Jan. 19, 2026
Want to Build a High-Performing Team? Start Here
You just got your first team. Everyone's telling you to build a "high-performing team"—but what does that actually mean? If your team members are good at their jobs and hit their targets, isn't that enough?
Here's what most new manager leadership skills training won't tell you: a high-performing team isn't just talented individuals doing good work. It's something more—and if you're feeling like something's missing but can't quite name it, this episode is for you.
In this episode, we break down the two elements every high-performing team needs: psychological safety AND accountability. Most new leaders think these are opposites, but they're actually inextricably linked. You can't have one without the other.
You'll learn:
· Why talented individuals don't automatically make a high-performing team
· What happens when you have psychological safety without accountability (and vice versa)
· A practical leadership framework for managers to define what "high-performing" means in YOUR context
· And more
Perfect for new managers, women in leadership, and anyone navigating their first leadership role who wants actionable guidance, not corporate jargon.
This is a follow-up to our psychological safety episode. If you missed it, check it out here: Leader Lesson: Psychological Safety...
Ready to move from a collection of individuals to an actual team? Let's start here.
Other helpful episodes: Want to Be a Leader? Start Here.
Want to support the show? Buy Me A Coffee
Leave me a voicemail with your topic or to share your thoughts.
Get weekly insights via The Catalysts.
WEBVTT
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[SPEAKER_00]: You just got your first team and everyone keeps telling you that you need to build a high performing team.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But every time you hear that phrase, you probably feel a bit of a not in your stomach because what does that even mean?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Your team members are good at their jobs and they hit their targets like they're supposed to.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So is that it?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Are you done?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, something is telling you no, but you're not quite sure what's missing.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I'm going to fill you in so whole tight.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to Crossroads in Catalyst.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The podcast was Cheneetabee.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I am your host.
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[SPEAKER_00]: This is where we discuss how a thoughtful, wise, and strategic perspective at a Crossroads can be the catalyst for change in your leadership and career.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So a few weeks ago, we actually discussed psychological safety.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And based on your feedback, that really hit a nerve.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And it was definitely in a good way.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm going to link it in the show notes in case you missed it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But I'm doing this follow-up because I wanted to emphasize something.
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[SPEAKER_00]: OK, a high-performing team is not just a collection of highly skilled individuals.
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[SPEAKER_00]: That's where a lot of leaders run into issues.
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[SPEAKER_00]: just cannot even figure out what the problem is.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so maybe you're one of them.
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[SPEAKER_00]: We're going to break down what makes a high-performing team and where to start.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But we're going to do this by painting a picture.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So let me paint this canvas for you, okay?
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[SPEAKER_00]: You've got a team, small team of about five people or so, and each with a specific scope that is not wholly unrelated to the other members of this team.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So, person A, they finished their piece and they handed off, but person B, once they get it, they got to redo it because there are certain pieces that didn't come across like they should have.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so then person C, they have a better way to solve a recurring problem, but they never speak up in meetings, and so you have no idea that they have this trove of ideas and innovation in their heads.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so finally you have person D and person D is just frustrated because they keep getting last minute changes, but they don't know that they'd need to say anything or that they should say anything because really that's just how it is.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Every time they've spoken up in the past, nobody has ever changed anything so why bother?
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[SPEAKER_00]: And then you as the leader, you're running around putting out fires all day and a lot of people have lived this life and it is not a fun life.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm wondering if this sounds familiar to you.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I've certainly lived this scenario a few too many times and typically it is at the start of a new position because you're really trying to get the lay of the land.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So you've got one person who knows
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[SPEAKER_00]: Or the boss is really never stepped in to address whatever the concerns are.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And I've seen this time and time and time again where you'll have one star employee who really knows everyone's job and because they know everyone's job when something comes to them rather than sending it back and saying, okay, instead of sending this to me, I need you to modify this.
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[SPEAKER_00]: and provide this information, they just do it and fix it themselves, which really wears them out a lot of times to the point of burnout.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So this is basically a trap, okay?
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[SPEAKER_00]: And you can easily get caught in it if you do not put a stop to it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So you think that you have the right people and by that I'm talking about their skills and their willingness, but because they're not working together in a coordinated effort, they are not a team, okay?
