Category: Motivation

Build a High Performance Team You Can Be Proud Of

All high performing teams have a trait in common. Team members are willing to put team goals before individual goals. The team members work together for the good of the team. You can see this attitude reflected in very diverse high performing teams from an army unit, a research team, and even a community social group.

This cohesion rarely happens without effort. As a team leader, getting team members to look past their own goals needs to be a top priority.

A leader can start the process by developing and communicating a shared vision for the team. But to be effective, here are the requirements for success.

1. Connect emotionally. Your team members need to know you truly care about them. It is easy to connect on the highs, but you must also connect at the lows.
2. Connect intellectually. Challenge them. Teach them. Listen to them.
3. Resolve conflicts quickly and effectively. Conflicts can spiral out of control if not addressed immediately. Understand individual views but build cohesive views.
4. Support the individual but align effort in favor of the team. Recognize individual efforts individually, recognize and reward team accomplishments in the team environment.

In my career I have led many teams. Some effective, and some very ineffective. I have learned that when I did not take the time to work through these steps with individual team members, as well as with the complete team, I was heading towards failure. Regardless of how busy you are, if you want a high performing team, you must commit your time and effort to lead.

How to Increase Your Ability to Take the Best Actions

Over the last several weeks we explored a process for goal setting and goal achievement. One question remains.

How do you know if your actions are the best actions you could have taken?

You don’t. In fact, most actions are neither 100% correct or 100% incorrect. Our actions have differing levels of effectiveness. In most cases, there are better or worse actions that could have been taken.

This single reason makes a personal reflection process very important. The few minutes spent each day in reflection accumulate over a lifetime into a wealth of knowledge. We improve exponentially faster by evaluating our experiences, not just by having an experience.

There is no magic formula for reflection. Some people may need only five minutes in a quiet place to think about the events of the day. Other people may write their thoughts in a journal. It may be that using a calendar system to take notes throughout the day works best for some people.

Each of us must discover the best method, the best time, and the best place for reflection. But for all of us, it is most effective when we make it a daily habit. If you can build it into your normal routine, it will pay huge dividends. The benefit compounds over time.

If it is not one of your habits, there is no better time to start then today.

Goal Oriented or Growth Oriented? Which Are You?

Last week’s article was about a process to focus on only a few goals at one time. I received several emails from people asking how I could just ignore some of my goals. It is a good question.

I do have goals that have specific deadlines. These goals are usually shorter term goals, not big picture goals. Most of my big picture goals have less to do with when, and more to do with achievement.

I hope you have had the opportunity to experience big picture goals through thinking, reflection, and the exercise I wrote about a few weeks ago. If not, I encourage you to give it a try. Hopefully you will perceive some distinction between big goals, and other goals in our life.

John Maxwell captures this difference when he talks about goal setting. He says “when I stopped asking ‘when will I get it?’ and started asking ‘I wonder how far I can go ..?’, I changed my thinking from goal oriented to growth oriented”.

Growth is life long isn’t it… or at least I think it ought to be. Big goals also tend to be life long. They represent the journey we desire. I love to think big, set big goals, and then align my actions to continuously strive forward.

I hope this helps put frame of reference around my process, and boosts your enthusiasm for your own goals.

Establish the Habit of Achieving Goals

If you have followed my articles in the last few weeks, you may now have a big picture of your longer term goals. You might also be feeling a bit overwhelmed. The next step is developing focus.

If I split my attention between 30 goals, I end up with no progress. To be effective, I can only work on a few goals. Usually I target two to four goals at a time. For these selected goals, I add the following process to my day.

Daily reflection – Every day (Monday through Friday), for each goal, I write a sentence or two on activity and progress. This process only take a minute or two at the end of the day.

Weekly reflection – On Friday evening or Saturday morning, I spend a few minutes reflecting and writing notes on my progress over the last week. I answer the following questions:

– What worked?
– What didn’t work?
– What did I learn?
– What do I need to do next week?

Once completed, the goal is dropped from the daily and weekly review. I select another goal for concentration and continue.

This process is simple but effective. After using it for several weeks, it will become a habit. Once established it will help with focus, daily effort, and improved performance.

I hope this explanation answers your questions on selecting goals, and maintaining focus. Let’s keep striving for a great year!