The reality for managers is that each team member is different; with their own motivations, goals and set of values.

Equally they will have different strengths which can be positive or, if over-used or used in the wrong way, can have a negative impact on the people that they work with.

In this article, we look at some points that managers at all levels can consider when working out the best techniques to achieve a high performing team.

Tip One: Different Values = Different Perceptions

The first step is recognising that because we have diverse values, attitudes and beliefs, we all see things differently. You and I can be in the same conversation or situation and draw different conclusions about what is going on.

For example, if your values are more focused on people, you will probably screen situations from a view of how it will affect the people in your team.

Somebody who is more driven by outcomes and delivering results, may feel frustrated that you are too focused on your people and not enough on results. Equally, you may feel that he or she behaves in a way that ignores the people involved and impacts negatively on their motivation.

As always, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

Recognising that you both want to achieve the same end result but just have different views on how to get there, will help improve collaboration and reduce conflict. It will also mean people whose ideas differ from yours, are more likely to share their thoughts with you if you show that you are open to their ideas.

Tip Two: Overplaying our Strengths

Linked to this, our own strengths will often reflect our values. For example, somebody who is good at processes and approaches situations analytically, will probably have values based around methodology and caution. These are valuable strengths that are needed in an organisation.

Like all strengths, however, if used too much they can have a negative impact with things becoming too bureaucratic or taking too long to action.

Being aware of our own values and our own strengths helps us to understand what motivates us, and, also where we might be likely to go too far with our strengths.

Tip Three: Mirroring Behaviour – Be Careful

Research shows that people sometimes adapt their behaviour to reflect the attitudes and behaviour of their managers, so that they are behaving in a way that they think is expected of them. They can do this even if this behaviour does not reflect their own values.

This is an important point for us to know as managers.  How we behave will influence how others around us behave.  It seems obvious, but it is easy when we are feeling stressed or under pressure to behave in a way that is not appropriate.

It is important to periodically seek feedback from you team, your peers and your own manager to help you understand how others might perceive you.

Tip Four: Recruitment – What to Guard Against

Recruiting people who align to your organisation’s values is a part of making sure that the person you employ is more likely to settle into the role and be happy.

However, we need to guard against recruiting people just like us.  It is natural to relate to someone with the same values and the same sort of attitudes.

Yet, this might not be what is best for your team.  Understanding what motivates you and what motivates the people in your team already, and understanding everyone’s strengths, can help you identify the type of person that you should be looking for.

Yes, their values should align to your organisation’s values but at an individual level, you might need someone with different values and a different outlook to achieve a more rounded team.

Tip Five: Inference and Perceptions

There is significant research that highlights the risk of inferring what might be motivating someone, rather than actually finding out what their motivation is.

An example often used is that of being in a meeting where one of the participants is not engaging with what is being said.  You could feel that the person is not interested, does not think it is relevant or even that he or she does not like the job anymore. This might not be the case at all.

The person might be thinking through what you are saying, might want to investigate further before commenting or just had a late night.  The risk is, however, that having reached these conclusions we then continue to look at this person’s behaviour from this stand point.  Our views of this person become increasingly negative.

However, if we have just asked what he or she though of the meeting, we might have found out really what was going on.

Relationships can break down and conflict can build if we allow ourselves to infer or assume things without checking what is really going on.  It is important to be aware of what you are inferring and to check your assumptions: ask that person directly for some feedback.

In Summary

There are many points to consider when building a high-performance team.  We have shared a few of the things that we see have a good impact and can be achieved within a busy workplace.

The key is to improve our own self-awareness and to recognise that other people are different from us – and that is a good thing.

How We Can Help?

These are issues that we look at in our leadership programmes as well as in stand-alone workshops on values and team dynamics.  Using tools such as the Strength Deployment Inventory, we can quickly help managers and team members increase their awareness of themselves, and those around them.