let's understand Silos first, let’s say someone in your team is doing something that you don’t know about but that impacts you. This is a classic example. So being out of sync and working solo can be defined as working in silos. The other big issue is this statement ‘That's not my job!’ As leaders, we need to remove this mindset. Everyone should understand the bigger picture and how their work impacts the other teams.??

The team should work a one cohesive unit like your body, your left leg cannot go left and right leg right. Promote 'We' culture than 'Us vs Them'. Have regular stand-up meetings, simple agenda: what the person is doing & what support they need.?Also, encourage teams to take breaks together, have lunch together, have chai breaks, the unorganized talks generate ideas and improve partnership.?

#2 Create a Safe Environment!

This is purely the leader’s responsibility. As a leader, it is your job to create a culture where people can share their opinions without fear. Have an environment where people can openly say what is wrong, what needs to be fixed without fearing anyone. This will also help you understand and solve the issues. This would build?ownership and accountability in the team. And please be there for your team, be available, keep your door open. Genuinely ask them how they feel, is there any support they need from you. That will make a huge difference, try it out!??

#3 Communicate!?

This quote by George Bernard Shaw explains it all?“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” There are multiple occasions where people say I wasn't aware of that. No one told me that, or we were not informed. These gaps in communication hurt the business and pull down the performance.?Have daily team huddles where people can share team updates, process changes, challenges, etc. this will ensure everyone is looped in. And if daily doesn’t work, do it twice a week or once a week. ?

#4 Create a culture of learning!?

The game changing habit is to create a team of life-long learners. Of the 9-hour shift, dedicate at least one hour every day for learning. This can be learning a new task, a new skill or simply working on your soft skills. This is important along with technical skills, focusing on developing your teams' interpersonal skills, communication skills, and collaborative skills. This will certainly help them understand the business better. ?

And lastly, #5 Take Risks!?

Your team needs to think out of the box and experiment with something new, a lot of times people think that this is the best way they can do their work because it’s been going on for years. But that’s not true, they need to challenge the existing system, they need to reinvent, reimagine, use technology, innovate. Anyone sharing an idea should be appreciated, we shouldn't have the age old statement – this wont work! Say lets give that a try? And if we succeed that's great, if we don't, we learn from it. So have them take risks, fail and fail faster. Either they win or they learn.??

And here is a small bonus tip, create a culture where people talk to each other than write long emails. Trust me, pick up the phone or walk up to them and speak. That’s the Best way to solve an issue.?

I hope these tips help you develop a culture where you can build high performing teams.?Do let me know if you have any tips that work for you?

#thursdaythoughts #leadership #mentoring #coaching #highperformingteams #teamwork

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