The First Step to Building High-Performing Teams

For those who might assume that for high-performing teams you need high-performing employees first, a correction is in order. Even a high performer may struggle in the wrong environment. Therefore, it is a crucial step to establish the right environment.

Here is a great way, if approached seriously by a leader, that can provide valuable insights about the team and eventually lead to performance improvement.

👉Ask your team what they believe is hindering their work.

Together list all of the issues they mention and create a backlog that is accessible by everyone on the team. On this list are mostly tasks that the leader needs to handle, as you’ll likely hear things like:

• We do not always get relevant information ASAP or at all

• Roles and responsibilities are not clear

• Too many irrelevant meetings

• …and many more…

While some of the issues may be known issues, there will likely be many that you weren’t aware of, especially those that involve critiques of your leadership style.

Even though most of the backlog items are yours to solve, you shouldn’t be the one to decide on the priority. Prioritize together in order to reach a consensus on the first items to be addressed.

As you dive into solving these issues, your team is going to notice and respect your efforts more and more. They’ll see the value you bring to the table by making their work life better and improving overall performance. Your team will genuinely appreciate your work, and it goes a long way in building trust in your leadership skills. You become a key part of problem-solving, and that’s a really positive position to be in.

Besides it’s solid advice for any leader to kickstart such a backlog, it’s particularly beneficial for a new leader looking to establish a strong foundation.

One might think that it’ll turn into a mere list of complaints, fostering a culture of complaining. I can assure you this isn’t the case as long as there are a few rules established to give constructive feedback while creating this backlog.

Review the progress in team meetings to ensure you are working on it and keep everybody informed. Some of the items take a while to be solved, so make sure you keep them in sight.

What do you think is great advice to build high-performing teams? Feel free to share your experience with leaders or your experience as a leader.