Tags – Build a High Performing Team
In the workplace, leadership will make or break the success of the team.
Just as an Olympics coach plays a key role in an athlete’s performance, a leader should have a strong relationship with the team, which will affect their satisfaction, motivation and performance.
As such, a good leader should be positive, enthusiastic, supportive, goal orientated and a good communicator: all of which will influence your team to perform well for the greater good of the business.
Here are our top 4 tips for building a high performing team.
1. Evaluate the Team’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Before you start assigning tasks to each individual, you’ll want to make sure that you’re playing to each of their strengths.
In other words, their roles should be well suited to their individual skills, experiences and motivations: tasks should be assigned with logic rather than by drawing straws.
From a manager or leader’s point of view, simply trying to motivate a team is not enough. The secret to unleashing the team’s full potential depends on identifying the strengths and weaknesses of each member. This way, teams will be more productive as they find meaning in their work and will help the whole team to succeed,
Furthermore, finding out this information can allow leaders to make better decisions, give better and more effective performance reviews and ensure every member in the team has scope to grow.
Firstly, pay attention to failures and successes: where did the overall team succeed and who are the team members responsible?
Secondly, create a supportive environment where team members feel comfortable to share what they’re good or bad at, in order to utilise their skills most effectively.
By doing this, you will be fostering an environment where work processes flow smoothly and the end goal will be achieved.
2. Set Common Goals
For a high performing team to succeed, every individual needs to work toward a set of common goals which everyone agrees on.
Think about it, if employees are left on their own, scattered all over the place and working on their own projects – nothing really gets done, does it?
Therefore, leaders need to communicate what the teams short and long term goals are so they can understand how their workload contributes to the greater good of the business.
The key here is that these goals should be agreed by everyone. Consider setting up a meeting to discuss key priorities, where everyone has a say, and hopefully they’ll be more committed to achieving them.
3. Encourage Communication
Communication is arguably the most important factor when building a high performance team. Without it, collaboration is impossible and your workforce will get nowhere.
Essentially, high performing teams need to remain focused so clear communication is essential.
A good place to start is by holding regular team meetings to discuss not only the progress of individual team members, but the overall progress of the team too, keeping everyone on the same page.
If done properly, these meetings give an opportunity to identify potential problem areas: each individual’s actions can affect the other’s performance so open communication can highlight conflicts early on.
Above all, help your team to understand their own and others preferred communication styles to help establish the best approach when it comes to meetings. Eliminate any issues and you’ll be on the right path to building a high performing team.
4. Promote Employee Development
If you want your team to consistently produce outstanding results, it’s important to build a culture of continuous learning and development.
Generally speaking, high performing teams are curious. They want to explore endless possibilities, ask questions and adapt their personal processes based on what they’ve just learned.
By promoting employee development, your team will be able to build on their knowledge and learn from past mistakes, resulting in higher levels of productivity.
Not to mention, development opportunities encourage motivation, empowerment and leaves the team better equipped to get the job done and become high performers.
Wrapping Up
Building a high performance team ultimately falls down to hiring the right individuals, giving them the correct training and encouraging open communication.
High performance teams are not built by chance, but they are carefully crafted. These tips above are a great place to get started, allowing your team to continuously grow and collaborate effectively to achieve a common end goal.
Want to know more? Get in touch today.
In the meantime, check our services as a HR Consultancy Huddersfield.
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