Exceptional teams have specific characteristics that distinguish them from others. This holds true in both sports and in business. As a manager, you need to develop championship team performance standards. Regardless of whether it’s in sports or business, every team wants to be successful and win.
Championship Team Traits
The traits of championship teams that can apply easily to business include:
- Clear goals
- People knowing their roles
- Motivated & focused
- Culture of backing each other up
- Keeping issues contained in the locker room
I like to run my teams as though I am the General Manager of a sports team. To build a great team, you need to be focused on having the right players.
Elements of Championship Team Performance
- Teams know who they are. Sharing strengths, weaknesses, work preferences, and values allows establishing a set of shared beliefs for the team, creating a group identity and a feeling of what the group stands for.
- Where is the team now? Understanding the current position means that a team can reinforce its strengths, improve on its weaknesses, and identify opportunities to capitalize on any threats that they are aware of.
- Where is the team trying to go? All teams need to have a vision. They also need a mission, a purpose, and a set of specific team goals that they are all excited about.
- How will the team get there? Team members must understand who will do what and when to accomplish team goals. They must be clear about their job descriptions and roles on the team, responsibilities, and areas of authority and accountability.
- What support will the team need/get? Reviewing each member’s training and development needs can set individual training, coaching, and mentoring.
- How good or effective is the team? Regular performance reviews of quantity and quality outputs and the team processes – with recognition and rewards for success – ensure team goals and provide members with standards to adhere to.
Championship Team Personnel
To have a championship-level team, you need to have championship-level personnel. That means there needs to be a focus on player development. You should have a depth chart for succession planning purposes. A culture where there is constant feedback, like that of a coach and his or her players. The team needs to have tremendous leadership and teamwork. Ultimately teamwork needs to be looked at as a job expectation for all also. There need to be team rewards that make sense. Leadership and management training for high-potentials is a must.
Ultimately the difference between a team that is OK and a championship team is consistent execution. Teams that practice the fundamentals are the ones that win championships. Champions don’t always do extraordinary things, but they always do the fundamental things extraordinarily well. How you build and manage your team matters.
