Leaders are in the business of leading. You’ll often find them leading teams. Seems obvious.

This seems so obvious, that most people get it wrong.

They believe “leading” means receiving a promotion into management.

They believe that “team” is any given group of people sharing proximity at work.

I’ve found that the most commonly utilized team building process is:

1. Bring a group of people together.
2. Use the word “team” a lot when you talk to them.

Written that way, you can probably see that this might not work. But not for lack of people trying.

Most teams are underperforming. Worse than underperforming, they might cost the organization time and money. They often pull others off-purpose. They frequently absorb attention and energy.

This isn’t to say they aren’t hard workers or aren’t staying busy.

But they aren’t producing at the level they could (probably with less effort).

The Team Matters. The Leader Matters More. But Only If the Leader Builds a Unified Team.

Leaders often stress about the getting the right team members.

“Getting the right people on the bus,” is language that Jim Collins popularized.

He’s right. The right people matter.

But less than perfect people can accomplish great things if the team is led to function well over a sustained time.

And it is always and only leadership that makes that happen.

Different studies conducted by Google and Harvard have demonstrated that how a team functions is a better predictor of performance than who is on it.[1]

How a team functions is shaped and maintained by a leader.

For Leadership-Look Less to Technical Skills and More to People Skills.

And by people skills, I don’t mean they are chatty or nice or fun to be around.

I mean they know how to engage well with high performers and low performers. They know how to manage meetings and conversations. They are willing to hold others to account and willing to be held to account. They effectively wade into the difficult conversations and get them on track. They create a sense of safety and trust on the team.

Technical skills matter. But senior leaders rarely do the technical work. They are (or should be) focusing on leadership. Or more specifically, helping their team perform to its potential.

When you look for senior leaders, look for people who have demonstrated an ability to unite and orient a group of people around a common purpose and goal and then successfully lead them to completion.

Those leaders and teams are pretty much unstoppable. Here’s what they do…and it’s easier than you might think. Below are principles or practices that will be demonstrated by anyone ready for effective service as a senior leader:

How Great Leaders Build Unity, Alignment and High-Performing Teams

1. They Prioritize Quality Communication

• Communication is frequent but focused and purposeful.
• Good questions are asked and encouraged.
• Information is given in a timely and complete way.
• Assumptions are proof tested.
• Face to face time is encouraged and supported.
• They take sufficient time to understand/explore resistance, pressure, or lack of movement from others.

2. They Articulate and Develop Common Values/Principles

• They ensure that everyone understands the basic ‘ground rules’ that everyone needs to create a culture that is both respectful & productive.
• They’ll articulate the underlying values that guide decision making and behavior.
• They’ll work to appropriately enforce these values & principles when violated.

3. They Comfortably Define and Ensure Understanding of Purpose and Expectations

• They identify a clear, concise and common purpose for everything: What is the purpose of this meeting? What is the goal of this team? What is the theme for this year? Good leaders know. Great leaders make sure their team knows.
• They make sure that everyone understands their role and the roles of others on the team.
• They clarify the desired outcomes for each position and the team as a whole.
• The clarify individual and joint responsibilities and timelines.
• They clarify how these outcomes and responsibilities contribute to the success of others and the purposes of the organization.

4. They Create Mutual Benefits

• They work to ensure that everyone feels that they are benefitting from the working
• They take the time to engage an individual’s “enlightened self-interest.” In other words, shepherding alignment between underlying personal interests and the interests of the team or organization.

5. They Ask for and Provide Timely Follow Through on Agreed Actions

• They personally follow through on whatever is agreed.
• They create accountability and offer support so that others do as well.
• They communicate ASAP and clearly when follow-through/timeliness will not be achieved – so others can adjust or prepare.

6. They Make It Safe for Mutual Accountability

• They create a workplace dynamic where people have a voice and a mutually understood process to follow for grievances, renegotiate terms, request changes, and hold each other to account.
• They actively hold others to account for workplace behavior, performance, and outcomes.
• They understand how and why to use a structure in the accountability process. Structures where everyone can discuss what is working well, what is being learned, expectations can be clarified (if needed) and where improvements can be made. These can be incorporated into regular meetings or be scheduled in intervals.

So, there are a lot of little boxes to check there.

But this is pretty easy stuff.

It just takes doing.

You and Your Awesome Next Meeting

Most of these boxes could be checked in a normal (but well run) weekly staff meeting.

Or when meeting with an individual staff person.

Try it. When planning your next meeting, sit down with this list and take five minutes to decide how you will bring each of these six ingredients into the meeting.

You’ll create an awesome meeting.

Try it with a project.

Try it with the whole organization.

Awesomeness is before you.

This is part of a series called 12 Key Traits to Look for When Building Your Dream Team. To read more click here.

Would You Like to Lead a Great Team or Consistently High-Performing Organization?

Do you care about the success of your organization? Do you want to excel? Do you care about the people you lead and the people you provide services to? Would you like to offer them consistently great services?

If your answer is YES, then I have something for you. I have a few slots in my calendar to speak with you 1-on-1 about the best practices to build a strong leadership team through your own personal growth.

On the call, I’ll share with you 3 practical & specific strategies you can use to pursue personal growth and increase team performance and personal impact.

Email me at Christian@vantageconsulting.org or call me at 907 522-7200.

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[1] For those who want to nerd out:

The New Science of Building Great Teams

What Google Learned from It’s Quest to Build the Perfect Team