Cultivating Great Teams

By Mike DuBose with Blake DuBose

 

At some point in our lives, we all take part in activities that necessitate teamwork. These situations crop up within professions, spiritual organizations, military service, children’s schools, political campaigns, neighborhood associations, sports teams, civic organizations, marriages, and families. One thing they all have in common is that when people don’t work together in unison toward common goals, problems occur. Conversely, when individuals passionately direct their efforts toward completing a task “as one,” magic happens! They become truly great teams, and this is evident in their results.

In his bestseller Great Business Teams, Howard Guttman set out some of the differences between exemplary teams and simply decent ones: “Great teams make great organizations. Period. Good and mediocre teams make good and mediocre organizations. They meet deadlines; they stay within the budget; they maintain the status quo. But they do not push the envelope. They do not typically reach for performance breakthroughs. It is unlikely they will set the world on fire. And, over the long haul, they will take you out of the game.”

In the course of my work with six government agencies, two governors, a non-profit, my church, and ten businesses over the last forty years, I have witnessed only two teams that I could honestly call great, high-performance teams. As most research attests, these rare teams are difficult to create and often take years of hard work to develop. Much more common are average and dysfunctional teams, many of which are responsible for killing, maiming, or simply limiting the success of the organizations of which they are are part. According to a 2013 Gallup report, only thirty percent of Americans report that they are engaged at work—that means the other two-thirds either actively hate their workplaces or are apathetic and unwilling to go the extra mile.This trend became particularly evident to me recently, when I spoke with a city government executive who cautioned against standing near the exit at 5 PM…lest I get trampled by staff members running out the door!

To gain a better understanding of excellent teams and how they are created, I read ten bestselling books, examined journal articles and studies, and interviewed people who are members of such teams. (In fact, I learned so much useful information that I plan to add it as a chapter in my book The Art of Building a Great Business!) On some occasions, I have also been asked to evaluate different organizational teams through observations, interviews, and questionnaires and then report on the findings. All of this research, combined with ten years of practical experience coaching baseball and basketball teams, impressed upon me the vital importance of teamwork across the many facets of our lives. Fortunately, though, building high-performance teams is not a matter of fate. Rather, it’s the thoughts and actions of teams and their leaders that either create success, generate average results, or lead to failure.

Perfect, consistent greatness is nearly impossible to achieve. There is always something new to learn or improve, and adjustments must be made to keep up with changes to the organization, clients’ needs, and economic conditions. However, it is possible to get very close, as I have observed with two of my four companies. I am watching with interest as my two other businesses and my church move closer to greatness as well. When reading the following list of qualities that I have observed within these great, high-performing teams, keep in mind that no team or leader ever consistently demonstrates all of these characteristics. However, the more you have, the greater success your organization will reach.

The Team and Its Members

Each high-performance team is different and takes varying paths to greatness, but our research shows that they demonstrate common characteristics, including:

