After moving to Vancouver several years ago, I joined the company’s Dragon Boat team. At the time, I wanted to find a way to stay in shape after being in the office all day and I wanted to stay on the water. It was a great activity as I developed a number of great friendships that I have today, long after the team broke up.

There is no end to books and articles on team building. But it was Dragon Boating that provided me with a simple yet poignant metaphor for the experience of building and maintaining a high-performance team. I thought about how my team could evolve from a group of individuals with an interest in Dragon Boating to a close-knit competitive team where each team member understood how to leverage their strengths, minimize their weaknesses, fit into the group, and how to best contribute to the performance of the team as a whole. It was a great experience. And it was fun.

As you read through my ten points, I want you to think about your current team. Are there any missing items? What difference would it make if the success factor was on your team? Will he help your team reach its potential? In my experience, there are very few teams that reach high performance.

The fast track to success

I often work with people who want to increase their team’s performance. If you are a team, why not be the best team you can to deliver exceptional results for your organization? how do we get there? what should we do?

The following article outlines what my experience has shown me to be some of the critical success factors. For those of you who may be familiar with my comments on Dragon Boat. For those of you who don’t play dragon boat, I hope the fun trope makes you seriously think about your team’s performance.

No. 1: Timing and technique are more important than strength and power

In many sports, individual performance, strength, agility, etc. are the focus. The first skill the coach worked with us was to get the whole team in line in time with the same technique. It’s amazing that a team with less brute strength can outrun a stronger boat in timing alone. This is the

1 + 1 is > 2 working principle. This does not mean that individuality is lost, but that individuality serves the overall goal of the team. Otherwise, you are a group of individual contributors to a workgroup, but not a team. When you hit all the oars at the right time, the boat moves faster than a boat with stronger rowers who are not in time; Using their energy against each other rather than focusing on their timing and style.

to focus To ensure that team members are working towards the same goal. Everyone on the team should be able to tell you how they contribute to the team’s purpose and goals.

Number 2: There is no substitute for a talented leader

With a good captain, whom the team can trust, each paddler is freed up to focus on their job. They are not worried about other boats, which direction this boat is going, how the boat will move in its wake and so on. The team loses energy distracted not by problems it cannot solve but in achieving the team’s goals.

to focus On team leadership that allows team members to perform in their roles knowing that “things” are being taken care of.

Number 3: One person out of time can cost the entire team a race

This looks like the inverse of the number one. It’s about what happens when one person acts in a way that jeopardizes the team’s performance? This is where the leader and coach come in. Often the individual does not know that their performance is jeopardizing the team’s performance. It is rarely about the willingness or even the ability to perform, but rather about understanding the impact of their performance. Feedback is essential to ensure team members progress together.

to focus Provides data-driven performance feedback to the team including positive and corrective current performance impact. Team members need to get objective feedback about their performance and what corrective actions need to be improved.

Number 4: You train long and hard for a short, intense sprint

Plans mean nothing if the team is unable to achieve its goal. Teams work hard, often on long-term projects but understand that a work-in-progress value measure. Results are the measure of a team’s success.

to focus The ability to deliver exceptional results.

No. 5: There is no “baggage” in the boat; Everyone contributes

Boy, we all have bad days, but guess what, the team deserves your best even on those days. We all cover for each other when needed but everyone contributes..

to focus Help team members understand their contributions and often seek opportunities for them to apply their strengths.

Number 6: Treat other teams with respect but don’t get distracted

In the heat of a race, it’s easy to notice where the other teams are in the race and get distracted. But only you can control what happens in your boat, not theirs. There’s nothing you can do about what’s going on in their boat. You have all control over what you do in your boat. A team with a strong start may not have the stamina to complete the sprint by continuing their opening pace. Focus your attention on your goal and results.

to focus About what the team can achieve with the resources it has.

Number 7: There is always more to learn

No matter your role or how long you’ve been with the team, or how many races you’ve been in, there are always things to learn. No matter how good you are, you can always be better. The coach would move us to different positions so that we could learn new skills and perspectives.

to focus On making sure that everyone on the team is actively learning all the time.

Number 8: The lead rowers (strokes) set the pace

There is an incredible benefit from everyone on the team working together towards the same goal. Team leaders set direction, provide clear support for team values ​​and hold themselves and others accountable for team performance. Everyone is responsible for being in time with their strokes. It is not one’s business but mine to watch and pay attention. Remember, one person out of time can cost the race.

to focus Leaders must hold themselves and others accountable for success.

No. 9: Row as hard on a bad day as on a good day

A friend of mine who is a manager told her staff after being challenged for lack of loyalty in the organization, “I don’t want your loyalty, I want your commitment.” It is important that every member of the team is fully present at all times, whether in practice or in competition.

to focus Everyone on the team must perform at their best every day.

Number 10: Teams win and teams lose, not individuals

In Dragon Boating, teams win, not individuals. The entire boat crosses the finish line or not. The people at the front of the boat or the captain don’t get more “wins” than the others. Team wins or team loses. We are all one team.

to focus being one team. Individual skills, style, experience and knowledge contribute to team work. At the end of the day, we are all one team, achieve results or not.

By ensuring that the Top 10 Success Factors are implemented, you can develop your team’s effectiveness. We hope these 10 success factors will help you think about what factors to consider and plan for a highly effective, high-performing team.