In today’s fast-paced and competitive business landscape, building and sustaining high performing teams have become critical for organizational success. Leaders who lead from their higher self have a great advantage when building high performing teams.   This is because they view the team as a truly united entity, they help develop team members intrinsically and they recognise everyone is of equal value, no matter what their job role.  This combination of knowing and understanding sounds easy, but actually, it takes an extremely self-aware leader to truly pull it off.

What Is A High Performing Team?

A high performing team is a synergistic group of individuals with complementary skills and expertise, working together towards a common vision and goals, and consistently achieving exceptional results. Team members are inspired to work from their own higher selves. Not only do they bring their best selves to the party, but they also understand everyone else is and so the most empathetic and intuitive collaboration is achieved.

Laying the Foundation for High-Performing Teams

Higher self leaders are not only able to bring together the right individuals to form new teams, but they can bring out the best in teams they may join which are already formed.  Whether recruiting or developing their team there are several factors which will be a common approach these leaders take to create a high performing team as well as being committed, enthused and motivated.

1. Define a Shared Vision and Goals

Establish a clear and compelling vision, as well as specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals that the team can collectively work towards. As a higher self leader, inspire others by connecting the team’s vision and goals to a larger purpose and fostering unity consciousness.  It’s not just about producing a vision on paper, it’s about connecting with the whole team and invoking their intrinsic motivation so the vision means something to them.  You may need to go through some deep levels of “why, why, why” to get there.

2. Assemble a Team with Complementary Skills and Perspectives

Recruit individuals with diverse skills, experiences, and perspectives that complement each other and contribute to the team’s overall effectiveness. Encourage team members to connect with their intuition and to be self-aware of their unique strengths and areas for growth.  There are many lenses you can tap into to identify strengths and opportunities for growth.  As well as the more hard skills you might be looking for, personality and leadership qualities are great places to start.   Myers Briggs for example is a good leveller to identify personality types and how balanced your team is.  Knowing the gaps can open up great development opportunities for existing team members.  Alternatively, you might want to bring in people with certain abilities or ways of working.

3. Foster a Positive Team Culture

Cultivate an environment that encourages open communication, trust, mutual respect, and psychological safety among team members. Higher self leaders promote unity consciousness by modelling and encouraging empathy, compassion, and understanding within the team.  The best way to achieve this is to develop a culture of honest, open and transparent communication at every opportunity.  People need to be able to be themselves and when not at their best, they should have the freedom to be able to say so.  At these times the rest of the team can show how supportive they can be.

4. Establish Clear Expectations and Accountability

Ensure that roles, responsibilities, and performance expectations are clearly defined, understood, and accepted by each team member. Empower team members by providing opportunities for them to take ownership of their work, fostering a connection to their higher selves.  I’ve seen it in so many organisations where boundaries are blurred and insufficient time has been taken to truly understand ownership of the work and how shared ownership works.   Individual effort must be valued as much as a team effort and vice versa.   Discussing accountability with a senior leader once, and they said that it was a real carrot-and-stick phenomenon.  Sharing accountability correctly can be extremely empowering for team members.

5. Provide Ongoing Support and Development

Offer training, coaching, mentoring, and other resources to help team members grow, improve, and stay engaged. Encourage self-awareness and personal development by fostering a growth mindset and providing constructive feedback. Truly listen to what team members feel they need.  Not only give them opportunities but create a culture where learning is maximised.  Neuroscience shows that we are wired to learn, but we must enable learning to be encoded, consolidated and lodged in memory.

6. Monitor Progress and Celebrate Success

Regularly review and assess team performance, and recognize achievements to maintain motivation and commitment. As a higher self leader, celebrate successes in a way that highlights unity consciousness and the contributions of each team member.  In my interview with Richard Branson, he was very clear that the most important role of a leader is to instil a sense of pride and belonging in all people in the team.

7. Acknowledge Individual and Team Accomplishments

Celebrate milestones, successes, and accomplishments, both large and small, to reinforce the team’s identity and boost morale. Recognize each team member’s connection to their higher self and their role in the team’s achievements. Always talk to team members as if they are their best selves and that is who will show up.

8. Empower Team Members

Encourage autonomy, decision-making, and ownership among team members to instil a sense of pride and responsibility. Support team members in developing self-awareness and connecting with their higher selves.

9. Champion Continuous Learning and Improvement

Promote a culture of learning from mistakes, embracing feedback, and pursuing continuous improvement. Encourage team members to reflect on their actions and decisions, cultivating self-awareness and personal growth.  Continually intending, acting and reflecting should be an established pattern.

10. Create a Strong Team Identity

Develop a unique team name, logo, or slogan that reflects the team’s values and fosters unity and pride. Emphasize unity consciousness and the interconnectedness of the team members in shaping the team’s identity.  Develop shared values and review how you put the shared values into action.  Talk about how to overcome conflicts in values and let them be part of your team identity.

11. Encourage Work-Life Balance

Support team members in maintaining a healthy balance between their work and personal lives to enhance their overall well-being and job satisfaction. As a higher self-leader, model and promote self-care, mindfulness, and personal growth as essential aspects of work-life balance.

Models and Strategies for High Performing Teams

Several models and research studies can inform the development and management of high performing teams, not least our leadership model.  However here are some examples of traditional team-building models which can help.

1. Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development

Bruce Tuckman’s model outlines the stages teams go through as they develop (forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning). Understanding these stages can help higher self leaders manage team dynamics and guide them towards high performance while fostering unity consciousness and self-awareness.

2. Belbin Team Role Theory

Dr Meredith Belbin’s theory identifies nine team roles that contribute to a team’s success. By understanding each role and ensuring a balanced mix, higher self leaders can optimize their team’s performance while inspiring team members to connect with their higher selves and embrace self-awareness.

3. Google’s Project Aristotle

This research project by Google found that psychological safety, dependability, structure and clarity, meaning, and impact were the key factors that contribute to high performing teams.

Taking Positive Action On Instilling A High Performing Ethos Using Logical Levels

You don’t want your high performing team to simply be a soundbite or a matter of opinion.  Therefore, you need to take a structured approach to embed the elements needed in a high performing team.  One of my favourite tools is Robert Dilts’ Seven Logistical Levels. Using this model to capture the starting point and subsequent measurable milestones means that any leader can demonstrate the various elements of their high performing team.

Dilts provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and analyzing personal and organizational change. These levels include Environment, Behavior, Capabilities, Beliefs and Values, Identity, and Vision.  By leveraging data and surveys, progress on each level can be assessed and tracked.

  • Collect data on physical conditions, resources, and external factors to evaluate improvements at the environmental level.
  • Measure behavioural changes through performance metrics, 360-degree feedback, and observational data.
  • Assess progress in Capabilities by tracking skill development, certifications, and training completion rates.
  • Employ surveys to gauge employees’ attitudes, perceptions, and alignment with organizational values, evaluating Beliefs and Values.
  • Capture changes in Identity through qualitative interviews and assessments of self-concept, role clarity, and leadership presence.
  • Finally, track key performance indicators, strategic goal attainment, and organizational impact to measure progress in realizing the Vision.

By systematically gathering and analysing data across these levels, leaders can gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of their change initiatives and drive continuous improvement.

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I help leaders develop self- mastery, helping them to become confident in their own inner guidance.

I collaborate with leadership experts, managers and HR professionals to help them get their own message and unique services and products to a wide audience.

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