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What is the Norming Stage?

This article is the fourth in a six-part series on the team life cycle.

The Norming Stage: Cultivating Collaboration and Cohesion in the Team Life Cycle

As leaders, we play a vital role in guiding our teams through the various stages of the team life cycle. One crucial phase that follows the Storming Stage is the Norming Stage. This stage is characterized by the development of a sense of unity, collaboration, and a shared understanding of roles and goals within the team.

What is the Norming Stage in the Team Life Cycle?

The Norming Stage is the third stage of the team life cycle, where the team starts to work cohesively as a unit. During this stage, conflicts from the Storming Stage are resolved, and team members establish a sense of trust and mutual respect. They begin to understand each other’s strengths, weaknesses, and preferred working styles. This stage is crucial for building strong relationships and fostering an environment where collaboration thrives.

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Key Characteristics of the Norming Stage

During the Norming Stage, several key characteristics emerge within the team:

  1. Collaboration and Communication: Team members actively collaborate and communicate with one another. They exchange ideas, offer support, and share information openly. This collaborative environment promotes creativity, innovation, and problem-solving.
  2. Cohesion and Trust: Trust among team members is strengthened during this stage. Individuals rely on one another and feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and concerns. There is a sense of unity and a shared commitment to achieving common goals.
  3. Defined Roles and Goals: Roles and goals become clearer and more defined in the Norming Stage. Team members have a better understanding of their responsibilities and how they contribute to the overall success of the team. This clarity helps minimize confusion and maximize productivity.

Strategies for Leaders during the Norming Stage

To capitalize on the positive dynamics of the Norming Stage and foster collaboration and cohesion, leaders can employ the following strategies:

  1. Maintaining Open Communication: Encourage and facilitate ongoing communication among team members. Foster an environment where everyone feels comfortable expressing their ideas and concerns. Regular team meetings, feedback sessions, and open-door policies can promote transparent and effective communication.
  2. Promoting a Culture of Support: Emphasize the importance of supporting one another. Encourage team members to share their knowledge, skills, and experiences. Promote a culture of mentorship, where more experienced members assist those who are new or less experienced. This support helps build trust and enhances collaboration.
  3. Celebrating Diversity: Recognize and value the diverse strengths, perspectives, and backgrounds within the team. Encourage team members to embrace their individuality and contribute their unique insights. By fostering an inclusive environment, leaders can unlock the team’s full potential and encourage innovative thinking.
  4. Providing Opportunities for Skill Development: Offer training, workshops, or opportunities for professional growth. Investing in the development of team members’ skills not only enhances their individual capabilities but also strengthens the overall competency of the team. This focus on continuous improvement keeps the team motivated and engaged.

Progressing through the Team Life Cycle: Storming to Norming

The Norming Stage marks an important milestone in the team life cycle, paving the way for the subsequent stages: Performing and Adjourning. In the Performing Stage, the team reaches its peak performance, delivering high-quality results consistently. The Adjourning Stage signifies the completion of the team’s objectives and the disbandment of the team.

By effectively navigating the Storming Stage and transitioning into the Norming Stage, we create a solid foundation for continued success. Collaboration, cohesion, and a shared understanding of roles and goals fuel the team’s progress, leading to enhanced performance and productivity.

Conclusion: Embracing the Norming Stage for Team Success

Understanding the Norming Stage in the team life cycle is crucial for leaders seeking to cultivate a collaborative and cohesive team. By maintaining open communication, promoting support and diversity, and providing opportunities for skill development, we can harness the positive dynamics of this stage and propel their teams toward higher levels of performance and success.

Embrace the Norming Stage as a springboard for growth, fostering an environment where collaboration thrives, and individual strengths are valued. By doing so, we can optimize team performance, achieve remarkable outcomes, and navigate the team life cycle with confidence.

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What is the Storming Stage?

This article is the third in a six-part series on the team life cycle.

Navigating the Storming Stage: Fostering Collaboration and Resolving Conflict

In the journey of every team, there comes a stage where opinions clash, tensions arise, and conflicts emerge. This stage, known as the Storming Stage, is a crucial part of the team life cycle. As leaders, it is vital for us to understand the dynamics of this stage and guide our teams through it with patience and tact.

What is the Storming Stage?

The Storming Stage, which is the second stage in the team life cycle, involves team members expressing their opinions and ideas. Consequently, conflicts and tension often arise within the team. As individuals become more comfortable in their roles and assert their viewpoints, disagreements may surface regarding approaches to tasks and power dynamics. Therefore, it is crucial for leaders to understand the underlying causes of these conflicts in order to effectively address them and foster a collaborative environment.

