13 Reasons Why - #12 High performance

I recently did a series of short videos on LinkedIn entitled 13 Reasons Why exploring why every organisation needs to invest in building and sustaining a workforce that is resilient in the face of constant, uncertain, complex, volatile and ambiguous change.

I received positive feedback on the series and was asked to augment it with a series of articles on the same subject. Here you are.

High performance

We should all want teams that are highly focused on their goals and that achieve superior business results.

High-performance teams outperform all other similar teams and they outperform expectations given their composition. They have high levels of collaboration and innovation, and produce superior results.

The high-performance team is tight-knit, focused on their goal and have supportive processes that will enable any team member to surmount any barriers in achieving the team's goals.

A key factor in high performing teams is the resilience of the team and each individual within it.

Resilient teams are high performing teams

The Increased stress and anxiety brought about by constant and uncertain change means resilience is not just a ‘nice-to-have’ in the workplace – it’s vital. 

Resilient teams are high-performing teams. There is shared belief that they can effectively work together to complete tasks. As resilient individuals, they have confidence in their own ability to be successful, and as a team they have confidence in the combined abilities of the team.

They share a sense of purpose, support, values and trust.

High performing teams are resilient teams

They remain persistent under difficult circumstances. Change is constant, uncertain and disruptive and ever increasing in speed. They work together and push through with a positive frame of mind 

They are realistic optimists knowing that through hard work and combined effort, they will persevere. They focus on the outcomes when setbacks occur rather than dwell on the problem.

They are effective which is how they become high performers. They are self-starters and approach challenges in an iterative fashion. They are highly adaptable to change.

Resilient teams are self-aware. Individual self-awareness is a key strength. Having it as a team is very powerful.

Resilient teams respond rather than react. They take time to analyse a situation and respond accordingly. The team looks out for each other and self-awareness takes on a whole new dimension 

Team members do not resist collaboration and they don’t view team members as competition, rivals or roadblocks. Rather they see them as sources of new information, ideas, talents, and support.

Their leaders and team members foster an environment of psychological safety. They are comfortable in sharing their feelings, ideas, concerns, mistakes and questions.

Teams that are able to discuss both positive and negative experiences are better able to work through adversity and have higher levels of trust, which leads to higher levels of resilience and higher performance.

They talk about stress, anxiety, fatigue and burnout. Physical and mental well-being is a priority for the team.

Summary

Organisations have to invest in education, support and resources to build high-performing teams by equipping them to be resilient. 

Competition on a global scale is getting faster. That includes competition for talent as well as competition for customers and consumers. The world of constant change will continue to disrupt and the key to survive and thrive, is to have resilient teams