Recently I worked quite intensively with the leadership team of a certain organization. Like any team, this team struggled with its own unique challenges, interpersonal relationship and implicit dynamics. As we explored the terrain, together we discovered a perennial truth: if a team is not clear on its purpose and on the role that each member plays within that purpose, the team and its members will find it hard to find its way.
As I see it, good teams fall somewhere on the continuum between `Well Functioning Team’ and `High Performance Team’. A well functioning team is one with solid performance, good relationships within the team and with stakeholders, effective communication, respect for diversity etc. a High Performance Team is the team that reaches far beyond; it’s the spectacular team that exceeds its goals, demonstrates high creativity, uses both mistakes and conflict as learning opportunities, leverages its members’ diversity and more.
A team with an unclear purpose will, at best, reach the level of `well functioning’ and possibly not even that. It has no hope of becoming a High Performance Team.
Where’s your team? Does it know its purpose? Are its members crystal clear about their individual roles within this picture? Are you striving to be a well-performing team or a High Performance team? And what are you personally doing to make a difference?
