7 Traits of High Performing Teams

High Performing Teams are Purpose Built

High performing teams aren’t built in a day. It takes a lot of effort to build one from scratch. In this article we explore the 7 traits of high performing teams so that you can start to form your own. By building a top performing team, you can help lead your organization towards its business goals.

1. Communication

The most important trait of high performing teams is strong communication. Communication effects many things. It includes productivity, stress, efficiency, and more. Knowledge-sharing is very useful and comes from good communication. A team can be flexible and perform well with good communication. They can move together and quickly change direction instantly.

A team that has a wide range of skills can become unstoppable. Take many agile teams for example. These high performing teams consist team members who have many different skills. They can range from marketing, development, design, management, and others. Agile teams focus on key communication protocols.

Poor communication makes teams run slowly. Leaders who aren’t good communicators can drive a team to failure. That brings us to the next quality of high performing teams

2. Leadership

Leadership is a given. However, it is often misinterpreted. Managers and leaders aren’t always synonymous. There are many examples. Micro-managing managers aren’t leaders. Managers who don’t delegate responsibilities aren’t leaders. Managers who use their “authority” to manipulate others aren’t leaders. Many organizations are experimenting with a flat hierarchy these days. There are companies out there (a lot of startups) with staff to manager ratios of 3:1. Some are even more extreme. Other organizations are more hierarchical with higher staff to manager ratios. While this ratio can vary greatly, the important thing is that there are leaders who can take responsibility, lead, and be accountable. Achieving this in a flat organization isn’t impossible, but harder (especially if everyone is a “manager”).

Effective leaders of high performing teams must be masters of communication, planning, and strategy. They keep the team in the loop and also know when to delegate. Their behaviors play a vital role to their success.

3. Team building

High performance teams are developed from careful planning and hiring. In order to get the most of each team member, each person must correctly fit the job. Job benchmarking leads the way towards hiring the correct people. If a person doesn’t fit the job, ther­­e will be high turnover, low job satisfaction, and a breakdown in communication.

Developing communication protocols in a growing team is no easy task. That is why it is important to ease the flow of communication in a team. Often it isn’t what is said that keeps groups from becoming high performing teams. It is what isn’t said which leads to low performance.­­

A great way to build high performing teams is to align the team with the prevailing company culture

4. Onboarding

Getting new team members up to speed is part of the onboarding process. All high performing teams have a rapid onboarding process which introduces the new employee to their team members, their available resources, and the boundaries in which they operate in.

Many times joining a new company can be a scary thought for newcomers. They are anxious about what they will be doing, what others expect from them, and what boundaries exist. Helping them break the ice is a leader’s responsibility. No matter what behavioral style a new employee has, they can use the guidance from the leader and the team.

5. Common Values and Beliefs

One thing that sets apart unstoppable high performing teams and easily defeated teams is their set of common beliefs and values. A notable company that had a common widespread belief is Apple. They were the “think different” company. In terms of its spread from the executive to the team level, it was magical. Apple’s teams outperformed not only other tech companies, but other well established companies of different verticals.

Selecting and incorporating values and beliefs in a team helps with the other essential traits. It allows for better team building, better onboarding, and effective leadership. Not to mention, predictable leadership.

While teams are just a small unit of a larger organization, there is no reason why they can’t develop their own set of beliefs and values. When Steve Jobs was demoted in Apple, his own company, he led a rogue team of engineers onwards and developed Macintosh in the face of opposition of the company. It is a powerful tool that motivates and influences.

6. Singular Vision and Mission

Hand in hand with beliefs and values is a singular mission or vision. Every company must have one, but, consider the team. Their vision and mission (which can be aligned to the company’s) can serve as a guiding light to the team. It provides direction and a sense of duty and responsibility.

Teams which lack goals other than what is delegated to them are often uninspiring and don’t perform very well. High performing teams develop their own vision and goal. Some aim to set performance records. Some try to out-innovate others. Some even have a mission to spread their beliefs and values to others inside and outside the organization.

Consider what your team’s purpose is and how you can contribute to making the team’s efforts count towards something beyond performance indicators

7. Politically Incorrect

Lastly, office politics are the death of teams. High performing teams never commit or facilitate any form of office politics. Gossiping, power struggles, blaming games, and more are destructive behaviors. If a team doesn’t have effective leadership, common goals and beliefs, and open communication, it can fall victim to this disease.

Leaders must control office politics before it becomes pervasive. Once the corruption begins, onboarding and team building will be thwarted.

In conclusion to these seven traits of high performing teams, we must acknowledge that each trait relies on other traits. Think of it as a seven legged stool. Stable and strong. When one leg breaks that pressures another two or three legs until they break and the whole stool crashes down. High performing teams master each trait and use them to the best of their abilities.

If your team is struggling or needs help with any one of these areas, do follow our blog and read up on other articles which address each issue.