What are the Characteristics of High Performance Teams? Part 10
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10. 100% commitment and personal subordination to the Plan
Team unity around purpose is important, but not as important as unity around a Plan. Under pressure, it’s not that important WHY people do the things they do, as long as they follow the Plan. We can sort of rely on the fact that we’re bound together by some commonality of personal values and integrity. I don’t care what is motivating you in the moment you need to act, I just care that you meet your commitment to the team.
An individual can choose to slack off or throw a sickie since they only have themselves to be accountable to, but in a team you do not have the luxury of acting through sheer self interest. The benefit of course is the support. You are not alone and isolated, and though at times it is convenient, even comforting, to climb under the duvet and wish the world would go away, ultimately there is no satisfaction and fulfilment there.
The reason I place this characteristic last is that it pre-supposes that all other characteristics are in place, and if they are then this works brilliantly. Because all the preparation has led to this moment – when we are underway and there’s no turning back. When the train has left the station. When we are ‘all in’.
So here we are at the end of this Newsletter Series on High Performance Teams. It’s tough being a leader – always on show. It’s tough being a high performance team – always on show. We must subordinate ourselves to the purpose – the vision is the boss – in return we are given money, status, the opportunity to create and achieve and personal development. It can be a bitter pill to swallow when we discover that the price for liberation from autocracy is not freedom but the discomfort and exposure of having to take personal responsibility. If we’ve been brought up to believe that the reward for promotion is the bigger car, the office, the PA, the money, the lights, the glory and then when we get there it’s all humility and self sacrifice, well……………….bummer. But the rewards are extraordinary; the privileges immense. To be part of a winning team is a life affirming and even life changing experience, definitely to be recalled at the end, whenever that comes and whatever that looks like, as one of the most rewarding experiences of life.
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“The High Performing Team simply have a ‘knowing’ that success is assured. This is not to say that they are arrogant or over confident, or that they believe that everything will go smoothly, or even that they know precisely how they will do everything that is needed, but just that their trust and confidence in each other is so high that ‘nothing can stop us’.”
Article excerpted from “And The Leader Is… Transforming Cultures with CEQ” - by Gareth Chick for the CEQ Newsletter: Coaching, Leadership, Change
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PEO Advisor/ SMB Account Executive | Key Account Management
4moThanks for wrapping up this series with such impactful learnings. Looking forward to applying these insights.
Student Teacher at London Metropolitan University
4moThis newsletter series has been incredibly insightful. Thank you for sharing, Gareth!