There are certain characteristics that high-performing teams share. If you want your team to be successful, it is important to understand what these are and how to cultivate them. In this article, we will explore the five most important characteristics of a high-performing team.
– They are highly skilled – The members of a high-performing team are typically very skilled at what they do. Be it sales, HR, or customer service – it doesn’t matter…the high performance comes from confidence in their specialism.
– They are highly motivated – A team cannot perform at a high level without higher-than-average motivation.
– That motivation tends to be intrinsic rather than extrinsic – meaning the motivation comes from within, for example, they are driven by an internal desire to achieve or a desire to feel competent or to feel like they are making a difference. This is quite different from being motivated by pay, rewards bonuses, and awards.
– They work well together as a unit – One of the hallmarks of a high-performing team is that they work well together. A cohesive team doesn’t just happen out of the box, it has to be developed – through matrix-tasking and team building – and reinforced through collective goals and accountability.
– They communicate effectively – High-performing teams communicate amazingly well. They don’t shy away from difficult conversations, nor do they leave anything open to chance or miscommunication. They talk situations and tasks through and know exactly who should be doing what and when.
– They hold themselves and each other accountable – What happens inside a high-performing team is part art and part science. One of the things that truly does set them aside from other teams is that they are willing to hold themselves and others to account for the behaviours and high standards of performance that they have committed to.
Building a high-performing team requires more than just selecting the right people and hoping for a result. The team has to be actively managed toward high performance and that means creating a plan which cultivates these characteristics.
What to do next?
We work with organisations across the UK and abroad to help them cultivate high performance amongst teams.
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Want to know more? Keep reading about high-performing teams.