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3 Must do’s to Build a High Performing Team · Enhance.training

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: The goal of every manager should be to build a high performing team, or at least increase team performance.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: This is what companies need to be successful, which translates into what the manager needs to achieve to also be successful.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: Being able to consistently create a high performing team or significantly improve the performance of the team that you are given to manage is an incredibly valuable ability to develop.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: Gaining this ability will literally underpin a very successful career in managing and leading teams.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: A high performing team will deliver multiple times the value to a business compared to an average team.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: The difference to the business is huge, into hundreds of thousands, even for small teams.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: 80% of the value in a business is probably delivered by the top 20% of teams.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: Very importantly, the managers that do consistently deliver amazing team performance have been taught what they need to do to create a high performing team.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: Early in my career I was an okay manager, nothing more.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: I was then mentored and coached by my best boss ever.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: As a result of what she taught me and some hard work on my part, I learned how to build a high performing team and I've gone on to massively improve team performance in multiple teams in different companies.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: I've won best team prizes at national and company level again with different teams.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: There is a lot that goes into creating a high performing team.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: Today we're covering three of the most important management elements to use to improve the performance of any team that you manage, and these are firstly be there for your team.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, make it super clear what you expect from your team, and third, celebrate the differences.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: Even better is that all of these are within your control as a manager, no matter what company you work in.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: The first management elements to build a high-performing team is to be there for your team.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: I personally think being there for your team is the most important thing you can do as a manager.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: A manager's purpose is to improve what the team produces.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: Team performance is what you're being assessed on.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: Go all in, be there for your team, and they will be there for you.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: Your team members need to know and feel that you're absolutely there for them, that you have their back.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: Firstly, setting as clear and realistic direction and expectations as you can so everyone in your team knows what is expected from them and can work towards meeting and beating these goals, and do so in a supportive way to the whole team.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, to spend your time proactively looking for and solving problems that stop the team doing their work, that cause delays, that damage standards, or that impact the relationships and culture of the team.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: Third, to proactively work to develop the skills, experience and careers of your team, especially where these are aligned to what the company needs.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, to regularly provide honest, timely feedback, positive and corrective, with empathy and consideration, and with the aim of helping the other person do their best.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: Fifth, fight to protect your team, where appropriate, from politics, from low-value requests and activities and other issues that suck up time, effort and energy within the team.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: Sixth, use the power of your position carefully, always in service of the team and not for your benefit at the expense of others.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: And seventh, lastly, manage yourself well, your decisions, actions and behaviours.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: Living the expectations that you've set the team reinforces those expectations, develops trust and the culture of the team.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: Where you lead, culturally and behaviourally, your team will follow.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: Being there for your team does not mean putting relationships before results, being soft and fuzzy, avoiding making the tough decisions or avoiding tackling difficult problems.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: Being a great manager is maintaining a careful balancing act between the many conflicting demands and requirements placed on you and your team.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: Be there for your team every day.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: The second management element to build a high-performing team is to make it super clear what you expect from your team.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: Nearly every textbook, video, and course on good team management talks about setting goals and expectations clearly.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: Most managers in my experience are only okay at setting direction and expectations.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: They send their team mixed messages, which results in team member confusion, uncertainty, wasted effort and resources, being overly protective, slower progress, and less being delivered.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: This results in average or worse team performance.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: Let me give you a couple of examples.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: A manager gives their team an important goal to reach, then spends more time working on and talking about two different activities.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, the manager expects the team to hit all the deadlines set, but the manager rarely delivers on time with the help they have committed to providing to the team.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: Third, the manager expects the team to finish a project before starting the next.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yet the manager regularly gets diverted to the latest requests from their boss, leaving unfinished work behind.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: More often than not, these situations happen because of human nature rather than for good business reasons.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: To set really clear direction and expectation, the manager must live that direction and live the expectations they set for the team.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: Work on your self-awareness, which in turn helps you manage yourself.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: When you can manage yourself well, then you can work at aligning your decisions, actions and behaviours to the goals and expectations you set for the team.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: The more alignment you demonstrate, the clearer the goals and expectations to the team.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: Publicly praise team members who meet the expectations that you've set.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Take corrective action quickly with those who don't meet these expectations.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: Use the feedback you provide carefully and intelligently to back up the direction and expectations you set.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: Consistency is really important to reinforce expectations and direction.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: Make the direction and expectations you set for your team as clear as possible to create a high-performing team.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Jess Coles, and if you're new here, Enhanced.training shares people management expertise, resources, and courses teaching you how to build high-performing teams.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: Learn more about developing the mindset, behaviours, and skills needed to build high-performing teams by visiting Enhanced.training and take a look at the performance improvement our Management Skills Accelerator course offers you and managers in your team.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: The third management element to build a high performing team is to celebrate the differences.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: The brilliant thing about a team is that every person on the team is different.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: They have different personalities, different backgrounds, different skills and experience, different hopes and dreams, different ideas and approaches to building solutions.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: It is these differences that make a team great if you can harness them as a manager.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: These differences mean that you can add two plus two and get six rather than four.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: Just think about solution building.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: It is the different ideas, the different approaches, the different experiences alongside good and open debate, challenge and even heated arguments that produce the best solutions to problems.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: These are the situations that push team members to think harder, to push the boundaries, to be more creative.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: Encouraging this open and safe culture is vital to build a high-performing team.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: As a manager, some of the concrete actions that you can take to celebrate the differences are.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: Firstly, lead from the front, show obvious interest in and acceptance of every person in your team.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: How you behave and what you support will determine what your team does.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, get to really know your team members, their character, their skills and experience, their strengths and shortcomings, their interests and motivations, their ambitions, etc.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: Then you can match the best person with a given task, problem or project.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: Third, stay open-minded and listen to the different unusual or silly ideas and solutions provided by team members and consider them.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: Ask questions to get the other person explaining why they have put an idea or solution forward rather than just dismiss it because the value is not apparent or it doesn't align with what you think should work.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, praise those that have the courage to put forward their ideas or who challenge others providing it is with a genuine aim of improving the outcome for the team.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: And fifth, take corrective action quickly against any team member that puts others down, tries to silence them, or is aggressive or defensive when challenged for the right reasons.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: Sixth, share your ideas, views and solutions last.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: Ask your team to share their thoughts first.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: Think of all the ways that you can demonstrate that you appreciate, accept and celebrate all the differences on your team.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: There are other really important areas to building a high performing team, such as the culture and environment, communication norms, team development, teamwork and more.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: The three areas that we've discussed today are essential and brilliant areas to start in.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: So in summary, building a high performing team is possible with nearly any team.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need lots of stars or highly talented individuals.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: You do need a lot of teamwork, communication, psychological safety, being there for each other, and for you as a manager too, firstly, be there for your team day in and day out, even when it costs you personally.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, to set out really clear direction and stick to it.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_00: Communicate your expectations to your team repeatedly and align your decisions, actions and behaviours with your expectations.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: And third, respect and celebrate the differences between team members and use those differences to increase team performance.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: You can increase the performance of any team, and just doing these three management elements will result in a noticeable improvement in your team performance.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: If you have any questions, please email me at support at enhance.training and I'll get back to you.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_00: Don't forget to look at the resources in the podcast description.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks very much for listening, and I look forward to speaking to you again soon.