Are Your Teams Robust & Resilient?
In April 2020, Ascend published this advertorial discussing what a successful team looks like, feels like and acts like in order to be robust, resilient and resourceful at all times.
In uncertain times, businesses require unshakeable strength within their teams in order to thrive.
Today’s environment can be volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. Are your senior teams ready to cope? Do you know your teams’ weaknesses, or are you waiting for them to be exposed through matters outside of your control?
As it appeared in Business Traveller April 2020
There are six factors which contribute to a teams’ sustained performance; internal and external focus, spirit, agility, resilience and leadership. A successful team is one which communicates freely and clearly and performs consistently in a way which works for everyone. Each member must know what their role is, be clear on their goals, how to achieve them and how these align with the overall aims of the team. They must also understand how all of this ties in with the organisation’s ultimate goal and purpose. As a result, the team will make sound decisions based on diverse perspectives, and capitalise upon all opportunities.
They can prioritise and focus. If the team and individuals are consistently focusing on the outcome, they’re focusing on the ‘wrong’ thing, as they are unable to control the result. However, if they hone in on the most important, influential actions and processes, complete these consistently to a high standard, then you’ll see their performance, motivation and energy drastically increase.
For a team to continue to be successful, they must be comfortable in giving and receiving positive and constructive feedback. In fact, members of a high performing senior team will pro-actively ask for feedback from other people to improve their individual and team’s overall performance. They create what’s called ‘psychological safety’. This means that they know it’s okay to take a risk, challenge the status quo and look for ways to improve things. Successful teams maintain a strong climate of trust, mutual respect and camaraderie and know how to deal constructively with conflict, and collaborate effectively.
They never lose focus of their customers or people, are able to communicate effectively outside of their core team and build strong external relationships. They also have an awareness of what’s going on around them, in case it might impact upon their performance. These teams are innovative, yet practical and know whether to pivot or persevere. They are continually learning, but flexible enough to modify their approach as needed. They can bounce back from setbacks and remain on track even when emergencies occur.
Working with elite senior leaders and teams for over 25 years, we’ve harnessed our experience and understanding to develop our Successful Teams model. As we have introduced here, the six dimensions that we believe are paramount in creating and maintaining a successful team are internal and external focus, spirit, agility, resilience and leadership. Our unique model is designed to pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses within a team, consider the challenges and personalities at play before devising a plan which harnesses the collective power of your team, setting them upon a fresh path to sustained success.
Ascend is a global boutique talent strategy and leadership development consultancy based in London, working across all sectors.
Discover more at ascend.world