I’ve Grown a High-Performing Team in Just 2 Years — Here’s are 5 Growth Strategies I Learned

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I’ve Grown a High-Performing Team in Just 2 Years — Here’s are 5 Growth Strategies I Learned

By Greg Davis | Edited By Micah Zimmerman | Entrepreneur Magazine | June 18, 2024

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According to the author, when he transitioned as Bigleaf’s CEO in 2022, his day-one goal was establishing a solid, high-performing team.  A team’s strength lies in its people’s skills and how they synergistically come together.  

1. Clear mission alignment, role clarity and accountability.  One of the first steps the author took was ensuring every team member understood the company’s direction and aspirations. They clarified their product-market fit, value proposition, and the milestones critical to customer satisfaction.  Moreover, they focus on reaching business goals by strategically tying job functions to them. 
2. Thoughtful performance metrics.  Beyond ARR, they learned to balance their performance metrics carefully. Prioritizing one metric over another could lead to unintended consequences. For example, focusing on service quality alone could lead to inefficiency and vice versa. Their practice has evolved to meticulously analyze and strategically balance performance metrics.  They incentivize the right behaviors aligned with the core of their business, which has worked wonders so far, helping them achieve desired outcomes across the organization. This also minimizes the risk of unforeseen repercussions.
3. Intellectual safety.  Creating an environment where every team member feels safe sharing ideas and challenging the status quo significantly influences their performance levels. Intellectual safety in the workplace can drive creativity. This open-door policy encourages open communication, innovation and risk-taking, allowing the team to collaborate and pioneer solutions to our unique challenges in the workplace and the business.  They strive to maintain and solidify this culture to consistently boost morale, engagement and productivity and, ultimately, drive bottom-line results.
4. Preventing burnout.  To prevent burnout, he focuses first on maintaining his own equilibrium. As the saying goes, “You cannot pour from an empty cup.” As for the team, we keep our mission and goals clear, ensuring every task has a purpose.  Having a dispersed work environment comes with its unique perks and challenges. Some members may feel tracking their time and productivity is a form of micromanagement; some may understand that it’s a tool to keep their focus on what really matters and spend less time on other tasks. Regardless, building that personal connection is essential. They hold regular in-person meetings, monthly all-hands-on-deck calls and an annual company gathering to strengthen that sense of belonging and unity. These initiatives are not merely logistical but crucial to maintaining their team’s overall health and morale.
5. Learning from mistakes.  Every mistake has been a step toward understanding what it truly takes to build a high-performing team. Leaders, as much as you want things done sooner, remember there are no shortcuts, especially in growing a team. Yes, following the more straightforward route or listening to a single opinion is tempting, especially in recruitment, but building comprehensive training programs is worth it.

3 key takeaways from the article

1. According to the author, when he transitioned as Bigleaf’s CEO in 2022, his day-one goal was establishing a solid, high-performing team.  A team’s strength lies in its people’s skills and how they synergistically come together.  
2. The author pursued the following to achieve the arduous task of establishment of a solid, high performing team:  clear mission alignment, role clarity and accountability; thoughtful performance metrics; provide intellectual safety to your people; prevent burnout; and develop a culture that promotes learning from failure as well as successes.
3. We should invest heavily in our people, providing ongoing training, encouraging open communication, and ensuring every team member feels valued and heard.

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Topics:  Startups, Growth, Team, Synergy, Skills, Learning, Culture