Building High-Performance Teams Through Leadership and Communication

But what about creating an environment for your team to work better together and collaborate on a tough project that creates a new product or a new line of business , or to create efficiencies , for example , how well does your team work together ? How well do they come together in a crisis and how much do they trust each other and you ?

I want to share with you all this week a replay of episode number 121 , uniting Individuals with Leadership a discussion on improving team performance . Excellent team performance begins with trust . Like it always has , trust begins with you , the leader . What are you doing to build trust , trust that elevates your team to new levels ?

Please enjoy this encore replay of episode number 121 , uniting Individuals Leadership a discussion on improving team performance . You can find more resources at financeleaderacademycom . Enjoy the rest of your week and thank you for listening to the Finance Leader Podcast . Enjoy .

Last week , I summarized 10 key leadership principles that we each need to grow and develop , and this week I am expanding on that list by talking specifically about improving team performance .

There are so many factors to consider , especially specific conditions for your situation when trying to help your team improve a little better , but we can work to bring our team together to break down the communication barrier and deliver greater results . Through leadership and better team engagement , we can build a team that trusts each other and can perform greater .

Beginning today , please enjoy the episode .

Welcome to the Finance Leader Podcast , where leadership is bigger than the numbers . I am your host , Stephen McLain . This is the podcast for developing leaders in finance and accounting . Please consider following me on Twitter , facebook , instagram and LinkedIn . My usernames and the links are in this episode's show notes , thank you .

This is episode number 121 , and I'll be talking about improving team performance . Helen Keller said alone we can do so little , together we can do so much . I love leadership , but I also love building teams that work together well and that perform at the highest level . It's a great challenge .

It takes communication and it takes investing in yourself and in your team . We grow ourselves , we grow our leadership and we grow our team members , and that will grow our overall performance . Often , improving team performance means a better system , though I do believe this is true .

It also means you set up your team through effective leadership , clear and consistent communication , treating people fairly , giving your team members opportunities to grow and excel , and providing a team environment that allows for discovery , risk-taking , growth and learning . We can achieve all of that , and it always begins with us .

In the last episode , in episode 120 , I talked about my 10 key leadership principles to help guide you on how you build a team that matters and that can perform at a high level . Leadership is a mindset that helps us overcome obstacles to achieve some amazing things .

If you missed the episode , please go back and listen , because I believe it will help you in your own leadership development and journey . You must begin with building trust . Trust is the glue that holds great teams together . When you have real trust on the team , you have people who will take more risk , which results in more growth and development .

A team who trusts and appreciates each other will collaborate more and help each other more . We must be careful on competition , though . You should be competing against a standard , not against each other , and we must show no favoritism when you lead based on accountability , merit , fairness and how well you perform , the team will understand how decisions are made .

Team engagement matters because you must be involved with your team to bring out their best and , at the same time , give them the room to do their work without excessive control and supervision . Let them grow . Let them make mistakes , also known as teachable moments . Build a team based on inclusion , merit and opportunity .

Give people the opportunity to show you what they can do , based on potential . I always recommend that leaders check their biases as they lead so they are aware how they personally view people and situations . The more you know about yourself , the better you can lead and be an example of leadership .

Bring everyone together and give opportunities to show off what they can do . Those who are consistently doing well get more opportunities for greater responsibility and their career will take off . What can we automate and what can we eliminate ? I believe in automating the routine and eliminating any unnecessary task or process . What is your team doing

that can go away by automating it or stopping it altogether ? I always like to ask my team , especially when you take over a team , what regular reports , emails and data they are sending and what is your current weekly meeting schedule . There is usually something they are working on routinely that can easily be automated or even eliminated altogether .

We talked about communication in the last episode in depth , because it is so important to get right in the beginning . Clear communication eliminates confusion and brings people closer together . There is clarity when your team understands their tasks , the deadlines and the expectations .

You will also have more buy-in when you share relevant information quickly , so there is no guessing and no propensity for gossip . Share and communicate what is happening . The moment communication stops is the moment you lose your team as a leader . Avoid micromanagement and rid yourself of people-pleasing .

A people pleaser leader will seek validation from their peers and more senior leaders while simultaneously treating their subordinate team members the worst , and will micromanage and belittle those they lead . Let's avoid both these tendencies , because they will destroy the team dynamics , trust and any chance to perform at a high level .

The people pleaser may enjoy short-term results while leaving a path of destruction behind them , meaning their team members will feel used and unappreciated behind them . Meaning their team members will feel used and unappreciated . I want to see this community do better . Lead with integrity , lead with purpose , lead with character and if mistakes happen , make a plan .

Don't belittle . Lift others up instead . Please remember to sign up for the Mid-Year Goal Challenge coming in June . I want you all to achieve the goals you have set for yourself this year . The bar is set high and we must follow through on what we want to accomplish . So please sign up at financeleaderacademycom . The link is in the show notes .

