4 Steps to Create High Performance Teams

The oak sleeps in the acorn. The bird waits in the egg, and in the highest vision of the soul, a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of reality. ~ Napoleon Hill

What is the dream you have tucked away in your heart for the team you are leading? Maybe it is the team at home, at church, or in the workplace. It doesn’t really matter where the team is, what matters is where you lead them. 

I am going to share 4 Steps to help you begin to create the type of performance you dream about, or at least I hope you are dreaming about. 

Many leaders, coaches, and entrepreneurs often think about holding up that championship trophy at the end of a long year, but only a few ever realize this dream. How can you set your team up for victory week after week, trial after trial so that you win more than you lose? 

Let’s look at these 4 steps: 

1. Reality: I’m not sure if you are like me or not- But many times, in my life I have had these big dreams and goals only to fail because I thought the dream could be had if I could just think of it. You remember the old wise tale, “If you can dream it you can achieve it.” There is some truth to this, but first, you must take a step back into reality and look at your current situation.

The dream is a good start, but Aristotle said “Doing the same thing and expecting different results is insanity”  

I had to quit just dreaming about success. I had to quit wishing for and wanting a high-performance team around me. I had to have a reality check with myself and my leadership. There was some self-development that had to be done to help me become a better leader, communicator, vision caster, and standard bearer.

Where are you today in your leadership of your team? Do they trust you? Are your relationships strong with the individuals on the team? Are you trying to manage them versus lead and influence them for a common goal?

2. Clarity: All great leaders have a vision. But not all great leaders have clarity. Clarity is more than seeing the championship being won. Clarity is knowing what you want, and more importantly, knowing what you DON’T want.

Are you clear on what you truly want out of the team you are leading? What behaviors are you expecting and holding them accountable to? What behaviors do they carry now that you do not want to be seen by outsiders, customers, and other leaders?

Do you want to attract more “A” Caliber talent to your team? Clarity is one of the keys to ensuring this happens. When you know what you are looking for from your team and the players, it is so much easier to spot and recruit it when the opportunity is available, or the need arises.

3. Smart: How you arrive at your success may take many different turns, but one of the greatest things you can do is create a path to follow. How will you close the gaps between the reality of where you are and the clarity of your dreams? What is your plan?

Let me give you an example. In my business, I want to serve as many people in the world as possible (at least a million). However, I can’t just want it (I have learned this the hard way). I have had to stop and start over in creating a marketing plan for my business. I have always been good at adding value to people and selling them on my services but getting and staying in front of them on a regular basis is not a strength of mine. The reality was I didn’t have a plan to execute…I couldn’t even execute because I had no plan.

Getting smart required me to invest some money and time so I could learn and create a plan that works for me and then I must execute it.

What is your plan to create this high-performance team you want? You must be smart about this! It will not just happen. If you need a coach to help you close the gaps, then we can help get you to get started.

"Good tactics can save even the worst strategy. Bad tactics will destroy even the best strategy. ~ General George S Patton, Jr 

4. Going: It has been said the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I have paved this road myself a few times. Nothing else I have discussed getting real, or clarity, or a smart plan matter if you do not GET GOING!

Is the plan real; is it written out? Is it scheduled on your calendar? Or is it in a binder somewhere waiting to be dusted off at the end of another disappointing year?

I have had to hire coaches to help me through some rough patches. I have invested in myself to be able to help you! If you need someone to help you create the plan and then get going in the execution phase, we are fully equipped to serve you and your teams.

“Any successful person has to decide what to do in part by deciding what not to do.”  ~ Angela Duckworth in Grit