Want high-performing teams? Read this first.

Let’s get an expert opinion.

Welcome to The Manual Weekly – LI Edition, the can’t-miss newsletter for business leaders. You’ll find snackable bits of news highlighting emerging trends, actionable resources, and proven best practices that can help take your business to the next level.

This week’s must-reads:

• A template with leadership strategies for high-performing teams.
• What this expert has to say about performance management.
• A better way to track employee training in Trainual.
• And no need to settle — here’s how to attract your ideal customers.

Template of the week: Leadership Strategies for Developing High-performing Teams

All summer long, we’ve been celebrating the greatest that sports has to offer. And if we had to take one thing from Paris 2024, it’s that we want our teams to have a share of that 24K magic.

That means our people should be the best of the best. But don’t get us wrong — that doesn’t all come down to finding and recruiting the right people for the right roles (though that is a big part). It also means creating an environment where our employees can work and train together to function as a lean, mean, high-performing machine. And that falls to leadership.

?? If you’re looking to get your leaders and managers on that track, start with this Performance Management: Leadership Strategies for Developing High-performing Teams template — full of top tips on delegation, leadership approaches, feedback, and more!

Check out our entire template archive of free and customizable policy, process, and role starters. New to Trainual? Get a demo.

The secrets to developing high-performing teams

When you hear “high-performing teams,” what do you think of?

Better efficiency? Collaboration? Productivity? Other business-y buzzwords that emphasize big results from small teams?

Okay, but let’s get serious here. Buzzy or not, studies show that high-performing teams build trust, and employees who trust their organizations show all those benefits and more. But building a high-performing team takes a lot more than grabbing your star employees, putting them in a room together, and shouting, “Go!”

Let’s ask the expert.

Karen Weeks, the global chief people officer at marketing agency Obviously, has made a career of building and nurturing high-performing teams — all to business and employee benefit. In a recent interview all about managing people performance, she discussed how the output of these teams doesn’t necessarily fall to the employees, but to the leaders who shape them.

And the best ways to do that? Here are some of her tips:

• Leaders, align your expectations and development plans with your team's goals and individual needs.
• Create an environment where feedback is expected, timely, and actionable.?
• Use personality assessments like DISC and Myers-Briggs to help understand team dynamics and individual preferences, but be careful to not put anyone in a box based on their results.
• Implement mentorship programs to foster a culture of continuous learning and personal growth.

?? Listen to the full episode for more advice.

Trainual tips: Follow users to access their training progress right on the Home page

Picture this: You manage a handful of employees and it’s time to see how up-to-date they are on their training. (They’re probably totally on top of it like the superstars they are. ??) You crack your knuckles and prepare to click all over Trainual to check up on each of them individually.?

Wait, stop! Don’t do that — because there’s a new feature that gives you a snapshot of select employees’ training progress right on the Home page! Just head to the right side and find the “Following” section.?

You can follow as many team members as you’d like — giving you an easy-to-access training progress overview for the teammates you care most about. Click on anyone you follow to jump straight to their profile — where you can view and manage their responsibilities, assigned subjects, and more.

?? Learn how to follow user progress right on your Home page.

A checklist for identifying your business’ ideal customers

Sometimes, it feels okay to settle.

When you’re just starting out, or you’ve hit a slump, it’s okay to trick yourself into thinking that any customer will do. Anyone who can help you pay the bills, right?

It’s okay to say “It’s not you, it’s us.”

At some point, working for anyone and everyone isn’t going to help you expand your business — especially if you’re in a service industry that thrives on repeat customers. Because as you grow and make changes, you’ll find that your “ideal customers” are the ones who will help you reach your business goals.

What does an ideal customer look like for you?

Think about three of your best customers — AKA, the ones who really need your products or services and will look to come back for more. Now ask yourself:

• What is their industry?
• What problem do you solve for that customer?
• What do they like about doing business with you?
• Why is the relationship a good one?
• What are some of the sales tactics that they responded to?

Now, you have a checklist of all the attributes you want to find in your ideal customer — use this list to update your marketing targets and refocus your sales reps. And if you haven’t tapped them yet, get referrals from your current best customers! Greats recognize greats.