Most of
you might have seen the movie “The Avengers” and even might have thought what
an amazing team of super heroes- mighty, incredible, and invincible and with
king-sized egos and insecurities. They can handle themselves solo pretty well –
but when it comes to working together they screwed up initially. Nick Fury had
a difficult role making a team out of the super heroes. I have had the privilege of leading few such
teams over the years. My team mates were stars before they came to work for me,
but a few principles have gone a long way in team management and accomplishing
tasks like true super heroes. J - And every member of the team eventually
figures out how to be an outstanding team member.
Let
them be individuals
If you
have a team of high performers, ask a simple question to yourself – Are you
letting them run things and operate the way they’re most comfortable doing it
or the way you’re most comfortable doing it. If it’s the latter, give up some
control. Let your people be
themselves. They’ll give you a lot more than if you try to get them to have
some arbitrary standards you are comfortable with – let the chaos and
unpredictability rule. A sense of thought leadership helps the individuals
accomplish any goal if they are given the reigns. But make sure you understand
the strengths and weaknesses of your team members.
Unite
them under one Goal
In the
Avengers movie, Nick never mentions to the avengers “Loki is bad, go and beat
him hell and blue”, but they are united by a common agenda when things became
personal. So set goals for the team. Rally not their minds but their hearts
around that measure of success. Nick deliberately brought together a volatile
group of individuals with incredible abilities and unleashed them on a colossal
problem. He didn’t give
them directions or plans. He
didn’t give them rules of engagement. He
simply knew what they were capable of, what their intentions were, and the
strength of character and values underlying their powers.
Do you
trust your people? Do they
trust you? Are you
confident in your team members’ abilities? If not, understand the source of your
discomfort and get it resolved fast if you want to get the best out of them
because it require ultimate trust in their abilities and intentions.
Expect
Conflict
With
high performing teams come bigger conflicts. Everyone will have a different
view of the problem, the solution, and how to work together. Do you welcome
conflict on your team or do you try to eliminate it? Are team members free to air their
opinions or do you try to manage the conversation? Let them hash out their own
differences.
Cover
their backs
Fury
says “I recognize the council has made a decision, but given that it’s a
stupid-assed decision, I’ve elected to ignore it. “ He was backing the Avengers and their
ability to win the day. He
stood up for his team and protected them from undue interference. If your team
knows you’ve got their back and are giving them the freedom to operate, they’ll
run through brick walls for you
Give them Challenges
The
biggest challenge of having a team of high performers is to keep them occupied
with challenges because they get bored pretty easily. So you either need a
think tank who provides good ideas or you need to challenge them in new
projects.
In the
end, leading a high-performing team full of superheroes is an incredibly
rewarding, challenging, and frustrating role to play. They’ll amaze you with their
abilities. They’ll test
your patience and intestinal fortitude. They’ll
sometimes put your entire career at risk. That said, if you lead them well, they
just might save the world.
