Anchor Coaching Group, April 2024
Enduring Peak Performing teams demonstrate exceptional performance during critical moments and under challenging conditions. Their ability to maintain this high level of performance stems from their adaptability, continuous learning capabilities, resilience, and relentless pursuit of growth. We addressed the unique characteristics that distinguish Enduring Peak Performing Teams from high performing or peak performing teams in “Decoding Sustainable Team Performance”.
In our experience working with numerous leadership teams, we’ve learned that reaching the level of an Enduring Peak Performing team requires hard work and planning. A few years ago, I collaborated with a manufacturing executive team. When the business was thriving and external conditions were favorable, the team dynamics appeared strong and positive. However, when the company faced a crisis, it became evident the team did not have a foundation robust enough to weather the storm, necessitating external team coaching. While strong personal relationships, effective processes, and solid trust foundations are crucial, they alone are insufficient to create an Enduring Peak Performing Team. More than 20 years of experience and research have led us to develop a model for achieving a sustainable level of team excellence.
Enduring Peak Performing Teams exhibit eight key characteristics. At the foundation level are trust, team alignment, and effective protocols. If any of these areas, based on observations, interviews, and assessments, are found lacking, we address them first. These foundational elements underpin several other aspects of Enduring Peak Performance.
The next level in the model involves team members holding each other and themselves accountable while building productive relationships. Innovation, resilience, and a relentless pursuit of growth, which define Enduring Peak Performing Teams, emerge through a progressive mindset and resolution-focused communication. These traits are often more challenging to develop and are interdependent with other characteristics.
It would be an oversimplification to assume that working with teams involves going around the circle and independently addressing each characteristic in isolation. A leadership team is a complex set of personalities, histories, relationships, experiences, motives, and dynamics, all of which influence team performance. When all seven other dimensions are achieved, with effective leadership, ultimately, the defining eighth characteristic of Enduring Peak Performing Teams is their results.
At the core of our model lies “effective leadership.” The emphasis is on “effective” because our experiences help leaders discover how their unique style can align with what the team needs to propel the team to Enduring Peak Performance. When coaching the team leader and the team as a unit, we assess and address how to harmonize the leader’s style with the team dynamics.
Finally, external dynamics significantly impact both the defining various characteristics of Enduring Peak Performing Teams and the leader’s role. Board expectations, changing market conditions, the leadership team’s direct reports, competitors to name a few, all affect the team’s ability to deliver results. We help create awareness and plans for pro-active management of external influences which allows the team to stay relevant and perform optimally.
Are you ready to better understand the dimensions of Enduring Peak Performing Teams? At Anchor Coaching Group, we have found that when teams balance the eight characteristics, align with their leader’s style, and consciously manage external dynamics, they unlock their potential for Enduring Peak Performance.
Looking for expert guidance on your journey to achieving Enduring Peak Performance for your team? Let Anchor Coaching Group elevate your team’s performance. Visit our website at www.anchorcoachingroup.com. We are excited to discover your team’s unique challenges and opportunities and partner with you for lasting success.