I recently read an excerpt from the late Richard Hackman’s book “Leading Teams” where he talks about the 5 conditions that need to exist in order for a team to become a high performing one and I thought it worth sharing with you here.
The conditions are:
1. A clear and compelling purpose
2. The right (and clear) team membership
3. Expert coaching
4. Enabling structures
5. Supportive organisation
I think that is a great checklist for any of us to reflect upon and I will talk about each of those topics over the coming weeks.
I want to focus on the first one – a clear and compelling purpose.
Note that it is not talking about “what” we are trying to build, or “how” we are going to build it – not to be ignored by any means, but they are not part of the foundational conditions required.
It is, however, talking to the “why” – why this business exists in the first place.
Tougher question to answer – but answer it we must!
You see it is very clear that it is getting harder and harder to attract and keep top talent with the traditional big wages, extras and bonuses. Those are just the hygiene factors.
What this new talent seeks is meaning and purpose. People now feel that they can get the money and the perks easily enough – and they have choices in this regard.
What will engage them is meaning and purpose.
We should not be too surprise at this. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs informs us that, once our needs are cater for, we will always seek the higher purpose.
How clear is your purpose? If it isn’t then you need to do something about it – and urgently! This does not fall into the “nice but not critical” category. If you want to attract – and retain – the brightest of the best, you need to have this crystal clear.
You also need to ensure that everything that happens in your organisation reflects that purpose (that is an article for another day!).
So, in one sentence, what is your purpose?
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FREE STRATEGY CALL
If your team is not working as effectively as it should and you would like them to get things done faster, then why not take advantage of a free 45 minute strategy call to get some tips to put that right? Then go towww.johnmurphyinternational.com/call to schedule that session.