276. Performing Teams: Maintaining Excellence - Preventing Complacence

In our fourth and final episode of our Incredible Teams mini-series we explore how to inspire a team to perform - and most importantly maintain high standards of excellence as the default. 

Transcript

Delegation And Single Points Of Failure

SPEAKER_01 0:00

This is typically where you'll see a leader acknowledging, I've got to start delegating.

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 0:05

If you've got a single job holder responsible for maybe an important part of that process, then that's a single point of failure.

SPEAKER_00 0:12

A great leader, you know, manager will recognise that, that it suddenly is not all about them, but they know they're doing it for the greater good, and that's where performing comes into it. Football's the same, sports the same. They work as one team to be able to achieve whatever that end goal is.

SPEAKER_01 0:38

Yes, lots of norming. Oh, not normans.

SPEAKER_00 0:41

Not normans, okay. Just checking. Just norming.

SPEAKER_01 0:45

Um, because as we've been exploring in Tuckman's team dynamic model, the secret behind high-performing teams, you might not get that instantly overnight. You've got to form and create those relationships. Potentially, there might be some stormy times, and that doesn't mean that it's an indication to give up. Actually, leaning into those stormy moments creates that real foundation of trust, which then gives you the structures to norm, the etiquettes, the rules of the road. Because if you're a conductor of an orchestra, yeah, you are there to help keep time and keep up those performance standards.

SPEAKER_00 1:22

I love that. And that links really nicely. Because I have a question for you, Laura. You ready?

Orchestras, Stages, And Understudies

SPEAKER_01 1:27

Born ready, just born ready.

SPEAKER_00 1:28

Okay, so I'm gonna take you into the world of the West End or performers on stage, a bit like your orchestra. Um, and what happens when suddenly somebody doesn't show up because they might be ill, they might have an injury, they might whatever. But the show still goes on and everybody still performs at their best, and you have no idea that that it's been seamlessly looked over that someone is missing. The only way you get to notice that is if you're working behind the scenes of something and you've watched the show a million times, and then you think, oh, I'm gonna see the show again, and then the understudy comes on, and you're a little bit disappointed because you think, are they gonna be as good as the original? And actually, that might even be better. So it's like, how do we deal with that performing to a level where everybody gives their best in order for the show to go on and you're not leaving the audience disappointed? So there's a responsibility and accountability on individuals within that setup and even within teams to still have an accountability for how they show up and their intent that enables people to move forward and still have a great experience of them. So thinking about that, Law, when have you seen great teams performing? And what was it that sort of sat underneath that? Do you think?

Capacity, Cross-Cover, And Resilience

SPEAKER_01 2:45

Oh, Debs, that is such an interesting parallel to think about then in sort of different industries. Because you're right, the show must go on. Those shareholders need their dividends, those patients, customers, students, clients, they need that sort of service. So I think that's a really interesting um parallel to kind of share. So, what have I seen? Okay, I think one of the unlockers behind that performing, and that's where I think the understudy um idea, I think is an interesting one. This is typically where you'll see a leader acknowledging, I've got to start delegating more.

SPEAKER_00 3:22

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 3:22

Because if it's only one person that's really clear on their role, but if you've got a single job holder responsible for maybe an important part of that process, then that's a single point of failure. So although you might have the best data analyst working on that data, what happens if that person is off on holiday, has to sort of, you know, be used on another project? Then what happens to your data? So part of that performing process is have we got the resilience? Have we got then increased capacity by being able to take time out either in a formal delegated role? Yes. Or we hear lots around teams saying, actually, let's kind of work shadow for a bit. Let me find out what goes on in your day-to-day. Yeah. So then I can cover you if something then happens. Because that orchestra, that um West End team, it's it's all about the audience. It is, not about the players on the stage.

Trust, Vulnerability, And Bonding

SPEAKER_00 4:20

No, and I think a good, a great leader, you know, manager will recognise that, that it suddenly is not all about them. And even though the lead, maybe the lead in a show or the you know the orchestra leading that, actually, it's not about them in that moment. It's about their carrying everyone else to some extent, but they know they're doing it for the greater good, and that's where performing comes into it. Football's the same, sports the same. They work as one team to be able to achieve whatever that end goal is, and they can cover each other depending. So it takes a lot and a lot of trust and respect and understanding of who you are, who am I, who are they, what's different, what do they love, don't love. So we we go underneath the surface of just being like top-level platitudes, if you like, going underneath, being vulnerable and being able to show actually this is who I am as a human. And I think when you see that, that's where the teams really bond and perform exceptionally well. And there's that camaraderie that comes in, which is like nothing else. So powerful.

