High Performance Team Neelraman Book

Building High-Performing Teams 1
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The Leader’s Guide Series 2
Praise for Building High-Performing Teams

“If you are looking for a hands-on book that details simple yet powerful points for transforming
your work group into a high-performing team, this is a must-read book for you.”
- Dr. John McGill, Sales Effectiveness Consultant, BOC Gases Australia
“Building High-Performing Teams is a great guide to understanding what makes successful

organisations tick. It also highlights the incredible depth of knowledge and expertise Neel offers
to any organisation wanting to bring out the best in its people. The experiential training and
support that Neel provides to teach the principles in this book is world class and proven to
produce results. I would highly recommend his services to anyone wanting to create exceptional
teams.”
- Dr. Kenneth Cole, Founder of SuccessTalks Training & Coaching, Author of How to be a
Successful Failure
“Read Building High-Performing Teams and apply the seven principles and you will not only
increase your team’s level of engagement and contribution, but also your leadership and
effectiveness.”
- Ricardo Fabiani Garcia, PMP / Engineering Program Manager, Hewlett-Packard Company
“Neel Raman has written a terrific book for anyone looking to start or rejuvenate teams in their
organization. He manages to integrate existing literature on teams with his fresh approach,
and offers a clear road map to creating high-performance teams. If you want to increase your
organizational performance and output, you would be wise to read this book and engage Neel
to lead your team to peak performance.”
- Catherine Scheers, Calgary, Alberta, Canada – Author, Trainer, Coach
“Neel Raman has provided us with a concise source of priceless information on how to
elicit the highest attainable performance from our teams in every form of organisation: work
place, family, educational institutions etc. etc. I tried the techniques taught in this book on my
university students working on group projects by exposing some groups to the material in this
book and excluding others. I found that those exposed to HPT functioned more cooperatively
– they transformed into teams - and delivered high quality presentations three times as good
as groups unexposed to HPT.”
- Atta Adu-Osae, University Lecturer on Economics
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The Leader’s Guide Series
Building High-
Performing Teams
7Principles that will Increase
Productivity and Accelerate the
Results of Your Team!
Neel Raman
Copyright © 2013 by Focused On...®. All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this publication
may be reproduced or utilised in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the author, except where permitted by law.
ISBN: 978-0-9803125-4-6 (Kindle)
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The Leader’s Guide Series iv
Other Books By Neel Raman

Hoops and Freedom
Transition from Manager to Coach
Sustaining a Leadership Culture
Meet Neel Raman online at www.NeelRaman.com
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Contents
Building High-Performing Teams v
Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................1
1. Overview of Teams and Life-cycle Stages...............................................................3
2. The Opportunity for High-Performing Teams........................................................10
3. Have a Clear Direction.........................................................................................17
4. Show Inspiring Leadership...................................................................................22
5. Demonstrate Unwavering Dedication...................................................................25
6. Practice Effective Communication........................................................................28
7. Grant Decision-Making Autonomy........................................................................33
8. Promote Diversity.................................................................................................36
9. Establish Respect..................................................................................................38
10. Hindrances to High-Performing Teams.................................................................41
11. Implementation Starts Now..................................................................................45
Summary...................................................................................................................48
FREE Bonus..............................................................................................................49

Ignite Your Team’s Performance.................................................................................50
Building High-Performing Teams Facilitator Kit..........................................................52
Other Titles in The Leader’s Guide Series..................................................................54
About the Author.......................................................................................................55
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Introduction
T eams are the backbone of any company. Properly-led teams are able to better solve complex
problems, make sounder decisions, utilise creativity, and enhance the personal skills of team
members, more so than an individual working on his or her own is able to do.
Teams are the new frontier for workforces and innovation. Leadership and teamwork go hand
in hand. It is essential that leaders of these teams be teachers, not taskmasters. The leader is
central to the success or failure of a team.
Today, companies are experiencing lower levels of productivity, creativity and problem-solving.
The younger generation of employees want to be assimilated differently into the workforce,
and share their ideas to receptive management. A high-performing team is the perfect vehicle
to give this new generation the scope to tackle the challenges that face all companies today –
from internal dynamics to external competitors.
The past twenty years have brought about a desire to change the way people work together.
Companies have striven to change the interpersonal relationships of their workplaces. They
have seen the productivity benefits that teams can bring to the work environment. Now,
companies are on the threshold of taking teamwork to the next level. High-performing teams
can accomplish much more because they have the backing of the company and thus are
provided with the tools to make them better achievers.
Many companies have the opportunity to implement high-performing teams within their work
environments. There are some key elements that need to be examined prior to implementation,
but the rewards, as far as problem solving, innovation and productivity are concerned, are
huge.
Companies must evaluate their corporate culture as it currently stands, the life stage of the
market in which the company is operating, and any hindrances to success that the company
may have. Once these are addressed, any company has the opportunity to easily take advantage
of high-performing teams.
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Introduction
Benefits of developing high-performing teams include:
●● Higher employee morale

●● Reduction in operating costs
●● Faster response times to problems
●● Better company-wide communication
●● Less rigid corporate structure
●● More autonomous and engaged employees
●● Improved productivity, performance and profitability.
It is possible and easy to institute high-performing teams in your company, and this book will
show you how to do so. This book with lead you down the path to creating high-performing
teams in your company effectively.
What you will learn includes:
●● The differences between groups, teams, and high-performing teams

●● The life-cycles that teams go through and how that impacts the performance of a
team
●● Trends and challenges to teams
●● Market life-cycles and the impact that has on teams
●● The seven key principles for developing high-performing teams: Have a clear direction,
show inspiring leadership, demonstrate unwavering dedication, practice effective
communication, grant decision-making autonomy, promote diversity, and establish
respect
●● Hindrances to the formation of high-performing teams
●● Implementation steps to begin instilling high-performing teams into the workplace.
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Building High-Performing Teams
Overview of Teams and Life-cycle Stages

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“Teams are successful when they are focused, have a short cycle time, and are
supported by the executives.”
~ Tom Bouchard
Professor of Psychology, University of Minnesota
A high-performing team is defined by Jon Katzennach and Douglas Smith in The Wisdom
of Teams as “a small number of people with complementary skills who are equally committed
to a common purpose, goals, and working approach in which they hold themselves mutually
accountable.”
Teams differ greatly from work groups. In his book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick
Lencioni defines a team as “a relatively small number of people that share common goals as
well as the rewards and responsibilities for achieving them.”
Groups vs. Teams
Most work-related conglomerates of people fall into the “group” category. A group is defined
as individuals that are bound together by the fact that they work for the same company or
the same department. A group does not necessarily function with a common agenda. The
group is not determined successful based on the group output, and there may not be any joint
collaboration. The group is made up of individuals who are each performing their individual
jobs and being held accountable for their own job and not the performance of the group as
a whole.
A team, on the other hand, comprises individuals that are united by a common goal, are held
accountable as a unit and are able to put aside their individual differences when working
together. The team is held equally accountable for the results. This is the most important
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concept in a team-based environment.
Groups of people do not make a team and the mere existence of a team does not necessarily
mean that it is a high-performing one. A high-performing team is one that is specifically
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developed in order to achieve the outcomes that are expected.
Bruce Hodes has provided a strong example of the differences between groups and teams in
his article, High Performance Work Teams: Think about a handful of surgeons sitting together to
exchange information and teach one another. This is a group. These people work for the same
company, but their performance is not dependent on the actions of another doctor and their
goals are not aligned in this meeting except to learn from each other. The patients are still the
individual surgeon’s own, and responsibility rests with the individual surgeon, not the group.
When a surgeon and his nurses come together in the operating room to form a surgical team
to perform a hip replacement surgery on someone, this becomes a team. These people are
working as a collective body where the success or failure falls on the entire team’s performance.
The goal is to do the surgery efficiently and the performance of the team will be judged based
on everyone working together to bring the surgery to a successful conclusion.
A company needs to recognise these differences in order to understand the reasons for the
successes or failures of these two conglomerations of individuals.
Life-cycle of Teams
All teams will go through the team life-cycle. This life-cycle separates high-performing teams
from low-performing teams because if the team is not well designed initially, it will not reach
the final stage where the high-performance is in evidence.
There are four stages to the team life-cycle:

• Formation
• Dissension
• Collaboration
• Execution
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Figure 1 – The Team Life-Cycle
1. Formation. In this stage, the people who are to form the team are introduced to one
another. This stage is marked by lots of excitement and little knowledge about the problem at
hand, and what is expected of them in order to solve it.
Characteristics of this stage are:

• Team members will respect each other because they are not familiar with one
another.
• People will mute their personalities and be very polite so as to avoid offending
others.
• There is a shared excitement among the teammates and sense of passion for the new
opportunity. This will create large expectations with high eagerness.
• Some individuals may show hesitation, tentativeness, and reservation due to
uncertainty.
• The team will be very dependent on the leader for direction and permission.
• While respect may be evident, trust and acceptance of the team members is not strong
at this point.
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Needs of this stage are:

• The formation of ground rules, values, roles, and standards need to occur to give the
team guidelines with which to engage with one another.
• The team needs to gain knowledge of each other to start developing a personal
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connection to each other, in order to build trust.

