Who are you rooting for?

The Super Bowl teams have lots of fans.  Who is really rooting for your team to succeed?

Whether you are coaching little league, running a household, managing teams or a global CEO…   leading any team of people to optimally perform requires leaders who can see beyond the obvious in people.  Inspiration that leads to activation is not something that you can just turn on and off.   Results come from constant behavior that makes teams and individuals feel that they matter and are genuinely cared about.

10 behaviors for leading a winning team:  

1. Surrender the me for the WE:  People are energized when their leaders truly trust in the team’s capabilities to deliver agreed upon results.

2.  Connect the dots:   Buy-in increases when the team understands how their roles and deliverables fit into the big picture.   

3. Share the process:  Individuals are inspired when they are engaged and valued for their problem-solving contributions.

4.  Know the temperature:   Resources are better leveraged by taking time to understand the tendencies, aptitudes and behaviors of your team.

5. Can you hear me now?  Adapt a habit of teaching and coaching, instead of lecturing.  People don’t want to be ‘talked at’. 

6.  Invest in up leveling:  Stay close enough to your team to know the resources that would take their performance to the next level.   

7.  Show me more than the money:  Role satisfaction increases when we recognize how individuals are making an impact with their skills and effort.

8.  MINE’ is a bad word:  Shift the dialogue to be more inclusive. We all work harder when we have ownership in the outcomes.

9.   R-E-S-P-E-C-T:  Leaders are favored when they take the time to consider and invest in the ideas and skills that everyone brings to the team.  

10.  Grow outside the box: Leaders that invest resources to support team development and personal growth build trust and loyalty.   

My first corporate boss was so effective at getting high productivity out of her teams.   We trusted her because she was transparent and because she believed in us.  She lead us with behaviors that inspired us to perform above expectations and shine.  In turn, we all earned greater respect and recognition for delivering on the bold decisions that she made to place significant amount of trust in our team.  I have carried over many of her winning behaviors into leading my family and other teams.

What team of people do you need to lead more effectively?