THE 5 BLIND SPOTS THAT CAN DESTROY A HIGH-PERFORMING TEAM
This is the story of Amit. A smart, passionate and driven leader who heads up the strategy and expansion team for a major retail company.
The board has watched Amit rise through the ranks and have absolute faith in his abilities. He’s the man, in their eyes, to implement the company’s grand vision to expand the business in the region.
You’re only as good as the people around you,
Amit thinks to himself as he pulls together a team of four very heavy hitters.
The team quickly bonds, spurred on by Amit’s contagious energy, vision and enthusiasm. They’re delighted the board has approved of such an ambitious and exciting project. Each member of the team is already planning, and taking steps, towards the first milestone.
Then it happens. They miss it. Only by the slightest of margins, but they miss it.
Amit has to answer to the board. They’re understanding and give Amit some leeway.
But Amit isn’t happy. He decides, without consultation with his team, to make two changes. He gives the operations role to his strategy specialist, and cuts down on all distractions, including the time the team spends together. He takes charge, checks-in daily with everyone, and supports them as needed.
Things change they meet the second milestone.
The team continues on an upward trajectory – subsequent milestones are met. Everyone on the team is working hard and has little time for anything else.
The team wins the Annual Business Award. However, a few members of the team are absent during the function.
A Red flag.
Then, things start spiraling in the wrong direction. Out of the blue, his strategy specialist puts in her papers. To make matters worse, another member of the team asks for a transfer.
It’s not looking good for Amit. His people have lost faith in him.
The question is,
How did Amit’s super-charged high-performing team fall apart?
Let’s look at the 5 blind spots that can tear apart a High Performing Team.
1.Comfortable vs Uncomfortable Trust
Amit had faith in his team at the beginning. He empowered them to get on with the task at hand. But that trust was severely degraded when the team missed the first milestone. It’s a typical response to things going wrong: frequent check-ins, providing support to an individual without them asking for it, and being more hands-on in general. These are a few examples of well-intentioned actions that, unfortunately, signal a lack of trust.
2. Setting vs Sustaining the Vision
Amit’s team were energized and inspired by his vision at the start of their journey. Somewhere along the line, the vision got overwhelmed by targets and milestones. Everybody was scrambling to meet them. They were on their own, heads down, working hard. The fun and the camaraderie disappeared. Amit panicked to a certain extent and did not stick to the vision the team had bought into.
3. Leveraging Strengths vs Abilities
Amit put together a team based on their strengths, but later he unknowingly tried to force a team member into a role they didn’t flourish in. A person may be able to perform well even on tasks that are not their strengths. They may have abilities, like the ability to learn, that allows them to perform well. But that will not energize them in the long run.
4. Focusing on the What vs How
After they missed a milestone, Amit asked his team to focus on their individual tasks and targets. He got them to focus on ‘What’ needed to be done. It was the best solution at the time, but in the long run, it eroded the team spirit and collaboration. The team culture is a critical factor in sustaining a high performing team and the ‘How’ a project is run, matters
5. Reward vs Recognition
Amit celebrated every win with his team. They were well-rewarded. But was each member recognized for what they were most proud of? One of his team members was a new father. Amit never told this team member that he recognized how difficult it would be for him and validate the effort that went into meeting his targets.
Focusing on these five areas will help you sustain your team’s high-performance and inspire them to achieve your grand vision!
#highperformingteams #teamwork #teamsuccess
