44 Simple Habits for High-Performing Teams

In a world where products can be copied, processes can be cloned and cloud technology services have never been cheaper, there now seems a most radical shift towards the power of people. It is therefore somewhat unsurprising that, in spite of the rapid rise in advanced technologies - such as data driven AI and IoT - people have clearly become about the most compelling source of competitive advantage. But with Reid Hoffman - of LinkedIn - declaring that, “no matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team”, a most pertinent challenge would be:

how can we truly enable high-performing talent and how can we truly enable high-performing teams?

The notes below, reveal some of the tools and strategies I have employed over the years and have found to be most effective.

1. Remember that true culture is crystallised at the point of failure
2. Embrace intellectual humility
3. Practise radical candor
4. Bring your true self to work and respect the true selves of others
5. Sometimes Q-storming works better than Brain-storming
6. Empower supportively - do not leave the empowered with nowhere to turn to for help
7. Mind your language - replace "them" or "they" with "us" and "we"
8. Location, location, location - do what you can to be location agnostic
9. Upgrade from HQ to NHQ - adopt a "No Head Quarters" policy if possible
10. When in doubt, choose transparency
11. Create room for listening - even when you think you already have the answers
12. Ensure that others are able to make decisions - even without you
13. Support team decisions - even when things do not go to plan
14. Think, "how can we create an environment where we can feel safe - even when we fail"?
15. Blame limits learning, reduces empowerment, and kills innovation
16. Cultural change takes time - be patient and be prepared to appreciate small steps
17. Resist the urge to be defensive or to put others on the defensive
18. Do not pretend to care more than you genuinely do
19. Recognise small achievements
20. Take time off work and maintain a healthy work versus life balance
21. Take every opportunity to learn - including reading, studying, listening, and observing
22. Protect those who challenge you or your ideas
23. Share (and be clear about) your vision and passion
24. Ensure constraints are visible and clear
25. Be sure to start - or at least end - with "why" and, if possible, collaborate on "how"
26. Be as inclusive and non-discriminatory as possible
27. Allow as much flexibility as you can
28. Reward the right behaviours
29. Beware of KPI's that drive the wrong behaviours - such as error counts
30. Habitually aim for win-win's
31. Think People first - both customers and employees
32. If technology transformation required, make sure not to leave people behind
33. Be prepared to fail
34. Find the courage to make u-turn's
35. Cultivate and nourish inquisitive minds
36. Prioritise capability building and talent development
37. Think big, act small - deliver change or transformation in frequent bitesize increments
38. Encourage wellness and wellbeing
39. Do not live in emails - use all channels (including antiquated physical communication)
40. Consider "it" not good enough if your boss or stakeholders think so
41. Be skeptical about those who never say "no" - to you
42. Coaching and teaching are a lot more productive than punishment and blame
43. Practise what you preach - especially when things go wrong!
44. Aim to do yourself out of a job

I like to view these habits as tools - in a handy basket and - for use by both colleagues and leaders. Evidence suggests that, by reaching in and combining some of these simple habits, lots of our "day in and day out" challenges will be addressed. Used creatively, these simple habits significantly encourage high-performing team mindsets and radically increase potential for stress limiting environments.