The team journey is not easy. There are many moments when emerging teams want to call it quits. However, if your team has been diligent, disciplined and patient, there will come a point when you realize it’s working – the team is actually accomplishing things together. What’s next?
If you’re asking the “what’s next?” question, that’s a great sign. Many teams don’t ever get to ask that question. As we discussed in previous posts, some “teams” aren’t really teams at all – their performance ultimately reveals their true status. Some are further back; they pretend to be a team and are actually wasting resources every time they meet.
When you KNOW your team is adding real value and having a positive impact on performance, congratulations are in order. You’ve successfully navigated the early stages of team development!
The Impact Equation I use to describe a Real Team is:
1 + 1 + 1 = 4
So, again, what’s next? Is this as good as it gets? Or can it get better than this? Can the team add even MORE value? It depends on what you decide to do next.
You have two choices at this point – you can declare victory and enjoy the fruits of your efforts. And let’s be clear, if you’ve truly reached Real Team status, you are generating a positive ROI for your investment of time and energy. If you decide this is enough, just continue to do what you’ve done to this point: Focus on the team disciplines of performance and meeting management; keep your goals in front of the team and carry on.
There is a second path you can pursue. If you know in your heart your team can accomplish more, you are probably ready to continue the journey to the summit - to move from a Real Team to a High Performance Team. That’s the topic I’ve been studying for 20 years and the subject of my book, The Secret of Teams. The encouraging news – the path to become a High Performance Team is clearly marked.
Next week I’ll write about what you’ll need for the final assault on the summit – the strategy and tactics that will enable your team to join the ultra-elite world of High Performance Teams![GLS_Shield]
