cultivate a High-Performance culture and team

One simple, affordable and effective way to cultivate a High-Performance culture and team.
Contributor:  Maurice Schill (Founder & CEO of JuJu)

The appeal of High-Performance Teams (HPTs) has never been higher. Especially in our highly competitive world where the competitive edge now comes from how well teams can work together.
Big companies like Google spend millions of dollars on programs, training and experts to help their teams access the highest performance levels. Then they spend millions more on designing environments best suited to HPTs.
These companies continue to hire the best, retain the best and get the best out of their teams. Better results, better products, more innovation and higher profit margins, which all lead to…
You guessed it, even more money for them to spend on developing their teams and environments.
This is leading to an ever-growing gap, making it harder for small and medium businesses to find a competitive edge when it comes to their people.

It's fully understandable that this can be a little disheartening. However, not all hope is lost.
The truth is you don't need millions of dollars, sleeping pods, ping pong tables or free lunches to get the most out of your team. Most of these are actually just gimmicks or PR stunts.
 
According to separate research conducted by Gallup, BCG, and OCTanner, it turns out that what matters most to people is who they work with, and how appreciated they feel.
Leveraging this insight, small and medium businesses can regain their upper footing by investing in the relationships that exist within their teams. The good news? It doesn't require a large coin purse.
Although there a many things businesses can do to improve the strength of relationships at work, there is one specific approach that is often overlooked.

Appreciation.


Why appreciation is essential to cultivating HPTs
It's all based on human psychology. One of our deepest, most ingrained desires is to be appreciated and valued. It helps us feel like we belong, and that what we do matters.
 
When people are appreciated they show the best versions of themselves, are more resilient to stress, and more likely to go above and beyond for others. All of these factors are important drivers for creating High-Performance Teams.
 
Appreciation is also a form of feedback that reinforces good behaviours. When done correctly it can help create a small and constructive feedback loop, essential in cultivating a High-Performance Team.
 
How you can effectively appreciate your team
Although a thank you is a good start, it won't deliver the expected results.
 
There are 4 behaviours to effective appreciation you must apply.

1. Be Genuine

We have an uncanny ability to sense when people are not being real with us. When we express appreciation from a place where we don't really mean it, we actually do more harm than good.
It builds distrust in the relationships.
Properly expressing appreciation means we have to make the other person believe that we mean it.
 
When you say "thank you" to someone for a job well done you leave a lot of room for misinterpretation.
The solution: Tell them why their action or words meant something to you. How did it change or impact you?

Use this formula to ensure you express appreciation genuinely:

•  thank you so much for (insert behavior or action),
•  It really helped me feel (insert the emotional impact it had on you),
•  and (insert what happened as a result of that impact)

By going through this exercise you also force yourself to find a reason you actually appreciate that person

2. Get Specific

The more detailed you can get in your expression of appreciation the more meaning it has. You want them to know exactly what it is you appreciated. So focus on being clear and precise.
 
If you tell them...
"Thank you so much for that great presentation, it really helped me get clarity on what I need to do next."
 
... they may believe it's genuine, but won't know the details of how their actions helped you. Therefore it has no meaningful context.
 
To get specific ask yourself:

• What specific aspect of their behavior or action really moved you?
  
• Why did it motivate you?
• And what specific outcomes did it have for you?

 
It may be something like this:
 
"Thank you for that great presentation, I really enjoyed how you broke down our complex marketing strategy into easy to follow steps. It really clarified what I need to do to make sure our new website fits with the overarching strategy."
 
Now, they believe you, know exactly what they did well, and how it impacted you positively.
 
When expressed like this, appreciation is much more potent as it helps connect their reality with the impact they've had on other people - which in turn creates meaning in their life.
 
Yes, it takes a bit longer and might take 2 minutes to write out instead of 10 seconds, but the impact is so much greater.

3. Tailor Your Approach

Every person has their own preference around how they like to be appreciated. In fact, there are 5 languages of appreciation you can use.
 
Knowing what your team's preference is, makes a huge difference. When you use the wrong preference it may be that the person doesn't even recognise that you are trying to appreciate them. So, all your efforts have gone to waste.
 
Here are a couple of examples:

• Some people prefer a verbal thank you, or thank you card (words of affirmation)
• Others might really like it if you take them out for lunch, to tell them about it (quality time)
• Or they may love it if you helped them out in return with something (an act of service)
• Whilst others would really love movie tickets or a thank you card (tangible gifts)
• And some just love getting a high five (physical touch).

 
Being aware of what these preferences are within your team will make a huge difference to them and how likely they are to perform at the highest possible level.
 
Here is a tip: We tend to express our appreciation the way we would like to receive it. Pay attention to how others are expressing their appreciation, which will give you an indicator of what they might like.

4. Be Timely

Lastly, and just as important as the last 3 behaviours, you have to express your appreciation for what they did in an appropriate time frame.
I recommend trying to keep it within 24 hours, however, this is not always feasible. Make sure to do it ASAP.
Waiting until your next meeting or catch-up might be too late. You have to let them know when it's still fresh in their mind.

As humans, we are wired for instant feedback and gratification. The longer you wait, the less rewarding it becomes for them.

Go out and try it!

When you start applying these four behaviours in how you communicate appreciation, you won't just become a better communicator and leader, but will also inspire and educate your team by proxy to engage in similar behaviours.

The first couple of times might feel a bit weird to you. That is simply because you are not used to it. Remember, it's not about you, it's about making the other person feel valued.

So, now it's your time to apply this.

Good luck!

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Author

Have questions, or want more tips? Find me (Maurice Schill) on Linkedin or Facebook and connect with me. I'm always happy to help out fellow humans who want to make appreciation a priority in their lives. On my social media pages, I also share lots of valuable content on the subject.

I've also shared my proven 5 step process of creating great relationships at work using appreciation. Download it here