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[SPEAKER_00]: They have every appearance of being so
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[SPEAKER_00]: from the outside looking in.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But the difference is there's a lack of psychological safety and accountability.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And okay, look at a basketball game.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Most of us have watched a basketball game.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And you've seen in some instances, there's a star player, but the star player never passes the ball.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They might score the points, but the team loses because there's no coordination, there's no trust, and there's no rhythm, and a lot of teams operate in that same manner.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And it is frustrating to experience this, and it can be even more stressful to witness it and feel like you can't do anything about it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so if you have something that you want to share with me or topic that you would like to discuss and I want you to send a voicemail, go to my website crossroads in catalyst.com and then you'll see the voicemail link so that you can leave that information for me and while you're there be sure to follow the show by hitting the plus sign or do it in Apple or Spotify, okay?
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[SPEAKER_00]: So I want us to clarify some things because there's a misconception that supporting psychological safety means the end of accountability and that is just not true.
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[SPEAKER_00]: To the contrary, it is providing an environment where people can speak up, they can take risks and they can be honest without fear that simultaneously setting a standard for doing those things.
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[SPEAKER_00]: addressing concerns.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They don't have to fear that there's going to be retaliation.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They don't have to fear that if they say something to a colleague in relation to the work that is being done, that there's going to be this big blow up and a lot of drama.
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[SPEAKER_00]: That is what psychological safety is.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But in order to have real psychological safety, you have to have accountability because the two are inextricably linked.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So, and I'm going to let me show you what I mean by this, okay?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Psychological safety without accountability, it looks like people feeling so comfortable with the standards that they just become too lacks for the standards to be meaningful.
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[SPEAKER_00]: or how about feedback becomes so vague or disappears entirely because of fear of offending or hurting others on the team.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Because, okay, let's face it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: There are some people in our workplaces and spaces who are highly sensitive and
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[SPEAKER_00]: If you say something or you don't say it in a manner that maybe even according to their personality it may not be taken very well And so people are then hesitant to say something or how about the team members just stop collaborating with each other if they ever really did
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[SPEAKER_00]: And then maybe you have some team members who might become resentful because of a perceived coasting of others.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So if there was a standard and now the standards are not being met because there's no accountability.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Then the manager or the leader is not addressing those.
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[SPEAKER_00]: those issues and maybe there is an inequitable delegation of duties and some team members are doing more work than the others.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So I mean we can go on and on and on but those are just a few examples.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And while this may make you feel like you're doing a good job as being a good leader, your team is feeling alone because they're navigating these problems that need to be addressed.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So then on the flip side, then you, of course, you have the examples of what accountability without psychological safety looks like.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So here are some of those.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The team, they just, they just do enough just to get by.
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[SPEAKER_00]: There's no additional effort.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Whatever you ask for, they're going to give you exactly that, they're not going to exercise any foresight, they're not going to try to provide what they think might actually be necessary based on some information that they have that maybe you don't so they're just not going to go the extra mile and then collaboration, it's it's going to completely stall.
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[SPEAKER_00]: or it's going to end all together.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And then you also have problems or worse mistakes that are kept quiet because people are afraid to speak up about those and point them out.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Or they might just say, what's the point of talking about it?
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[SPEAKER_00]: They're not going to do anything about it, or the leader might even get upset if they mention something.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So they don't even want to go there.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You also are going to have a reduction in the innovation and the creativity or it could just die all together because the risk just feels too great to even go there.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And then here's another one, you might have high turnover despite what appears to be good rapport between you and the team members or the team members themselves.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And this is how heavy it can be in some spaces.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So you might be thinking, well, I'm supposed to hold the team accountable, right?
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[SPEAKER_00]: And while the answer is yes, you should, when you do that in an environment without psychological safety, your team is merely complying with the rules, okay.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You'll be the last person to know if something goes awry with your team and you never want to be the last person to know you probably.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You know, in that team setting, you might not necessarily want to be the first person to know because if that's the case, that means that your team is still not talking to one another.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You want them to be able to resolve things on their own without your intervention.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But you don't want to be the last person to know because maybe they're afraid to say something to you.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And I hope that that makes sense.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But ultimately, when you have both accountability and psychological safety, your team is going to speak freely and they're going to innovate and they're going to exercise all of these things with professional boundaries and then collaboration becomes more of a natural fit rather than a forced practice and you don't want it to be forced for sure.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so this is what synergy is actually going to look like.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And that's what you want.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so that if you're thinking, okay, well, I don't know if I have that or how do I even create this with my team?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, really, that's where you should be because that's the whole point of this particular podcast.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You should be in that place because most leadership advice it speaks about this particular subject from the finish line and I'm going to tell you where you should start and are you ready for it because what I want you to do is to define what a high performing team looks like in your context.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But you have to understand your working environment, what your goals and objectives are for your team, what the mission and vision of your organization are so that you can really qualify what this is.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So I want you to jot down these questions because you're going to need to answer these.
