What makes a great team?

I have been very fortunate to facilitate some amazing high performing teams. I get so much satisfaction from watching them develop and grow achieving great things together. This is probably because I have the Clifton Strengths Finder theme Maximiser as my number 7 talent, from the Gallup definition “people exceptionally talented in the Maximizer theme focus ion strengths as a ways to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong in to something superb”.

If I think back to the different teams I have worked in over the years, the times I have enjoyed my work and been the most successful was when my manager trusted me, knows and understands what makes me unique and identifies the tasks I do best, the same being true for the whole team, we know each other’s strengths and appreciate the different talents we bring.

Over the years Gallup have studied tens of thousands of teams to learn about the issues and challenges they face. Some of the discoveries they have made about the most engaged and productive teams include.

• They share a mission and a purpose – be it a goal or a problem in need of a solution it doesn’t matter, what does, is that it is clear and compelling to each and every member of that team.
• Every person on the team understands and appreciates that he or she is great at something and not at others. What may be a difficult task for one person and take a long time may be ridiculously easy for another.
• Team members are aware of each other’s talents – They have a good understanding of how each person is inclined to think, act and feel. This helps them navigate all issues they may face. They understand how they can best work together as a team

Decades of research by Gallup have proven that when employees are given the opportunity to do what they do best every day, the effect of the individual, team and organisation performance is powerful within an organisation. The problem is that most people aren’t able to accurately identify their own strengths and therefore cannot intentionally use them.

The success of any team ultimately depends on two things:

1. Understanding the work of the team and having a clear and compelling performance goal or challenge.
2. Each person knowing how he or she specifically contributes to accomplishing the performance goals.

A strengths based team is a group of imperfect but talented contributors valued for their strengths, who utilise one another to realise individual and team excellence. A strengths based team:

• are more likely to achieve their goals,
• are more confident
• will perform better at work
• will experience less stress
• are more engaged at work
• are more effective at developing themselves and growing as individuals

Gallup research has also found that Teams focused on strengths everyday have a 12.5% greater productivity and teams that receive strengths feedback generate 8.9% greater profitability! Pretty compelling statistics hey!

If you are starting to think about what to do for your end of year get together or starting to plan for 2016, I urge you to consider having your whole team take the Clifton Strengths Finder assessment. This will help you see what makes them unique and how their collective talents can be used to achieve your performance goals and objectives. The Strengths Partners have a number of fun and engaging team workshops from 2 hours to 2 days that help you maximise your team’s potential.