Many moons ago, I was a teenage university student, paying my tuition by working the graveyard shift at a grocery store. One of the prime motivators of continuing to study hard year after year was so that I wouldn’t have to continue to work the graveyard shift at a grocery store.
Now that a few decades have elapsed, I have come to realize and appreciate the true value of this experience. When we have assisted clients to implement high performance teams, I am often asked if I have ever been on one of those very special teams. Then I tell the story about being on night-crew during university….
Interestingly, people are always trying to draw the connection between high-performing individuals and high performance teams. When I tell people the link is not as strong as they might like to think, I am often greeted with confusion.
Here’s an ugly little truth: Your star employees are often high-maintenance, and may do more long term damage than good. Everyone knows the employee who can crank out the results, but leaves a wake of broken relationships and collateral damage behind. She may produce a superior level of output for some period of time, but may adversely affect the output of others.
High Performance Teams exist where the interactions between team members are exceptionally functional. A High Performance Team quite likely doesn’t have any stars, but rather group of competent performers who have found their groove in working together. The success of your organization depends upon the number and quality of these B-players.
Back in the 1980s, in the middle of the night at a high-volume grocery retailer, our little team had no stars. It was a group of guys who liked working together, had a very clear idea of what they were supposed to be doing, and relentless peer pressure to get things done properly. Our output was almost double that of any comparable crew – and we had way more fun too.
The prescription for a High Performance Team is easy to understand. Filling that prescription is much more difficult.