Developing breakthrough teams

The iPod revolutionalised the music world with its cutting-edge design and intelligent user interface. Its success has been attributed to a group of individuals who were not afraid to push the boundaries and dream big. While the concept of an MP3 player was not new at that time, Steve Jobs and the Apple team were determined to create a device that would clearly dominate the marketplace and transform the way music was consumed.

The team at Apple was inspired by a noble cause to create a game-changing device – a key characteristic of high-performance teams, according to best-selling author and motivational speaker Chester Elton. “Great teams have a noble cause, and more than that, they have extreme clarity about that cause.” The Apple team, for example, knew that they had to get certain fundamentals right, like forward-looking product design and a battery that could support 10 hours of continuous play.

An emotional attachment towards work is another quality of high-performance teams, Elton says. Call-centre employees, for example, face a tough job as they are required to handle complaints 99% of the time. This is where teams need to identify the magic element in their jobs that makes them come to work everyday, he says. “Great teams figure out what energises them.”

There is often a strong correlation between teamwork and employee engagement. According to research published in the book The Orange Revolution: How One Great Team Can Transform an Entire Organization, which Elton co-authored with Adrian Gostick, 64% of employees globally feel engaged in their organisation. However, when an employee understands how his or her team contributes towards the success of the organisation, engagement rates shoot up to 75%.

The secret behind great teams

While doing research for his book, Elton found that the most successful teams subscribed to what he describes as the “Rule of 3”. Firstly, these teams are able to “Wow”, meaning that they offer the very best to clients and team mates. Elton cites the example of a quick-thinking customer service representative at shoe retailer Zappos.com. When a widow tried to return her late husband’s unworn shoes, the employee not only arranged for a refund but also sent her flowers. After this episode, Zappos.com created a standard policy to offer customers a small gift or greeting card on special or important occasions. “The whole company adopted it, creating thousands of great experiences,” Elton says.

The second rule followed by successful teams is “No surprises”. Team members need to communicate with each other because in most businesses surprises are not positive, says Elton. “For example, a missed deadline will lead to a disappointed customer.” Thirdly, teams need to know how to “Cheer” or celebrate their successes. They do not have to wait to celebrate one big success but can celebrate the small things along the way to gain momentum, he adds.

Taking the lead

Great teams also have nurturing leaders. They need to be good listeners, says Elton. “The best way to get buy-in from employees is to listen to them.” Leaders should also encourage open and honest communication. “The number one driver of trust is communication. When trust goes down, success goes down,” Elton says.

Yet not every team succeeds every time. According to Elton, good leaders will create a culture where it is OK for teams to fail, just not all the time. Employees who are constantly afraid of making mistakes won’t take any risks and everyone will play it safe. “If people are more afraid of failing than succeeding, you won’t get very far,” he says. One manager offered his employees a $100 bonus if they reported a mistake right away. He did this to encourage risk-taking as innovation stems from taking risks, Elton explains.

Lastly, great leaders recognise that employees are more loyal to their teams than their companies. And instead of fighting this, they keep such teams together as long as possible. In fact, some of them even move their teams as a whole, instead of just picking out the star performers, Elton says.