At a conceptual level many people understand the value of teams and team working in delivering great results. Despite this understanding many teams still struggle to deliver to their potential. So how can you improve team performance?
Give Them A Clear Purpose
No matter what type of team that you are leading or part of you know that poorly specified outcomes, lead to less than ideal results. Look at a sports team, they know what they are trying to achieve. If you want to improve team performance, give your team specific and clear outcomes.
Use People Appropriately
By this I mean get people doing what they do best. The marketing person might love doing spreadsheets but is this what they do best? If you are seeking to improve team performance, get people playing to their strengths.
Take Decisions and Action
It’s great to brainstorm and fully evaluate options. At the same time this can easily become a stalling tactic. Waiting for perfect information or the perfect time is pointless because it never comes around. Decisions and action is what counts.
Encourage Proactiveness
Sometimes it is good to follow the tried and tested route and at other times you need some different levels of thinking and proactivity. Don’t be a leader who stifles this. Remember that any kind of breakthrough will require a degree of risk taking.
Work On Trust
Trust takes time to develop and can be destroyed in minutes. Trust is not a destination but an ongoing journey. Get everyone on the team focusing on building and maintaining high levels of trust.
Get People Listening To Each Other
People love sharing their ideas, results and insights on issues. The trouble is that they are sometimes a lot less effective at listening to each other. Make listening a key communication priority on your team if you want to improve performance.
Bottom Line: Sometimes it is simple things that yield big improvements in team performance. What actions could you take right now to achieve more success and improve team performance?