How to Develop a High Performing Team
Every organisation wants a team that delivers excellent results. Unfortunately, finding the right employees with the perfect blend of skills and attitude can be easier said than done.
Even with a healthy company culture in place, and a great leadership strategy, developing a high performing team can be hard work. Blending different personalities, agendas, and abilities into a single unit devoted towards a specific goal is a task that requires exceptional focus.
So, when you want to build the most productive team for your business, where do you begin?
1. Be a Strong, Accountable Leader
You've heard the term "practice what you preach", and that phrase fits perfectly into the professional world. Beyond any high-performing employee, is a visionary, and confident leader. Think about how you can support your staff and guide them on a unified journey to success.
A highly-engaged leader can increase engagement by 39%. According to the CIPD report from September this year. Considering this it’s then necessary too;
-
Know how to manage obstacles
-
Focus on building commitment and trust
-
Exemplify your teachings
-
Provide equal opportunities for team members to thrive
-
Share accountability
2. Set Clear Expectations
Research suggests that only about half of most teams understand what's expected of them at work. If you want to develop a high-performing professional unit in your organisation, then you'll need to make your expectations clear from the beginning.
Whether you're onboarding new candidates or bringing internal employees together to work on a specific project, make sure that you highlight clear requirements during your first conversation with each person.
3. Develop Shared Goals
Just as your expectations need to be distinct, the goal your staff are striving for needs to be apparent and universal. If your team doesn't have a joint mission, then they're just people working together.
Focused goals connect people as a unit, through passion and understanding. If you have multiple results in mind, then link them to objectives and priorities so that your professionals can begin to map their way towards success. The more obvious their path is, the less likely they are to stray from it.
4. Create a Platform for Open Communication
One of the hallmark characteristics of any team is the right amount of honest and open communication. Great professional groups know how to develop and maintain trust through a culture of shared values and partnership.
As a leader, it's up to you to ensure that there's a strategy available for constant communication in the office. This might mean establishing multiple options for different employees within your unit, for instance, you might have an instant messaging platform, as well as a regularly-scheduled company meeting.
5. Outline Established Ways of Working
No matter how skilled and adept your team members might be, there's always a risk that they'll run into a challenge or two on the road to success. The difference between most staff and high-performing groups is that the latter know which strategies to use, and which techniques to access to overcome these hurdles.
To reduce your risk of having to deal with constant problems or issues with productivity, set up a few established guidelines for what your people must do if they face a challenge with their work. Do they have the power to make significant decisions themselves, or do they need to seek out an executive to guide them?
6. Provide Constant, Clear Feedback
The only way for a team to know whether they're performing well at work is for them to receive consistent evaluations from their leader or supervisor. In fact, many modern top performers crave feedback more than benefits and rewards.
Communicating with your employees can help them to understand what they need to do to correct inefficiencies or problems in their performance. Ideally, you can put a system in place to give people ongoing support when they're working, so that they can feel confident and empowered in their roles.
7. Show Appreciation for Your Team
Finally, staff are happiest when they feel appreciated and recognised at work. Since satisfied professionals are also some of the most engaged and productive in the workforce, it makes sense to ensure you're taking every chance possible to thank your professionals for their exceptional work, and acknowledge the effort they're making.
On average, most of the experts in the marketplace that are currently looking for new positions, are searching because they don't feel appreciated by their current employer. If you allow this feeling to persist in your workforce, you might erode performance culture and lose great talent.
While creating a high performing team might not be a simple process, it is an incredible way to improve the profitability and potential of your company. If you can unite and empower your staff, then you can achieve anything.
About First2Recruit
First2Recruit, are an owner managed recruitment consultancy providing a full recruitment service including; permanent and FTC positions in Accountancy Practice and Insolvency across the UK.