Six characteristics of a high performing team

Do you have a high performing team or do you need to put some work in? Portfolio People Director James Lloyd outlines six behaviours that he has seen drive superior performance.

Before we dive into this list of characteristics, we should stress the importance of the senior leaders in driving them forward. The leadership team must be on board and lead from the front; if it doesn’t happen there, it won’t happen anywhere.

So, onto the list:

1. Focus, focus, focus…

Rather than coming up with enormous to-do lists, these organisations identify a small number – usually no more than three – of important things that will drive their business forward. They focus their energy on those – and stick to them. They say no to the good stuff in order to focus on the great stuff and are brave enough to walk away from work that is no longer valuable.

2. Done – or done done?

I used to work with a business leader who would ask, ‘Is it done, or is it done done?’. Are the t’s crossed and the i’s dotted? He had a relentless drive to get things over the line without getting distracted.

3. Looking outwards – and ahead

It’s easy to focus on what’s right in front of us. But high performing teams spend meaningful time looking outwards, at what clients are doing. They track market trends over the next two to five years. They think about how to react to events rather than get overtaken by them.

4. Teamwork that makes the dream work

Great teamwork is more than simply working together – it’s how you collaborate to get a job done that makes the difference between good and great. High performing cultures don’t just see great teamwork as a ‘nice to have’ – it’s central to how they articulate, measure and drive performance.

5. Valuing constructive criticism

In high performing cultures, people are able to challenge each other in a way that is uncomfortable but promotes honesty and encourages problem-solving. This is crucial to innovation.

6. Taking fun seriously

I’m not talking about a team away day, or a ‘work hard, play hard’ attitude, which often means working a 70 hours a week before going out drinking. It’s more about finding humour in day-to-day work and not taking yourself too seriously. It’s helping people have fun in what they do.

If you feel that you need further support in creating your high performing, dream team or taking that first step with getting the leadership team onboard then Call us on 020 3239 3307 for a complimentary call. Alternatively, find out more about how we can support this in your business here.

James Lloyd, People Director