Can you provide me with a clear definition of a high performing team. What constitutes a good Coach? Team Member? Mentor? What is a good overall mission statement for a highly functional work team?
The Team Doc Says…
My favorite definition of a high performance team is contained in the book “Wisdom of Teams” by Katzenbach and Smith. They say:
“A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.”
Over the years in my work with many teams, I’ve found this definition to be validated many times. When the team is having a problem, it’s normally due to a breakdown in one of the five areas included in this definition — complementary skills, common purpose, performance goals, approach, and mutual accountability. If you have all these areas covered in your team, you’re headed for success. Take a look at the detail behind this definition by going to the article What Is A Definition Of A Team? This definition will also help you identify what a good coach, team member, mentor and other roles mean to your team.
For you’re mission statement to be effective, it should:
- Include the reason for your team
- Identify your team’s unique ‘value added’
- Reflect your teams’s core business activity
- Provide a focus for your team
- Identify the team purpose
To create a good mission statement for your team, follow the process in the article How to Create a Team Mission Statement.
About Denise O'Berry
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