There are 3 key elements that stimulate a thriving, successful team: Company & Team Culture, Employee Engagement and Performance Management. These areas are interrelated, creating the multifaceted ecosystem that has proven to be both a driver and predictor of success in teams.
Crucial, yet struggling
When it comes to understanding and implementing these 3 keys, leaders may be:
- Aware of the concepts, but uncertain what they mean for their teams
- Overwhelmed by the “rabbit hole” of information and initiatives they’ve encountered as they’ve tried to get your head around how to build their teams
- Implementing activities to positively influence one or more area, but doing so separately and haphazardly
Despite the best intentions, many leaders are floundering in these areas. Understandably so too – operational and managerial pressures often leave little capacity for anything else.
However, to build a thriving, successful team in the modern organisational landscape, it is crucial that these areas are invested in effectively and intentionally. Research by the likes of Gallup, Fortune, Harvard, Deloitte and the HR Research Institute all consistently point to these 3 areas being key predictors of organisational growth, performance and success.
A Holistic Approach to Team Success
The ecosystem of culture, engagement and performance can be thought of as a pyramid in which each tier provides the foundation for the one above it.
Historically, performance management has received the most attention. It is smallest, the most visible in terms of measurements and practices, and the easiest to implement and adjust.
However not only is every area crucial for reaching that pinnacle of high-performance, they also do not operate in isolation. The interplay of building a strong company culture, inspiring high employee engagement and focusing on performance management forms an interrelated ecosystem that must be considered as a whole in order to achieve high performance.
What can you do about it?
Take action to develop and invest in culture, employee engagement and performance management in your teams.
The best approach will
- continue to build holistically in all 3 areas to achieve the best, lasting results
- bring positive change while integrating with your current systems
- maximise your time and resource investment
- be something your whole team can get excited about!
If you’d like a kick-starter for each area, download these One Glaring Gap guides. They’ll help you understand a big gap you may have in each area, and what you can do to turn it around, today.