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[SPEAKER_00]: number one, what does success actually look like for my team in the next 90 days?
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[SPEAKER_00]: And this is especially important if you're a new leader and if you're an established leader and you feel like you just need a bit of a reset, this is good too because teams want to know that they can follow someone and that their leader has a vision and it does not matter.
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[SPEAKER_00]: what rank with the organization, your leadership role, where it sits, okay?
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[SPEAKER_00]: You want to be specific when you ask this question or when you answer this question.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You don't want to just jot down that you want people to do great work.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You want to be
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[SPEAKER_00]: So specific that you understand and when you convey this to your team that they understand what it looks like.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So instead of saying, I want them to do great work.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, maybe if you're in a customer service role, maybe you want the customer response time to be why.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you want to complete the project on time.
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[SPEAKER_00]: and on budget by this date.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Just be specific.
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[SPEAKER_00]: That's what's really going to help you.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So then the second question, what does collaboration need to look like for us to achieve that?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, do we need to meet?
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[SPEAKER_00]: on a more regular basis.
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[SPEAKER_00]: How often does this information need to be shared?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Is it daily?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Is it weekly?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Do we need to problem solve together or work more independently?
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[SPEAKER_00]: You have to really understand what it should look like because you know best what that team dynamic is.
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[SPEAKER_00]: and how that should fit together.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And it's always important.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's better to overshare when it comes to some of the work than to undershare, but again, you have to figure out what that should look like.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Number three, what behaviors do I need to see that tell me we have both psychological safety and accountability?
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[SPEAKER_00]: So for example,
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[SPEAKER_00]: People speak up in meetings when they disagree, would be one of the things that you can look for.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Or maybe team members ask each other for help.
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[SPEAKER_00]: This is always a great sign.
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[SPEAKER_00]: When you have your team members who go from not talking to one another to asking each other for help,
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[SPEAKER_00]: and working out problems on their own, you know that you have made an excellent change, but you have to be specific in relation to what you expect that to look like.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Or how about this?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Because this is one that I've definitely encountered.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you've had some people on your team who have missed deadlines, and you've had to address those.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you start to see that they're more cognizant
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[SPEAKER_00]: as to when they contact you and indicate that maybe they've encountered some issues or it's just going to take a little bit longer than what they anticipated.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe they used to tell you, you know, three hours before it's due, well, maybe now they're going to tell you four days before it's due, whatever that looks like, whatever you think is going to be satisfactory, but you have to think through that.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so answering these questions is going to give you your definition of what a high-performing team looks like.
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[SPEAKER_00]: and the best part is you will be able to communicate this more effectively because it's concrete, not abstract.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Again, you don't want to convey information and just be vague about it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, just great job.
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[SPEAKER_00]: No, if you give something specific, I really enjoyed how you present at the numbers or how you spoke specifically about A, B, and C, that is really what is going to make the difference.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So once you do this, okay, I want you to communicate this, either in your next team meeting or in your one-on-ones.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that it's always helpful to present information like this to the team as a whole so that everyone is hearing the same thing.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And you can bounce ideas off of one another.
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[SPEAKER_00]: in that setting or you can provide clarification because maybe someone is going to have a question and they may need you to elaborate.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And then of course you can follow up in the one on ones if there's something specific that comes up.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So then now, you know, I can probably hear you're saying
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[SPEAKER_00]: what should I actually say when I present this?
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[SPEAKER_00]: I'm so glad that you asked because this is one way that you can approach this.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You can just go to your team and say, look, I have been thinking about what I want us to be as a team.
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[SPEAKER_00]: This is what success looks like to me over the next 90 days and then you detail out what those goals are whether it's one or whether it's five you just list those out for them and then you say well here's what I believe needs to be true about how we work together and order for us to get there and then you detail out some behavioral expectations.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And then you say, I want to know, if this resonates with you, if this makes sense, or if you think that I'm missing something, what should we add, how should we modify this.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And that gives an opening for them to share.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, again, now you have to be sincere when you do this.
