Set your team up for success (week 1 – 2)
Your focus area for weeks 1 and 2 is making sure that everyone is clear why the focus is on collective performance.
Spend 30-40 minutes creating your plan now, then follow it for the next 2 weeks, everyday.
Simple.
Focusing on collective performance
What to do
Explain to everyone that most teams don’t focus on collective performance. Share with them why collective performance is important. Clearly explain to them that over the coming weeks you’re going to work through with them some important principles of collective performance.
Why do it
It’s important to do this so you and everyone else have a shared understanding of why you’re doing what you’re doing and what’s coming up. Doing this part of the plan will mean that:
- You’re not doing something to everyone but with everyone
- Everyone understands how everyone will benefit and how they will benefit personally too
- People have a chance to input into the development of the collective performance
How to do it
There are 3 steps to take with this. Read these through, look at the example and then create your own plan.
1. Getting started
Be clear why you’re focusing on collective performance. It will be for the benefit of the business, the team and the individuals. Don’t assume other people will share your thinking and your enthusiasm! Either write down or explain to a colleague why you’re doing this. What are your motives and what do you anticipate the benefit will be?
2. Preparing to act
You’re going to explain to everyone why you want to focus on collective performance. Write down the key messages that you want to get across to everyone over the next 2 weeks. These will include your motives. You might also want to include what you are going to focus on in the coming weeks i.e. some basics of collective performance like shared clarity of purpose and shared clarity of roles.
3. Communicating with everyone
Consider when and how you’re going to start sharing with everyone. You’re probably going to get everyone together – either face to face or on the phone. It shouldn’t take too long to explain what you have to say. But leave time for questions. Have something prepared to share in writing afterwards too – for people who like to read things or people who couldn’t make it.
Example plan
You’re nearly ready to get started with setting the team up for success. To help you along the way, we’ve completed an example plan for this stage – focusing on collective performance. Read through it, get some ideas from it and then create your own plan.
1. Why we need to focus on collective performance
Because there’s room for improvement. We’re doing ok but I believe we can do so much better. And because we’ve never focused on how we work as a whole team before so it feels like there’s huge potential for us. I think we can all learn about each other and ourselves – how we get the most out of others and how they can get the most out of me.
2. Key messages to get across
- We’ve never looked at this before. Most of our conversations are either about individual performance or team updates from me
- We’ve never properly talked about the key inputs to collective high performing. In fact we’ve been typical of most teams in businesses.
- I’m excited to focus on this and see where we get to – please join me in being curious. We don’t know how good we can be!
3. Communicating with the team
- Explain key messages 1-3 above to everyone
- Explain that we’re going to be focusing on some basic elements of collective performance
- Explain that this isn’t because we’re broken but because I think the demands on us are going to increase and we can get better
- Take any questions
- Explain the three things again!
Coaching tips
Remember to be entirely honest, open and realistic. Share with everyone your personal reasons for doing it e.g. wanting everyone to become better/learn/fulfill their potential.