Team building magic, part 2
This is part 2 of a 5 part article courtesy of Drake International.
The Secret Behind High Performing Teams
The Rare and Coveted "High Performing Team"
A high performing team is a team that performs at an elite level, achieving extraordinary results, time and again. Team building is not seen as a separate activity but is integrated into every action, interaction and communication.
High Performing Team:
- Has a clear and unifying goal for which each team member has passion
- Each member of the team is doing what they love to do - leveraging their gifts and talents
- Is solution focused—always asking the question, “How can we?”
- Consistently achieves extraordinary results • Positive, exciting, engaging team culture that supports the free flow of ideas and creativity
- Team members regularly acknowledge each other’s contributions and also deliver honest, timely feedback in the spirit of continuous improvement
- Team members make the effort to get to know each other very well
- Demonstrate high levels of trust in each other
Under-Performing Team:
- Team goal is unclear so individual goals become paramount (e.g. getting a promotion)
- Work is not enjoyable; it becomes a boring, necessary evil
- Problem focused; always looking for what will go wrong and all the reasons for “why we can’t”
- Business results are mediocre at best and often go unmeasured
- Negative, blame-based culture that stifles new ideas due to the fear of “looking bad”
- Team members regularly engage in “closed door sessions” and complaining around the water cooler about the work and each other
- Team members stay distant, choosing not to get to know each other outside of roles/functions
- Demonstrate low levels of trust in the motivations and intentions of other team members