FUNDAMENTAL #5 Focusing on Results
Even when a team has overcome each of the dysfunctions we've addressed so far, there is still a chance that it will lose sight of the ultimate measure of a great team: results. We need to keep collective results in the forefront of our minds. A good way to do that is to use a visible scoreboard of some kind.
RESULTS ASSESSMENT ITEMS
- 3. Team members are quick to point out the contributions and achievements of others.
- 9. The team has a reputation for high performance.
- 14. When the team fails to achieve collective goals, each member takes personal responsibility to improve the team's performance.
- 15. Team members willingly make sacrifices in their areas for the good of the team.
- 25. Team members are slow to seek credit for their own contributions.
- 29. The team consistently achieves its objectives.
- 31. Team members value collective success more than individual achievement.
- 37. Team members place little importance on titles and status. (A high score on this statement indicates that titles and status are NOT important to team members.)
NOTES
THE FOUR COMMON DISTRACTIONS
NOTES
ESTABLISHING A TEAM SCOREBOARD
- How will we know when we have reached our Thematic Goal?
- What are some ways in which we can track progress toward our goal?
- What kind of “scoreboard” will help us stay focused on the goal and able to see our progress?
KEY POINTS—FOCUSING ON RESULTS
- The true measure of a great team is that it accomplishes the results it sets out to achieve.
- To avoid distractions, team members must prioritize the results of the team over their individual or departmental needs.
- To stay focused, teams must publicly clarify their desired results and keep them visible.
NOTES ON FOCUSING ON RESULTS
We have a strong and natural tendency to look out for ourselves before others, even when those others are part of our families and our teams.
Teams have to eliminate ambiguity and interpretation when it comes to success.
Results-oriented teams establish their own measurements for success. They don't allow themselves the wiggle room of subjectivity.
When players on a team stop caring about the scoreboard, they inevitably start caring about something else.
The key to success for a team is that its members embrace a collective pursuit for the best interests of the whole.