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[SPEAKER_00]: If your team senses that you are not sincere, that you are not going to take their feedback seriously, they're not going to open up.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And potentially if there's already been a situation or maybe a several scenarios that have occurred and has kind of pushed them to the the outskirts of the department, they're not really feeling it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, you might have to lay a little bit of groundwork in order to get them there, but you can do this.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It is possible.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And I saw I recognize that you might be feeling a little bit nervous about this thinking that it may not go as planned.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I'm just going to tell you chances are that it may not go as planned.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But your team, they may add some things that you didn't consider, which could definitely make it better than what was originally planned.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And that's really what you want.
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[SPEAKER_00]: That's the point.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Because you'll be demonstrating to them both psychological safety and accountability.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Because once you open your mouth and share something with your team, that this is what you want to do.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And this is what the standard will be.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, they're going to be looking to you to see if you're actually going to follow through on it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: that's your accountability.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And I want you to recognize this and understand this that all plans are subject to change and they should be adaptable.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I want you to be ready for it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And if you can adjust and still meet your definition and objective, then you're still going to be succeeding and you're going to be better off than where you started because you would have made some progress
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[SPEAKER_00]: These, they, they will and they should evolve over time because if you're too rigid and unwilling to adapt, then you're going to risk undermining both psychological safety and accountability.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And again,
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[SPEAKER_00]: We want to support and encourage and cultivate both of those things because they're absolutely necessary for the success of your team and to be able to qualify your team as a high performing team.
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[SPEAKER_00]: All right?
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[SPEAKER_00]: So you owe it to yourself and your team to cultivate this environment where your individual and collective talents can thrive.
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[SPEAKER_00]: you can do this.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You just have to start.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So I want you to to think about what I've said and I appreciate that you have taken the time to listen.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And you might want to hit replay because this episode contains a lot of information and it'll be helpful for you to jot down those questions so that you can answer them for yourself.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I want you to set a date on your calendar to meet with your team and to discuss this.
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[SPEAKER_00]: after you've answered these questions, all right?
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[SPEAKER_00]: So check out my website, crossroadsandcatalyst.com and sign up for the catalyst so that you can get the weekly insights.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So just go to the website, a slash newsletter and sign up for it there.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So until next time, be thoughtful, be wise, be strategic, and remember, crossroads reveal who you are.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Catalyst shape who you become, every decision matters.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So make it count.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You just got your first team and everyone keeps telling you that you need to build a high performing team.
00:06.539 --> 00:12.405
[SPEAKER_00]: But every time you hear that phrase, you probably feel a bit of a not in your stomach because what does that even mean?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Your team members are good at their jobs and they hit their targets like they're supposed to.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So is that it?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Are you done?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, something is telling you no, but you're not quite sure what's missing.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I'm going to fill you in so whole tight.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to Crossroads in Catalyst.
00:32.386 --> 00:33.731
[SPEAKER_00]: The podcast was Cheneetabee.
00:33.872 --> 00:34.815
[SPEAKER_00]: I am your host.
00:34.835 --> 00:42.323
[SPEAKER_00]: This is where we discuss how a thoughtful, wise, and strategic perspective at a Crossroads can be the catalyst for change in your leadership and career.
00:42.809 --> 00:46.795
[SPEAKER_00]: So a few weeks ago, we actually discussed psychological safety.
00:46.875 --> 00:49.118
[SPEAKER_00]: And based on your feedback, that really hit a nerve.
00:49.779 --> 00:51.682
[SPEAKER_00]: And it was definitely in a good way.
00:52.303 --> 00:55.187
[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm going to link it in the show notes in case you missed it.
00:55.727 --> 00:58.892
[SPEAKER_00]: But I'm doing this follow-up because I wanted to emphasize something.
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[SPEAKER_00]: OK, a high-performing team is not just a collection of highly skilled individuals.
01:05.782 --> 01:08.766
[SPEAKER_00]: That's where a lot of leaders run into issues.
01:08.746 --> 01:11.811
[SPEAKER_00]: just cannot even figure out what the problem is.
01:12.312 --> 01:13.534
[SPEAKER_00]: And so maybe you're one of them.
01:14.134 --> 01:18.121
[SPEAKER_00]: We're going to break down what makes a high-performing team and where to start.