2. Dissension. This stage is distinguished by conflict. All teams will face this stage to a greater
or lesser degree. Low-performing teams will collapse. High-performing teams will learn from
this stage and move forward. At this point, members of these high-performing teams will also
fall into the roles that are best for their personalities and skill sets.

• Individual personalities between the team members will become more apparent and
there may be some competition between them.
• Disagreements and verbal clashes between members will occur in attempts to establish
the roles people are going to fill. This will occur on a team level and also on a personal
level.
• Members challenge of the leadership of the team will arise, as well, perhaps, frustrations
with the goals.
• The differences between expectations and reality are amplified.
• Confidence will be lower and produce low completion rates.
• A sense of resentment for the team develops.
• Team members may even express their desire to leave the team.

• Leadership reinforcing the goals of the team, and the bigger picture of the company.
Clarity of the company’s vision is critical at this stage.
• Training for active listening and conflict resolution should be given. It is the responsibility
of the team leader to also encourage feedback that is non-judgmental.
• Reinforcement of the values of diversity and active discussion about problems in the
team.
• Recognising achievements while enforcing responsibility and accountability.
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3. Collaboration. It is in this stage that the team begins to work together effectively. If the
team makes it to this stage, it will likely continue on to be a high-performing team.

• Team members have embraced their roles in the group and opinions are expressed
without the fear of retribution or personal attack.
• Roles and expectations are set to guide the team towards its goals.
• The optimism and excitement that was lost is rediscovered.
• Team pride and unity are apparent.
• Team language will develop as well (using “we” instead of “me”).
• People may avoid conflict all together.

• Continue training so people continue to develop their skill sets.
• Encourage the sharing of ideas and promote positive conflict (debate).
• Leaders must be supportive and encouraging of the team so that confidence is
renewed.
4. Execution. This stage is where the team transcends into a high-performing team.

• Individuals understand their role and how they fit into the team and company.
• The team functions autonomously.
• Disagreements are resolved quickly and in a productive manner.
• The team communicates multi-directionally.

• The leader has done his or her job and can stand aside or become a member of the
team.
• Continued empowerment and autonomy is needed for the team to fit into the corporate
culture effectively.
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Decline of Teams
Once the team has been in the execution stage for a period of time, three things can
happen:
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»» the team starts over at the formation stage due to new members or new purposes
»» the team becomes complacent and loses focus
»» the team has reached its stated goal and disbands.
What happens to the team needs to be aligned with the overall mission and vision of the
company. Normally, teams will form and last less than a year due to the natural progression
of the workplace.
Each year, companies set new targets, initiatives and expectations so the purpose of the team
needs to be re-evaluated as needed. People move to other jobs, team members do not fit
and move out of the team, or people quit or are let go. Once a new team is formed or a team
member is replaced, the team will repeat the entire life-cycle again.
Teams must be given time to reach the execution stage. Sometimes companies do not give
a team the necessary time to work out the kinks and become high-performing. During the
opening stages, a team will occasionally make mistakes – they do not produce perfection
immediately upon formation. The team leader is responsible for evaluating the team to ensure
that the team does have the members who can perform at a high level, given a sufficient (but
not excessive) amount of time to do so.
Team size should start out small. Larger teams are typically far less productive and people can
always be added to a team if needed. It is much more difficult to remove people from a team
than to add them. Larger teams will take longer to move through the life-cycle as well because
there are more interpersonal connections in the team that need to go through the cycle.
High-Performing vs. Low-Performing Teams
Now that teams have been defined, it is important to understand why a company would want
to utilise high-performing teams. High-performing teams have the unique ability to engage all
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levels of employees in a company and make them active participants in the decision making
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processes. By creating a team, the company is making the most of the potential of its workforce.
Everybody is creative and people need the appropriate environment to exhibit their creativity.
Teamwork is a good tool to free creativity and harness it to come up with the best solutions to
problems or courses of action for a particular task.
The difference between high-performing and low-performing teams is related more to the team
structure than to the individual abilities of its members.
One common characteristic of a low-performing team is a lack of clearly defined outcomes.

Comments such as, “Where exactly are we heading?” or “Are we on the right track?” can cause
serious issues for the team. Another characteristic is a low degree or participation and input.
Once team members start saying, “My views are not important,” it can be quite challenging
to align the team again with its overall purpose.
The more effort that is put into the structure, roles, responsibilities and expectations of the
team members during the formation of a team, the higher the probability that the team will
be a high-performing team.
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The Opportunity for High-Performing Teams

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“Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a

company work, a society work, a civilization work.”
~ Vince Lombardi
Legendary NFL Football Coach
T he ever-changing global economy provides an opportunity for growth and expansion.

Fluctuating demands highlights the importance of developing flexible and highly functioning
teams because of their narrow focus and rapid response times.
It is essential that industry and company considerations be examined to determine the

