It’s a question I am often asked, it may be articulated in slightly different ways – “help me take my team from good to great”; “my team is performing, but there is something missing”, “how do I get my leadership team on the same page?” however the essence is the same – what are the features of a high performing team? 

Research tells us that there in fact may be a secret sauce – here are the ingredients:

1. A strong focus on collective results: in a high performing team the focus must be on the collective. Standards, clear expectations, and objectives for the team as a unit should be set, agreed upon and regularly communicated. This forms the blueprint for managing collective results. 

2. Holding team members accountable: this means individual team members accepting responsibility and being willing to deliver and accept tough messages the moment performance levels slip.

3. Commitment and buy-in on decisions: shared decisions should be adopted by all, passive behaviours are a team’s worst enemy. 

4. Engaging in healthy conflict: conflict can be your best friend when it results in managing underperformance in a confident, skilled or effective manner. Healthy conflict has also been shown to be the breading ground of innovation – when we challenge our colleagues in a healthy way new ideas can often come to light. 

5. High levels of trust: this might be the chocolate in your chocolate sauce, trust in and an appreciation of different skills and talents differentiates high performing teams. 

The good news is that these factors can be understood, developed, and incorporated into a team’s ways of working. With intention and purpose, your team can learn to be the best version of itself. 

Eleni Atsalakis | Your coaching psychologist