High-performing teams aren’t built overnight, they aren’t purchased, and they don’t happen by accident—they’re cultivated.
To build a team that thrives, you need more than just top talent—you need trust, clarity, and shared purpose. Here’s how to create a high-performance culture.
Set Clear Expectations: Focus on the “Why” Over the “How”
Start with setting clear expectations: Set objectives that align with your team’s goals and communicate them consistently. One approach is to establish OKRs (Objectives and Key Results). Focus on the objective by defining the outcome that you want to achieve. Then, set up a small number of Key Results that collectively establish the desired outcome. Each of those Key Results should be backed with some measurable, trackable metrics.
Here is the interesting part, and where many leaders may diverge on how to best approach setting expectations—I believe that you should NOT cascade your OKRs to your team. What you *should* do is communicate them with your team and ensure that everyone is on the same page. Your leaders should establish their own OKRs in support of yours; in many cases, one of your Key Results can become the “O” in your leader’s “OKR”. This ensures alignment, since you want everyone on the team pulling in the same direction. The point is not to dictate the “how”, but get alignment on the “why”.
Foster Trust Through Psychological Safety
Next, focus on #trust: Foster psychological safety where team members feel comfortable taking risks, making mistakes, and learning. We liked to say that we created safe spaces for people to try dangerous things. What this meant, practically speaking, is that we wanted people to take risks, but we also wanted to make sure that those risks happened within a set of guard rails that protected our team members as well as the company.
To paraphrase Brené Brown (no relation, unfortunately), “Growth comes at the point of struggle.” Failure is a critical piece of the learning process. So to establish psychological safety, you have to create a culture where failure is embraced and even celebrated.
Empowerment Starts With Autonomy
Then, invest in #empowerment: Give your team autonomy and ownership over their work to drive accountability and engagement. I believe that a true leader cannot empower their team members, because if empowerment is something given, then it is something that can be taken away. Team members must empower themselves. Your role, as a leader, is to make space for your team, knock down barrier and obstacles, and ensure that they have whatever they need to drive for the desired outcomes.
Nothing kills a team dynamic and erodes trust like micromanagement.
Collaboration Is the Glue That Binds Teams
Finally, prioritize hashtag#collaboration: Encourage open dialogue, cross-functional communication, and shared problem-solving. The concept of “better together” is a key shared value that needs to be inculcated throughout your organization. We succeed or fail together.
High-performing teams deliver shared outcomes with intentionality. What's been your greatest success building high-performing teams?
