8 steps towards a high performing team

’Team Days’ don’t work• Taking a team out for a day or even two in isolation isn’t

enough to really shift behaviour and attitude and establish a solid base for high performance. Top performance requires a more significant investment over time.

• Outlined here are 8 steps to team development - the Rocket Model. When applied over time, these principles and practices enable significant shifts in capability.

• These are the areas measured in the Team Assessment Survey (TASII) – a highly effective way to measure and benchmark the performance of leadership teams.

Curphy Leadership Solutions © 2016

Context• There is no meaning without context.• Great leadership teams have a common understanding of

their key customers, stakeholders and influencers• They periodically review their assumptions for these key

groups• The team are in full agreement on the challenges facing

them

Mission• Not only are many leadership teams not clear on who is

actually on the team, an alarming number are unclear on the team’s purpose.

• High performing teams are aligned around a clear set of common goals which they review regularly.

• They know what the flywheel of their business is.• They have a succinct mission that inspires.

Talent• Having the right people on the bus is critical but there are

also simpler things that get missed:• The team has the right number of people• Members have clear roles, responsibilities and

accountabilities• The team has the right organisational/reporting structure• Everyone is an effective follower

Norms• So often existing team norms that have not been designed

actually undermine what the team is trying to achieve.• Does the team:

• Have an effective operating rhythm that supports their mission?• Make sound and timely decisions, i.e. agenda items don’t return

repeatedly• Communicate with each other openly and directly • Have ways to hold each other accountable?

Buy-In• High performing teams build commitment by having:

• a compelling future picture, • credible leadership, • and team members that are highly involved with goal setting and

decision making. • Team members willingly pitch in to help other team

members • Team members faithfully carry out team decisions

Power• The team has access to what it needs to be accomplish its

mission:• It has the equipment, tools and facilities needed.• It can access the financial resources required.• It has the necessary decision-making authority.

Morale• This is where many team interventions start, though in this approach it is

the penultimate stage . • It is important that team members work well together but an effective

team is in service of their stakeholders and purpose, and this has to have priority over an enjoyable atmosphere.

• Effective teams identify those areas that interfere with building cohesiveness and develop effective strategies to counter this interference.

• Though later in the process, morale is still a critical element. This is where trust sits and without trust you can’t have the positive conflict required for top team performance.

Results• What it’s all about after all however you measure them.• The best teams produce quality work, manage their time and

budget well, adapt to changing demands and get results.• What is more, they benchmark their results against

comparable teams.• When we’re effective in the other seven areas then results

are delivered and customers’ expectations are exceeded.

If you’re interested in finding out more about:• Enabling great team performance through team coaching.• Assessing where your team is against these factors and an

benchmark population.• How to implement the Rocket Model or buy the book.

Then please get in contact. gregor@courageousdevelopment.co.uk