Conducting a Team Maintenance Check-Up

When teams participate in the Team Fitness process they gain an understanding of what a high performance team looks like and know without a doubt what they need to do to get there. The result is improved team communication, reduced conflict, greater cohesion, and the ability to achieve better results more easily (to name a few!).

The beauty of this process is that the team identifies exactly what they need to improve and how they are going to do it – and the Team Fitness check ensures they stay on track and are focused on the right things that will lead them to higher levels of performance.

What does a Team Maintenance Check Up Do?

It allows teams to come together to identify their strengths and to clarify areas they believe require improvement, it gives team members the opportunity to recognize one another and the team’s successes and, importantly, it communicates that focusing on how people work together is key to the team’s success. From an organizational and leadership perspective, team check-ups ensure leaders keep their finger on the pulse of their teams, allowing them to catch potential weak spots before they fully manifest.

Team check-ups are most effective when the team has a clear understanding of what high performance looks like and so can compare their performance against the ideal.  One way to accomplish this is to share the 7 Elements of a High Performance Team with your teams and invite them to identify those they believe they demonstrate well (their strengths) and any they need to strengthen. To ensure the “talk” turns into “action” ask them, finally, to identify and commit to at least two actions they will take in order to improve the team’s effectiveness.

Reviewing the 7 elements will also help you as leader identify the most important areas in which you need to coach the team. Contact Nicole to learn more.