Insights on High Performance Leadership How to get the best out of the talents in your team

3 areas of focus for tonight… 6 key components of a high performance culture Benchmarking our leadership style and approach against these Mindset & skills of a coaching approach to development Key characteristics of high performing teams Taking a look at the impact of our style within teams Benchmarking our own team against the characteristics of high performing teams Looking at what it would take to make team across the organisation into a defining strength

Two key ingredients for creating high performance…

Peter Keen, Director of Performance at UK Sport, 2002 - 2012 “The aim of this establishment is to create an environment where great performances are inevitable” Peter Keen, Director of Performance at UK Sport, 2002 - 2012

The Story of Team GB’s Transformation…

"I believe the real difference between success and failure for an organisation can be traced to how well it brings out the great energies and talents of its people. The most important role for a leader is to create an environment which challenges and allows people to fulfil their potential in the pursuit of a worthwhile objective." - Thomas Watson, CEO of IBM during its greatest period of growth

Opening exercise – exploring the key building blocks of high performance… Think of an example of when your team or organisation has really raised their game and achieved something special: What was different in people’s behaviour? What contributed to this performance? (What was the catalyst for it)

Three leadership cultures, and their impact on performance Laissez Faire A pleasant leadership style but one which lacks purpose, standards and accountability No clear leadership on vision, strategy or standards Leaves people/structures largely to themselves Avoids conflict or confrontation Authoritarian A stern I-know-best style where people are told what to do, little involvement… Goals, standards and direction on ‘how to’ handed down from leadership Little involvement of talent in how, leads to low motivation and a lack of initiative Focus is on push, direct and manage; rather than engage and involve Achievement Led Ensures clear direction, high standards, involves people and builds responsibility Leadership engages everyone in a common aspiration Creates a performance culture of ambitious goals, standards & feedback to drive learning Performance achieved through responsibility and continuous learning at all levels 8 8 8

Reflecting on our own style & how we need to develop it Achievement Led Laissez Faire Authoritarian

6 Building blocks of a high performance culture 1.Clarity of focus - around both what we we’re trying to achieve, and how ‘1st switch people on’ - Engage people behind a clear purpose or set of ambitions Then, focus that energy – define as clearly as possible what success depends on 2. High Standards Demand excellence - set, and engage people behind the pursuit of high standards 3. Focus on unlocking talent - creating leadership at all levels Involve people - seek out their input & listen Give people clear areas of responsibility and autonomy, they can pour creativity into Support people in unlocking their talents with high quality coaching 4. Recognition – build pride in good performance Make people feel valued and important Build a positive sense of momentum by recognising and celebrating areas of progress 5. Feedback and learning Ensure a constant focus on performance and accountability through effective feedback Instil a disciplined approach to reviews and feedback to drive rapid learning 6. Teamwork and collaboration Commit to make teamwork a defining strength of the environment; both within each work unit, and across the organisation or project

The leader as a coach ‘The greatest calling of leadership is to awaken greatness in others’ - Bill Packard

Defining what we mean by a ‘Secure Base’ A secure base is a person, or at its best a collective environment; from which we draw inspiration, security and self confidence to push the boundaries and perform at our best Secure base leadership is a term used to describe the qualities and skills common to leaders who are rated as exceptional in their ability to act as a catalyst to people performing at their best Support Challenge Secure Base Leadership

‘Secure Base’ Leadership Characteristics and skills of leaders who are exceptional at developing the potential of others Inspirational – in the example they set; & / or the goals they set See potential in people, and give them the opportunity to develop that potential Challenging them to realise their potential Provide excellent support Signal accessibility Remain calm in difficult situations; provide a ‘safe harbour’ Default style of coaching; predisposition for asking questions Give a lot of positive feedback and recognition Knack for saying the right thing at the right time to reframe their perspective Hold people to a high standard & will confront performance issues; - but focus on learning not blame

Performance pressure they feel Challenge and Support C H A L E N G Achievement led Performance pressure they feel The aim is to make this positive, PULL not PUSH i.e their buy-in to the goal & standards challenges them S U P P O R T Coaching and mentoring support 14

Coaching on a personal habit… In an ideal world – what would you like to achieve? Where are you now in relation to this idea world? What are the consequences of this habit? How does it impact on you? On others? What difference would it make to change this habit? What stops you changing this habit? In what circumstances do you already act the way you would like to? What are the lessons from this? What action could you take as a 1st step? How could you motivate yourself to make this change? 15 15 15

The GROW Model… GOAL - Getting the person clear on their outcome & checking their motivation & energy for it REALITY - Insight & learning around the issue Understanding the problem, root causes etc. Building self awareness of how they are impacting on the situation (the results of their current actions/approach) & how they could have a greater impact OPTIONS Helping them to discover the full range of options; & assess them WILL DO - Moving them to action! Getting them clear on what they are going to do, by when etc. 16 16 16

A sample of team coaching questions… Outcome/goals Getting input on what our focus should be ‘What would success look like in 12 months?’ What should we challenge ourselves to try and achieve? Issues What’s holding us back? What issues do we need to address? Strategy What does our success depend on? What do we need to prioritise our focus on? Specific ‘How To’ questions – e.g. how are we going to get them to take more responsibility for costs?’ Action How do we move this forward? What is the first step? Review What’s worked/hasn’t worked? What are the lessons?

Coaching around insights & action from tonight What are the key insights from the session to date, around your leadership style and the environment you’re creating? What 2 components of the framework do you want to focus on as a first step? What would 5 out of 5 (or excellent) look like? What are some examples of when you’ve been at your best in creating this component? What has stopped you doing more of this? What first step actions are you going to take over the next 4 weeks? How will you know you’re making progress?

Building high performing teams And making teamwork across the organisation a defining strength…

Key ingredients of a high performing team - All great achievements are built on the efforts of a team Right people - the starting point of great teams is great individuals Diversity usually adds strength (but can bring conflict as well) A clear, compelling common purpose, which unites people A reason for being as a team & the motivation for the effort it requires Agreement on, & collective accountability for, a few key priorities An effective way of working together (cohesion), built on mutual respect, which makes the most of each individual’s strengths A shared determination to become a high performing team, to work at it Mutual respect for each others strengths, & roles which exploit them Constructive conflict, combined with the ability to disagree & commit Effective meetings to focus your work & time together A constant focus on results and learning – teamwork takes practice Supported by frequent reviews & willingness to challenge each other

3 types of a thinking environment within teams Open Dialogue Constructive conflict – people saying what they’re thinking, expressing different views, but with an intent to explore & learn from each other – everyone feels heard Fixed position Expressing views, but not listening, exploring or learning from different views Polite People not saying what they’re thinking

5 areas of action for making teamwork a defining strength Commit to make teamwork a defining strength Building strong teamwork requires a significant investment of leadership effort Unite and align people behind a common goal(s) Ensure everyone buys into and sees where they fit into the bigger picture Create an effective thinking environment which ensures you get the best from everyone’s input Replacing ‘polite’ withholding of views or ‘fixed position’ with open dialogue Effective meetings which make good use of your time together Challenge individuals to behave collaboratively, make it unconditional Recognise and praise good collaborative behaviour, and challenge behaviour which is counter to the culture you want Review progress – don’t let up! Learning from and building momentum behind good examples Challenging people to think about where teamwork could add more value

Thank you - Any questions? john@talltree.org.uk