8 Characteristics of High Performing Teams

Organizations thrive based on the performance of their teams. High performing teams drive innovation, deliver fast and often, and drive culture. They don’t, however, happen without solid leadership. As a leader, that falls to you.

When looking at teams, there are 5 characteristics that need to be present for them to be high performing.

1. Clear Goals and Definition of Success

For teams to deliver effective and innovative solutions efficiently, they need to understand the problem they are trying to solve, why it’s important, and how a successful solution will perform (metrics).

There needs to be frequent communication of the goals and how they are changing over time based on what the team is learning and the team needs to have input into the goals evolution.

Lastly, progress towards meeting those goals needs to be regularly communicated and if changes are needed the team needs to be engaged to find and implement solutions.

What you need to do

• Clearly define and frequently communicate the problem to be solved and what success looks like
• Constantly measure and communicate solution performance and involve the team in adjusting the plan

2. Trust and Safety

For teams to thrive and perform there must be psychological safety and trust. This means team members need to have open discussions about how they work and support each other and then actively respect their team members boundaries while still holding each other accountable.

Further reading: https://centered.work/articles/the-intersection-of-psychological-safety-and-accountability

You’ll know things are moving in the right direction when you see constructive conflict, free flow of ideas and feedback without defensiveness, and smart risk taking.

What you need to do

• Foster team-building activities that strengthen relationships and trust.
• Lead by example by showing vulnerability, respect, and trust in your team members.
• Address conflicts promptly and fairly to maintain a respectful environment

3. Open, Honest, and Frequent Communication

Teams need communication to function, both within the team and from outside the team.

 Within the team, team members need to feel safe to communicate on the state of the work and what they need to move the work forward. This communication needs to be received (active listening) and result in support or constructive feedback. This should lead to a cycle of continuous improvement in the way the team works.

The team will need the support of the organization as well and from a communication standpoint this means information must flow freely into and out of the team. This includes

• Information on metrics or performance
• Changes in the industry or organization that affect goals
• Responsiveness to requests for support and removal of blockers

What you need to do

• Promote an open-door policy to encourage regular communication.
• Implement regular team meetings and one-on-one check-ins to facilitate dialogue.
• Provide training on effective communication skills, including active listening and giving feedback.

4. Diverse Skills and Strengths

In the agile world we call this “cross-functional teams” but the meaning is the same. Your teams should include individuals with all the skills needed to solve the problem you’ve asked them to solve. This includes diverse skills, experiences, and perspectives.

This only works, however, if you’ve already ticked the boxes above.

What you need to do

• Identify and leverage the strengths and skills of each team member.
• Encourage cross-functional training and development to broaden team capabilities.
• Celebrate diversity and create an inclusive environment where different perspectives are valued.

5. Strong Leadership

Similar to communication, there needs to be strong leadership in and around of the team.

Within the team, each team member needs to feel free to lead their work and in their area of expertise. This, like everything else, requires clarity, safety, and communication.

Leadership outside the team needs to personify the concept of “Servant Leadership” and actively engage with the team to ensure they have the clarity and resources they need to organize and complete their work. This means providing cover or resource and helping overcome blockers.

Further reading: https://centered.work/articles/7-principles-of-servant-leadership

What you need to do

• Develop your leadership skills through continuous learning and feedback.
• Be present and engaged with your team, offering guidance and support when needed.
• Empower team members by delegating responsibilities and encouraging autonomy.
• Providing leadership development opportunities for team members.

6. Collaboration and Teamwork

If you’re doing everything else well, this may be happening naturally. That said, it’s not enough for each team member to just do their job. Individuals need to be leveraging the strength of their team members through collaboration and mutual support to achieve more than they could alone.

The team needs to realize they succeed or fail as a team.

What you need to do

• Foster a collaborative environment in meetings and through workshops.
• Use collaboration tools and platforms to facilitate teamwork
• Encourage a culture of mutual support, where team members are willing to help each other
• As a leader outside the team, primarily focus on team recognition and accountability over individual
  • Encourage individual recognition and accountability to come from within the team as much as possible.

7. Continuous Improvement

Every process or plan is imperfect and on of the secrets to successful teams is effectively adapting to the evolving situation. Great teams take this a step further and don’t just adapt, but continuously improve.

This requires dedication from team members and support from leadership to maintain high, but realistic, standards and a willingness to raise the bar wherever possible.

What you need to do

• Encourage a growth mindset by promoting learning and development opportunities.
• Implement regular performance reviews and feedback sessions to identify areas for improvement. (agile calls these retrospectives)
• Recognize and reward efforts and achievements.

8. Agility and Adaptability

Agility and Adaptability will hopefully be a result if you’ve mastered 1 through 7.

Teams need to be flexible and adaptable as there is no such thing as a perfect plan and the pace of change in most industry out paces the duration of any project. This means change needs to be a part of the way the team works from the beginning.

To make this work well, teams need to be proactive in their problem-solving and innovation. This means solving problems before they are problems (look ahead) or while they are still small (early detection).

What you need to do

• Encourage an agile mindset by promoting flexibility and openness to change.
• Provide training on agile methodologies and adaptive problem-solving techniques.
• Create an environment where experimentation is encouraged, and failures are viewed as learning opportunities.

Wrap Up

Sometimes it seems like high-performing teams happen by magic and only once in a blue-moon. The reality is that with dedication, attention to culture, and personal leadership style you can consistently form high-performing teams in your organization and boost your own career at the same time.

For more insights on fostering high-performing teams, visit Centered Work. Let’s build teams that are not only high-performing but also resilient and innovative!