appropriateness of high-performing teams in the organisation. The factors that should be
examined are:
• Industry life stage
• The vision and goals of the company
• Identification of opportunities for improvement.
1. Industry Life Stage
The life stage of the industry is important because it is going to dictate the nature of business
and impact the overall strategic decisions of the organisation. There are four life stages in an
industry:
A. Emerging
An emerging market is defined by an industry as one with no history. Teams can be a benefit
in this type of market because new ideas are being infused into the market. A team will help
to propel the entire industry forward by their work in the company so their importance must
be stressed to them, but their knowledge may be lacking because there is no history to draw
on.
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Example of an emerging market: Tablet devices. With the popularity of the Apple iPad, more and
more companies are introducing tablet devices to take advantage of this emerging market.
B. Growing
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A growing market is one that is young but has several key players. This market can be
competitive and cutthroat. A growing market can use teams to come up with new ideas to get
the company moving forward and differentiate them from their competition. The results may
be pivotal for a company because of the competition in the market, however the team still
needs time to get through the life-cycle.
Example of a growing market: Smart phones. More and more smart phones with better features
are being brought into the market place seemingly on a monthly basis.
C. Mature
A mature market is one that has a lot of history, several key players and many smaller outlying
competitors. The competition in this market has a high volume but companies are not as
aggressive to be on top. The companies are more defined with regard to their position in the
industry. A mature market can use teams well to gain market share from other companies, as
well as set themselves apart from other companies by coming up with new ideas that may be
outside of the box for the entire industry.
Example of a mature market: the automotive industry. The downturn in the global economy in
recent times means that future growth in this industry is limited. With more emphasis now placed
on ecological responsibility, which includes meeting new fuel-efficient standards, manufacturers
are moving their manufacturing and assembly operations to lower-cost locations.
D. Declining
A declining market is one in which companies are leaving the industry to diversify into something
new, or abandon business all together. Companies in a declining market can use teams to
determine the best way to hang on to market share, though the industry will be more rigid and
teams will be less accepted in a culture of a declining market.
Example of a declining market: Advertising in Yellow Pages books. With more and more
advertising now done online and through social media, printed advertising is a market that
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has been steadily declining.
The state of the industry should be examined to determine the purposes that teams can serve
in the company and how well the team can perform given a certain task. The state of the
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industry helps define the corporate culture as well which has a large impact on the success or
failure of a team.
2. The Vision and Goals of the Company
The vision and goals of the company will determine the level of opportunity for high-performing
teams to exist. The company vision dictates what strategic initiatives and programs will be
implemented to support that vision. It is the company’s responsibility to have clearly defined
goals in order to be able to direct a team appropriately.
A team without clear direction will end up being a low-performing team. To be high-performing,
the company must embrace the role of the team and guide the team to meet goals that are
aligned with the overall company mission, vision, values and strategic objectives. The team
needs to then be held accountable for the tasks and actions that they agreed to work to
accomplish.
Ideally, team members will have abilities and skills that are well suited to the team’s tasks and
compliment each other’s natural abilities. Pay, position and tenure should not be given as
much weight because the success or failure of the team depends on the ability of the team to
become high-performing, not based on a person’s pay grade or promotion history.
3. Identification of Opportunities for Improvement
The life stage of the market will help determine some of the opportunities for improvement
that may be identified in a company.
A company in an emerging market may not have an established direction for itself. A company
in a growing market could have momentum, but perhaps not the personnel to support a team.
A company in a mature market may have a strong, long-standing corporate culture that may be
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hard to penetrate with new ideas. A company in a declining market could potentially be facing
reduction in profits and market share, and may not be able to, or be unwilling, to support the
development of a high-performing team.
It is necessary for upper management to identify and address other issues that are present in
the company so the team has the best chance to become high-performing. The team cannot
be responsible for changing corporate culture but it can impact corporate culture in a positive
way. The real function of a team should be completing the task[s] they are required to do.
Trends and Challenges in High-Performing Teams
Teamwork is a concept that has gained popularity recently in the workplace. The early 2000s
showed an increase in the use of teamwork in the workplace but more recently, companies
have started to look to find ways of improving the functionality of the teams to move them
into high-performing teams. This mindset shift came about with the recognition that creativity
and innovation drives stability and the long-term survival of the company. For growth, leaders
must become inspirational and innovative.
Shifting the mindset from individual work to team-based work took time, because of the
generational differences that occur in a workplace with a diverse workforce. A more recent
change in the corporate mindset is to not just incorporate teams into the working environment,
but to provide them with the tools required to become high-performing and successful.
Some recent changes in technology have also allowed teams to reach that high-performing
level. For example, companies have often distributed newsletters or some other form of
communication to employees, but with the explosion of social media, companies have the
opportunity to open communication lines even further.
Reid Warrick, founder of the 180Group to help companies improve performance, refers to
the Chief Executive Officer as being the Chief Engagement Officer Communication. This new
CEO function is so vital to a company that tools like Twitter, Facebook, and company blogs
are invaluable for management in communicating with their employees, especially since the
workforces coming of age have social media and teamwork so engrained in their culture.
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Small to medium-sized companies have an advantage when it comes to the opportunities for
teams. Smaller companies will have smaller workforces and that means that people must work
together and fulfill many different roles within the company, whereas a larger workforce may
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fall into the trap of just focusing on the individual’s job and avoid putting individuals together
as a team. This means that smaller companies have an advantage with high-performing teams
because the workforce as a whole is more team-inclined. However, this poses a challenge as
well because the risk for the company is higher with a smaller employee base. If the team fails
in a small-sized company, there might be a larger impact on the company, than such a failure
would have in a larger company.
With the downturn in the economy since 2008; companies are finding that diverse, more flexible
workforces are much more desirable. Younger generations of employees are coming into the
workforce with new ideas and want to be heard, and companies need to get innovative to
survive. High-performing teams are becoming the norm for workplace success and companies
that can embrace this new era will thrive and companies that cannot embrace the changes,
much like low-performing teams, will be left behind.
A successful team does not occur just by putting the right personalities together, or by luck
(although both of those are important ingredients!).
High-performing teams apply certain key principles that make them successful. While the
environment may be conducive to high-performing teams, these principles must be applied
to make the team successful.
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The seven highly interconnected principles are:

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Figure 2: 7 Principles for Building High-Performing Teams
1. Have a Clear Direction. Direction consists of the visions, goals, objectives and
measurable metrics by which the team will operate and be measured against. Direction
is developed within the team and guided by the leader.
2. Show Inspiring Leadership. Leadership is the concept of motivating team members

to continue with their duties and instill in them a desire to produce quality work.
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3. Demonstrate Unwavering Dedication. Dedication is the commitment team

members make to the team and work together to get the goals accomplished. Dedication
in team can be viewed as the level of commitment and perseverance a team has towards
achieving its visions and goals.
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4. Practice Effective Communication. This is the channel by which information is
disseminated between the team members, leader, the sponsor of the team and the
company.
5. Grant Decision-Making Autonomy. Autonomy is the ability to put into operation

the courses of action that the team decides are most appropriate. Autonomy provides
the team the authority to act without always requiring higher level permission to make
decisions for the benefit of the team.
6. Promote Diversity. The make-up of the individuals in the group. A team should
be diverse with people of all ages, positions, and backgrounds to promote all possible
ideas in a group.
7. Establish Respect. Respect refers to the way that’s essential for the team to operate
within its own structure. Team members need to exhibit respect for each other, while
the leader must have the respect of the team. It’s also essential that the company has
respect for the team.
The next seven chapters describes each of these principles in more detail and invites you to
evaluate how your organisation is currently applying each principle, and suggests ways in
which they can be applied if they are not yet in place.
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Have a Clear Direction

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“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. It is the fuel that
allows common people to attain uncommon results.”
~ Andrew Carnegie
World’s most successful businessman in the early 1900s
D irection is based on the idea that every level of the company has a full understanding of
what the vision of the company is, what the goals of the company are, what success looks like,
and how success can be measured.
Defining Direction
Direction is the cornerstone to a high-performing team. The end result, high performance, is
the main concern and should be the focus of the team and the company. Direction for a team
is the biggest and most easily measured key to success since the goals are set prior to the team’s
formation. These goals must be measurable and concise.
It is a fundamental requirement that the team share the same common goal that they are
striving to achieve together. The first step in unifying the team should be to have them develop
their own objectives to achieve their end goal. These can be defined by the team itself, not
necessarily by management. These objectives need to be measurable so as to be able to
gauge the performance of the team. Each objective needs to have some measurable metric
that everyone knows about and understands so higher management can determine the team’s
overall effectiveness and support the team as they develop a blueprint for improvement.
The objectives need to be accompanied by targets or milestones to achieve along the way.
These are the markers that are going to identify how the team is progressing towards its goals
over time.
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Purpose for Direction
Having a direction allows the team to build an understanding of their purpose in the company.
They will understand how their individual role fits into the company as a whole and how their
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purpose for the team affects it.
Team members must understand that their role is a piece of the bigger picture. While the
individual needs to understand his or her own role in the team, they also need to be able to
fill-in for others. The team should feel the responsibility to fill others’ roles in their absence due
to the fact that the team understands the end goal is important to the company and achieving
success is the ultimate target. A uniting goal allows team members to transition between roles
and maintains consistency in performance because they are working towards the goal, as well
as their own individual responsibilities.
Direction is essential because team members are obliged to know the reason for their existence.
Goals need to be set both for the team and for team members. When everyone knows the
standards for evaluating the team or the individuals within that team, the best accountability for
the team is achieved. By having unifying goals and objectives, the team feels totally included.
High-performing teams have members that feel like they have an important place not only in
the team but in the company as well.
Along with identifying goals and objectives, the team should identify specific barriers to success,
or any possible resistance that the team may face from other members of the company, as
well as external barriers. These should be outlined and discussed so that the team is aware of
issues that may come up and collectively create solutions to overcome them.
Management’s Role in Providing Direction
The higher management of the company is responsible for clearly spelling out why this particular
group of individuals needs to be formed into a team, why these people were chosen, what skills
or characteristics they bring to the team, and what the end goal of the team is going to be.
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Management also needs to make sure that the team has been provided all the knowledge and
appropriate training required to complete the task that is being asked of them.
Too often, companies fail to clearly communicate this to people in a team which results in
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the team lacking direction. By having a clear understanding of the big picture, the team will
excel in collaboration with each other, commitment to the team, and overall quality of work
will improve.
How to Achieve Optimal Direction within a Team
Here are some guidelines for achieving a clear direction for your team:
1. Develop specific, measurable goals that are aligned with the overall vision of the
company.
2. Define a measurable metric for each goal.
3. Develop milestones to measure progress towards each goal.
4. Determine the responsibilities for each member in the team and what the accountability
standards will be for each person.
5. Identify what barriers to success and resistance may exist and create solutions to
overcome them.
6. Create a team scope and plan, and refer back to it during each team meeting.
7. Determine what rewards will be offered when goals are achieved.
Roles of Team Members
Individual team members must have clearly identified expectations so they know how to perform
within the team, but also how they contribute to overall team success or failure. People need
to know what role they play in the team. These roles are not necessarily defined by anyone.
They are the roles that people may fit into naturally. Every team needs certain roles. The key
roles include but not limited to:
a. Leader – the person who is responsible for the success or failure of the team. This
person acts as spoke-person for the team, chairs meetings, plans meeting agendas, sets
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meeting times and obtains any necessary resources for the team.
b. Recorder – is needed if it is important for a team to have records of what has been
discussed, what decisions have been made, what actions have been decided on and
who is responsible for identified actions.
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c. Summariser – is the person who summarises the options the team has available to
help them achieve their objectives.
d. Optimist – is someone who maintains a positive attitude even when the team faces
severe challenges and initiates the search for solutions.
e. Timekeeper – is the person who keeps tracks of time during each meeting.
f. Skeptic – is someone whose responsibility is to look for potential flaws in ideas being
discussed by the team. This does not mean that the person has a negative attitude but
they are able to view ideas from different perspectives and share what may not be good
about an idea.
g. Referee – is the person who brings discussions back on track if disagreements occur
between team members. The referee ensures that the team stays positive and there is
a healthy respect for everyone in the team.
Individuals have natural abilities and a person can fall into a certain team role naturally.
For example, if someone is highly organised, they are likely to become the recorder or the
timekeeper. If someone is always positive, they are likely to be the referee. These roles are
not clearly defined in the team, but each person should understand how they contribute and
how they affect the team’s performance. These roles are important to team dedication and
commitment because each individual then feels like they have a responsibility and a place
within that team.
The Leader’s Role in Providing Direction
A leader is a person that inspires a team to pool their resources and create extraordinary
results.
The leader’s role in managing the direction of the team is to understand it and keep bringing
the team back to its objectives when it gets off task or veers off course. The leader will also
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be the person who determines whether or not team members are meeting their objectives. If
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they are not, the leader is responsible for addressing why that is the case. When conflict arises
in development of the team direction, the leader must facilitate the team in discussions that
will help reach a group consensus on the objectives that everyone believes in. If the entire
team has not bought into the objectives that have been set, the team will not reach its highest
potential.
Evaluation Questions and Exercises
1. Can you describe the goal of your team in one sentence?

