Many factors contribute to building a great team, however 3 concepts stand out.

These 3 play a distinct role in creating a team that excels, innovates, and achieves extraordinary things.

So what are the 3?

A great team has a definite purpose. This is more than a wordy mission statement. It’s the specific mandate that describes who the team serves, what its responsibilities are, and who it’s ultimately accountable to.

Think of it as the team’s Guiding Light. And it provides the WHY.

With a compelling WHY in place pride, meaning, and accountability follows.

For example, a marketing team may have a purpose centred on getting customers to fall in love with the companies brand and products. Now everyone – from content creators to data analysts – have something tangible to rally around.

It also brings focus to daily tasks.

Team members are now able to align what they do every day to the team’s purpose. When people work on the right things (together) in service of the team’s WHY, the team is on the path to achieving extraordinary things.

These are not typical goals that meet the budget. They are unreasonable goals, ones that intimidate. Goals that push the team beyond its comfort zone, change behaviour and stimulate innovation.

For a team I worked with recently it was launching a product in a new international market within an impossible deadline.

This unleashed extreme levels of commitment and focus. The performance challenge brought out the best in them. It inspired them to learn new skills, collaborate more deeply, and to innovate with new partners and technologies.

Most importantly it banished all forms of complacency and stimulated growth and change.

This spirit drives great teams.

It means that people step up and say, “This is mine to manage, I take it on and I will see it through.”

The Team Leader plays a crucial role. They do this by empowering people to make decisions and to learn from mistakes. It’s vital that team members feel trusted and accountable for both successes and setbacks.

This creates a culture where action is valued over perfection and ownership is valued over excuses.

A team I work with call this their A.O.E.

It stands for Action, Ownership, Energy. These are their vital behaviours. These behaviours are foundational to their success and each person passionately protects and upholds these norms.

So, while building a great team starts with assembling skilled individuals it doesn’t end there.

To convert that into performance these 3 concepts are vital.

With them in place your team will achieve extraordinary things!

1. A definite purpose?
2. Demanding performance challenges?
3. A spirit of action and ownership?

Related Reading: Will Your Goals Get You to the Moon and Back?