01:18.882 --> 01:21.266
[SPEAKER_00]: But we're going to do this by painting a picture.
01:21.306 --> 01:23.870
[SPEAKER_00]: So let me paint this canvas for you, okay?
01:24.411 --> 01:34.787
[SPEAKER_00]: You've got a team, small team of about five people or so, and each with a specific scope that is not wholly unrelated to the other members of this team.
01:34.767 --> 01:44.547
[SPEAKER_00]: So, person A, they finished their piece and they handed off, but person B, once they get it, they got to redo it because there are certain pieces that didn't come across like they should have.
01:45.148 --> 01:56.691
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so then person C, they have a better way to solve a recurring problem, but they never speak up in meetings, and so you have no idea that they have this trove of ideas and innovation in their heads.
01:56.671 --> 02:09.457
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so finally you have person D and person D is just frustrated because they keep getting last minute changes, but they don't know that they'd need to say anything or that they should say anything because really that's just how it is.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Every time they've spoken up in the past, nobody has ever changed anything so why bother?
02:14.828 --> 02:23.438
[SPEAKER_00]: And then you as the leader, you're running around putting out fires all day and a lot of people have lived this life and it is not a fun life.
02:23.478 --> 02:26.001
[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm wondering if this sounds familiar to you.
02:27.042 --> 02:36.713
[SPEAKER_00]: I've certainly lived this scenario a few too many times and typically it is at the start of a new position because you're really trying to get the lay of the land.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So you've got one person who knows
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[SPEAKER_00]: Or the boss is really never stepped in to address whatever the concerns are.
02:49.449 --> 03:08.595
[SPEAKER_00]: And I've seen this time and time and time again where you'll have one star employee who really knows everyone's job and because they know everyone's job when something comes to them rather than sending it back and saying, okay, instead of sending this to me, I need you to modify this.
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[SPEAKER_00]: and provide this information, they just do it and fix it themselves, which really wears them out a lot of times to the point of burnout.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So this is basically a trap, okay?
03:20.446 --> 03:24.569
[SPEAKER_00]: And you can easily get caught in it if you do not put a stop to it.
03:25.010 --> 03:35.079
[SPEAKER_00]: So you think that you have the right people and by that I'm talking about their skills and their willingness, but because they're not working together in a coordinated effort, they are not a team, okay?
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[SPEAKER_00]: They have every appearance of being so
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[SPEAKER_00]: from the outside looking in.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But the difference is there's a lack of psychological safety and accountability.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And okay, look at a basketball game.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Most of us have watched a basketball game.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And you've seen in some instances, there's a star player, but the star player never passes the ball.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They might score the points, but the team loses because there's no coordination, there's no trust, and there's no rhythm, and a lot of teams operate in that same manner.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And it is frustrating to experience this, and it can be even more stressful to witness it and feel like you can't do anything about it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so if you have something that you want to share with me or topic that you would like to discuss and I want you to send a voicemail, go to my website crossroads in catalyst.com and then you'll see the voicemail link so that you can leave that information for me and while you're there be sure to follow the show by hitting the plus sign or do it in Apple or Spotify, okay?
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[SPEAKER_00]: So I want us to clarify some things because there's a misconception that supporting psychological safety means the end of accountability and that is just not true.
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[SPEAKER_00]: To the contrary, it is providing an environment where people can speak up, they can take risks and they can be honest without fear that simultaneously setting a standard for doing those things.
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[SPEAKER_00]: addressing concerns.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They don't have to fear that there's going to be retaliation.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They don't have to fear that if they say something to a colleague in relation to the work that is being done, that there's going to be this big blow up and a lot of drama.
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[SPEAKER_00]: That is what psychological safety is.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But in order to have real psychological safety, you have to have accountability because the two are inextricably linked.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So, and I'm going to let me show you what I mean by this, okay?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Psychological safety without accountability, it looks like people feeling so comfortable with the standards that they just become too lacks for the standards to be meaningful.
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[SPEAKER_00]: or how about feedback becomes so vague or disappears entirely because of fear of offending or hurting others on the team.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Because, okay, let's face it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: There are some people in our workplaces and spaces who are highly sensitive and
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[SPEAKER_00]: If you say something or you don't say it in a manner that maybe even according to their personality it may not be taken very well And so people are then hesitant to say something or how about the team members just stop collaborating with each other if they ever really did
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[SPEAKER_00]: And then maybe you have some team members who might become resentful because of a perceived coasting of others.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So if there was a standard and now the standards are not being met because there's no accountability.
