What Makes a Top Performing Team

You’ll never find two people who are exactly the same, each person is unique. When you come together as a team, who you are as an individual is not as important as how well you’re able to work together. In my experience working with elite teams in cricket, I have noticed that top teams are those that unfailingly possess Seven Traits; it is these traits that make the difference between good teams and excellent teams.

Inclusivity

The first trait is inclusivity. For a team to be successful, every member of the team should be involved and engaged. Create an environment where everyone has freedom and expects to be included in decisions that are made. You should make it explicitly clear that every member of your team has the right to have their say. That may mean that you need to create the expectation, offer more encouragement, make the environment “safer”, or give them an individual request to contribute.

You should also be focusing on bringing people with diverse perspectives together. As an umpire, I worked with cricket players of various ages who represented different cultures, languages, and religious backgrounds. This variety adds spice to the experience. You should embrace diversity within your team. Because if everyone comes from a similar background, you’re not really engaging with diversity and tapping into the collective intelligence of the group.

For example, we need more women in cricket, in umpiring, and sports in general. We certainly need more women in business and in management positions too. Why? Because women think and execute differently than men do. When you have an important decision to make, drawing insights from a healthy variety of perspectives will position you better for success. A team without diversity and a broad range of thoughts and ideas is limiting itself to a very narrow path.

Egalitarianism

Does every member of your team feel equally important? Successful teams don’t adopt the mindset of segmenting people based on seniority. At my first One Day International (ODI) match, my fellow umpire had 35 ODIs under his belt. We still walked out onto the field as equals. Sure, he had a lot more experience than me, but we both set out to do the same job and make the same decisions. At the end of the day, our priorities were the same - to succeed as a team. I couldn’t afford to sit back and let my colleague make all the decisions simply because he had more experience.

That’s the second part to egalitarianism – carrying your fair share of the work. Only when each member of your team is able to take full ownership of their roles and responsibilities can they contribute equally and meaningfully to the group’s objectives.

Clear Expectations

Have you ever approached a task not knowing what is expected of you? It’s certainly not a situation that will bring out your best work. When roles aren’t clear, situations are ripe for chaos. If you’re leading a team, be very clear about each person’s role and what is expected of them. This will shape their goals and progression as well.

You see, having clarity about your role affects the quality of your contribution, whether you’re a manager or a creative. In sports, this clarity can make or break a game. When people know their role, they’re empowered to contribute effectively when a problem comes up. They don’t wait for someone else to get things done because they know it’s their job to take charge of a specific set of responsibilities. They’re also going to be bolder in seizing opportunities that come along and focused on achieving their purpose.