We’ve all experienced what it’s like to see high-performing and low-performing teams in action. But what makes the difference between the two? What are their characteristics?
High-performing teams don’t just form out of the blue. It takes a lot of team building, trust, and culture formation for a high-performance team to emerge.
Most of the time, if you have one of the following characteristics of a high-performance team, then you’re likely to display other characteristics as well. The key, though, is to never lose sight of the characteristics that are instilled within high-performance culture.
- Selflessness – You’ll never find a winning team that promotes selfishness. Even if you have a star player who could run the gig themselves, they’ll put the team first. Putting your team members first helps your team become better individuals, but also work better cohesively. When the team wins, you all win.
- Great listeners – Often underrated, but a crucial characteristic, listening holds a power unlike any other. Building a strong team means listening to the needs of others. Listening shows that you care, and caring fosters a positive work environment. All high-performing teams communicate better amongst each other because of their ability to listen.
- Open communication – Just like listening, communication is the key to performing better. Low-performance teams usually have some members that have more say than others do. This closes off all communication channels, whereas high-performance teams maintain constant communication channels amongst all members of the team.
- Builds on differences – High-performance teams use the strengths of people to enhance their results. Diversity is key in a successful team. Diversity fosters an innovative environment and allows everyone to contribute to ideation that could improve the business overall.
- Shares leadership – Low-performance teams dislike initiative and would prefer more of an autocratic approach. If a team gives leadership and responsibility out to members of the team in order to collaborate (when necessary), they’re more likely to create a high-performance atmosphere.
- Demonstrates flexibility – As proved by Charles Darwin, if you are unable to adapt, you won’t survive during times of change. High-performance teams are able to adapt quickly and work agiley. By focusing on the end result, they are able to open their minds to what is the best way to get there.
- Has a sense of purpose – What exactly are you committed to? What is the end goal and the purpose of the work that is being done? High-performance teams have a clear understanding of what to do and when to do it, allowing them to get the most done during their work day.
Developing a high-performance team takes work, and the best way to start crafting the best team you can is to get them engaged with one another. Check out our High-Octane Corporate Team Building here to ignite your team momentum.
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