Our team's performance is often linked to our leadership and personal investment in the team . We need to positively engage with everyone , individually and collectively , to bring out the best , to create an environment for trust and then on to excellence . Now let's talk about improving your team's performance

. Number one building trust and flexibility . Creating a team environment that fosters growth begins with trust . Do your team members trust each other ? Do they trust the company leadership and do they trust you ? Honesty , fairness , leading with integrity , showing up with the right attitude , enforcing accountability across the team and much more helps to build team trust .

Number two hiring and team alignment . When getting a new leadership role , we often inherit a team in place already . We have to fit in and then begin to create the environment for everyone to win together . We need to learn the critical tasks and requirements and begin to set a standard of excellence . We want to hire and build teams based on inclusion and merit .

We provide opportunities for all to excel , but it is up to each person to grasp the opportunities available to grow and to show off their potential . We give more opportunities based on merit , results , achieved attitude and willingness to expand their skill set and abilities .

One key task you have to accomplish early is to determine if the required tasks , projects and KPI metric portfolio is distributed properly . Does it make sense ? Number three team engagement . To be a leader means you have to engage with your team .

You have several key tools as a leader to engage with your team , to align your expectations and to encourage more collaboration . The routine one-on-one meeting with each person is invaluable . It is precious time to talk over issues .

It gives your team members time and opportunity to talk over projects , any obstacles they may have , any assistance they may need and any pertinent personal issues like planned PTO or anything else of significance . If you are not doing the routine one-on-one meetings , please start scheduling them now . You will not regret it .

One more important tool is the weekly team meeting . We don't want more meetings , but we do need the most important meetings to align the team , to address issues , to enhance communication , to recognize top performance and many other important issues . The weekly team meeting , when done effectively , actually works to improve overall performance .

And then anonymous feedback through employer surveys is another helpful way to know how to better engage and grow our team . Feedback requires us to reflect on our own performance , our attitude and our approach . Us to reflect on our own performance , our attitude and our approach . Number four task and time management .

We are often buried in endless tasks , projects and ad hoc requirements and the everyday fires that must be put out , so it is good to have a few tools to help with managing our to-do list . This is where leadership helps a lot . I mentioned it in the last episode as that you should be setting priorities for your team to help focus on the most important .

Automating routine tasks is our first job . Reports that must be submitted on a set day and time can be set up to be run . I recommend working with IT to see what can be automated . Next is to determine what tasks can be eliminated .

I found many times over the years that reports that were being submitted on a routine basis were often not even required any longer . This is a huge time saver when you dig into what is being submitted by your team , and another key tool at your disposal is delegation .

I personally use the Eisenhower Decision Matrix to help me decide on priorities , when to delegate a task and when to delete or eliminate a task . I recommend it to everyone . There are many styles of tools like this out there , but this is the one that is simple and so easy to use and again , it's the Eisenhower Decision Matrix .

Don't forget that you have to delegate so you also can focus on what is important for your level . 5 . Development . I believe that every team member , including the leader , should have an individual development plan to identify goals , training requirements , skill developments and any CPEs that need to be earned .

The IDP is an investment document for your team , you and the organization is investing in each person to grow that person and to help them achieve their goals . That person and to help them achieve their goals . Development also includes opportunities to excel by way of assignment to key project teams .

This can develop key skills and give an opportunity for face time with senior leaders so you can show off your abilities and skills . Number six accountability . The best level of accountability is when the team holds each other accountable and it doesn't always require the leader to do so . This requires a high level of trust and expectations .

What is your team's expected level of performance and does each person buy into that vision ? And ensure you keep everyone accountable ? No favorites here .

Everyone must measure up to the standard . And finally , number seven clear and consistent communication . I talked about this in the last episode . Clear and consistent communication paves the way for excellence . When your team knows what is expected on a task , it is so much easier . Your team becomes more confident and ready to accomplish even more . Now for action .

Today . What are your thoughts on how your team performs ? Do they meet deadlines ? Do they meet the expectations for the quality of work they are submitting ? Does your team work on developing critical skills ? Are they ready for greater responsibility ? Are they collaborating when they need to , or are they always operating alone ?

Not everyone is at the same level , so you need to work with each person to help them achieve what you expect them to accomplish and set the standard for excellence , which begins with your own performance and mindset . Please go to Finance Leader Academy for more resources .

I offer a self-paced online course called Advance your Finance and Accounting Career , developing a Promotion Strategy that Sets you Apart . You will also find several free resources to help you . Again , that's financeleaderacademycom . Today I talked about improving team performance . Last week I shared my 10 key leadership principles .

This week I wanted to enhance that list with areas to further help team performance . I want to see you grow in your leadership and also your ability to improve how your team performs . It's important that the team works together to achieve common goals and to move in the same direction .

When you enhance and improve your communication and set priorities , you have won most of that battle . I hope you enjoyed the Finance Leader Podcast . I am focused on helping this community to become more confident finance leaders capable of transforming organizations . You can find this episode wherever you listen to podcasts .

If this episode helped you today , please share with a colleague and leave a quick written review Until next time . You can check out more resources at financeleaderacademycom and sign up for my weekly updates so you don't miss an episode of the podcast . And now go lead your team and I'll see you next time . Thank you .