Collaboration that Works: Tips for Building Winning Teams

Friday, March 17, 2023

So you've hired top talents in your industry. Now what?

One of the most crucial jobs of an effective leader is to figure out how to bring together people from different backgrounds, skill sets, and different personalities to make a cohesive team that works towards a common goal.

You can have the most talented people in your team but if they're not working together as a unit, all that talent is as good as wasted.

There are plenty of challenges that get in the way of creating successful teams:

Differences in personality, opinions, and communication style
Lack of trust
Unclear roles and responsibilities
Vague goals
Lack of resources
Micromanagement
Lack of proper communication

As a manager and leader, you need to know your team at a fundamental level so that you can map out a strategy for creating a team that works with instead of against each other.

Team collaboration promotes improved problem-solving and promotes creativity. They get things done, can communicate seamlessly, and decisions are made coherently with everyone on the same page.

However, it's not enough to create a team that functions as a whole. In the demanding landscape of global competition, you need a high-performing team that not only works together but also achieves what they set out to do with commendable results.

Qualities of High-Performance Teams

Teams that are built for success outperform others. You can tell a high-performing team from an underperforming one with these qualities.

They value the same things
They trust each other
They understand and can tell you about the collective goal
They can tell you how their role fits into the overall work process and how it contributes to the overall goal
Their roles and responsibilities are clearly defined
They celebrate each other's success
They are motivated to continue learning new things
They encourage each other to take risks and grow

A team with these qualities doesn't just happen by chance. They are built over time, and usually through the dedicated guidance of a hands-on, compassionate, and persistent leader.

9 Tips for Building High-Performing Teams

If you're looking to build such a team, you can benefit from the following tips and strategies.

Communicate the company's mission and vision time and again

For a team to effectively work together, they need to know what they’re working for. This helps them assess how their piece of the puzzle contributes to the bigger picture. This starts with communicating what this objective is in the context of your industry. This mission and vision give your team a point B to which they can all aspire to work towards.

To ingrain, this sense of purpose means reiterating the message as necessary to the point that each and every team member will be able to explain it and elaborate on it when asked on the spot.

When your team members encounter the question: “What do you do?”, they should not only be able to divulge what their skills are but also expound on how these skills are utilized to achieve an ultimate objective.

Lead by example

Team members will be more willing to collaborate if they have a leader who inspires collaboration. As a leader, this means demonstrating your willingness and readiness to cooperate and participate wherever it is necessary.

Every interaction you have with your team is an opportunity to model collaborative behavior. These collaborative behaviors include:

Delegating tasks accordingly
Managing purposeful meetings
Fostering an environment where team members can openly communicate
Actively and effectively communicating

When collaboration is encouraged from the top down, members are given a welcome space where they can rely safely on each other.

Create a culture of sharing

High-performing teams facilitate the free flow of ideas. Team members can lay out their creativity on the table without fear of rejection. They know that their ideas will be entertained and weighed with equal consideration.

With a culture of sharing, members of high-performing teams collectively learn and improve. It also makes idea generation faster as team members build on each other’s ideas to put things together.

Encourage social relationships

A strong social relationship among team members forms a solid base for collaboration. That is why team managers must invest in team-building activities that will help team members get to know one another. But taking your team to the beach is not the only way to foster social relationships. Simply rethinking your office layout so that everyone can easily tap into one another, investing in collaboration tools, and having a for-fun team activity in the office every week or so will help gradually bring everyone together.

Communicate expectations

Communicating expectations is crucial when building high performing teams because it provides clarity, accountability, motivation, and feedback. By establishing clear roles, responsibilities, and performance standards, team members are more likely to take ownership of their work and be motivated to achieve their goals. This fosters a positive work environment where team members work together towards a shared vision, with continuous feedback and learning opportunities to improve performance.

Emphasize the importance of each role

Emphasizing the importance of each role in a team helps clarify the responsibilities of each team member and how they contribute to the team's overall success. By understanding their role's significance, team members can take ownership of their responsibilities and feel valued for their contributions, which can increase their motivation and engagement. Additionally, emphasizing each role helps avoid confusion and overlaps, allowing the team to function more efficiently and effectively.

Highlight individual strengths

Feeling unappreciated and unrecognized is one of the biggest reasons why people quit. Team members are at their best when they know what they bring to the table is highly valued.

As a leader, here’s how you can highlight your team member’s strengths.

Encourage Self-Assessment. Encourage team members to assess their own strengths and areas for development. This can help them identify their unique talents and skills, and how they can contribute to the team's success.
Provide Opportunities. Provide opportunities for team members to showcase their strengths, whether it's leading a project, presenting to the team, or mentoring a colleague. This can help them build confidence and demonstrate their value to the team.
Acknowledge Achievements. Acknowledge and celebrate team members' achievements and successes, both individually and as a team. This recognition can boost morale and motivate team members to continue performing at a high level.
Offer Feedback. Offer constructive feedback to team members on their strengths and areas for development. This can help them refine their skills and become even more effective in their roles.
Tailor Roles. Tailor team members' roles to their strengths and interests, where possible. This can help them feel valued and engaged and can lead to better performance and outcomes for the team.

Celebrate successful teamwork output

Make it part of our team culture to celebrate accomplishments to boost team morale and motivation. Here are some ways to celebrate successful team output:

Public Recognition. Publicly recognize the team's achievements, such as through an announcement or company-wide email. This can help spread the word about the team's success and show appreciation for their hard work.
Team Outing. Plan a team outing or social event to celebrate the team's success. This can be an opportunity for team members to bond and relax outside of work.
Personalized Rewards. Offer personalized rewards to team members, such as gift cards or bonuses. This can show that their individual contributions are valued and appreciated.
Thank You Note. Write a personal thank-you note to each team member, highlighting their specific contributions to the team's success. This can be a meaningful way to show appreciation and recognition.
Team Meeting. Hold a team meeting to celebrate the success and discuss the team's achievements. This can provide an opportunity for team members to reflect on their accomplishments and set goals for the future.

Train your team in requisite skills

So much of a team’s success when attempting to build a collaborative culture rests on the underlying dynamics. These are habitual processes and practices that already exist within a team. A team can have plenty of opportunities for collaboration but if they don’t know how to work well among themselves, real collaboration cannot foster.

According to a study by Harvard Business Review, these are requisite skills that team members should be trained in first for effective collaboration.

appreciating others
engaging in purposeful conversations
productively and creatively resolving conflicts
program management

Final Word

Building high-performing teams begins with empowering the individual. If you have ten motivated individuals who understand the goal, feel valued and recognized, know how to communicate well, and respect others, your goal to create sustained collaboration would be halfway done.

Building a great team takes work. Make sure you don't sacrifice your personal life in the process. Keep your work-life balance in place with TaskSpur, the ultimate life management tool. Check it out!

Download TaskSpur on Android | Download TaskSpur on your iPhone

References: