How to Lead a High Performing Team of Superstars

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.