Building high performance teams

With the AT&T Williams Formula One races recently over in Malaysia, once again the importance of teamwork comes to the forefront in the fast-paced, action-packed sport. Success in the racing environment demands the highest levels of accuracy, dedication and commitment—both from the drivers, and many others working in support teams.

For most of us, F1 racing inspires images of speed, skill, high performance, success and celebration. These same images can also be seen in any highly successful workplace, with one inherent quality linking F1 drivers with high performing leaders and individuals—determination. Determination to take risks, push the limits of talent, focus the mind and get the most out of your team. With this in mind, accelerating the success levels of your business means not only leading with the focus and determination required to get around the track before your competitors, but surrounding yourself with a team that will drive this through their own desire for personal and collective success.

Like any sporting team after a difficult race, businesses are looking to enhance market share, increase profits and provide a stable foundation for future growth post the 2009/10 global financial crisis—and they are looking to do it quickly.

Unfortunately for the employer, high performance individuals do not make up the entire market. They can be somewhat of a rarity in some industries, simply due to the energy required to sustain such high levels of intensity, drive and motivation. Considering the uniqueness of this talent pool, the first challenge facing any employer looking to build a trophy winning, high-performance team, is determining exactly how to engage the right people.

The first step—before even looking at possible new hires—is deciding precisely what you require in line with the goals of your business. High performance individuals work best when they can align their personal goals for growth with those of their employer. Ensuring you have a strong and transparent strategy in place prior to going to market means you will only attract those high performers who feel a connection with your company mission.

Finding the right people—the true high performers who will be critical to your accelerated growth plan—means finding people who will hit the ground running. Similar to F1, these are people who show a natural ability and talent in their field, have a strong ability to lead others, and are determined to succeed no matter what.

Like any sporting team, you also need to ensure your potential new high performers have the right mindset for your business. Furthermore, given the commonality for this particular talent group to be of high intelligence, an interview should not be the only informant. These days, with a high performance team relying on the intensity of each player, insight into people’s mindset and future behaviour is best gained through various scientific methods, such as psychometric testing, to ensure your drivers and pit crew are entirely on the same track.

When you have your ideal team in place, the next challenge is learning how to drive them to success. Remember it requires strong leadership to transform a team of high performers into a high performance team.

In the world of business, a handful of leaders such as Jack Welch of GE, Steve Jobs of Apple and Eric E. Schmidt of Google, are renowned for their achievements, but none have achieved greatness alone. Great leaders share a common belief that leadership is more about character and vision than authority and power. It is how they interact with their teams and peers, and how they naturally inspire, that truly displays their ability to lead.

The real question is, does this apply to the management of high performers? Is it about character and vision, or are they looking for something else—something that sets their leader apart?

In a team of high performers, collective action is inspired by a leader who either exhibits the same unique qualities as their team members, or in contrast, identifies the differences and ensures they learn how to cater to the needs of their team.

1. Recognise, reward and challenge

Just like a team leader on the racing track, business leaders need to encourage their teams by providing genuine and regular recognition of excellence. At the same time, in order to ensure a sustainable level of efficiency, it is important to make certain that high performers, with their unique levels of intensity, do not tire of the ‘everyday grind’.

Build in new goals once existing goals are close to being achieved, provide new challenges and competition, and introduce tangible rewards for milestones.

2. Set the goal and let them achieve it

High performers are often unique in that they have different and innovative methods of approaching tasks and goals than other employees. Rather than trying to manage this and reign it in, set a clear direction and goal for them, and then step back. Do not micromanage—let them achieve.

3. Align business and individual goals

High performers are characterised by the need to constantly try to better previous successes. Put the company or task goals in place, and then allow your high performers to set their sights on their own personal benchmark, often enabling them to far surpass expectations.

In one of the most dominating performances on the F1 track, a young Jackie Stewart in 1968 raced the Nürburgring-Nordschleife circuit under torrential rain. With an average lap time of nine minutes, Jackie managed to blitz the field to win by just over four minutes, a feat which has never again been matched.

Just like reputations forged on a rain-drenched track, the credentials of a true leader shine through during periods of difficulty—a concept set in stone during the recent economic downturn.

Critical in these times, is a leader’s ability to identify this drop and continue to inspire and motivate their people. This is no mean feat.

During these periods, the traditional leadership attributes of inspiration, motivation, creating vision and providing recognition come to the fore. Effective harnessing of these characteristics can mean the difference between maintaining your high performers through difficult periods, and boosting them back up quickly in upswing, or losing them completely and requiring an entirely new team.

In pole position

The key point for employers and leaders to remember when managing this vibrant and evolving group is to recognise the top individuals in your organisation, and tailor programs to inspire them. Understand what drives them, reward their efforts and allow their passion for success flow throughout the organisation.