A team is more than a group of individuals. It\u2019s a living, breathing entity that, when deployed on the most important goals in your organization, performing at the highest levels, can accomplish virtually anything. But throw in a global pandemic and an always-changing technological landscape, and even the best teams will struggle.<\/p>\n
How do we create and foster high-performing teams in a digital-first world<\/a>? How do we ensure teams in different parts of the organization align toward the same business outcomes? And how do we hold our teams accountable for results when we\u2019re working miles or even countries apart using only digital communications?<\/p>\n Patrick Lencioni defines a team in his book \u201c5 Dysfunctions of a Team,\u201d using a few qualifiers:<\/strong><\/p>\n Let\u2019s go further. For this, I\u2019ll rely on my favorite analogy \u2013 football. I love football for a million reasons but mainly because I spent my high school years in Texas, and there, football is religion. I caught the fever of the most evangelized zealot.<\/p>\n I love everything about it – the strength and endurance of the players, the colorful character of the coach, the pomp and pageantry of the band, the maniacal support of the fans, the energy and athleticism of the cheerleaders, etc. But most of all, I loved the feeling I got in the stadium on a Friday night under the lights when the excitement was at a fever pitch. That electric feeling, to me, is what makes teamwork special and different. It\u2019s the collective energy of all things pulling in the same direction for the same outcome.<\/strong><\/p>\n But any football fan knows there\u2019s a big difference between a decent team and a high-performing team. I\u2019d like to name two teams and let you sit with your feelings – The Cleveland Browns, circa 2016\/2017, and The New England Patriots, when Tom Brady was the quarterback.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a Browns fan, my apologies, but humor me a minute longer. The Brady-era Patriots, arguably the greatest football team of all time (certainly the winningest with the most playoff wins and tied for most Super Bowl wins), were a different kind of team. To make it in the NFL, you must be an elite athlete, whatever team you\u2019re on. So, what is the difference between a group of elite athletes – the Browns – and a team of elite athletes \u2013 the Patriots?<\/p>\n According to organizational researcher J. Richard Hackman, who studied teams for 40 years, these are the key ingredients:<\/strong><\/p>\n In the context of the Patriots, here\u2019s what this looks like:<\/p>\n For the Patriots, everything clicked and worked together. The Patriots dominated because they were exceptional in all areas, consistently. The Browns, by contrast, had deficits in many of these areas. Sorry, dog pound.<\/p>\n Now that we\u2019ve seen what a high-performing team looks like let\u2019s make the leap from the gridiron to the conference room.<\/strong> Or, in this case, the virtual conference room.<\/p>\n This is where it gets tricky.<\/p>\n Conducting digital communications and virtual meetings can prove much more challenging than traditional collaboration. Teams in non-pandemic times had the luxury of gathering regularly in person to build trusted relationships<\/a>, hash out problems and discuss solutions.<\/strong> While there was no guarantee you\u2019d achieve alignment, there was ample opportunity to read the room, watch body language, feel the energy (or lack thereof) and do something about it.<\/p>\n Teamwork is more than a well-composed email or a great meeting. It is a mindset. To become a leader in your industry \u2013 when everyone is working from various locations, across multiple time zones, or in multiple teams across the organization \u2013 you need trusted relationships among people focused on the right things.<\/p>\n To be a high-performing team, you must commit to a shared purpose and common goals and find creative ways to achieve them when you can\u2019t be in the same room together. It takes accountability for results which means owning your spot on the team and performing at the highest level. And further, it means being receptive when someone calls you out for not fulfilling your promises. Finally, it takes great leadership<\/a> and a supportive structure to motivate and inspire your team, regardless of your title.<\/strong><\/p>\n As an organizational change management consultant at Centric, I see client teams struggle to perform at an elevated level in a digital-first world. I see team members shrink back because they\u2019re overworked, and leadership hasn\u2019t made the time to focus on their people. I observe a lack of clarity around goals and competing priorities. I experience a lack of progress on projects because our meeting technology allows us to stay silent while looking like we\u2019re paying attention.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve also seen and been a part of highly functional and robust teams, where everyone is engaged, listening intently to one another, riffing on each other’s ideas and making the whole experience better and more productive.<\/strong><\/p>\n From these experiences, I\u2019ve learned a few solutions for taking your team from decent to high performing.<\/p>\n Here are five steps to creating high-performing teams in a digital-first world:<\/p>\n Have you heard of body awareness? Elite athletes know where their body is at all times on the playing field. They know shifting their eyes left tells their opponent what direction they might pivot. They know if their hands are cold, they won\u2019t feel the ball as well. And they know exactly where every other player on the field is at any given moment.<\/p>\n Think of your team as your body. By heightening your senses to pick up the nuances of your team\u2019s interactions, you\u2019ll see what they are overtly and subtly communicating.<\/strong> This will take keen observation skills during digital and virtual interactions. Are emails overly curt? Are people hiding out on video conference calls by joining audio-only or multi-tasking? Are people prepared for meetings, or are they uninspired or incapable of their responsibilities? You will be amazed by what you find when you focus and observe behavior.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t like what you see \u2013 disengaged, distracted team members, lack of meaningful interaction, lack of accountability to results, or more, — it\u2019s time to get real and ask yourself the hard questions. Understanding your role in the problem is key to making meaningful changes. Here are some questions you can begin with:<\/strong><\/p>\n Once you figure out the answer to those questions, you can take the steps necessary to correct any issues and boost team performance.<\/p>\n If your team is performing more like the Cleveland Browns than the New England Patriots, chances are they\u2019ve noticed. They\u2019re looking for ways to make things better, too.<\/strong> Sharing your observations with your team is a great way to start the dialogue, gauge commitment and ensure each team member plays a role in the solution.<\/p>\n Tom Brady was known for his close relationships with Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, as well as Patriots\u2019 coach Bill Belichick. These relationships were critical to the team\u2019s success. But great relationships in a digital-first world don\u2019t always happen naturally.<\/p>\n In \u201cOffice Optional: How to Build a Connected Culture with Virtual Teams<\/a>,\u201d our co-founder and president Larry English<\/a> says, \u201cBuilding relationships over virtual channels requires vulnerability, bringing your whole self to work, taking time to foster personal connections, and knowing how to resolve conflict when it arises.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n There are volumes of books and articles about building relationships to find your own set of plays to build those critical team bonds and chemistry.<\/p>\n Dynasty teams don\u2019t play hard for four quarters and walk off the field without looking at the scoreboard. High-performing teams know exactly where they stand at all times. Further, they watch the game film repeatedly to understand what they did well and where they need to improve.<\/p>\n\n
Decent Versus High-Performing Teams<\/h2>\n
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High Performing Teams, Digital-First Space<\/h2>\n
Five Steps to Becoming a High-Performing Team<\/h2>\n
1. Become Aware<\/h3>\n
2. Ask the Tough Questions<\/h3>\n
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3. Engage Your Team in the Solution<\/h3>\n
4. Develop a Playbook to Build Relationships<\/h3>\n
5. Keep Score<\/h3>\n