Have you ever walked into a workplace and felt a certain energy? Although this energy, mood or vibe may become more noticeable over time, it can often be sensed immediately.
So, what is it? Whether felt the moment you walk into a room or after being around the people, places or parts of a particular work environment, what exactly are we sensing? Altogether, it’s a social dynamic. The development of these social dynamics leads to patterns, evolutions or cycles. On both an individual and collective level, it’s a mindset. It’s how we feel, think and act.
Although maybe difficult to define or conceptualize, this individual and collective mindset has all-too-familiar effects on team morale. Team morale in turn affects team performance. Acting as a switch for both is leadership.
So, how do we as leaders help switch these moods, vibes or energies in the right direction? How do we ensure the social dynamic and resultant patterns, evolutions or cycles are strong, happy and healthy? How do we maintain a high-performing team?
It starts with you. Like being the first one there to turn on the lights, leaders have the ability to flick this metaphorical switch within both their own mindset and the team’s mindset. Using both tangible and intangible methods, we can continue to make the switch.
What is a high-performing team? Far from simply being composed of high-performing individuals, its members have a strong collective mindset built on trust, respect and support. They collaborate and communicate consistently with one another because they want to, not because they have to. And maybe most of all, they have a positive outlook on the future, themselves and the people around them. They remain hopeful. They keep the energy up and feel, think and act on their passion for everything they do.
All these ideals, or healthy ways of feeling, thinking and acting, need to be maintained via deliberate effort. Whether we know it or not, we naturally all experience periods of difficulty that can negatively affect this effort (i.e., our mindset) and consequently the team’s morale.
Other than establishing principles of behavior and ongoing team objectives, maintaining this switch to a healthy individual and collective mindset begins with finding and keeping the right people. From the first interview to the time someone moves on, a selection process never ends. Performance evaluations completed on a formal and informal basis can greatly assist that individual’s development and continued buy-in. Paired with quality control methods used to refine the more practical aspects of individual and team performance, we can continue to evolve and bring extra purpose to the work itself.
By consistently implementing and adapting other systems and processes such as a strong training program, progressive disciplinary plan and formal and informal rewards to celebrate our wins together, we can make it easier to continue making the switch.
Like the need to continue reassessing the team’s individuals and evolve the systems and processes used to govern, we must also continue to reassess and evolve ourselves. Do we have a positive or hopeful perception of the future, ourselves and the people around us?
We’re all creatures of habit. It’s natural to want to feel comfortable in our routines. It’s also natural to evolve. The evolution of our mindset as leaders, to improve the team and the operation, will always be at odds with this other natural force of wanting to feel comfortable in complacency. Like fighting off the natural forces of decay, there’ll always be a need to counteract the human tendency to settle, grow too comfortable in routine or to follow what appears to be the path of least resistance. Before we can help continue making the switch in anyone else, we first have to make sure we’re consistently doing it ourselves.
Choosing to be a leader, to continue flicking this metaphorical switch within our own mindsets and that of the team as a whole, could be the key to maintaining a high-performing team.
What is a high-performing team? It’s a team of leaders. Although the efforts and effects of consistently choosing to be a leader may become more noticeable over time, it can often be sensed immediately.
Mark Wiebe is the incoming deputy head greenkeeper at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, England. He is a nine-year member of GCSAA.