How to build a high performing team that consistently delivers

Struggling to juggle rapid business growth and people management? Which is more important to you? Is one more crucial than the other?

High performing teams are built, not a given. The truth is that it takes constant attention, recalibration, effort and energy to channel both individuals and teams to perform at their best. In turn, business results will follow. Your people are your most important assets.

As the leader of an ambitious and fast-growing business, your job is about much more than bringing in the business. You DEFINE success and you set the tone for your team, so what does this look like and what example are you setting?

By honing your leadership skills, you will be rewarded with a dynamic team that functions at a high level when you are around and, most importantly, when you are not.

Here are 3 elements you simply must get right if you are to take your business to new heights whilst retaining your top performers.

1.   Get clear on vision and purpose

The performance gap is real. Whilst we may all know the THEORY behind setting a strategic vision and having goals, the reality is that individuals are seldom crystal clear on the company vision or how exactly they contribute directly to this. As a leader, you must live and breathe the vision – bring it to life and eradicate ambiguity. Your job is to rally the troops, excite them and inspire them towards a common purpose.

Are you clear on your vision and is your team definitely with you on the journey?

2.    Nurture trust

It’s no secret that trust is a crucial element of high performing teams. When you are working away in the ivory tower, do you take a moment to consider the team that will be supporting you in bringing your vision to life? The more attention and respect you pay to each individual team member, the more valued they will feel and the more willing they will be to go the extra mile. Without a strong degree of care and trust, it’s likely that resentment builds, staff churn becomes a problem, an uber-competitive yet low performance culture is cultivated, and productivity drops. Not good for anybody, is it?

Do you have a high performing team of individuals who love what they do and enthusiastically go the extra mile?

3.   Develop a powerful presence

Whether you like it or not, all eyes are on you as a leader. You will be judged. Your words and actions will be scrutinised. You will inspire others….or not. Building your leadership presence involves being a role model for others, walking the talk and sustaining your own performance at a high level whilst looking out for others.

“You don’t lead by pointing and telling people some place to go. You lead by going to that place and making a case.”

- Ken Kesey

Could you enhance your leadership presence a little more? Just a teeny bit?

Simple, isn’t it? In theory, yes.

Yet sometimes, all we need is to carve out quality time to roll up our sleeves and really dig into our businesses, our own strengths and the opportunities ahead. Combining this with a combination of coaching, "workshopping" and interaction with like-minded, ambitious business leaders provides the icing on the cake. However, opportunities like this are rare in a world where urgency usually trumps importance.