06:42.513 --> 06:45.237
[SPEAKER_00]: Then the manager or the leader is not addressing those.
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[SPEAKER_00]: those issues and maybe there is an inequitable delegation of duties and some team members are doing more work than the others.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So I mean we can go on and on and on but those are just a few examples.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And while this may make you feel like you're doing a good job as being a good leader, your team is feeling alone because they're navigating these problems that need to be addressed.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So then on the flip side, then you, of course, you have the examples of what accountability without psychological safety looks like.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So here are some of those.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The team, they just, they just do enough just to get by.
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[SPEAKER_00]: There's no additional effort.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Whatever you ask for, they're going to give you exactly that, they're not going to exercise any foresight, they're not going to try to provide what they think might actually be necessary based on some information that they have that maybe you don't so they're just not going to go the extra mile and then collaboration, it's it's going to completely stall.
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[SPEAKER_00]: or it's going to end all together.
07:51.397 --> 08:02.556
[SPEAKER_00]: And then you also have problems or worse mistakes that are kept quiet because people are afraid to speak up about those and point them out.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Or they might just say, what's the point of talking about it?
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[SPEAKER_00]: They're not going to do anything about it, or the leader might even get upset if they mention something.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So they don't even want to go there.
08:14.435 --> 08:26.098
[SPEAKER_00]: You also are going to have a reduction in the innovation and the creativity or it could just die all together because the risk just feels too great to even go there.
08:26.888 --> 08:38.487
[SPEAKER_00]: And then here's another one, you might have high turnover despite what appears to be good rapport between you and the team members or the team members themselves.
08:39.108 --> 08:42.514
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is how heavy it can be in some spaces.
08:43.055 --> 08:47.462
[SPEAKER_00]: So you might be thinking, well, I'm supposed to hold the team accountable, right?
08:47.442 --> 08:57.301
[SPEAKER_00]: And while the answer is yes, you should, when you do that in an environment without psychological safety, your team is merely complying with the rules, okay.
08:57.942 --> 09:05.957
[SPEAKER_00]: You'll be the last person to know if something goes awry with your team and you never want to be the last person to know you probably.
09:05.937 --> 09:15.049
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, in that team setting, you might not necessarily want to be the first person to know because if that's the case, that means that your team is still not talking to one another.
09:15.149 --> 09:18.994
[SPEAKER_00]: You want them to be able to resolve things on their own without your intervention.
09:19.515 --> 09:24.942
[SPEAKER_00]: But you don't want to be the last person to know because maybe they're afraid to say something to you.
09:25.122 --> 09:27.405
[SPEAKER_00]: And I hope that that makes sense.
09:27.385 --> 09:50.001
[SPEAKER_00]: But ultimately, when you have both accountability and psychological safety, your team is going to speak freely and they're going to innovate and they're going to exercise all of these things with professional boundaries and then collaboration becomes more of a natural fit rather than a forced practice and you don't want it to be forced for sure.
09:49.981 --> 09:53.467
[SPEAKER_00]: And so this is what synergy is actually going to look like.
09:54.509 --> 09:55.371
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's what you want.
09:56.513 --> 10:04.287
[SPEAKER_00]: And so that if you're thinking, okay, well, I don't know if I have that or how do I even create this with my team?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, really, that's where you should be because that's the whole point of this particular podcast.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You should be in that place because most leadership advice it speaks about this particular subject from the finish line and I'm going to tell you where you should start and are you ready for it because what I want you to do is to define what a high performing team looks like in your context.
10:36.539 --> 10:49.366
[SPEAKER_00]: But you have to understand your working environment, what your goals and objectives are for your team, what the mission and vision of your organization are so that you can really qualify what this is.
10:49.787 --> 10:53.535
[SPEAKER_00]: So I want you to jot down these questions because you're going to need to answer these.
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[SPEAKER_00]: number one, what does success actually look like for my team in the next 90 days?
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[SPEAKER_00]: And this is especially important if you're a new leader and if you're an established leader and you feel like you just need a bit of a reset, this is good too because teams want to know that they can follow someone and that their leader has a vision and it does not matter.
