5 Key Traits of High Performing Teams, and How to Cultivate Them 

Business leadership is an ever-evolving field. Of the many tasks involved, cultivating a team is one of the most important, and when done right, can be the most influential. 

Putting together a team is one thing, but creating a high performing team can take your business performance to the next level. While high performing teams can take longer to put together, when working effectively, they can be your most valuable asset.

What is a High Performing Team?

The term ‘high performing team’ refers to those that outperform reasonable expectations by producing superior results, and that display exceptional levels of productivity and performance.

These teams don’t just come together by chance – they are carefully cultivated and pieced together intentionally. For employers, management, and leadership teams, the hours that it takes to curate a high performing team is worth it for the end result.

With this in mind, we address the question of what makes a high performing team? 

Traits of a High Performing Team

Here are five of the key traits that set high performing teams apart from the rest.

Highly Skilled Individuals

One of the first steps your leadership team can take in crafting a high performing team is assessing the skill levels of candidates.

Complimentary skills 

Each individual should be highly skilled in their area, and collectively, the skills of each team member should compliment the rest. An effective team must be composed of the right people with the appropriate skill sets to take a project from conception to completion.

Leverage each other’s skills

Not only should individual team members be highly skilled in their own right, but they should know what it takes to work cross-functionally to maximise their effectiveness. This doesn’t mean team members should be capable of managing one another’s tasks, but they should be aware of how to leverage the skills of the greater team in order to drive efficiency.

Communication

Clear expectations in regards to communication is a trait seen throughout high performing teams, and is imperative to the success of your business. There are a number of ways in which high performing teams demonstrate effective communication.

Clearly defined roles

For a team to be able to take a project to completion efficiently, each member must be clear on their roles and responsibilities. These parameters should be set out from the beginning, enabling each member to champion the project components that are linked to them.

Articulated goals

Along with knowing what they are responsible for within the project, members of high performing teams also know what the end goal of the project is from the outset. By communicating the end point from day one, you can ensure that everyone involved has a clear sense of purpose and awareness of how their part contributes to the final product. Knowing the aim and potential impact and benefits of a project can encourage teams through difficult periods.

Team autonomy

While leadership involvement is important to a degree, evidence also suggests that teams perform best when given autonomy in decision making. You can achieve this by allocating time for team members to get to know each other and their unique approaches to work before diving into a new project together. 

Unity

High performing teams in any industry nurture an environment that places importance on unity.

Prosocial purpose

Equally as important as knowing what the end goal of the project is, members of high performing teams share a sense of purpose that drives them towards that goal. Teams that outperform the rest see beyond the individual or organisational benefits of their project, and are driven by the public and societal benefits it can bring to future users. This prosocial purpose is a common motivator in high performing teams across all industries.

Trust and Respect

For any team to perform well collectively, there must be mutual trust and respect from and for each member. In high performing teams, trust is even more critical to success.

Psychological safety

Trust in high performing teams goes beyond confidence in the other members and their roles. It encapsulates every aspect of the team working together, from how they communicate to how they resolve issues and share wins. Studies show that teams that are more likely to take risks and fail are also more likely to try again, and find innovative ways to reach their maximum potential. This psychological safety creates a space where team members can disagree with each other without fearing the team being compromised.

Joint endeavour

High performing teams recognise that the quality of output they achieve would not be possible without each other’s contributions. This goes for both positive outcomes, and setbacks. As such, they acknowledge the productivity that comes from disagreements, and share credit for the teams’ successes. 

Lead by Leadership

A common and key trait in high performing teams is the involvement of leadership at a supportive level. Teams can only perform as well as they are enabled to, and the best performing teams are a product of supportive leadership whose influence flows throughout its staff.

Miller Leith’s recruitment and consulting services can help in finding the right candidates and cultivating a high performing team within your business. Contact Miller Leith today to speak to a member of our team about your business’s needs.