TSR #7: Building impactful teams

5-minute read

What’s in this newsletter:

• The problem with team development (especially as a new manager)

• Why it’s so important to optimize for impact

• The pillars of impactful team development

• One actionable exercise you can do with your team

The problem with team development (especially as a new manager)

I started working in startups in 2016. There was a lot of movement, change, and growth within the company. 

It seemed like everyone had everything figured out when it came to how they worked, and I went along with it. Everyone I met was incredibly smart, so I assumed they must have built this process, this team dynamic, and this system for a reason.

I quickly found out that was not the case... 

New managers and leaders were coming on board with new visions of high-impact and consumer-centric thinking, only to fall back into the way things had always been done. 

Why is this? There are a few reasons:

• New leaders are likely not creating a team from scratch, but jumping onto a moving train

• That moving train is likely held together by duct tape and chicken wire

• They’re tasked with creating company impact first, then rebuilding the train when there’s time

Why it’s so important to optimize for impact

The short answer: it’s good for your team and good for the company.

If you’re always relegating team development to “when there’s time” you’ll likely look for symptoms to patch, rather than digging into the root cause of dysfunction, lack of motivation, and poor output.

You need to find what drives your team, match that to areas of company value, and create a platform for your team to grow.

The pillars of impactful team development

Over the next several weeks, I’ll dive into each pillar in detail to break down quick wins and longer-term strategies to optimize for impact.

For now, let’s get the basics down.

The pillars of impactful teams, and what personal development and company impact look like within them:

1. Connected core

Discover who your team is, what drives them, and how that connects to company values.

2. Defined goal posts 

Understand how each team member wants to grow, and find the cross-section of that personal growth and company strategy.

3. Co-created path

Design your leadership roadmap to enable your team to grow through owning and driving company tactics.

The goal here is to match high-level values with on-the-ground tactics at both the personal and company level. 

The end result is a sustainable, agile, and impactful team.

Next week, we’ll dive into Pillar 1: Connected Core.

In the meantime…

One actionable exercise you can do with your team

Have a conversation with your team about the following:

• Company level:

  • Do we feel like the company values are clear and important?

  • Do we feel connected to those values? How? 

• Team level:

  • Do we know our team’s place in the company strategy?

  • Do we feel our team has a tangible impact?

• Individual level:

  • Do we know what motivates us? 

  • How do we want to grow in the next 3-6 months?

Note similarities, common denominators, and areas of escalation.

Use this to inform conversations with leadership, strategy sessions within the team, and proposals to change your environment.

Try it out and let me know how it goes.