Teams: A Great Process to Drive Great Progress

“There is no Great Progress without Great Process.” – Leadershipology.com

One of the most frequently asked questions I get from leaders while traveling relates to how leaders can elevate team performance. Leaders want to have high performing teams … teams that make great progress!

A Harris Interactive study revealed that only 10 percent of respondents believe they have clear, measurable, deadline driven goals. This primarily stems from organizations relying on traditional approaches to performance management. Traditional performance management is a transactional process – an annual ritual having little to no effect on performance.

For teams to make great progress, a great process must be in place – a transformational process. It must establish clear expectations between leaders and team members, enabling them to focus on and execute around their top priorities. Without such a system, leaders and team members lack a clear, measurable, and deadline drive picture of success … and reaching success becomes a matter of chance and unpredictable factors.

Do you and your team(s) have a process to focus on and execute around your top priorities?

My teams use what we call a win-win agreement. It is a written understanding that clarifies expectations between leaders and team members and lays the foundation for both to win. It is an elevated approach to managing performance that replaces annual performance reviews with a meaningful, engaging, and results oriented process for both leaders and team members. It answers five questions we believe are critical to great performance.

Here is how it works … together, a boss and employee discuss and agree on:

1. What is to be accomplished? This question defines what is to be accomplished and by when – the desired results. It focuses on what is most important.
2. How is it to be accomplished? This question defines the expectations and conditions that must be met – the guidelines.
3. With what is it to be accomplished? This question defines the people, budget, tools, materials, etc. required to complete the agreement – the resources. Having the right resources for the job encourages a high – performance and high accountability culture.
4. With whom is it to be accomplished? This question defines how and how often parties will account to each other for progress on the goals – the accountability.
5. So what if it is accomplished? This question defines specifically and measurably how the boss and employee benefits from the agreement, as well as what happens if the agreement is not fulfilled – the outcomes, consequences.

A team member types up the agreement and both the leader and team member sign it. Reviews occur three to four times per year. Each time, the leader and team member revisit the questions and update the document to ensure it points to the highest priorities for the next three to four months. The regularity and depth of conversation elevate levels of engagement and position teams for great results!