Demand A Lot And Give A Lot To Create High Performing Teams
Any manager can learn what is needed to consistently improve the performance of any team. It takes a little longer to develop the expertise to put that knowledge into practice.
I have transformed the worst team in a business, into one of the best, in 6-12 months, in many different companies, adding £’millions to profit in the process. Different teams. Different people. Different cultures. Same leader. Same result (massive improvement).
A lot of work goes into creating high performing teams (& you get even bigger rewards)
Demand A Lot And Give A Lot To Create High Performing Teams
- 7 outcomes needed for high performing teams
- Demand A Lot & Give A Lot To Get A High Performing Team
- Managing Worst Team Members and Difficult Employees
- Next Steps
7 outcomes needed for high performing teams
- Understanding the strengths & weaknesses of each team member, their motivations, interests and ambitions
- Building high levels of trust
- Setting really clear and consistent direction and expectations
- Providing a fair exchange – the manager gives as much as they ask
- Managing conflict, including reducing or removing underperformance, poor behaviour, lack of teamwork etc
- Creating Accountability across the team
- Empowering excellent
Approach in the order listed above when you have a new team to manage. For existing teams, work on increasing trust until you have high levels between the team members and yourself and between team members. Then move to the next step.
2 Amazing Leaders Of High Performing Teams
At school, I had a very demanding maths teacher. She didn’t put up with any messing about. Didn’t let you be lazy or not try. She was terrifying if you got on the wrong side of her.
And I and the rest of the class loved her.
We were all very motivated and very enthusiastic.
She inspired our effort.
She was very demanding. She ALSO gave a huge amount of herself too.
If you had any questions, she would do her best to help you. Any problems, she was there. She worked hard to explain pretty boring maths concepts in an interesting and engaging way.
In short, she gave to us as much as she demanded from us. Probably more.
Her maths students all got great grades.
Years later, I worked for my best boss ever. She had a very similar approach – she demanded a lot AND she gave a lot. She also created and led high performing teams.
Two people with similar styles achieving amazing results for the people they led.
A lightbulb went off.
I finally understood what was needed as a leader, as a manager, to create a high performing team from very average individuals.
Demand A Lot & Give A Lot To Get A High Performing Team
To create a high performing team, you must demand a lot from the people you lead. If you don’t demand a lot, they will not push themselves to their best performance. Get most people in a team giving their best performances AND co-ordinate all the efforts within a TEAM environment and you have a HIGH PERFORMING team, almost guaranteed.
To demand a lot from a team, as a manager, you have to give a lot.
There has to be a balance if you want to get the best from your team members.
The team members need to FEEL they are getting a good deal in exchange for working hard, learning, developing and improving. [If they feel it is all give and not take i.e. a bad deal, the team won’t work hard!)
They have to feel it is fair for them.
When you give a lot as a manager, you have to demand a lot too. If you don’t, you lose your authority and your team will try to walk over you. They will take advantage of you.
That is not fair on you.
If you give but don’t demand, you won’t lead a high performing team. They will drift in the directions that suit each individual best (but don’t necessarily help the team perform).
Achieving and keeping the BALANCE is the most important part as a manager. The balance between give and take. Between helping and demanding.
The more you give, the more you can demand and keep that feeling of fairness. Fairness keeps a team motivated, engaged and performing.
Managing Worst Team Members and Difficult Employees
Apply the same principles of give and take, of helping and demanding, when managing difficult employees or resolving people problems in teams.
In my experience, team members are having problems or causing problems because of one of 6 barriers preventing them improving.
Remove the barriers, incentivise the team member and improvement usually happens.
Next Steps
To gain to the tools to get improvement much FASTER and to make getting that improvement much more CERTAIN, in invite you to join our webinar on “Improving Your Worst Employee to Regain Control, Proactivity & Confidence While improving the performance of the team overall.
Click on the button below to join this FREE 60 minute webinar that will transform your approach to improving your worst team member AND the results you get.