1. They are passionate about their work and are surrounded by a team they love. Their already-strong work ethic is boosted by their connection to their team. Some individuals, like the elite Navy Seals, care for their teammates so much that they are willing to sacrifice their lives for them!
2. They are energetic and look forward to coming to work most days, which they see as an adventure. All team members enjoy sharing ideas during lively group meetings and collaborations.
3. They believe that everything is possible, and their metaphorical “glasses” are usually at least half full. If they’re feeling low, other members’ encouragement refills their glasses. Most members of the team consider each other to be good friends.
4. Each person makes decisions and considers issues as if he or she were the owner of the business, utilizing a laser-like, self-directed focus to achieve successful outcomes. They are not leaderless; they are a band of leaders.
5. The team is purpose-, mission-, and strategy-driven. They care about what they are doing and know exactly where they are going, how to get there, and how to execute successfully. Because of this clarity, everyone is usually “on the same page,” rowing vigorously together toward the same goals.
6. They serve not only the outside clients who pay the bills, but also the interior “customers” like peers within their division and others within the company. They combine their knowledge with others’ to create products and services that deliver quality and value to the customer, their team, other divisions, and the company.
7. Individuals know what is expected of them, and they stand by their results. Every member of the team loves to “win,” and they contribute whatever they can to help achieve victory!
8. When opportunity knocks, they are more than willing to open the door, even when they are coming off of another stressful, labor-intensive project. If the next challenge doesn’t knock, they go looking for it!
9. The whole team knows that although making a profit is not their sole purpose, without it, the company will fail. They see time as money and prioritize swift, effective action. They are budget-minded and do everything they can to ensure financial survival and company success. They enjoy their jobs, perks, salaries, and other benefits, but they work for the result rather than the reward.
10. Team members engage in friendly debates, seek different perspectives, and have no fear of voicing their opinions. This healthy transparency allows them to bring conflicts into the open without game-playing. They know how to be candid (even if it makes them feel uncomfortable) and how to accept feedback (both positive and negative). They turn conflicts into opportunities for improvement. When they fail or stumble, they examine how they can do better the next time and then apply the lesson.
11. They solve problems quickly, with minimal politics. They listen to all sources of information to come to the best decision, and then employ those strategies. While the team strives for consensus, once a decision is reached, everyone throws their full efforts behind it, even if they did not initially agree.
12. When mistakes and failures occur, leaders do not place blame, but study the issue to learn from it and prevent it from reoccurring. All members of the team admit mistakes, weaknesses, or failures and are willing to ask for help when they need it. If they wrong someone, they offer sincere apologies, and they accept apologies when others let them down.
13. Each team member gives more than he or she expects to receive. They hold each other accountable and try to find solutions to help under-performing peers. If an individual’s performance does not improve with coaching, team members trust their leaders to remove that person from the team or company. The team maintains high expectations for its members so that its success, productivity, and cohesiveness are not threatened.
14. Great team members share their expertise across company divisions when it helps the company. They provide valuable insight into problems that are impacting customer satisfaction to benefit other divisions, leaders, and team members.
15. They execute their responsibilities without prompting and are aware of how their performance is interconnected with other divisions. When necessary, they collaborate with others to take ownership of a project and move it toward the end goal, even if they have already completed their part.
16. Team members push themselves beyond their safety nets and become comfortable with discomfort in order to learn and improve.
17. Individuals place the team’s goals or company outcomes above their own needs and wants.
18. Team members trust and respect each other. When negative issues arise, they give each other the benefit of the doubt until all the facts are in.
19. Everyone knows each other’s strengths, talents, and experiences, and they tap into these qualities to benefit the team. The team welcomes diversity, not only in opinions and strengths, but also in age, race, and gender.
20. They compliment one another and recognize each other when someone creates outstanding work (although no one actively seeks recognition). When praised, team members direct the credit to the team, focusing more on “we” than “me.”
21. Great teams celebrate large and small victories, even if the success belongs to another division or to a customer. They are always on the lookout for ways to bond and have fun with each other!
22. Although they openly voice their opinions for the good of the company, great team members don’t whine or complain. They do their jobs well with the resources they have, often making significant sacrifices to help the team and company win.
23. While they value very high-quality work, strong team members are careful to delegate the appropriate amount of resources to each project. They don’t obsess over unattainable perfection; rather, they seek to balance the company’s overall needs.

Great teams generate a wonderful chemistry that pushes quality and organizational success to new heights. No matter how successful they become, however, its team members never become complacent. As a group, they strive to get better and better. Such continuous improvement is a cornerstone of high-performing teams. (To read great employees’ thoughts and opinions on what fuels their excellent teams, visit www.mikedubose.com/greatteaminterviews.)

 

The Team’s Leaders

People often ask me if I think that leaders are born or made. From the research I’ve seen, I believe it’s a combination of both. Some individuals seem to be genetically wired to step up to the plate and lead, and research indicates that around 50% of human behavior is driven by genetics. However, one’s upbringing and our life experiences also play huge roles in a leader’s development. Whatever the case, leadership qualities are present in some people from an early age. Their tendency to lead emerges as early as elementary school, blossoms in high school or college, and magnifies in their chosen work field. But there are also plenty of others who, like me, have had to learn the hard way, making every possible mistake as we travel down the bumpy road of leadership.

To generate the best performance from one’s staff, wrote Marcus Buckingham in The One Thing You Need to Know, managers “have to be able to execute a number of different roles very well. You have to be able to select people effectively. You have to set expectations by defining clearly the outcomes you want. You have to motivate people by focusing on their strengths and managing around their weaknesses. And, as they challenge you to help them grow, you have to learn how to steer them toward roles that truly fit them, rather than simply promoting them up the corporate ladder.”

The research experts at Gallup have polled and studied thousands of leaders and their teams over many years. Based on their findings and my additional research and interviews, leaders of outstanding teams tend to practice the following behaviors:

