High-Performing Teams: Will It Make the Team Better?
- weormond
- May 17
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 5
Ben Hunt-Davis coached the British Men’s Eight before the 2000 Sydney Olympics. For two years, the crew hovered in 7th place. Then, Hunt-Davis changed one critical thing. He challenged every choice with a single question:
“Will it make the boat go faster?”
This simple yet profound inquiry transformed their approach and it’s a mindset that applies directly to building high-performing teams.
Training plans, diets, and even social activities were all evaluated through this lens. If they didn't pass the test, they were dropped. Eighteen months later, the boat crossed the finish line first and claimed Olympic gold. This story illustrates the power of focused ambition.
How High-Performing Teams Use Strategic Questions to Improve
This same filter works for teams off the water. You can swap the wording to “Will this make the team better?” Use it whenever you're about to make a new hire, or implement a new process, meeting, or metric. If the answer isn’t an emphatic yes, skip it. On the other hand, if it is yes, then implement it, track the progress, and adjust. This will ensure the promised benefits materialize.
Cultivating Ruthless Simplicity
Ruthless simplicity does not mean saying no forever. It means saying yes to the vital few actions that enhance trust, clarity, collaboration, and performance. This approach helps create an environment where everyone on the team knows what truly matters.
Posing the key question: Integrate it into every meeting, project kick-off, or budget discussion. As a leader, encourage your team to challenge your own ideas with this question. This practice will help cultivate a culture that prioritizes strategically, sheds distractions swiftly, and treats continuous improvement as standard practice.
Building a Culture of Focus
Creating an environment of focus requires discipline and clarity. With the right mindset, you can drive your team to perform at their best. Here are some strategies to achieve this:
Establish Clear Objectives: Define what success looks like. Make sure everyone on the team understands the objectives and how their work contributes to overall goals.
Regular Check-Ins: Consistency matters. Schedule regular meetings to reassess goals and ensure everyone is still aligned. This is an opportunity to ask, “Will this keep us on track?”
Promote Transparency: Open communication is vital. Encourage team members to share successes and challenges without fear. This builds trust and collaboration.
Tools for Improvement
Are you ready to sharpen your focus even further? Take advantage of the resources available for leaders and teams. Check out our tools, templates, and lessons learned on our new Resources page: Resources. These materials will help equip you with the knowledge to drive improvement in your organization.
Creating high-performing teams doesn't happen overnight. It requires consistent effort and commitment to improvement. By honing in on simplifying decision-making with focused questions, you streamline processes and enhance team dynamics.
Final Thoughts
A simple question can lead to spectacular results. The story of Ben Hunt-Davis and the British Men’s Eight is a testament to this. As you implement these strategies, remember that every decision counts. Strive for improvement in every aspect of your team's work. Steering your team toward asking the right questions is a pivotal step in building high-performing teams that value performance and collaboration above all else.
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