Why great teams fail to achieve great results?

So, You have a team that consists of the best, most highly experienced resources in the field. And yet, they fail to meet your expectations. "What went wrong?" you wonder. If this is true for you, you are not the only one.

From sports to the corporate world and even families, we see brilliant looking teams failing because of a few key factors. If as a leader, you are dealing with such a situation, you need to take a look at a few key areas.

1. Are they really good? You like to think of your team members as the best. It reflects on you because you selected them. But, have you honestly evaluated them? We often mistake technical / professional brilliance for personality and vise versa. In today's work environment you need members with an optimum mix of the two. Do a serious, unbiased audit of these and you may find a need to upskill.
2. Are they really a team? A group of people that is at the same place at the same time and doing the same work is not necessarily a team. To be a team, they have to meet three criteria - Do they understand each other?, Do they accept each other? and Do they compliment each other? (More about this in my next article.) Ask these three questions about your team and find an honest answer.
3. Are individual egos at play? If your team consists of people with more than 5 years of work experience who have proven themselves and have recently taken over as leaders at any level, chances are that you might be dealing with ego problems. Often ignored as trivial, egos and ego clashes have the potential to derail biggest projects. As a leader you need to understand your people, keep lines of communication open and win their trust for such issues to come to you.
4. Last but not the least, are you a good leader? If the above mentioned factors and not responsible, you need to ask your self if you able to provide good leadership. Do a self audit or get someone to do it. Be honest with yourself and open to all feedbacks. It does not necessarily mean that you are a bad leader. You may need to tweak your style of leadership.

Are you facing a challenge in any of these areas? Would you like me to help you find solutions? Let me know. I look forward to your valuable feedback.