Creativity When Resources Are Tight

SPEAKER_01 5:24

And Debs, I think a big challenge that a lot of industries are facing is there's not a lot of resource going around or the perception of not much resource. So where it can be easy to stay stuck a bit, well, if only we had more people, more time, more budget. But actually, if we think about those parallels on the stage or on the field, where once you've got your rhythms and your routines and your disciplines and standards of excellence in place, you've got a bit more capacity to add lib, to add your own kind of riffs. So I'm thinking of an example that we had shared with us on a session a while back where there was an area manager responsible for different parts of a healthcare provision, and where they would have loved to have had more training days put in, actually, two of those area managers got their heads together. The teams were in a stable enough place to be able to cover off each other's desks, that unlocked half of the team to go to another area and have a training day, and then vice versa. So where they weren't able to get in cover to enable to release everyone, that collaboration and that, well, let's be creative about it. But had that been a team that was stuck in the drama, that was still working out what to do, that was having performance issues left, right, centre, there wouldn't have been that capacity to think creatively. So I think this fourth and final stage of performing is where that real magic lies because we've got our act together, we know what we're doing, we're skilled enough to be able to cover each other. Now, what can we do to do more, to be able to keep evolving, keep enjoying the role, and knowing that you are delivering the best service that you can?

SPEAKER_00 7:04

Yeah, definitely. So, shall we find out a little bit more?

SPEAKER_01 7:07

Yes, let's.

Performing Is Not Conflict-Free

Permission To Disagree With Care

SPEAKER_00 7:09

So, when we hear the phrase high performing team, wow, we often imagine something polished and perfect. Everybody is aligned, there's no conflict going on, and their meetings are so smooth, there's nothing wrong with them. Easy decisions are being made. But you know what? Here's the truth. High performing teams aren't conflict-free teams. They are teams who know how to stay connected when things start to feel uncomfortable. So, what is the truth about performing? Performing definitely doesn't mean everything feels easy. It means that the team has learned how to one, talk about the hard stuff, two, stay curious rather than critical, and they assume positive intent. Performing teams don't avoid the tension, they have actually just learned how to work with it. So they've built a great shared language, lots of trust is there, and most importantly, that psychological safety is present within that team. It's not because they're perfect, but because they practiced. And they've learned how to navigate, explore, and find a way forward with healthy debate at the core of conversations that focuses on the problem and concern and issue rather than the actual person. So let's take a moment to explore what moves a team into performing, as it isn't just talent alone, it's permission. It's permission to say, actually, I don't agree right now. I don't understand. Actually, that didn't land very well for me. Performing teams choose relationship and results, but they actually don't sacrifice one for the other. So here's one thing that we can consider to build on the fourth stage of Tuchman's model performing in your team. So the next time there's tension or difference, ask this question: How do we want to handle this together? Not who is right, not who is wrong, but how do we stay connected while we actually move forward? Because performing isn't about being perfect together, it is about being honest, human, and intentional together with compassion and care and creating understanding, be at the heart of everything that we're doing.

SPEAKER_01 9:30

So, Debs, what's one thing that we can do to shift towards performing or maximise that stage when we're in it?

The Drama Line And Reset Questions

SPEAKER_00 9:37

So here is one thing that I'd like you to consider. There are so many things, but this one actually really works. When we understand where we sit and what's going on for us, we can actually begin to know how do we lift ourselves up out of any potential conflict and in and into our purpose, intent, and goal. So this is called the drama line. So what sits under the drama line is emotions, blame, egos, the drama itself, anger. There's a whole wealth of emotions that sit below the drama line, and it's so super quick to get under it. Somebody might just say the wrong thing, you might not be in a good state of mind, and something might trigger you so that you fall below the drama line. So one is to recognize it first. The second step is to bring yourself back up over the drama line. So, how do we do this? One of the things I'd like you to consider is so what is the purpose? What is the intent? And what is the goal of us being together as a team? So we bring ourselves up and out of the drama and focus on where we're heading. And actually, we can ask ourselves some questions before we get in the mix of everything and that nothing then works. So we can say, okay, so what is our purpose here today? What is our intent? What is it that we want to actually achieve, which is the goal? And then we can take a bit of a pause and then come back into the conversation with compassion, with care, and creating a greater understanding so that we continue to move forward as a high-performing team.