2. What strategies have been identified to achieve the goal of the team?
3. What metrics are being used to measure if the team’s objectives are met?
4. Which team members could fit into the following roles ? (One person may fill mul-
tiple roles.)
a. Leader
b. Recorder
c. Summarizer
d. Optimist
e. Time keeper
f. Skeptic
g. Referee
5. How will you know if the team members are fulfilling their roles?
6. What factors are preventing your team from succeeding?
7. What will change in your company if your team succeeds? What will happen if the
team fails?
8. What rewards are on offer for the team if they succeed?
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Show Inspiring Leadership

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“Real teams are much more likely to flourish if leaders aim their sights on performance
results that balance the needs of customers, employees, and shareholders.”
~ Jon R. Katzenbach & Douglas K. Smith

Authors of The Wisdom of Teams
T he leader is central to the enthusiasm within the team. Throughout its life-cycle, the team
will naturally have ebbs and flows of inspiration and excitement for the project. The enthusiasm
within the team can also come from someone within the team who takes up the role of the
optimist. This person usually does not wane in their excitement for the project and in their
confidence that high-performance can be achieved. These two people are going to drive the
inspiration for the team.
The Team’s Role in Maintaining Inspiration
The team members must be committed to the vision and purpose of the team. Inspiration is
a key factor because motivating people helps keep them dedicated to the task. This is often a
reflection of the leader of the team.
Positive attitudes also inspire a team. Ideally, having a positive attitude is more preferable than
a bad attitude and that can be stated during the formation of the team. Bad attitudes can be
like a virus that do nothing but bring the team, and its members, down. High-performing teams
maintain a positive attitude which leads to better communication, better ideas and higher levels
of trust and respect for one another.
The Leader’s Role in Creating an Inspirational Team
Leadership of the team is different than management. Managers are people whom employees
work with to get their individual jobs done. A leader of a team, who may or may not be a
manager, is the person that the team looks to for motivation and reiteration of the goals and
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the team’s purpose.
The leader is usually a person that emerges as the head of the team, not someone appointed
to that position.
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A leader is defined, according to Herminia Ibarra and Morten Hansen in their article Are You a
Collaborative Leader?, as having “the capacity to engage people and teams outside one’s formal
control and inspire them to work toward common goals – despite differences in convictions,
cultural values, and operating norms.” Ibarra and Hansen go on to say that leaders must be
connectors, attract diversity, and promote debate.
Connectors are people that align the company to the team so that the team is not operating
alone. A connector will also connect individuals inside and outside of the team. This is where
conflict management is best used. A connector can get two people with differing points of view
to see a common outcome that they agree to work towards together.
Attracting diversity is important in a team and it is essential for an inspirational leader to be

able to assemble people from all different backgrounds, experiences and beliefs. By being a
person to whom diverse people are attracted to, the leader is able to inspire others because of
his or her ability to work with many different types of people.
Promoting debate is something that leaders need to do. Debate allows ideas, and opinions
about those ideas, to come to fruition. The leader should not interject his or her own opinion,
however. The leader’s ideas need to be reserved until the group has had a chance to fully
debate other ideas on their own.
Debate is one of the easiest ways to bring potential issues to the surface and discover previously
unforeseen problems. With many people looking at an idea from different points of view, the
likelihood of problems affecting the team decreases when there is a healthy debate.
The leader is the biggest source for inspiration and that person needs to embody that role.
Sharing ideas, knowledge and skills create a level playing field for the whole team so that no
one person feels like they know more than anyone else. The leader serves as the role model
for the team by doing this as well and because of that, the team will be inclined to share their
ideas fully.
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How to ensure continued Inspiration in a Team
1. The leader must facilitate the sharing of knowledge, skills and ideas with the team.
2. Encourage maintaining a winning attitude in all meetings to keep the team optimistic
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and in a positive frame of mind.

3. Any feedback received must not be criticized or ridiculed but taken as an opportunity
for improvement.
4. Promote healthy debate and disagreement in the team based on the ideas presented.
1. Who is the person that tends to have a negative attitude in the team?
2. Have you approached this person about their attitude? Can this person be given the
role of the skeptic for the team?
3. Have people debate issues that are not related to the goal of the team so they get
used to debating with each other and presenting ideas. Assign people to different
points of view based on the debate so all people debate different sides. Keep topics
low risk so as to not cross certain boundaries. Possible debate topics can be:
i. What is the best ice cream flavour and why? Assign teams to chocolate, vanilla
and strawberry. Get the group to reach a consensus.
ii. Which cars are better – local made or foreign imports? Why?
iii. What is the greatest movie ever made?
iv. Which is better - owning big or small dogs? Owning dogs or cats?
v. You are stranded on a deserted island. What one item would you take with
you? Ask the group to come to a consensus on the one item.
4. Provide general feedback and have the group determine how they could react to it
in a hypothetical sense. Present the team with scenarios and have them figure out
how they would respond in a positive, productive manner. Scenarios could be:
i. “You are not good at your job because you come in late, socialise too much
and don’t use the computer.”
ii. “The solution does not work because it creates more paperwork.
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Demonstrate Unwavering Dedication

