What Is Your Team Type?
Teams have great power, both for good and bad. Think back to a time when a team was at its best. You probably had a lot of fun and the things you achieved were more than the sum total of your parts. Consider a time when a dysfunctional team existed. Egos clashed, performance slowed down, and it may have been difficult to communicate with your teammates. As a high-performing team can achieve synergistic excellence together, a lower-performing team may be less successful collectively than each member individually.
What is the secret to high-performing teams? Research and our experience suggest that high-performing teams can balance a focus of Results with a focus upon Rapport without having to sacrifice either. The most successful teams achieve great results by focusing simultaneously on “hard” as well as “soft” skills. It’s almost like working, but it isn’t.
What is the importance of results?
It is almost obvious that any team’s ultimate goal should be to achieve measurable positive outcomes. TeamType Results measures how well your team can execute, pay attention to details and stay focused. A strong Results focus makes teams more practical, tough-minded, and works towards measurable benchmarks. Teams with strong Results orientations will find their members happy to work hard towards something tangible in which they can take pride. Without a strong Results orientation, a team can be a social group at best and meaningless at worst.
Why is Rapport Important
It is a fact that the most successful companies have known for a long time that soft skills have a hard impact. Positive relationships encourage open discussion about ideas, reduce turnover and disengagement, provide support networks during times of stress, and promote collaboration. Teams that focus on emotional intelligence and other people skills will be able to influence and lead more effectively. 21st-century employees are looking for more than just a paycheck and a gold watch. They want to be able to trust their team to help them achieve goals that are important to them. Teams that do not place a high value on Rapport risk losing their employees, and moving to organizations with a more balanced approach.
Why balance matters
Teams that are too Results-focused without paying attention to Rapport are at risk of significant “churn” because their lofty expectations are not met by positive relationships. Teams that are too Results-focused and do not pay attention to results lack direction. Although it may be fun to belong to such a group, it does not help the team achieve its goals. Teams that excel in this area understand the importance of relationships and goals. They also have high expectations. This double emphasis gives teams the energy and direction they need to be at their best, as well as to maintain high output over time.
Thank you for reading.
