The term or designation “team” is frequently thrown about without any real understanding of what it truly defines. For many, the term is often associated with a sport, game, or other group activity. However, a group of individuals does not necessarily make a team. It is not uncommon to see members of a team behaving in a way that benefits themselves more than the team. In addition, something that is defined as high performance often speaks to its relative presentation among its peers. If we view it in terms of engine performance in a sports car, a high performance vehicle will be judged upon its specifications among cars in its same class, and the normative standard in that class.
Inversely, a high performance team must be judged, not upon its performance relative to other teams, but how its design and function strengthens the member’s capabilities individually, as they carry out their designated purpose. There are a specific set of tools utilized by a NASCAR racing team to assure that their vehicle is in top working condition. Likewise, there are specific strengths and competencies that can be utilized to assure that a team is functioning at their peak performance.
Strengths
Capitalizing “on your strengths and managing around your weaknesses” is one of the most important first steps in winning any race (Buckingham, 2001). Whether this is an automobile race or the race to become a high performance work team makes no difference. It is suggested that understanding the team member’s talents, knowledge, and skills are the three main factors in this assessment (Buckingham, 2001).
Each member of a team has a specific set of skills in which they have gained knowledge about over their lifetime. These are skills that have been shaped throughout their personal and professional experiences. Understanding these experiences, and thus their skills and knowledge, can be strengthened and built upon by first identifying their dominant talents. The trap is to look for their weaknesses, build upon them, and emerge well-rounded (Buckingham, 2001). Leaders often hand out tasks which consider only what the job description dictates, and not what is most beneficial to the team or suitable to the individual’s strengths. It is suggested that the focus should be identifying one’s strengths, which will enable them to work through their weaknesses. This will lead to a more productive outcome for the individual and the task at hand.
Identifying one’s strengths can be observed most often by analyzing what tasks and activities we are most absorbed by during our normal routine. Over time, the dominant talents will emerge more habitually, and provide the most satisfaction and personal reward. This will also regularly reveal those areas, requiring adverse talents, with which one is least effective and comfortable. Understanding what motivates us will often lead to an in depth realization of our strengths. Rest assured that many of us have experienced times when we, or someone on our team, has been “forced into” a task that is stressful. It is during these experiences that discouragement and dissatisfaction is most evident. When this is experienced, it is most often due to a misappropriation of resource talents, which is comparable to putting a round peg into a square hole. The peg may fit, but it will leave cavities of unutilized space around the edges. These cavities represent strength gaps that will minimize the effectiveness of the task, and ultimately the performance of the team.
The balance of utilizing one’s strengths to its maximum capacity, is balancing it with an understanding of not only what their strengths are, but also the strengths of each member of their team. This balance is most effective when it is integrated with an understanding of the emotional intelligence of the team.
Emotional Intelligence
A team member’s emotional intelligence, as well as the team’s collective emotional intelligence, is most evident and reinforced through the utilization of their strengths. It is a leader’s responsibility to coordinate the efforts of their team in a fashion that utilizes each person’s strengths relative to the team’s needs. This alone can produce a less stressful and more effective experience for the member and the team, resulting in a high performance team.
Among the team’s daily function, this may be seen by a leader’s ability to maintain order. The leader’s ability to orchestrate confrontation in a way that transitions into productive dialogue, is one of the most effective ways to strengthen a team (Coleman, 1998). Helping the individuals to understand the overall impact of their actions upon the team is an effective way to mentor their competencies as they are associated to their personal strengths and the other member’s strengths. This empathy building exercise will not only satisfy the needs of the team, but will build upon the three main competencies of emotional intelligence: empathy, self-discipline, and initiative (Coleman, 1998).
Understanding why people make the decisions they do, is the first step to understanding their actions (Coleman, 1998). Subsequently, the first step in understanding others, is understanding ourselves (Coleman, 1998). Our emotions and impulses are the lenses in which we use to understand others. This can often distort how we perceive the actions and reactions of those around us. Likewise, in our attempt to be self-aware, it is important to keep our intentions and motivations in check. Thus, if a team is empathetic among themselves and with themselves, they will be better prepared to understand the actions of each member, and the associated stimuli that fosters growth and success (Coleman, 1998). Interestingly enough, it is not the smartest teams that are most successful, but those that are comprised of people that are able to read the emotions of their team members, customers, and even peer-groups (Coleman, 1998).
Fortunately, studies have shown that although some people are more prone to exhibit emotional intelligence, it is a learned behavior (Coleman, 1998). This recognizes that individuals have no excuse when it comes to learning and honing their emotional intelligence competencies.
Conclusion
The combination of identifying a team’s strengths, as well as their emotional intelligence (individually and collectively) will enhance the team’s effectiveness and lead to superior performance. This is the key to creating and maintaining a high performance team. It is the responsibility of leaders, and team members alike, to first understand themselves and then the members of our team. With this understanding, individuals can begin to build and maintain effective high performance teams.
References
Buckingham, M., & Clifton, D. O. (2001). Now, discover your strengths. New York: Free Press.
Coleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam Books.