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“Synergy - the bonus that is achieved when things work together harmoniously.”
~ Mark Twain
Author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
D edication goes hand-in-hand with commitment. Team members should be a part of the
team because they want to be, otherwise the team will not have the dedication required to
finish the task it was assigned to do.
A team works more effectively when members clearly understand and are dedicated to the
common objectives of the team. Ideally members will be involved with a team because they
really want to be a part of it. Without a strong dedication to the greater good of the team,
efforts will dissipate over time. This is why team roles and cross-training play a significant part
in maintaining the level of dedication each member has for the team.
Having a desire for achieving better results and ensuring that the job gets done efficiently is an
essential quality for a team to have. The team must also demonstrate a commitment to:
• Increase productivity
• Achieve high quality
• Improve customer service
• Encourage continuous improvement
• Demonstrate problem-solving
• Exhibit strong decision-making
• Promote creative thinking and innovation.
High-performing teams have this level of dedication on their own. When the team starts to fall
into the complacency stage, these factors become less important to the team.
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The Benefits of Cross-Training
Cross-training is also important to build dedication to the team. The ability to help out with
other tasks creates a bond between team members and allows them to feel a part of a group.
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Cross-training allows the team to function as one entity instead of as individuals. It allows
flexibility to fill in depending on who is present and allows for faster response times from the
team as a whole. When the team is committed to the end goal and not advancing just their
own position, the individuals have a much higher stake in the outcomes.
It is the responsibility of the team to become dedicated to continuing the growth and development
of all of its members. Team members should have a desire to enhance their personal skills while
being a valuable resource to the company for which they work.
The Leader’s Role in Maintaining Dedication
Colleen Kettenhofen, author of The Masters of Success, says, “Employees don’t quit their jobs.
They quit their team leaders and managers.”
The leader must be a respected person for the team. In an ideal environment, it is essential
that team members feel that they are being used in a way that merits their time and support.
By having an effective leader, the team will be more dedicated to the purpose of the team.
Once the team achieves that high-performing status, members will share responsibility for team
development and leadership. Once the team is in the execution stage of the life-cycle, the team is
responsible for its own leadership. The leader of the group has a much less significant role.
The leader will see mistakes as opportunities and take calculated risks to complete the job they
are charged with completing. Calculated risks are taken based on collecting data and speaking
with experts before taking the risk. There is no reckless risk-taking in a high-performing team
because the team members want to see success. It is important for the team to take risks but
not to be at risk.
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How to Create a Dedicated Team
A unanimous decision through voting promotes commitment to the ideas being shared because
all team members buy into the idea. All opinions are heard. The leader should facilitate this
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discussion, but not put forth an idea and demand agreement with it.
• Complacent answers such as “I don’t care” are not acceptable answers. A consensus
must be reached and the group needs to stand behind it.
• At the end of meetings, the summariser should rephrase the decisions and what the
actions steps are. Deadlines should be laid out so that the team has a short-term goal
to work towards.
• Start out with the team making small decisions. This builds up confidence because a
wrong decision may not be so costly for the team.
Evaluation Questions and Exercise
1. Put the group in charge of a project (build something with Legos, Tinker Toys, etc.)
and assign different roles to each member. Give directions to the team and rotate
roles every five minutes until the project is complete. Get the team working together
outside of assigned roles to create a bond between team members.
i. What roles are team members naturally suited for?
ii. What was working between the team as they completed the exercise?
iii. How can better synergy be created between team members?
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Practice Effective Communication

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“If your company has a mission or vision statement, then talk about what this statement
means in relation to the bigger picture and in relation to the teams’ role. Again, if there is no
mission or vision statement then develop a team statement.”
~ Byron and Catherine Pulsifer

Authors of More Challenges
C ommunication is another big key to success. Whole books have been written just on the
topic of communication.
The team must communicate effectively with one another, their sponsor, and the rest of the
company. The team cannot be isolated from everyone and expect to be successful.
The sponsor of a team is the person or group of people that have initiated the formation of
the team. This is different than the leader that emerges within the group to keep the team on
track and motivated.
Forms of Communication
Low-performing teams have one-way or two-way conversations. In one-way communication,

the leader speaks to the team, and does not desire or pay attention to feedback from team
members. This creates a serious disconnect between the leader and the team and harms the
effectiveness of all.
Figure 3: One-way Communication
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Two-way communication is between the leader to the team and the leader to individuals. In
the same fashion, this communication style is incomplete. The leader does not get feedback
and disconnects from the team. Communication should not be just with individuals. The team
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needs to be fully involved. If the leader is having side communications with individuals, the
team is not working with all the knowledge that it needs to do its job.
Figure 4: Two-way Communication
With multi-directional communication, the leader addresses the team, the sponsor addresses
the team if required, the team keeps the leader updated on progressions or challenges, and
the team fixes problems and communicates with each other. Multi-directional communication
is the ideal method for the communication flow within the team.
Figure 5: Multi-directional Communication
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Requirements for Good Communication
For the team to function properly, the communication between team members, and with the leader
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needs to be open, honest, respectful and for the purpose of achieving their goals. Disagreements are
going to happen, but if communication is open and honest, conflicts will be resolved. If it is done
with respect, no one will damage the team members or the ability of the team to perform.
Communication by the leader (or the sponsor) to the team must be inspiring. It needs to move
the team in the direction of their goals. To be considered high-performing, the communication
should be undoubtedly clear and encouraging to the team. Unproductive communication is
one of the main causes for failure and low performance of employees.
Effective communication is marked by active listening. This is a reflection of respectful

communication. Active listening means that people in the team are listening for content and
better understanding. The listeners should not be focused on their own points of view, what
they are going to say next, or blaming and judging someone else. Instead, they should be
listening for the potential benefit in the idea that is being shared.
Debate is a useful way of communicating in a group. It allows a team to discuss ideas without
judgment or criticism, and allows ideas to flow clearly and easily. When a team is high-
performing, this type of communication is dominant. This is the communication style high-
performance naturally takes in order to seek out different points of view even when they are
not blatantly apparent. When debate is used, confidence for the team increases and team
members are more secure in their decisions. This is largely due to the fact that alternatives and
consequences have been discussed to limit the likelihood of mistakes occurring.
All groups of any kind experience conflict. When conflict occurs over the issues being debated,
this is good conflict. The truth is discovered when conflicts arise and it makes it easier to assess
the validity of solutions to problems.
Positive conflict is characterised by being issued-based with the goal in mind. Negative conflicts
are personal, judgmental and underhanded. However, positive conflicts can produce negative
results when team members get passionate about their point of view resulting in someone
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saying something that can be taken as hurtful or offensive. In such a situation, if an apology
is made if warranted, and all parties agree to move forward, the situation can be deemed as
a positive one. This is exemplified in a high-performing team.
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Feedback within the Team
Feedback is an important piece of the communication puzzle. Unfortunately, feedback is often

not given in a timely and useful manner in many companies. It is essential that the team
receives feedback from any department or person they have contact with, earlier enough in
the process so they can respond to it and make changes if necessary. When feedback is quick,
the team has the ability to make adjustments and improvements to minimise the impact of
mistakes. Feedback that is practical and specific is best because it provides the team guidelines
for correcting problems in a functional way.
When feedback is given long after the fact, it can be seen as criticism and complaining rather
than helpful advice to make adjustments. Feedback timeliness and feasibility will produce a
team that sees mistakes as opportunities for improvement instead of a team that hides mistakes,
which is what happens when feedback is viewed as criticism in low-performing teams. Feedback
is essential to the performance of the team and is a great tool for a team leader to ensure that
the team achieves their goals.
From the team’s standpoint, this feedback needs to be seen as an opportunity. This reflects
directly on the team leader and the leader’s ability to convey this concept to the team and to
create an environment that promotes problem solving.
The Leader’s Role in Encouraging Communication
It will benefit the team greatly if the team leader is trained in interpersonal communication and
how to effectively manage a team. A team leader should not be thrown into a team without
the appropriate tools to effectively take the team to the high-performing standard it strives to
have.
The company is responsible for providing the leader with the appropriate training and for
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making sure information the leader needs is available. Many leaders acquire that role because
of their knowledge and how they performed in other positions in the company; however it is
essential that the leader has the skills to communicate, listen and resolve disagreements. In
other words, the leader must also be a coach. By providing adequate training and coaching,
management will enhance the chances of the team becoming high-performing.
Implementing Effective Communication
There are many ways for a team leader to initiate good conflict in a team. A couple of ways
include:
• Create a level of trust within the group such that any feedback offered or if a team
member is being held accountable, is deemed as a way to move the team forward.
• Allow conflicts to happen while monitoring the situation. Encourage input from team
members when they are withdrawing from conversation or when negative conflicts
develop.
Evaluation Exercise
Team obstacle courses or blind leading (one person talks the other person through an
obstacle course blindfolded) are great ways to build a bond and start talking to one an-
other. This can even be done in an office conference room, going around or over chairs.
The leader should be one of the people blindfolded at some point to show trust in the
team.
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Grant Decision-Making Autonomy

