Pursue Genuine Community

Teams outperform individuals in virtually every situation. This fact has not escaped the attention of most leaders. What has been more elusive is the winning formula for creating great teams. The good news, there is a repeatable and predictable formula for building High Performance Teams. My personal fascination with teams…

three women around a conference table with their computers

Teams outperform individuals in virtually every situation. This fact has not escaped the attention of most leaders. What has been more elusive is the winning formula for creating great teams. The good news, there is a repeatable and predictable formula for building High Performance Teams.

My personal fascination with teams began as a child. Since attempting to capture some of the key learnings and observations from this journey in my book, The Secret of Teams, what I’ve not addressed is how teams fit within the leadership ecosystem.

Leaders who wish to maximize their potential must learn to Lead Self, Lead Others, Lead Teams, and Lead Organizations.

Let’s begin with a review of what many of you know from your own experience – the advantages to building a High Performance Team are numerous…

  • Turbocharge performance – If you create a High Performance Team, you will be able to produce results that exceed your expectations.
  • Accelerate team member growth – When High Performance Teams are functioning well, they are a hotbed for learning new skills.
  • Leverage the talents of individual members – The fundamental reason teams work so well is the diversity of talents, gifts, passions, and experience.
  • Create leadership capacity – When a High Performance team is firing on all cylinders, one of the outcomes is less dependence on the physical presence of the leader.

I’m guessing any leader who has been part of a High Performance Team would validate these benefits, but why call out Leading Teams in a leadership ecosystem?

First, there are specific decisions, skills, and disciplines necessary to create and sustain a High Performance Team. These elements do not spontaneously appear, but they can be forged over time with a high degree of success. They are too important to be a subtext in a description of Leading Others.

Next, here’s how the four elements of the ecosystem fit together…
If a leader can’t lead self, he or she will always struggle with leading others. If you can’t lead others, you will always struggle with leading teams. And, if you can’t lead teams, the chances are good you’ll not have the personal or leadership capacity required to lead an organization.

Not too long ago, I talked to a leader who could testify to the idea of why teams matter to a growing organization. After hearing the potential of a High Performance Organization, he confided in me, “I’m in real trouble.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because I don’t have the capacity to build the type of organization you described.”

“Can your leadership team help?” I asked.

“I don’t have a leadership team.”

I had no response. Every leader needs to know how to build High Performance Teams. If you need a list of reasons, see the ideas above. But perhaps more importantly, if you’re struggling to build a High Performance Organization, leading teams may be the step you’ve missed.

Enjoy the journey!

Comments on Pursue Genuine Community

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Mark Miller

Mark Miller
Mark Miller is a Wall Street Journal and international best-selling author, communicator, and the former Vice President of High Performance Leadership at Chick-fil-A. Mark’s leadership journey at Chick-fil-A spanned 45 years, and today, he serves as the Co-Founder of Lead Every Day. Mark began writing almost twenty years ago, and with over one million books in print in more than twenty-five languages, his global impact continues to grow.

Share

More articles