Every business should strive to build high performing teams. After all, if you’re not performing, then you’re not succeeding to the best of your potential.
There are many great high performing team models that you can look at, and within these, there is often plenty of overlap. Managing and developing your team requires creativity. It means putting the springboards into position for your team to be able to take the leap themselves.
But what can you do as a business leader to make sure that you’re nurturing a winning team?
In this article, we’ll take a look at how to build a high performing team.
Tuckman’s Teams
According to Bruce Tuckman (1965), there are four key stages in groups development. Forming, storming, norming, and performing.
All teams must go through phases where they get to know each other and get used to working with each other by testing out the rules of the group.
During the earlier stages of this process, a team will be at its least productive, however, as long as these stages are allowed to happen, they will begin to perform.
Of course, for a high performing team, you will need more in-depth team management techniques.
Learn to Nip Conflict in the Bud
Not agreeing on everything is healthy and normal. If there was never any tension in a team, then there would be no creativity and no innovation. However, when conflicts arise out of disagreements, this can be somewhat counter-productive and unhealthy for your team.
As a team leader, it is your duty to notice the seeds of conflict forming and to do everything that you can to stop these things before a problem arises.
Encourage Employee Development
Your team want to feel as though they are progressing. Make sure that you are giving them the opportunity and the tools to help them develop and grow in the way that they want.
Ultimately, if you have a more developed team member, they will become a greater asset. So, rather than micromanaging your team, encourage those within the team to develop their own leadership skills and allow them to lead for themselves.
Setting Goals
Everyone in your team needs to know what they’re aiming towards. This means determining the overall mission of the group and breaking this down into SMART goals.
SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Bound.
Having goals that are clear and measurable will ultimately allow the team to measure their success and adjust their efforts to meet these targets.
Recognizing and Celebrating Achievements
It is essential that you reward individual and team success. Celebrating achievements validates a teams efforts and makes them feel wanted and appreciated. It will also further motivate them to achieve more.
How to Build a High Performing Team
To get the most of your high performing team, you need to bring in the right people. This means that great team-building begins with the recruitment process.