1. Great leaders know that they cannot succeed alone. They may pull incredible ideas from their own imaginations, but they must also convince their teams to work together to make their vision come alive. They know how to inspire others to turn their vision into reality.
2. In their minds, real leaders can visualize the entire blueprint for building a great organization and maximizing potential opportunities. Then, they turn this vision into concrete steps and guide their teams to execute them in a timely manner. They are the compasses that move teams and businesses forward with a positive and productive approach.
3. Although they know their plans by heart, if situations change, they adapt quickly. As I was told by Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, “Leaders need to be flexible to turn on a dime when opportunities present themselves.” They constantly search for good, profitable business ideas that match the strategic plan.
4. Although they maintain the flexibility to pursue new avenues, leaders know that doing everything for everyone will result in failure. Therefore, they focus mostly on the core business model aligned with the strategic plan to generate the most revenue for the least amount of work. They know what they should stop doing, what they should continue doing, and what they should start doing.
5. Great leaders surround themselves with a diverse, talented group of people and gain insight from their perspectives and opinions. They want people who “tell it like it is.” They welcome opinions different from their own, which they use to make better decisions.
6. They hire tough and carefully, employing only great individuals who fit the organization’s culture and are positive, can-do, intelligent, and self-directed.Great managers will then find or create the best position to fit the new staff member’s strengths.
7. Like their team members themselves, outstanding leaders have a “glass half full” attitude. They are energetic, optimistic, positive, creative, open-minded, and believe that all things are possible. No matter the odds against them, they are always confident that things will improve.
8. They model positive behaviors they expect from their teams, knowing that they set a precedent and their team members will imitate them.
9. When making major decisions, although they strive to come to a consensus, they know that seeking complete agreement can paralyze their ability to execute. They listen to others’ ideas and make smart, timely decisions based on the information they have.
10. They can also put aside their egos and allow their team members the freedom to help make most non-critical decisions. They give input when needed and hold people accountable for their decisions in a straightforward but friendly way.
11. Outstanding leaders have crystal clear expectations of their team and its members. They don’t micromanage, but they do outline what they want and trust their team members to deliver the desired outcomes.
12. When mistakes occur, great leaders use them as gifts or learning opportunities. They assess not only what failed and how the team can perform better next time, but also note what they did right when they have good results.
13. They spend about one-third of their time coaching and mentoring their teams, and they are constantly looking for ways to teach in every encounter they have with team members.
14. They know that success and complacency can lead to failure, so they practice “productive paranoia.” They are tuned into and prepared to address potential threats that may impact the organization’s success.
15. They are never satisfied and always visualize how they and their teams can become better. According to Buckingham, “As a leader, you are never satisfied with the present because in your head you can see a better future, and the friction between the ‘what is’ and the ‘what could be’ burns you, stirs you up, propels you forward. This is leadership.”
16. They occasionally take time out from their normal daily duties to think about the future and how they can help the organization succeed there.
17. They sometimes turn down profitable work because they value their team and do not want to overload them beyond their capability to deliver. Also, they want to avoid any negative impact the additional work might have on the success of their team’s other activities.
18. Great managers know that combined talents produce superior outcomes, and they promote collaboration and teamwork across divisions. Guttman noted that strong company directors “are focused on overall business results rather than being emotionally invested in any single business unit or function.” This was also echoed in The Leadership Challenge, when Kouzes and Posner wrote, “Exemplary leaders enable others to act…They engage all those who must make the project work—and in some way, all must live with the results.”
19. Great leaders praise and recognize their team members’ successes, and also those of other divisions. Kouzes and Pozner advised, “Let people know that they—and you—are in this together and develop a sense that ‘what we are doing is important,’ and that ‘all our contributions make a difference.’ To do otherwise is to foster alienation. Constituents are attracted to leaders who are dynamic and energetic. They are filled with energy and enthusiasm themselves when their leader speaks with passion about shared beliefs.”
20. They love to win, although what “winning” means is defined by the team and results in getting the job done in a high-quality way rather than earning big profits.
21. They genuinely care about their people, and they know what’s going on in their lives. They create a culture where people need one another and can rely on each other.
22. Great leaders energize their teams, and team members admire, respect, and emulate them. Usually, staff turnover is very low.

 

The bottom line: It takes a lot of the “right stuff” to form great teams, from people at every level—employees, managers, and executive leaders alike. Like a living creature, these teams must be constantly cared for, fed, and grown to survive. To achieve greatness, they also need healthy doses of inspiration, rewards, care, defined expectations, appreciation, and challenges. It’s not an easy task, and it can take years to put into place…but it’s well worth the effort!

 

This is the first segment of a two-part series; the next segment deals with ways that leaders cause their teams to fail.

 

Mike DuBose, a USC graduate, is the author of The Art of Building a Great Business. He has been in business since 1981 and is the owner of four debt-free corporations, including Columbia Conference Center, Research Associates, and The Evaluation Group. Visit his nonprofit website www.mikedubose.com for a free copy of his book and additional business, travel, and personal articles.

Blake DuBose graduated from Newberry College’s Schools of Business and Psychology and is president of DuBose Web Group. View our published articles at www.duboseweb.com.

Katie Beck serves as Director of Communications for the DuBose family of companies. She graduated from the USC School of Journalism and Honors College.

 

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