HIGH PERFORMING TEAMS

Industry Content Supporter:

Shuping England

Director of SBU

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shupingengland

Understanding High Caring: When leaders show high care for their team members, they develop a relationship that rests on empathy and trust. Team members go to work because they want to, not because they have to. A “Want To” environment and a “Have To” environment are the kinds of environments a leader can decide to cultivate within their team. Leaders can focus on ensuring the prevailing workplace culture has employees wanting to show up to work, work hard at their tasks, and record results of the highest quality.

Understanding High Accountability: Accountability should follow from the top to the bottom. People cannot be held accountable unless the leader demonstrates that accountability themselves. Accountability should begin with a clear understanding of the desired outcomes. Accountability cannot exist in the absence of authority, and accountability isn’t inspired by fear. To establish a culture of accountability, the leader must be careful how it might backfire to create the opposite of what had been hoped for. Establishing a culture of accountability provides an opportunity to align team members with the company's intentions, but if this is wrongly done, the very opposite culture might be created.

Leadership Strategy

What is leadership strategy? The word ‘strategy’ is common in business lingo. A strategy is a plan that is formulated to achieve some aim, usually in the long term. This means that a person or a leader who formulates a strategy is doing so to achieve some goal or hit a target. How does this work with leadership?

Specifically, strategic leadership is the ability of a leader to create a strategic vision for an organization or a part of it and motivate and persuade others to see this vision and follow the leader, offering their services in labor to achieve their mutual goals. If it fits the organization and is effective in the industry, the adopted method would keep it competitive and ever-evolving in the technological and economic sectors.

Is your leadership strategy effective? If these five things are on track, then a leadership strategy is effective:

● The team knows and loves the vision.

● The different activities connect easily to each other.

● Core values are written and discussed regularly.

● A clear execution plan is set for the next twelve weeks.

● Weekly figures, such as operation and marking numbers, are curated to evaluate the organization's direction and position.

What Being People-Oriented Looks Like: Organizations commonly adopt a people-oriented leadership style. This style focuses on interpersonal relationships, intending to improve them to create a positive work environment and increase productivity. Understanding the principles and benefits of a people-oriented leadership style can help readers better decide whether to adopt these ideals in an organization or team they lead.

People-Oriented Leadership Styles

● Recognition and rewards: The importance of relationships and rewards is usually understood. Recognizing and rewarding a hard-working employee informs the team that their performance is appreciated, inspiring them to perform at an even higher level. These rewards can be formal awards or increased compensation.

● Facilitating positive relationships: People-oriented leaders see positive relationships as just as necessary as task completion. These leaders believe that employees are more productive when they operate in a working environment that is generally positive on a social level. Because people-oriented leaders achieve job satisfaction and increased productivity, many prefer to work with them over task-oriented ones.

● Coaching and development: When employees are coached, they can improve their skills without fear of consequences. People-oriented leaders emphasize coaching team members to enhance their relationships with others and their productivity.

● Communication: Honest and open dialogue is essential to people-oriented leaders. This communication style shows employees that all opinions are valid and valued, making the decision-making process in these groups democratic. This freedom to share provides a wide range of views, increasing the diversity of thought. This also positively affects the organization's decision-making.

When teams are interdependent, the service rendered will be congruent across the whole team, ensuring consistency in communication with clients from contact centers.

Markers of an Interdependent Team:

● Team members exist in service of ‘we’ and not ‘me.’

● A sense of unconditional curiosity exists.

● The shared purpose that provides meaning to the work done by the team.

● Team members offer support and advice to one another.

How to Make Your Contact Center Interdependent

● Encourage team members to share their experiences. These could be related to work, personal life, or something else. The process helps foster mutual care and empathy and deepens their connection to one another.

● Social events should be scheduled. Family members can be included. This helps with bonding as well. 

● Effective team meetings allow teams to collaborate on real and meaningful tasks. A task where the team’s common interests or goals are rehearsed there.

● Hold unscheduled talks with team members. This helps break down the barriers and allows the leader to personally bond with the team members.

● Practice areas where group work is more critical than individual tasks. Examples include complex problem-solving, planning for the future, and developing new approaches.

● Face-to-face interactions should be encouraged more than virtual interactions between team members, whether work-related or otherwise. It is harder to be dismissive or disrespectful to people present with you than to people being viewed on a screen or spoken to over the phone.

● Feedback should be given frequently, and appreciation should be specific. Prompt communication of areas for improvement should also be encouraged. Points should not be discussed or argued about months after they occur. Excellent performance should be praised and regarded publicly.

● When these are done, the walls separating the leader and team members will disappear. The walls also separate team members from one another.