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“A team based environment demands that you make responsible decisions; it requires you to
take charge of your career. It requires you to develop excellent interpersonal skills because
you have to interact at a much different level with your team members. No longer is it just
you and your job!”
~ Catherine Pulsifer
Author of Wings for Work
A utonomy can be a large stumbling block for organisations, because it can be difficult for
upper management to surrender control to employees, particularly in companies with multi-
level hierarchies. However, to be high-performing, the team needs to be able to function with
some degree of autonomy. In an ideal environment, the team should be empowered to get
tasks accomplished without regular interference from management.
Should approval be required, the team members need to know how to get it, but most
decisions and problems should be solved and implemented by the team. Without the authority
to make decisions, the team is reduced to a low-performing group that works for a common
manager.
When the team is allowed to institute their own solutions to problems, they will feel more
engaged in the process and more a part of the team. The team will take more ownership of
the problems that come up and the solutions they implement together. When problems do
occur, the team leader should first assess the team structure before assessing individual team
members.
The Autonomy and Accountability Connection
With autonomy comes accountability. It is the team members’ responsibility to hold each
other accountable in high-performing teams, but until the team reaches the execution stage,
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the leader must make sure that the team members are held accountable to facilitate fairness
that creates trust.
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A feeling of ownership creates accountability. Team morale is highly impacted by the behaviour
and performance of its members. If someone is not pulling their weight in a team and still gets
credit for a success, the team will collapse. Accountability and autonomy ensures that people
are responsible for their portion of the work and going to be held to a standard for performing
that work. A team leader also has to enforce accountability through the quantifiable and
measurable objectives so that the team does not become a low-performing team.
The Leader’s Role in Creating an Autonomous Team
A leader must be involved in the teamwork of an autonomous team and encourages active
participation from all team members. Once a team becomes fully autonomous, they are in the
execution stage of the life-cycle and the leader could find his or her role diminishing. This is
considered a high-performing team when it is acting with complete autonomy in all facets.
The team needs to have the authority, within certain set boundaries, to make decisions and
then execute those decisions. Without that, the team will feel as if they constantly need to get
approval first and the team will collapse in the dissension life-cycle without ever getting over
the frustration of requiring constant approval. The team needs to have the ability to coordinate
with other teams in the organisation, vendors and customers as appropriate.
Implementing Autonomy and Accountability
Here are some guidelines to follow:

• Goals and responsibilities need to be clear and measurable so there is a standard to
hold individuals to.
• Regularly review with individuals and the team as a whole to get an understanding of
how they are performing in relation to their goals.
• Offer rewards that are team-based so that all individuals feel the need to contribute
equally.
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While the team needs the autonomy to do its job effectively, the team is going to impact the
company as a whole and should not be completely isolated from the rest of the company. It is
the leader’s job to be the connector…the bridge. However, the team members should not be
isolated from the rest of the company, either.
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1. Define the hierarchy of the company and become aware of what approval is re-
quired to execute certain actions.
2. Review the goals of the team and implement measures that will hold each team
member accountable for their role in the team.
3. Have individual discussions with each team member to get their perspective about
the team and their project.
4. Discuss with the team what rewards they deem appropriate for reaching certain
milestones during their project.
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Promote Diversity
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“Stellar teams are invariably made up of quirky individuals who typically rub each other
raw, but they figure out - with the spiritual help of a gifted leader - how to be their peculiar
selves and how to win championships as a team...at the same time.”
~ Tom Peters
Co-author of In Search of Excellence
H aving a diverse group of people maximises performance from a team. Diversity in the
team allows people to more naturally fall into roles that best suit their personalities without
any power struggles for the same positions. People with different ages, knowledge, levels of
experience, ethnic backgrounds, and work environments will be able to provide a wide range
of ideas in order to assist the team make better, more sound decisions about a course of action
to take.
Diversity means that people will have differences and weaknesses, but everyone’s weaknesses
will be different. People will also have different strengths and those can be utilised to bring the
best out of everyone for the team. This will prevent the concept of groupthink. Groupthink is
the situation where people are similar in mindset and thus, get sucked into one level of thinking
without exploring other, and potentially, better ideas. In such a situation, everyone is going
along with the group for the sake of going along.
With the existence of large differences between people in the team, respect is paramount. It is
essential that everyone’s opinions be respected and heard. Listening can be more important
than speaking in a diverse group.
The Leader’s Role in Promoting Diversity
Not thinking about people’s natural abilities when choosing team members can be a problem.
The sponsor of the team should choose people with an idea of how they will fit into the team,
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but allow those people to fill the roles on their own, naturally. By appointing people to positions
or not pulling the right people together, the team is destined to fail, most likely in the dissension
phase of the team life-cycle. All team members will not be able to fulfill all the roles, but they
need to have an understanding of all the roles.
It is essential for the sponsor and leader to remember that the natural skills of the team members
are going to determine the team’s success. This needs to be considered when forming the
group in the first place. An eagerness to participate in the group does not mean an individual is
prepared to work in a team effectively. Without some experience or guidance, people can have
difficulty performing in a team setting even if they are excited to participate in the team.
With diversity comes a difference in opinions. It is common for team members to mute their
opinions at times in order to maintain a good impression on other team members or to prevent
an argument from developing. These interactions are normal but need to be discouraged by
the leadership. Difference of opinion is what makes the team productive and separates low-
performing teams from the high-performing teams.
Since there is a diverse group of people working together, they will build on each other’s ideas.
It is important for team member’s to realize that no one person is responsible for a good idea.
In a high-performing team, credit is shared by everyone. There is a level of pride and respect
associated with team success.

1. Examine your team. What backgrounds do people come from? Do you have people
that are from different positions and levels in the company? Different ages? Different
cultures or generations? If that’s not the case, would adding diversity be beneficial
for your team?
2. Do the “Fact-finding Scavenger Hunt” exercise. Make a list of different characteristics
and distribute them with your team. Have the team members talk with one another
to fill in the name next to the characteristic.
a. Characteristics could include: who is a reader, a writer, a dog lover, a cat lover,
born in another country, visited one of the wonders of the world, favourite colour
is purple, has a white car, etc.
b. Once you find someone that fits these characteristics, fill their name in next to the
characteristic on the scavenger hunt sheet.
c. This turns their diverse characteristics into positives attributes.
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Establish Respect
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“The greater the loyalty of a group toward the group, the greater is the motivation among
the members to achieve the goals of the group, and the greater the probability that the group
will achieve its goals.”
~ Rensis Likert
Founder of the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research
R espect is a concept that needs to spread from an individual and the company to the team.
Respect for the team is exhibited by treating the team as an entity, not as individuals. Individual
identity should be secondary to the team in the eyes of the company. No one person should
be singled out for successes or failures, including the leader.
For the team to be treated as an entity, it must be cohesive and united. Cross-training or multi-
skilling increases interdependency in the group. This leads to more collaboration and reduces
the need to rely on individual performances in the team.
Blame can occur quickly in a team if there isn’t a level of respect established, and it can
completely undermine the purpose and effectiveness of the team. It is imperative that the
team learn to work collaboratively. Creating interdependency unites the group and creates a
shield to individual scapegoating. Rewards for the group can also reinforce this concept. It is
important that any rewards are done group-wide; never on an individual level. This will also
help to strengthen the unity within the team.
From Respect to Trust
Team members must exhibit maturity to know that they are moving towards a common goal.
Truth is a function of maturity. It should be acceptable to tell the truth about ideas and situations,
even if these may be uncomfortable. The leadership must allow hearing the truth about topics
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and accepting those truths without punishment to the team or team members. Truth is closely
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related to respect because there must be a mutual respect in the team to be able to voice these
truths, and have the maturity to accept them without being defensive. Disagreements can be
present over the issues that are being discussed, but it should not be personal.
Respect is also a function of trust in the team. Without trust, team members will not respect
one another. Trust, in the context of teams according to Patrick Lencioni, author of The Five
Dysfunctions of a Team, is “the confidence that each member has good intentions and a sense
you do not need to be overly cautious or apprehensive in the company of your team mates.”
Trust and respect are the crux of the characteristics of high-performing teams. Without trust,
teams do not truthfully communicate, are not inspired or dedicated, and cannot move into
appreciating diversity or seeking autonomy.
The Leader’s Role in Building Respect within the Team
The leader’s respect will have to be earned on a more challenging scale than the team members
since the leader is the figurehead and driver of the direction for the team. It is the leader’s
responsibility to prove that he is a listener and also a doer - that he (or she) will do what he
says he will do. Failure to be accountable is one of the biggest downfalls to gaining respect for
a leader. It is imperative that a leader keeps his or her agreements in order to have the respect
of the team.
The team leader must also respect the team and not look down on them. By having a leader
that is a member of the team rather than the “boss” increases confidence in the team. Confident
teams with high morale are more likely to be successful. Teams with doubt and anxiety about
their jobs are going to be low-performing.
How to Build Respect and Trust
From formation, there are some steps that can be taken to increase trust and respect between
members of the team.
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• Spend time getting to know one another on a personal level to create bonds between
individuals.
• Have team members point out strengths of their team mates through a strength
bombardment process. As the team moves through the life-cycle, the team members
can also point out weaknesses of each other.
• Personality tests can identify certain personalities in a group and help to understand
how to communicate with those personality types.
• Actively seek out the quiet team members and invite them to contribute their opinions
1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how high would you rate the level of respect and trust within
your team?
2. How much do you know about your team and how much does your team know
about you?
3. Invite team members to share successes they’ve had in life or things they are proud
of.
4. At the start of team meetings, invite each team member to say something they
appreciate about another team member. The team leader initially needs to ensure
that every member has been appreciated so no one feels left out.
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10
10 Hindrances to High-Performing Teams

