Creating high-performing teams is crucial for any organization aiming for sustained success. It involves skilled individuals, a supportive organizational culture, and effective leadership. Leaders must prioritize psychological safety, clear goals, regular feedback, and employee recognition to foster growth and performance. Prioritizing employee experience leads to better performance rather than opposing goals. This article delves into key elements and insights from experts on building high-performing teams from a recent Hacking HR panel discussion.
Leadership’s Role in Fostering High-Performing Teams
Effective leadership is the cornerstone of high-performing teams. Jess Goldberg, an executive coach, emphasizes:
“Effective leaders recognize and support employees’ efforts, driving them forward and increasing productivity.”
Leaders play a critical role in employee retention and motivation. Seventy percent of employees state they would work harder if their work was better recognized.
Zach Heng, SHRM-CP emphasized:
the importance of leaders setting a tone of support, opportunities for growth, and a common mission/purpose for the team.
Teamwork, Leadership, and Employee Experience
Rod Hutchings, MAppSc shared a compelling story about turning around a losing streak by focusing on team empowerment:
“Taking a step back to listen and empower team members through one-on-ones helped turn around a losing streak.”
Jess Goldberg further underscores the importance of active listening and inquiry:
“Listening and asking great questions drive performance.”
Building High-Performing Teams through Psychological Safety
Psychological safety is vital for fostering trust and open communication within teams. Jess Goldberg references Google’s Project Aristotle:
“Emotional intelligence is key to building trust and safety in teams.”
Rod Hutchings agrees, noting that trust is essential for facilitating open communication and improvement.
Rashmi Prabha Bhaumik, SHRM-CP, adds:
“Psychological safety is very important. People should feel safe and happy at their workplace, this definitely enhances the quality of work.”
Balancing Employee Experience and Team Performance
Supporting employees enhances performance. Jess Goldberg highlights this interconnectedness:
“I think they both actually go in tandem. The more that we can focus on that employee experience, the more that we can say, what do our employees need to succeed? How can we support them? How can we give them the training and resources that’s going to lead to results?”
Tracking Engagement and Performance
Tracking both engagement and performance is crucial for identifying improvement areas. Jess Goldberg suggests using OKRs and SMART goals to measure and enhance team dynamics.
Overcoming Challenges
Communication is often the root of many problems in teams. Zach Heng, SHRM-CP emphasizes the importance of effective communication:
“Communication is often the root of problems. Facilitating productive conflict resolution through communication is essential.”
The panel audience also stressed the importance of communication:
- Diana Sanchez: “Communication is key.”
- Rashmi Prabha Bhaumik,SHRM-CP : “Open and inclusive communication goes a long way in creating a positive workplace environment.”
- Unathi Dandala : “Thank you so much for this insightful discussion. Ultimately everything hinges on communication and how well this is done.”
- Diana Sanchez, PHR: “Employees should feel that they can openly communicate all issues without any form of retaliation.”
Burnout Challenges
Burnout can significantly impact team performance and sustainable growth. Jess Goldberg discusses this issue:
“Burnout is a major problem that can decrease sustainable growth.”
She also touches on the challenges of scaling teams and maintaining performance. Madhurima Sappatti from the audience adds:
“Agreed!!! Ambition doesn’t lead to burnout. It is the mis-execution of the ambition that leads to stress and burnout!”
Creating High-Performing Teams
Clear documentation around values, goals, and strategies is essential as teams scale. Jess Goldberg and Rod Hutchings stress the importance of this clarity:
“Creating clear documentation around values, goals, and strategies as teams scale up provides clarity and avoids confusion.”
Zach Heng, SHRM-CP shared several insights throughout the discussion:
- Onboarding is critical for setting expectations as teams scale.
- Leaders must foster an environment where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas and perspectives.
- Trust, communication, and understanding individual needs are key to team success.
Panel members also emphasized:
- Diana Sanchez, PHR: “Employees should have a clear understanding of where the company is going, what the expectations are and how is the company getting there.”
- Virender Kumar Chaudhry : “Systems are most important document for taking company on path of wonderful growth.”
- Phoebe Nanjego : “Having clear company goals.”
Inclusivity and Diversity
Zach Heng, SHRM-CP highlighted the importance of inclusivity and diversity for team growth and development. He stressed the need for open communication, competence, and confidence within the team. Moreover, diversity of thought and backgrounds are crucial for high-performing teams. Also, diversity, mentorship, and exploring different work roles are important for team growth.
Dainess Meleki, from the audience, highlighted the importance of inclusivity and diversity:
“Enjoyed the discussion from Zambia. Indeed Diversity and Inclusion is really important.”
Sense of Belonging
Creating a sense of belonging motivates employees to perform better. Zach noted that belonging in the workplace is important – people should feel comfortable showing up as themselves. David Tshehlo, audience member, notes:
“Sense of belonging also motivates employees to want to go to work. They are being valued.”
Workplace Culture and Environment
Julia Broushkova and Sebastian Voráč stressed the importance of a positive workplace culture:
- Julia Broushkova: “So true! Always balancing, be mindful, communicate and stay empathic!”
- Sebastian Voráč: “Very true, its all connected with workplace relationships / company culture and individual employee wellbeing (mental and physical health) which influences a lot of things including engagement and performance.”
Motivation and Employee Engagement
Motivating employees and engaging them effectively are crucial for high-performing teams. Madhurima Sappatti and Virender Kumar Chaudhry highlighted:
- Madhurima Sappatti: “That is so true! Understanding what motivates employees from a personal perspective is huge!”
- Virender Kumar Chaudhry : “Employee engagement and our feelings can give wonderful creative, innovative ideas that can take the entire organisation to the top.”
High-Performance Teams
Omar L.M. Camara shared an insightful analogy:
“Thanks for that Rod. I think also Formula One Teams can teach us a lot about High Performance Teams and the importance of clear delineation of individual roles and how those roles merge together within the team setting. A perfect illustration of this is the car pit stop in the paddock and the synchronized individual roles of the tyre change all in one swift motion.”
Gratitude and Appreciation
Gratitude and appreciation were evident throughout the discussion:
- Omar L.M. Camara: “Thanks Rod. Thanks also to Jess and Zach. Great session.”
- Gregory F Simpson: “Thanks, everyone!!”
- Erind Bresa: “Thank you.”
- Diana Sanchez, PHR: “I agree. Keeping curiosity going amongst employees is excellent.”
Conclusion
Building high-performing teams requires a multifaceted approach that includes effective leadership, psychological safety, clear goals, and a focus on employee experience. By prioritizing these elements, organizations can foster a culture of growth, trust, and sustained high performance.
Thank you to Hacking HR, panel members Jess Goldberg and Zach Heng, SHRM-CP, and last but not least, the audience!!!
Call to Action
What strategies have you found effective in building high-performing teams? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below! If you found this article insightful, please share it with your network.
Embrace these insights and allow your personality to shine through as you lead your teams to new heights. Your engagement and continuous learning are key to developing exceptional teams.
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