11:19.672 --> 11:24.683
[SPEAKER_00]: what rank with the organization, your leadership role, where it sits, okay?
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[SPEAKER_00]: You want to be specific when you ask this question or when you answer this question.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You don't want to just jot down that you want people to do great work.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You want to be
11:37.070 --> 11:43.978
[SPEAKER_00]: So specific that you understand and when you convey this to your team that they understand what it looks like.
11:44.078 --> 11:46.181
[SPEAKER_00]: So instead of saying, I want them to do great work.
11:46.561 --> 11:54.051
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, maybe if you're in a customer service role, maybe you want the customer response time to be why.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you want to complete the project on time.
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[SPEAKER_00]: and on budget by this date.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Just be specific.
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[SPEAKER_00]: That's what's really going to help you.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So then the second question, what does collaboration need to look like for us to achieve that?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, do we need to meet?
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[SPEAKER_00]: on a more regular basis.
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[SPEAKER_00]: How often does this information need to be shared?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Is it daily?
12:19.005 --> 12:19.687
[SPEAKER_00]: Is it weekly?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Do we need to problem solve together or work more independently?
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[SPEAKER_00]: You have to really understand what it should look like because you know best what that team dynamic is.
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[SPEAKER_00]: and how that should fit together.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And it's always important.
12:34.853 --> 12:41.181
[SPEAKER_00]: It's better to overshare when it comes to some of the work than to undershare, but again, you have to figure out what that should look like.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Number three, what behaviors do I need to see that tell me we have both psychological safety and accountability?
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[SPEAKER_00]: So for example,
12:52.113 --> 12:57.648
[SPEAKER_00]: People speak up in meetings when they disagree, would be one of the things that you can look for.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Or maybe team members ask each other for help.
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[SPEAKER_00]: This is always a great sign.
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[SPEAKER_00]: When you have your team members who go from not talking to one another to asking each other for help,
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[SPEAKER_00]: and working out problems on their own, you know that you have made an excellent change, but you have to be specific in relation to what you expect that to look like.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Or how about this?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Because this is one that I've definitely encountered.
13:24.965 --> 13:29.072
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you've had some people on your team who have missed deadlines, and you've had to address those.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you start to see that they're more cognizant
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[SPEAKER_00]: as to when they contact you and indicate that maybe they've encountered some issues or it's just going to take a little bit longer than what they anticipated.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe they used to tell you, you know, three hours before it's due, well, maybe now they're going to tell you four days before it's due, whatever that looks like, whatever you think is going to be satisfactory, but you have to think through that.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so answering these questions is going to give you your definition of what a high-performing team looks like.
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[SPEAKER_00]: and the best part is you will be able to communicate this more effectively because it's concrete, not abstract.
14:09.941 --> 14:16.530
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, you don't want to convey information and just be vague about it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, just great job.
14:18.192 --> 14:29.788
[SPEAKER_00]: No, if you give something specific, I really enjoyed how you present at the numbers or how you spoke specifically about A, B, and C, that is really what is going to make the difference.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So once you do this, okay, I want you to communicate this, either in your next team meeting or in your one-on-ones.
14:39.043 --> 14:46.414
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that it's always helpful to present information like this to the team as a whole so that everyone is hearing the same thing.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And you can bounce ideas off of one another.
14:50.947 --> 14:58.744
[SPEAKER_00]: in that setting or you can provide clarification because maybe someone is going to have a question and they may need you to elaborate.
14:59.105 --> 15:03.395
[SPEAKER_00]: And then of course you can follow up in the one on ones if there's something specific that comes up.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So then now, you know, I can probably hear you're saying
15:10.370 --> 15:13.397
[SPEAKER_00]: what should I actually say when I present this?
15:14.299 --> 15:18.469
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm so glad that you asked because this is one way that you can approach this.
15:19.090 --> 15:24.683
[SPEAKER_00]: You can just go to your team and say, look, I have been thinking about what I want us to be as a team.
15:25.895 --> 15:45.473
[SPEAKER_00]: This is what success looks like to me over the next 90 days and then you detail out what those goals are whether it's one or whether it's five you just list those out for them and then you say well here's what I believe needs to be true about how we work together and order for us to get there and then you detail out some behavioral expectations.
15:45.453 --> 15:55.150
[SPEAKER_00]: And then you say, I want to know, if this resonates with you, if this makes sense, or if you think that I'm missing something, what should we add, how should we modify this.
