Leading Your Team to Higher Levels of Performance
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This document summarizes a presentation by Dr. Jim Bohn on leading teams to higher performance. The presentation discusses intrinsic motivation as the key to improving team performance over the long term. It also addresses common blind spots leaders have that can negatively impact team performance, such as assuming others understand communications or sending conflicting signals. The presentation provides guidance on developing common goals, recognizing team members, and addressing underperforming teams or naysayers.
Leading Your Team to Higher Levels of Performance
- 1. Leading Your Team to Higher Levels of Performance A WORKING SESSION Dr. Jim Bohn Pro/Axios Minneapolis, MN USA
- 2. My Experience Led multiple underperforming teams to award winning levels of performance.
- 3. Describe Your Team 1. Capabilities? 2. Achievements? 3. Gaps? 4. Greatest Strength? 5. Greatest Need?
- 4. What influences team performance?
- 5. The key to improving your team is Tapping Intrinsic Motivation. External IM rewards: helpful for a while, but not effective over the long haul. Intrinsic motivation is sustainable and powerful. Extrinsic motivation must be repeated again and again. Every team member will RESPOND differently.
- 6. How are we perceived by the organization? Our customers? Our peers? their satisfaction with our performance. DATA! Knowledge of their perceptions drives changes in our behavior. No one wants to be a member of a losing team. IM Measuring L
- 7. Why does this team exist? What Set do we want to be known for? the context – where does this team fit into the Organization? IM
- 8. Common Goals IM He whose ranks are united in purpose will win. ~ Sun Tzu Does everyone know where we’re going? How do we measure performance? What will it take for us to make a major improvement?
- 9. The power of common goals … IM “It is rare to discover anything in the realm of human behavior that occurs with great consistency…Therefore it was surprising to find that in every case, without exception, when an effectively functioning team was identified, it was described by the respondent as having a clear understanding of its objective.” (Larson, C. E., LaFasto, F. M. J. 1989. Teamwork: What must go right, what can go wrong. Newberry Park, CA: Sage.).
- 10. HOT SPOTS! IM What concerns do people have? Are they ever going to fix this system? Hidden factors prevent people from performing at maximum levels. You need to find out what’s on people’s minds. Solve chronic problems – Evidence of your leadership activates team motivation to persist.
- 11. Set an expectation for excellence… IM “We will have a white hot team.” Leaders must back up these words with actions. Expect team participation in problem solving.
- 12. State the not-soobvious are a team … not just a bunch of individuals. IM We Watch for personal favoritism. Use all the members of the team. HOW? In today’s world, everyone must contribute not just a few. The Big Mistake
- 13. Develop confidence and competence. “When IM strong technical skills are combined with a desire to contribute and an ability to be collaborative, the observable outcome is an elevated sense of confidence among team members. This confidence in turn, translates into the ability of a team to be self-correcting in its capacity to adjust to unexpected adversity and emergent challenges.” (p. 71)
- 14. Develop confidence and competence. “When IM strong technical skills are combined with a desire to contribute and an ability to be collaborative, the observable outcome is an elevated sense of confidence among team members. This confidence in turn, translates into the ability of a team to be self-correcting in its capacity to adjust to unexpected adversity and emergent challenges.” (p. 71)
- 15. IM Set the vision – Show where the team can go. Persist in the vision – the single slide technique … When leaders constantly change direction, people lose intrinsic motivation. WARNING: Chronic changes and distractions cause confusion and reduce trust.
- 16. LEADER IMPACT Leader Impact Research shows that the leader of a team has the greatest impact on team performance. Think of the best team leader you ever knew. Think of the worst team leader you ever knew. LI
- 17. Check your own leadership blind spots! LI The Crescent Wrench Story
- 18. Blind Spot #1: Assuming others know what we know. LI We do this to our teams. We spend time thinking about corporate strategy… a lot of time. We know what the Crescent Wrench is. We’re thinking really hard, while our team members may be completely in the dark to our plans. Then at a crucial moment, we ask them to be competent on something they know absolutely nothing about. Wrench!” “Hand me the Crescent
- 19. Blind Spot #2: We create the world in our image. LI Playing to our strengths may not always be effective. Our past successes can become the only approach we use to solve current problems. Replicating an old approach in a new environment can lead to failure. Willingness to hear a dissenting point-of-view can open our eyes.
- 20. Blind Spot #3: We talk and assume we’ve been effective in our communications. LI Sound byte communication is common these days due to workload overload. Sound byte communication is ineffective. I talk, therefore you should know… (Cartesian management). And it’s corollary: I think, therefore you should do. Take five minutes to ensure team member Comprehension.
- 21. Blind Spot #4: The pressures of the job may cause us to lose patience with team members. We use abrupt, terse statements. We limit eye contact. We disconnect with our listeners. Remembering our experience with impatience can open our eyes. Think candor without edges. LI
- 22. Blind Spot #5: We (sometimes unwittingly) categorize team members.. LI As leaders we often struggle through heavy workloads and MBA graduate courses to reach the top of the ladder. It is tempting to dismiss those who have not accomplished what we’ve achieved. People sense (and remember) dismissive and condescending behavior toward them. Everyone wants fundamental respect.
- 23. Blind Spot #6: We send conflicting signals. We say one thing, yet do another. LI We tell one team something, another team something else. We drive people crazy. A willingness to receive corrective feedback about our style can open our eyes.
- 24. Blind Spot #7: Forgetting to check the rear view mirror. LI Some leaders are so intelligent they’re moving so fast others simply cannot follow. Hint: They have no idea where we’re going (but we’re sure they do!) Other leaders believe they have convinced their teams to follow them … but that may not be true! Checking to see if others are following can open our eyes.
- 25. LI What to do with the naysayers? Listen – they may provide value. Dissent can be helpful. Hear and Acknowledge Explain the need to get on board In the worst case - Remove them
- 26. Recognition and legitimate validation Put them on the map! B-R-A-G! Legitimate recognition is a powerful force that supports intrinsic motivation. Validation – you may be the only leader in this person’s life who validates the value of their contribution. Must be appropriate to the person being recognized. IM
- 27. FIXING A BROKEN TEAM Downloadable Ebook on the Pro/Axios Website.
- 28. Thank you for your time!
- 29. We offer plainspoken guidance for those who do the work. Check out the Rapid Diagnostic @ www.ProAxios.com info@proaxios.com 651-302-1574 Minneapolis, MN, USA Pro/Axios