Strategies that Can Actually Create Unstoppable Team Success
A high-functioning team is more than a collection of professionals who work together. It is a cohesive entity where collaboration, trust, and a shared vision transform individual contributions and collective achievements.
So, what’s the secret to creating strong teams?
In our journey supporting various leaders within the same organizations, we've uncovered transformative insights into creating the type of team dynamics and leadership that can move an entire organization forward.
Unquestionably, individual growth is valuable. But, we've observed that organizations truly flourish when individuals evolve together as a unit. Then, each person’s individual progress contributes not only to their own growth but also to the success of the entire organization.
We have also noticed that there are economies of scale that make team leadership development both effective and efficient. Additionally, organizations that deliberately act to build up the leadership skills of their entire team together reap the benefits for years to come.
Ready to learn more about how to amplify team cohesion and foster individual growth while growing the entire team, and enhance your organization’s ability to reach all of its goals? In this month’s feature article, discover how to harness your team's collective strength to create an environment where everyone thrives together.
We Are Stronger Together
Recently, a client from Tangipahoa School District, whom I’ve been assisting through It’s the Impact, likened me to Cher for her and her coworkers. I promise you, this comparison wasn't about my singing talents (I have none) but rather the familiarity and impact I've had within their team. After working closely with 13 leaders in this district via our The Changemaker program, I've become known simply as Rayne, echoing the kind of one-name recognition associated with stars like Cher.
This experience underscores a crucial insight from our collective leadership support initiative: the most profound leadership transformations occur through a unified approach. It's about cultivating an environment where a shared language, common tools, and collective successes resonate so strongly that a single name or concept can instantly evoke a wealth of understanding and connection.
Individual coaching and professional development can reshape a single person. But leadership development becomes transformative when it incorporates an entire team through a structured approach.
This should be obvious, but it still merits repeating: we are better and stronger when we work collectively. Getting leadership support together results in strong team cohesion. When teams engage in team coaching, everyone receives individual support in a collective space.
This creates a safe, supportive space for leaders to grow, learn how to be their best, and prosper together. It also furthers understanding of one’s colleagues’ strengths, motivations, and strategies for success. This leads to stronger relationships, trust, and collaboration among team members. When we truly know our coworkers, we want to support them. We want them to be successful, and we will do all that we can to ensure their success as well as our own.
Foundational Principles
You don’t have to wait until you adopt organizational-wide team support and coaching to start laying the foundation for evolving your team. Based on our experience with leaders across a variety of industries, here’s how taking the tangible steps we outlined above can begin to change your organization today.
Recognize and utilize strengths: Start by conducting a strengths-finding workshop (either virtually or in-person), where team members can identify and share their key strengths. You can then use this information to re-assign and prioritize tasks and workflows that better align with individual strengths. This will lead to boosts in efficiency and the satisfaction of your team members.
Foster a culture of continuous learning: You can also kick off monthly learning days where team members have the opportunity to explore new skills or knowledge areas — either related to their role or just their personal interests. This encourages growth and innovation within the team. It also shows each team member that you are committed to their individual growth and building a more supportive and robust team overall.
Implement regular feedback loops: We all need feedback on our performance to improve. If you don’t already have processes for 360-degree reviews in place (meaning team members can both receive and give feedback), establish a structured process for providing and receiving feedback within your team. This could be through regular one-on-one meetings, feedback forms, or open sessions. Be sure to incorporate the strengths of individual team members into this process, as people prefer to receive feedback in different ways. These feedback sessions will ultimately support your culture of continuous improvement and support.
The Lasting Impact of Collective Leadership Development
What impact should you expect these changes to make on your organization? There’s a wide and growing body of research that illustrates how transformation team-focused professional development can be.
Enhanced performance: Teams that receive comprehensive support and development have been shown to outperform individuals working alone. A study by the Institute for Corporate Productivity found that high-performance organizations are more than five times more likely to provide extensive team development compared to low-performing ones.
Improved employee engagement: According to Gallup, team collaboration leads to more engaged and valued workforces. Companies that prioritize teamwork have 50% less turnover than companies that do not because of higher levels of employee satisfaction.
Increased innovation and decision-making: The Harvard Business Review reports that companies which invest in team collaboration are five times more likely to be high-performing. Teams that are supported collectively tend to be more innovative, as diverse ideas and perspectives converge, leading to breakthrough solutions and creativity. The Harvard Business Review has also noted that collaboration can allow teams to make better decisions 87% of the time, which helps to boost productivity and enhance creativity.
Better problem-solving: Research from the American Psychological Association shows that teams made up of members who collectively possess a broader range of skills and knowledge are better at problem-solving than individuals, leading to more effective decision-making and outcomes. Simply put, groups are better at solving complex problems than individuals.
Improved organizational culture: Team-focused organizations have more secure, supportive, and productive cultures. According to Gallup, organizations with a culture of team support that contributes to an environment where trust, communication, and collaboration flourish, have a 51% decrease in absenteeism and a 64% reduction in safety incidents.
Ready … Set … Lead
The benefits of collective leadership development and support are clear. But how do you know if your team is ready to embark on such support successfully? Here are some questions to ask yourself:
Are you ready to support your team in aligning vision with action?
Consider this the green light if your team is united in vision yet perplexed by the pathway to success. It's time to align your collective aspirations with a concrete, actionable roadmap that transforms lofty goals into tangible results.
Are you ready to support your team to collaborate effectively?
You're ready if your team has a genuine desire to uplift and support each other, yet uncertainty looms on the 'how’. Embark on a journey to cultivate a culture where effective support mechanisms are not just envisioned but enacted.
Are you ready to support your team refocus?
If your team is caught in a cycle of relentless urgency, feeling busier than ever yet unfulfilled in accomplishments, it’s a sign. It's time to shift from firefighting to strategic execution, empowering your team to prioritize impactful work, enhance efficiency, and truly balance the scales of work and life.
Team coaching and support is the best way to get you, your team, and your organization to its ideal future faster. If you’re interested in learning more, reach out to schedule a Discovery Call.