I wish there were only one, two or even three characteristics elements of a high performance team. That would make describing them perhaps acquiring such attributes somehow made easier. But it’s just not that easy – but it isn’t that hard either! No doubt this list is not all-inclusive, however I would suggest it would be difficult to find a high performing team without each of these attributes.
Mission driven team members:
Possessed more than a mere goal, they possessed a vision of their future and they conducted themselves with inexplicable energy.
Shared commitment:
Commitment to the team and its’ goals was undeniable – unquestionable. Such commitment forms the foundation to which trust is developed.
Trust: Trust implies accountability and reliability. Trust is the glue that maintains individual and organizational integrity. Real teamwork requires people have confidence in one another. (See "Top 6 Signs Your Team Lacks Trust")
Excellent communication: The ability and willingness to communicate vision, goals, purpose and values. Words are only a small percent of our communication – there is so much more, ranging from non-verbal communication that accompanies our words, to our actions.
Accountability: In organizations and teams, rules are a necessity – they define expectations. They also dictate the guidelines for our daily interaction with others. Our ability and willingness to adhere to these “agreements” (rules) determine in large part how our team members will view, relate and ultimately judge us.
Talent: arguably as important as any other attribute, it’s difficult to get to the moon with talented rocket scientists or win a gold medal in an Olympic hockey game without superb hockey players, however, there are countless examples of ordinary individuals combining their mediocre skills to produce extraordinary results.
About the author: Charlie Selcer has provided organizations with employee training and development through Strictly Success Inc. for over 15 years. Strictly Success is a U.S. based employee training company for both the public and private sectors including some of America’s Fortune 1000 companies. Strictly Success specializes in high performance teams and teambuilding, employee motivation, employee accountability and change management.