Resource And CTA For Listeners

SPEAKER_01 11:14

I'm just going to pause the episode here for a second. Firstly, to say a huge thank you to everyone listening and watching the Secrets from a Coach podcast over the years. But also to let you know, all of our latest secrets shared resource is available for you with our compliments on our website. So, click the link in the description or scan the QR code you see on the screen now. Now, back to the episode.

SPEAKER_00 11:40

So, Lord, what do you think?

Stay Curious And Avoid Complacency

SPEAKER_01 11:42

Oh, Debs. Such a welcome reminder about the power of intentionality and um how that performing stage has got the benefits of having a team that are, you know, resilient and durable and they're able to sort of cover each other, but also not slipping into the complacency.

SPEAKER_00 12:02

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 12:02

So seeing it as still a continually evolving process.

SPEAKER_00 12:06

Yeah. And I think I think that's where the magic happens. Nothing is going to stay the same forever. So I think that would be my call to action as well is to stay curious. Um, ask questions. Are we doing well? Do we need to do better? What's working, what's not working? So not being afraid to have those courageous conversations where you can, I suppose, reflect on what's working, what's not, and what can we do better? Um and having those great conversations involving everybody, I think is really important. So stay curious.

Practical Takeaways And Emotional Intelligence

SPEAKER_01 12:34

Oh, Debs, I think you're so right with that because a team is a living, breathing organism. It is. And it's those, you know, it's those unautomatable moments, the care, the collaboration, the curiosity, and the creativity. That we can't automate. That is the DNA, the do-not-automate um touch points that a team has with each other. Yes. So I think my share of the secret would be: do you have someone in your life, um, maybe it's a colleague or a friend who's been internally promoted, they've now inherited a uh a performing team, maybe they were part of that team. What then um can they be empowered to think about well, what's the next stage? So it's rewarding and recognising the great stuff that's happening, yes, but also remembering this is a living, breathing, evolving organism. And as you said, Debs, you know, nothing stays the same forever. And that just might be a hopeful message for anyone that is currently in a team that doesn't feel great. Yeah, that's nothing stays the same forever. As Tuckman's team dynamic model reminds us, it's stages and one begets the other. And if there were, you know, just a couple of practical takeaways we've taken from the forming, so the power of having that vision, the storming, so leading into those conversations, the norming to establish the practice makes permanent. And so, if there were one final wrap-up from the performing stage, what would that be, Debs?

SPEAKER_00 14:00

I think it would be about permission. Permission to ask, permission to challenge, permission to be you, not be like that unapologetically you with a caveat, which is around being emotionally intelligent. So, how intelligent are you emotionally? So self-aware, manage your emotions, what do you know about others? How do you build great relationships? So the impact that you have and the intent behind that is a great one.

Closing Gratitude And Contact Details

SPEAKER_01 14:25

Oh, brilliantly put, Debs. Thank you. What a pleasure it's been. It's been so cool to be able to sit here and you know have a chat about a huge topic of our time. What is the secret source behind high-performing teams? Yes, and whether this is in our personal relationships, our professional relationships, at home, in the workplace, even just how we work with ourselves. Yes, because we are the other in every single other of our relationships. Yeah, that's true. And if we can't work well with ourselves, then that's going to kind of influence how we work with others as well. Yeah. So, devs, have an awesome week. Oh, and you too, Lau. I've loved this.

SPEAKER_00 14:59

I love this too. Brilliant. So, yeah, let's get around the table again soon.

SPEAKER_01 15:04

Absolutely. All right, have a good one. You too. Love you. Thank you. Bye. We hope you've enjoyed this podcast. We'd love to hear from you. Email us at contact at secretsfromaccoach.com or follow us on Insta or Facebook. If you're a Spotify listener, give us a rating as it's easier for people to find us. And if you want to know more, visit our website www.secretsfromaccoach.com and sign up for our newsletter. Here to cheer you on and help you thrive in the ever-changing world of work.