This article has been accepted for publication in the November 2004 issue of Executive Branch, the newsletter for the Maryland Society of Association Executives

10 Ways To Build A High-Performance Team
By Barbara Brown, PhD

Every member of your team may not have the same perspective as to what constitutes timeliness, quality, or service. That doesn’t make it easy when you are trying to achieve goals for your association. To inspire the kind of commitment that will allow you to achieve your goals, you have to show team members that their performance directly impacts many things. You do that by linking team member performance expectations to things that are important to your association; and by linking performance expectations to things that are important to your team members.

Some things that are important to your association might include association goals, other people who work for your association, or your association’s mission. Things that impact your team members might include visibility, meaningful work, and work environment. Below are 10 critical teamwork behaviors you can use to create these important links. They are presented in a statement format for easy application. Use them to build your high-performance team.

If you would like a list of my 59 high-performance teamwork behaviors, send an email to Barbara@DrBarbaraBrown.com.

1. “When you give us accurate updates about your progress (teamwork performance expectation), that helps our association (impact association) develop more accurate budget projections.”

2. “When you meet deadlines for completing tasks (teamwork performance expectation) that allows other team members (impact other staff) to do their job in a timely manner.”

3. “When you complete your tasks efficiently and effectively (teamwork performance expectation), you help us exceed member expectations (impact mission).”

4. “Doing your part (teamwork performance expectation) to help us achieve volunteer recruitment goals is important because those goals directly affect our association’s long-term plans (impact goals).”

5. “If you take on a leadership role for this project (teamwork performance expectation), that would give you a greater opportunity to work with different people (impact job enrichment).”

6. “When you allow other team members to be heard without interrupting (teamwork performance expectation), that decreases the tension (impact workplace environment) among team members.”

7. “If you would weigh the pros and cons of differing team member opinions (teamwork performance expectation), there would be fewer disagreements (impact performance improvement) about assignments.”

8. “Our team doesn’t waste time struggling over “turf” issues (impact working relationships), when you seek clarification about unclear information (teamwork performance expectation).”

9. “If you assist in developing the team’s contingency plan (teamwork performance expectation), you will have an opportunity to meet with several association presidents (impact more visibility).”

10. “If you take on this new task (teamwork performance expectation) that explores ways to improve fund raising practices, you will have an opportunity to learn more about the strategic planning process (impact learning/development).”

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PERMISSION TO REPRINT: Articles, Tips, and Tools can be reprinted in company newsletters or magazines. If placed electronically, a Live Link to Dr. Brown's website must be included. Please use the following credit for every item: Dr. Barbara Brown shows organizations how to use High-Performance Leadership to create the kind of links among people, goals & performance that produce positive results. For more tips, visit: www.DrBarbaraBrown.com or email: Barbara@DrBarbaraBrown.com.