Why some teams gel and some teams smell

I've been in and around teams most of my life. The first team I ever played for was the Hollywood under 12 cricket team in Perth in 1977. Fair to say, we were rubbish, once being bowled out for 3.

Over the past 20 years I've coached business teams, sporting teams and, with my wife, we even created our own team, consisting of our 2 daughters, our son and Monty the dog.

I've always been fascinated why some teams gel and some teams smell.

Are there little things that ultimately can make the big difference to a team's success? Is it the leader, the people, the culture or something else? 

Over the next few months, for one of our longest standing clients, I'll be speaking to leaders and Salon owners across the country, in the hair care industry, on the topic of high performing teams. When you break it down to its simplest form the best teams always do three things very well. 

Companies like Toyota use the concept daily. When you lead a team, much like the conductor, in an orchestra, or the coach in a sports team, your main focus needs to be on getting all the different people to successfully work together. To collaborate, communicate and embrace each other's differences. It sounds easy. It's not. It's difficult for a variety of reasons. Different people have different needs and expectations from their work. 

I've worked with people who just want to come to work, do their job, go home and feed their cat. I've seen others who want to break all the rules and do whatever they can to win at all costs. I've seen people who want to take no responsibility and worked with people who take full responsibility. Everyone is different. 

The workplace of 2024 rightly embraces diversity. If you're not already working in a team with people who are different to you in terms of age, gender, backgrounds, values and beliefs, you soon will be. If it's all about having the right people on your team and you lead a team, you'll spend a lot of time trying to attract good people. Please note that bad people are easy to find. They are like gypsies. Always on the move. Good people tend to be happy, yet may be frustrated, where they are working. 

Convincing them to hitch their wagon to yours is not so easy. In the modern world you'll need a compelling case, excellent culture, be aligned with a cause, offer fulfilling work, great remuneration just to spark some interest. Attracting the right people to your team requires a well thought out approach. You can use recruiters, LinkedIn or place ads in the usual places. You may get lucky with this approach. 

You might also consider the power of networking. Successful leaders tend to be great networkers, often meeting amazing people in all walks of life. Some of the people in your network might be future candidates for your team. Your staff might know of people who could be suitable. It's the culture of an organisation that will play a huge part in attracting great people. Conversely, a toxic culture is often cited as a reason why people leave an organisation. If you have a great culture, you'll attract great people. As the leader, you and your team are responsible for shaping the culture. It's the little things, done on a daily basis that create the culture, including how people greet each other, our manners, small daily rituals, listening, respect, honesty and transparency. 
 
Retaining talent is the second step in building a high performing team. If you have people who are good at their jobs, ambitious and open to new ideas, they will be highly sought after. Your competitors might be calling them now. Last time I checked, ignoring people won't cut it as a retention strategy. You'll increase your chances of retaining good people by applying a few simple strategies . Firstly, set them up for success. Have an induction or onboarding program that is best in class. You never get a second chance to make a first impression, so make your first impression a winning one. Spend time with them, provide support, be personable, get to know what drives them. Secondly, look to empower them. Give people space and room to move. Great leaders find the balance between structure (new starters) and space (more experienced). 

Learn how to coach people by asking insightful questions, guiding them towards solutions. Finding the sweet spot, or ideal role for a person can take time. It's normally found at the intersection of what they like doing, what they are good at and what is profitable. And finally, you'll be more likely to keep talented people by removing your under performers. Birds of a feather really do stick together. Good people want to work with positive like-minded people. Do your best to support people who may be struggling. Be patient and personable with your staff. No one that I've ever met wants to be an under performer. There may be a range of issues as to why they are struggling. Support people using all the available options at your disposal, through what could be a challenging time. And finally, the best teams are always looking to get slightly better. They make small changes. They love feedback, having a bowl of it for breakfast, with fresh fruit on top of it each morning. 

Kaizen is far more than a word, it's a way of living. By looking to reduce waste and inefficiencies people and organisations continue to get better. The best teams know they can't just sit still. They look for small changes, that when delivered over time, lead to improved performances, greater profits, and better customer experiences. A great place to start, if you'd like to improve the way your team is performing is to be brutally honest in reviewing your own approach. How can you reduce waste and improve your efficiency? Remember that a fish rots from the head. Take responsibility for under performance, remembering there is no blame, only reasons when things aren't going according to plan.

Wrapping it up, the three keys to a team's success, are; Attract the best people you can, retain them through great coaching and support and keep working on how you and your team can get slightly better (Kaizen). 

I'll leave the last word on collaboration and teams to one of the great orators of the last century, the man famous for many things, including his I have a dream speech, arguably one of the greatest speeches ever delivered. Dr. King was a man ahead of his time, winning the Nobel peace prize winner in 1964.He maintained a vision for a more diverse America, where all people enjoyed the benefits of equality, and his children would be judged on the content of their character, not the colour of their skin.

"We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now" - Dr Martin Luther King Jr. 

Posted in Sales; Tagged Finding great sales people, Leadership, Goals, Business Develoment, Coaching, Management, Networking; Posted 31 July 2024 by Steve Herzberg