15:55.751 --> 15:58.435
[SPEAKER_00]: And that gives an opening for them to share.
15:59.517 --> 16:02.362
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, again, now you have to be sincere when you do this.
16:02.803 --> 16:10.296
[SPEAKER_00]: If your team senses that you are not sincere, that you are not going to take their feedback seriously, they're not going to open up.
16:10.276 --> 16:24.614
[SPEAKER_00]: And potentially if there's already been a situation or maybe a several scenarios that have occurred and has kind of pushed them to the the outskirts of the department, they're not really feeling it.
16:25.335 --> 16:30.662
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, you might have to lay a little bit of groundwork in order to get them there, but you can do this.
16:31.303 --> 16:32.925
[SPEAKER_00]: It is possible.
16:32.905 --> 16:38.252
[SPEAKER_00]: And I saw I recognize that you might be feeling a little bit nervous about this thinking that it may not go as planned.
16:38.852 --> 16:42.437
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I'm just going to tell you chances are that it may not go as planned.
16:43.077 --> 16:51.348
[SPEAKER_00]: But your team, they may add some things that you didn't consider, which could definitely make it better than what was originally planned.
16:51.708 --> 16:52.930
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's really what you want.
16:52.970 --> 16:54.171
[SPEAKER_00]: That's the point.
16:54.151 --> 16:59.523
[SPEAKER_00]: Because you'll be demonstrating to them both psychological safety and accountability.
16:59.543 --> 17:04.374
[SPEAKER_00]: Because once you open your mouth and share something with your team, that this is what you want to do.
17:04.635 --> 17:06.559
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is what the standard will be.
17:07.040 --> 17:11.029
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, they're going to be looking to you to see if you're actually going to follow through on it.
17:11.009 --> 17:12.290
[SPEAKER_00]: that's your accountability.
17:13.171 --> 17:20.479
[SPEAKER_00]: And I want you to recognize this and understand this that all plans are subject to change and they should be adaptable.
17:21.100 --> 17:22.481
[SPEAKER_00]: I want you to be ready for it.
17:23.102 --> 17:37.337
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you can adjust and still meet your definition and objective, then you're still going to be succeeding and you're going to be better off than where you started because you would have made some progress
17:38.701 --> 17:51.137
[SPEAKER_00]: These, they, they will and they should evolve over time because if you're too rigid and unwilling to adapt, then you're going to risk undermining both psychological safety and accountability.
17:51.778 --> 17:53.082
[SPEAKER_00]: And again,
17:53.332 --> 18:07.108
[SPEAKER_00]: We want to support and encourage and cultivate both of those things because they're absolutely necessary for the success of your team and to be able to qualify your team as a high performing team.
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[SPEAKER_00]: All right?
18:08.910 --> 18:17.500
[SPEAKER_00]: So you owe it to yourself and your team to cultivate this environment where your individual and collective talents can thrive.
18:17.480 --> 18:18.761
[SPEAKER_00]: you can do this.
18:19.823 --> 18:21.324
[SPEAKER_00]: You just have to start.
18:22.185 --> 18:30.354
[SPEAKER_00]: So I want you to to think about what I've said and I appreciate that you have taken the time to listen.
18:31.355 --> 18:47.352
[SPEAKER_00]: And you might want to hit replay because this episode contains a lot of information and it'll be helpful for you to jot down those questions so that you can answer them for yourself.
18:47.332 --> 18:53.325
[SPEAKER_00]: I want you to set a date on your calendar to meet with your team and to discuss this.
18:53.660 --> 18:56.422
[SPEAKER_00]: after you've answered these questions, all right?
18:57.303 --> 19:04.129
[SPEAKER_00]: So check out my website, crossroadsandcatalyst.com and sign up for the catalyst so that you can get the weekly insights.
19:04.310 --> 19:08.994
[SPEAKER_00]: So just go to the website, a slash newsletter and sign up for it there.
19:09.674 --> 19:17.161
[SPEAKER_00]: So until next time, be thoughtful, be wise, be strategic, and remember, crossroads reveal who you are.
19:17.682 --> 19:20.965
[SPEAKER_00]: Catalyst shape who you become, every decision matters.
19:21.425 --> 19:23.667
[SPEAKER_00]: So make it count.
19:23.647 --> 19:23.955
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you.