How to create a “tailwind” behind your team

Posted: March 26, 2015 | Categories: Leadership, Team Building

Championship teams know this secret, but I am going to snitch:  If you want to be the best, learn how to create structural tension in your team.  Structural tension means each team member is driven by doing his or her part, and not ever letting the team down.  This phenomenon of structural tension can generate just the added thrust a team needs to leap to the top.  Let’s talk about a vital catalyst for creating structural tension:  Weekly power meetings.

I am not talking about those meetings where we kick ourselves to stay awake.  I am talking about meetings that are well planned, expertly and crisply facilitated, and contain relentless accountability and follow up.  Here is how they work.

It is 9:00am on Monday.  We start on time…sharp!  The first thing we ask each team member to report on is their commitment:

1. What did you commit to?
2. What happened?
3. What did you learn or gain?
4. What is your advice to the team?

If the person reporting did everything they said they would do, they have results.  If the results are great, that is probably a best practice we can capture and use again.  If they failed, the whole team comes together to collaborate, innovate, and problem solve so that the team member can re-group with a sharper edge.

If the person did not do what they say they would do, and they make excuses or point fingers….well, let me ask you…how do you think that would go over in the meeting of a top-performing team?  You are right.  It wouldn’t go well.  It is much more fun to operate out of integrity, and do what you say you will do.  Do you see how this structural tension works?  Yes, it is tension.  Yes, it is part of any winning team I have encountered.

Summing it up:

1. Communicate expectations with absolute clarity
2. Use meetings to support team accountability.
3. Keep moving the chains forward!