The 7 Aspects of High-Performing Teams

1. Set the team’s direction

First, you have to set direction. You have to lay out a vision for what the organization’s going to be three to five years from now. You also have to help the team understand your mission. Why does the organization exist? Where do you fit in the broader company? Once you’ve articulated that vision and that mission, try to think more broadly. Think about your customers and how you can involve them in what’s called a shared purpose—how the two of you can achieve more than just the team alone. And then lastly, identify the strategy for how you’re going to achieve that vision.

2. Gather and deploy resources

Once you’ve set the direction, you need to gather and then deploy resources. You have to articulate your resource needs. What type of resources do you need and why do you need them? And then you have to make a clear and compelling business case to get those resources allocated to you and your team.

3. Assemble the team

Once you’ve identified those required resources, you have to assemble the team. You have to define the skills that are relevant and necessary for achieving your vision. You have to find the people who are going to help you achieve that vision, the people with the right set of skills. And once you’ve assembled them, you have to think through—as a leader—how are you going to build chemistry between those individuals? Build those bonds of trust between the team members as well as that bond of trust between them and you as their leader.

4. Allocate work and prioritize

You then have to allocate the work and prioritize your efforts. You’ll have to think through, “I have all this work…how am I going to balance it across the members of my team?” How am I going to set goals for them that are realistic yet achievable and stretch the organization forward? And then lastly, prioritize your efforts so you focus on the most important things and execute them well.

5. Execute the plan

Once you have those priorities set, you have to execute the plan, which includes making decisions. That’s why you’re put at the head of the team—to make those tough calls. Once you’ve made a decision, measure the results and adjust accordingly.

6. Motivate your people and resolve conflicts

Next, you have to think about your people and how you’re going to motivate them, inspire them, and get the best out of them every single day, which includes thinking through how you’re going to empower them to do their jobs. How are you going to give them the authority to do what they need to do? Enable them to make decisions. Then, provide feedback to them on their performance and resolve any conflicts that may exist between them and other team members or them and you. Make sure things run smoothly.

7. Develop your team

Lastly, you need to take a longer-term view of developing your people. How are you going to build their skills? How are you going to build depth in terms of the capabilities of the people on your team and build that bench strength? How are you going to create stretch assignments where people can grow into better performers than they currently are?

Now you know the seven elements of building a high-performing team. If you’re able to execute each of them, the likelihood of you delivering on that promise of a high-performing team to the organization goes up dramatically.