Does the perfect leader / team relationship exist? Of course it does – and it takes work and a sense of mutual trust and belonging. It takes leaders who actively encourage and support their team, with a team willing to listen and act on the encouragement and support given. Equally, it takes a team who actively encourages and supports their leader, with a leader willing to listen and act on the encouragement and support given. Do you have that relationship with your leader or your team?
For a team to perform at a high level, the team needs to trust the leader as much as the leader trusts the team. A break down on either side of this trust equation results in poorer performance. High Performing businesses have developed a strong sense of trust between leader and team – a truly symbiotic relationship – which drives performance.
The Role Of The Leader Supporting The Team
In relation to the team, the leaders role is to provide guidance, coaching, energy and clarity when the team needs it. The key phrase here is ‘when the team needs it’. As a leader, one of the hardest lessons to learn is when to apply your will / drive / energy / purpose to the team, and when to provide the team the opportunity to provide those things for themselves. If the leader is only focussed on themselves, they can ‘over apply’ each of these traits, to the annoyance of the team.
The leader places a level of trust in the team when providing each of the listed behaviours – guidance, coaching, energy and clarity. They all take time and effort, and the leader needs to know that those efforts won’t be wasted. One of the key roles of a leader is to provide the team these behaviours when they can’t provide it for themselves – there needs to be a willingness on behalf of the leader to provide it, and a willingness on behalf of the team to accept it. An unwillingness from wither party will result in a lack of trust and poorer performance.
When a leader can’t (or won’t) provide these behaviours for the team, the team loses trust in the leader – which also affects performance. In this way, a high performing team has a truly ‘symbiotic’ relationship with each other – they help improve and sustain each others roles.
Questions: As a leader, team leader, supervisor, manager or small business owner:
- Do you provide guidance on personal performance and role to your team members?
- Do you coach your team members on how they can improve, as well as how they can maintain their strengths?
- Is your energy and enthusiasm easily ‘caught’ by your team? Is your energy infectious? If so, is it raising your team up or pulling them down?
- Do you provide role clarity and provide your leader with an understanding of their role in the team and / or business?
If you had to think hard on any of these questions, you could be doing more to improve the trust and performance of your team relationship.
The Role Of The Team Supporting The Leader
Just as the leader has input into the teams performance, the team plays a crucial role in the leaders performance – a role that is often forgotten or overlooked.
The team provides the leader support, feedback, energy and clarity when the leader needs it. Leaders aren’t superheroes – they are not and endless supply of energy and positivity – there are times when circumstances can get the down (just like team members). When this happens, high performing teams can fill the void and provide energy, support and feedback to the leader.
Teams that don’t do this demonstrate a lack of trust in the leader, which impacts both the performance of the leader and team. Again, the role of the team and leader is symbiotic – they help improve and sustain each others role.
Questions: As a team member, colleague or peer:
- Do you provide support to your team leader in the form of encouragement or assistance?
- Do you provide feedback to your leader on what they did well and what they could improve on?
- Is your energy and enthusiasm easily ‘caught’ by your leader? Is your energy infectious? If so, is it raising your leader up or pulling them down?
- Do you provide role clarity and provide your team with an understanding of their role in the team and / or business?
If you had to think hard on any of these questions, you could be doing more to improve the trust and performance of your leadership relationship.
What impact are you having on the team trust and performance of your team?
Do you know the impact you have on your leader and / or team?
If you are unsure of your impact on your leader / team, you should complete the Velocity Leadership CheckPoint? 25 behavioural leadership traits, focussed in 5 distinct leadership capabilities – a ‘must know’ for any leader or team looking to drive high performance. If you haven’t completed the CheckPoint, get in touch with us today to arrange an appointment. Read through the comments and feedback from those that have – many say that it has had a profound effect on how they lead and perform within a team.
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