“What sets apart high-performance teams is the degree of commitment, particularly how
deeply committed the members are to one another.”
~ Jon R. Katzenbach & Douglas K. Smith

Authors of The Wisdoms of Teams
T here are some key issues that can pose a threat to the success of a high-performing team.
Many of those hindrances lie in the corporate culture and hierarchy.
1. The Hierarchy of the Company
The hierarchy of the company refers to the structure or the chain of command. A steep hierarchy
is one with lots of levels from CEO to Vice President to Manager and on down the line. A flat
hierarchy is one in which the responsibilities are spread out and there are fewer people in the
chain of command.
If the hierarchy of a company is a steep one, teams can be hindered by not having the autonomy
to operate in a manner that best serves the team, their project and the company. If the nature
of a project requires the inclusion of “lower level” employees such as shop-floor employees,
it may take a few levels of permission to get something approved or accomplished. This can
hinder the team…and the company.
Flatter hierarchies in companies often lend themselves to many small groups. If those groups
are then put together to make a team, there may not be much diversity present. A diverse
team, as mentioned previously, is essential for the team to not fall into the trap of groupthink.
If a workforce is not diverse, new ideas may not be developed, solutions to problems that arise
will not be resolved in a timely manner, and the team will become a low-performing team.
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10 1
2. Ineffective or Poor Communication

10
Poor communication is a large problem within organisations. It is important for the team to
be linked with the rest of the company. It is the upper management’s responsibility to make
sure there is a connection between the team and the rest of the company so the team is not
isolated and their efforts are not unknown to the rest of the company. High-performing teams
cannot operate in isolation. It is critical that they have an impact on the goals and objectives
of the company to be considered as being valuable.
Communication between levels of employees is often lost in many organisations. A team

may take polls and surveys to gather feedback or develop solutions and that data may not be
disseminated throughout the organisation. This means that often the team’s efforts are wasted
by not being appropriately channelled within the company or the team is not operating with
the data they need to succeed.
Communication between team mates can also be an issue. Members are sometimes inclined to
hold back their opinions to maintain a good impression or avoid confrontation. This behaviour
does not further the team. Ideally, ideas will be presented and different points of view need to
be represented to effectively determine the course of action that should be taken.
Team members who do not trust one another and are afraid of confrontation can jeopardise
communication within the team or organisation. Feelings cannot be hidden to get through the
dissension phase. Ideas that are not thoroughly discussed will result in a lack of cohesion. This
will often characterise the team as low-performing.
3. Managers and Leadership
Managers can be a big hindrance to team performance. Managers that are not prepared to be
team leaders can often put team members into decision-making processes that do not have an
agenda or a structure and will inevitably fail. The manager must be completely engaged with
the purpose and goals of the team. Oftentimes, to achieve best results, the manager should
not be the team leader.
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10
10
Ineffective leadership can also be a hindrance to high-performing teams. Leadership is the
vehicle for overall success of the team. The leader must be inspiring and help the team through
many of the challenges they will face. Since the team will not exist in hypothetical or perfect
situations, the real-world issues poses unique challenges for every team that the leader has to
be prepared to guide the team through.
If team members are not inspired to be a part of the team, then people will just go through the
motions and produce lack lustre results. The leadership of the team must be invigorating and
help the team members find the inspiration they need to continue their work.
They are required to be able to think outside the box in order to effectively challenge the norms
of the company in order to move it forward. The ability to pose these challenges to the norms
without fear of repercussions has to be present.
If the company or the leadership is not committed to change, the team will fail to be high-
performing. Before the team is formed, the management needs to examine and evaluate
whether they are truly ready to have changes in their organisation.
4. Lack of Accountability
A lack of accountability can destroy a team. Lack of accountability fosters distrust in a team
and it often falls apart. Without accountability, most of the characteristics of a high-performing
team cannot exist. Members will no longer focus on their goals and the action steps needed
to be taken.
External factors can be challenged and changed, but if the internal structure of the team is
damaged, the team can never become a high-performing team.
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10 1
5. Now’s Not the Time

10
It is very common, especially in the new economy, for resources to be stretched in an
organisation. Some common excuses include, “We are too busy” or “Now is not the time.” The
reality is that it is very rarely the right time to do anything; there are always other constraints
or pressures present like meeting monthly budgets, dealing with customer demands, paying
vendors or suppliers, doing payroll or attending meetings. The list goes on and on.
If a company is truly committed to change, then putting up with mediocre or low performance
is now no longer acceptable. In order to be competitive and keep up with our rapidly changing
economy, the time is now! High-performing teams are now vital to the success of an organisation.
Implementation starts now!
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11
11 Implementation Starts Now

“None of us is as smart as all of us.”
~ Ken Blanchard
Author of The One-Minute Manager
I t is time to recognise that high-performing teams are no longer a luxury but rather a necessity
to survive in today’s global economic landscape. Here are some simple steps to get started.
1. Identify Opportunities
The first thing a company is obligated to do is identify where high-performing teams can best
be utilised in the company. Identifying needs and problems to be solved and appointing people
to be on teams is the starting point.
2. Conduct a Training Needs Analysis
It is extremely important that training is provided for all members of teams and their leaders.
Everyone needs to know how to be an effective communicator and resolve conflict in a team.
Having difficult conversations is an essential skill for leaders to have. Furthermore, leaders
need to be trained on how to be better listeners and delegators. Leaders also need to develop
coaching and mentoring skills. They have to lead and inspire the team to do the work that
produces the best outcomes and successes for the team.
Teams outside of business, such as sporting teams, partake in “practices.” Business teams should
be no different. Practice, or training, should be a tool the team uses to gain stronger results.
3. Meet and Evaluate
Educate employees on how to hold effective meetings and how to work as a team. Since this
www.neelraman.com
11 1
may be a new concept in a company, employees may not be prepared to work in teams and
11
may need some coaching from a professional coach or upper management. There are some
simple steps to working effectively in a team and facilitating meetings or team gatherings. Here
are some guidelines:
a. Set ground rules

The team needs to determine the ground rules for existing and discussions. These include
things like: allow everyone to speak, no put-downs, no name calling (even in jest).
These are basic but a good foundation to refer back to, and allows for group discipline in
discussions.
b. Write things down

Brainstorming sessions and idea discussions can be aided by writing down notes on a
whiteboard or poster paper. All ideas should be written down because during brainstorming
sessions, no idea is a bad idea. As a group, decide the top ideas to explore and act on.
c. Encourage Debate
Ideas should be debated constructively while holding to the ground rules. Discuss all facets
of an idea from possible options to outcomes and unintended consequences. All possible
situations and ideas need to be carefully evaluated. Without having the advantage of
debating all possible ideas, good or bad, the team does not have to ability to make the
most appropriate decisions. The environment must be one free of ridicule and immaturity.
The idea that “there are no bad ideas” has to be exercised regularly.
When there are multiple opinions or ideas being debated, the leader can assign certain
people to the topics and have them debate those topics. This can reduce the personal aspect
of the opinions because people are defending ideas that were not their own but they are
contributing by rethinking those ideas of others to defend them in the debate.
d. Decide on a course of action and implementation plan

This may be a one-time process to fix a problem or the team may be in charge of a continuous
improvement action where the course of action is regularly reviewed and adjusted.
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11
e. Evaluate and improve

