S3 09 - The 7 Characteristics of High Performing Teams

We explore what makes a high-performing team, the difference between individual and collective performance, and a seven-part model for building effective, cohesive, and successful teams.

Fiona shares insights from her work in leadership and team coaching, highlighting how individual brilliance does not automatically create a high-performing team. They introduce a seven-part model from Lucy Widdowson that defines the 7 essential elements of effective teamwork, including purpose, identity, relatedness, values and beliefs, awareness, ways of working, and transformation.

Through analogies such as football teams and leadership dynamics, they explore common team challenges, from ineffective meetings to the impact of ‘banter’ masking deeper issues.

They offer practical guidance for leaders to assess and enhance their teams, including using the Johari Window for awareness and revisiting team purpose.

To help listeners apply these concepts, Fiona shares a simple questionnaire for evaluating team effectiveness, which can be used individually or in team discussions. Whether leading a team or participating in one, this episode provides essential insights for optimising team performance.

Key Discussion Points

• Why high-performing individuals don’t always create a high-performing team

• The seven characteristics of high-performing teams (Lucy Widdowson’s model)

• Why teams need a clear purpose and shared identity

• How leaders can use feedback and awareness tools like the Johari Window

Key Timestamps

03:00 – Why a group of ‘superstars’ doesn’t automatically create a high-performing team

05:20 – Classic signs of an ineffective team

07:10 – The problem with banter: masking difficult conversations instead of addressing them

08:00 – Introducing Lucy Widdowson’s seven characteristics of effective teams

12:30 – The role of identity in a team and how external perceptions matter

17:45 – Why defining team values and behaviours is essential for cohesion

22:30 – Practical ways to improve team meetings and decision-making processes

28:30 – How leaders can assess their team’s effectiveness and identify areas for improvement

Key Takeaway

High-performing teams don’t happen by accident. They require clarity of purpose, strong relationships, shared values, and the ability to adapt. Leaders should prioritise team effectiveness over individual achievements and regularly assess team dynamics using structured models and feedback tools.

Fiona's Team Effectiveness Questionnaire:

Using a simple ratings system, where a score of 1 = not at all and a score of 5 = completely, all the time, answer the following questions:

1. We have a clear instruction and mandate from the wider organisation and those we report to
2. Achieving our team goals is recognised and rewarded above our individual goals, or those of our individual teams
3. We have the right selection of necessary, complementary skills within the team
4. We can clearly articulate and own our overall purpose
5. We are working towards shared goals in an effective manner
6. We commit to clear actions and with accountability and follow-through
7. We have clear and effective ways of working together
8. We maintain a high level of moral and commitment between us
9. We are fully engaged and involved in meetings. We make good use of our diversity when we meet
10. The outcomes we reach in meetings are better than any individual could have reached alone
11. We leave our meetings feeling more focused, supported and energised
12. We have good relationships with all our key stakeholders, and any team member can represent views of the whole team
13. We constantly scan our stakeholder environment, and attend to changing needs and perceptions
14. We regularly and effectively attend to our own development as a team
15. We all give good quality real-time feedback and provide a balance of support and challenge to each other

Questions based on work by Professor Peter Hawkins.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of The Strategic Leader podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please give us 5 stars! It will help others to find the show. And don't forget to check out previous episodes, and subscribe for more insightful discussions and practical advice on becoming a more naturally strategic leader.

If you have questions about anything we've been talking about, or need guidance on strategic leadership, we'd love to hear from you.

Feel free to contact us via www.gemmabullivant.co.uk (Gemma) or www.wearegoodthinking.co.uk (Fiona). Your queries could inspire future episodes to help you become a more strategic leader.