11 Evaluation requires communication within the company and within the team. A good
leader will utilise tools like polls and surveys to acquire feedback. These are not uncommon
tools; however, it is important to communicate back the results of the data gathered to the
team and the whole organisation. Once problems are identified, use teams to brainstorm
and fix problems.
4. Invite Feedback
Timely feedback is required for success of the team. The team must know how they are
performing to enjoy the rewards of success or make adjustments to correct mistakes in a timely
manner. Mistakes are opportunities for improvement. They give the team something to build
on and a reason to work harder.
Often times, high-level management is unaware of the situation occurring at the lower levels
of their companies. This creates discouraged and poorly engaged employees, and potentially
unhappy customers. Dysfunctional employees or teams hamper the productivity of a company.
This is where high-performing teams are such a dynamic infusion into the workplace culture
that they cannot be ignored.
The seven key principles for developing a high-performing team are:

- Have a clear direction
- Show inspiring leadership
- Demonstrate unwavering dedication
- Practice effective communication
- Grant decision-making autonomy
- Promote diversity
- Establish respect.
Team members need to be guided by the sponsor and the leader of the team. If these principles
are applied, the team will succeed in being a high-performing team that will produce outstanding
results for the company.
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Summary
The seven principles that will increase productivity and up-level the results of
your team are:
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FREE Bonus
FREE ONLINE CONSULTING
This offer is valid only for the owner of this book!
My goal is to inspire and empower teams to continually up-level their performance and
their results.
As a reward for reading this book and taking the time to complete the exercises, I would
like to gift you with a block of my time. It is enough time to answer any three questions
that you may have regarding the content in this book.
I’ve created a special email account for you to send in your questions. It is a private
account and nobody will have access to it except for me.
To take advantage of this free online consulting offer, simply email your top three
questions regarding the content in this book to:
3free@focusedon.com.au
I will endeavour to answer your questions within a reasonable timeframe – usually within
7 days. When preparing your questions, please keep them relevant to what was conveyed
in the book.

A $500 Value
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Ignite Your Team’s Performance

Bring the principles of high-performing teams to your organisation!
Possessing a major competitive advantage comes down to how well a team performs. A highly
functional team can overcome any challenge they face, and can even thrive in tough times.
The best way to fully integrate the principles covered in this book and experience the profound
and lasting changes that is possible for your team is through a live group training or workshop.
This program is designed to provide the practical and easy-to-implement tools and strategies
to create teams that are cohesive and highly functional.
Who is the program for?
Managers and Executives, Business Owners, Supervisors, Team Leaders, Leading Hands,
Corporate Workgroups and anyone who works in a team environment.
Learning Outcomes:
√√ Build a higher level of trust and respect within your team

√√ Implement tools and strategies to enable high team performance
√√ Learn how to give and receive feedback to enhance individual and team
performance
√√ Develop the skills and confidence to hold team members accountable for their
performance
√√ Create solutions and action plans for breakthrough results
√√ Enhance individual and team engagement
√√ Improve your team’s decision-making ability
√√ Create a clear direction for your team
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Program Duration:
The ideal length of this program is 2 days however the program can be customised to suit
your organisation’s needs.
About The Program:
This program is fun, interactive and experiential. Every concept, theory or activity covered in
this program is designed to give each participant the understanding of how to apply it to their
work situation.
Take Action Today!
Contact Neel Raman and bring the principles of high-performing teams to your
organisation.
Send an email to info@focusedon.com.au for further details. Or you can

call +61 413 548 951 to discuss what solution will be best for your
organisation.
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Building High-Performing Teams Facilitator Kit
Do you have what it takes to build a high-performing team?
Would having a complete system that will guide you each step of
the way towards building a team that is productive, focused and
results-driven be beneficial?
This Facilitator Kit provides you everything you need to deliver an experiential two-day training
program for your teams. While it is recommended that you deliver this as a 2-day program, it
can be customized to suit your team’s needs.
This kit covers the content in the Building High-Performing Teams book in much greater depth
with the aim of creating a high impact experience for the participants.
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Kit contents include:
1. A comprehensive Facilitator Guide that breaks down each session in detail, describes what
the exercises and activities are, what to say and what questions to ask to prompt discussion
and debate, and how long each session should be − 1copy
2. A PowerPoint presentation that compliments the Facilitator Guide (included in the CD or
flash drive) − 1copy
3. A Participant Guide for participants to complete exercises and capture their learnings. The
Participant Guide also includes a team assessment − 10 copies
4. A digital copy of the book Building High-Performing Teams (included in the CD or flash
drive)
Take Action Today!
Send an email to info@focusedon.com.au for further details or to get a copy

of your Facilitator Kit.
www.neelraman.com
Other Titles in The Leader’s Guide Series
www.neelraman.com
About the Author

Neel Raman is the author of Hoops and
Freedom and founder of Focused On...®,
which provides experiential leadership and
high performance training programs. As
a leading authority on the topics of high
performance and personal leadership,
Neel has helped leaders and organisations
increase performance, productivity and
profits. Neel holds a Bachelor of Industrial
Engineering degree and has extensive
experience managing multi-million dollar
business operations.
As a life-long student of success and peak

performance, Neel has been personally
trained and mentored by Jack Canfield,
co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the
Soul ® book series, which has now sold
over 500 million books worldwide. As a
trained facilitator of Jack Canfield’s The
Success Principles™, Neel is able to bring
the latest tools, strategies and technologies
to organisations who want to up-level their
performance and results.
Neel lives in Sydney, Australia and you can find out more about him at
www.NeelRaman.com and www.FocusedOn.com.au.
Connect with Neel online:
facebook.com/NeelRamanFan
linkedin.com/in/NeelRaman
twitter.com/NeelRaman
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Building High-Performing Teams 1

Praise for Building High-Performing Teams

“Building High-Performing Teams is a great guide to understanding what makes successful

ISBN: 978-0-9803125-4-6 (Kindle)

Other Books By Neel Raman

Meet Neel Raman online at www.NeelRaman.com

1. Overview of Teams and Life-cycle Stages...............................................................3

2. The Opportunity for High-Performing Teams........................................................10

3. Have a Clear Direction.........................................................................................17

4. Show Inspiring Leadership...................................................................................22

5. Demonstrate Unwavering Dedication...................................................................25

6. Practice Effective Communication........................................................................28

7. Grant Decision-Making Autonomy........................................................................33

10. Hindrances to High-Performing Teams.................................................................41

11. Implementation Starts Now..................................................................................45

Building High-Performing Teams Facilitator Kit..........................................................52

Other Titles in The Leader’s Guide Series..................................................................54

About the Author.......................................................................................................55

Benefits of developing high-performing teams include:

●● Higher employee morale

What you will learn includes:

●● The differences between groups, teams, and high-performing teams

Overview of Teams and Life-cycle Stages

Groups vs. Teams

concept in a team-based environment.

developed in order to achieve the outcomes that are expected.

There are four stages to the team life-cycle:

Figure 1 – The Team Life-Cycle

Characteristics of this stage are:

Needs of this stage are:

connection to each other, in order to build trust.

Characteristics of this stage are:

Needs of this stage are:

Characteristics of this stage are:

Needs of this stage are:

Characteristics of this stage are:

Needs of this stage are:

High-Performing vs. Low-Performing Teams

One common characteristic of a low-performing team is a lack of clearly defined outcomes.

The Opportunity for High-Performing Teams

“Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a

T he ever-changing global economy provides an opportunity for growth and expansion.

It is essential that industry and company considerations be examined to determine the

1. Industry Life Stage

has been steadily declining.

2. The Vision and Goals of the Company

3. Identification of Opportunities for Improvement

Trends and Challenges in High-Performing Teams

The seven highly interconnected principles are:

Figure 2: 7 Principles for Building High-Performing Teams

2. Show Inspiring Leadership. Leadership is the concept of motivating team members

3. Demonstrate Unwavering Dedication. Dedication is the commitment team

5. Grant Decision-Making Autonomy. Autonomy is the ability to put into operation

Have a Clear Direction

Purpose for Direction

purpose for the team affects it.

Management’s Role in Providing Direction

How to Achieve Optimal Direction within a Team

Roles of Team Members

The Leader’s Role in Providing Direction

Evaluation Questions and Exercises

1. Can you describe the goal of your team in one sentence?

Show Inspiring Leadership

~ Jon R. Katzenbach & Douglas K. Smith