Key Considerations for Leaders during the Storming Stage

To navigate the Storming Stage effectively and transform conflicts into opportunities for growth, leaders should focus on the following strategies:

  1. Facilitating Open Communication: Encourage team members to openly express their ideas, concerns, and viewpoints. Moreover, actively listen to each individual and ensure that their perspectives are heard and acknowledged. By creating a safe space for communication, we can foster trust and transparency within the team.
  2. Promoting Constructive Conflict Resolution: Conflict is inevitable during the Storming Stage, but it can be channeled toward positive outcomes. Encourage team members to address conflicts in a constructive manner, focusing on the issues rather than personal attacks. Facilitate discussions where conflicting viewpoints are explored, and resolutions are reached through collaboration and compromise.
  3. Establishing Common Goals: Revisit and clarify the team’s goals and objectives to ensure that everyone is aligned. By reiterating the shared purpose, we can help team members redirect their focus from individual agendas toward collective success. Emphasize the importance of teamwork and highlight how collaboration benefits the entire team.
  4. Providing Support and Guidance: As leaders, it is essential to provide support and guidance to team members during this challenging stage. Be approachable and available for discussions and problem-solving. Offer guidance on conflict resolution techniques and provide resources or training if necessary. By showing empathy and understanding, we can build stronger relationships and create an environment where conflicts can be resolved effectively.

The Path Forward: Progressing through the Team Life Cycle

Navigating the Storming Stage is a significant milestone on the journey toward a high-performing team. Successfully overcoming conflicts and building a culture of collaboration sets the stage for the subsequent stages of the team life cycle: Norming, Performing, and Adjourning.

Conclusion – The Storming Stage

Understanding and effectively managing the Storming Stage is crucial for leaders who aspire to build strong and successful teams. By facilitating open communication, promoting constructive conflict resolution, establishing common goals, and providing support and guidance, leaders can navigate through this stage with confidence. Embracing the challenges and opportunities presented by the Storming Stage will set the foundation for a high-performing team that can overcome obstacles and achieve remarkable results.

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The Fog of War: Making Better Decisions on a Deadline

As leaders and managers, part of our responsibility is to find credible information to assist practical and informed decision-making. Unfortunately, decisions often have to be made on deadline — without all the necessary information available. Decision makers in these circumstances must leverage their management experience to estimate the likely risk-to-reward ratio of a business decision and act within their authority on limited information. How to make better decisions faster is a skill all leaders must learn, or else they may be left behind.
 

Indecision Is a Decision

From my own experiences, I have often observed leaders who are very uncomfortable making decisions without “all” the information. But to not make a decision is also a choice. In a competitive environment, indecision is the kiss of death: Situational opportunities get snatched up by competitors who are more adaptable and agile. Decisiveness now on an incomplete set of facts beats a perfectly informed decision later — provided the educated guess was close enough.
 
Military strategist Carl von Clausewitz coined the phrase “the fog of war” to describe uncertainty within the complex, high-stakes arena of military conflict. It addresses the complexities of gathering accurate and timely information in a constantly changing environment against thinking opponents.
 
Key to the “fog” metaphor is the importance of how to make command decisions faster with what little information one has. Fog is also everywhere; there is no place to hide from it. Indecision does not lie outside the Fog of War, but within.
 
In war, achieving goals requires maintaining momentum. Momentum requires action. The skilled commander must timely act within the Fog of War, maintaining momentum on limited information rather than losing by default to indecision.
 

No Perfect Decisions in the Fog of War

So why can’t people conceive of making better decisions in the absence of “all” the information? The simple answer is fear of making the wrong decision. With no information at all, this prudent caution is perfectly understandable. But there is no prudence in wasting time on an endless search for the “perfect decision” because it does not exist, except maybe in hindsight.
 
If there is no such thing as a time-constrained “perfect decision,” and if all decisions are time-constrained, making better decisions while maintaining momentum is the wiser course. A leader whose decisions are rash and ill-considered doesn’t stay a leader for long. Overcompensating for this, however, is no better.
 
What a wise leader will find is that the most effective balance lies closer to action. From my own experience in competitive environments, I’ve found that making faster decisions that are good 80% of the time beats 100% of the decisions made too late. Making better decisions while maintaining momentum creates the most reliable recipe for projects succeeding on time.
 

In the Fog of War, Information Is on a Budget

On a time budget, gathering data is not income but expense. To make better decisions, your information needs to be worth more than the time it takes to gather. For every data-gathering endeavor, ask yourself, “Am I gathering the right amount of the right data? Was the time I spent worth the cost?”
 
Sir Richard Branson once said, “There’s no such thing as perfect decision making — only hindsight can determine whether you made the ‘right call.’”
 
One of Branson’s techniques places greater emphasis on a small set of key questions, gathering the most accurate information possible on a small set of parameters to inform the broader decision. “Perfect information” on a narrow set of specifics is a viable technique — it’s the time budget that matters. If budgeting all the time on a narrow set of specifics provides a way to make better decisions faster, it’s a good method.
 
Too often, people appear to be gathering information without a good understanding of what decision it will influence. In these instances, people are most certainly busy; unfortunately, they are likely collecting the wrong information. Quantity without quality is wasteful spending of the time budget. Getting the right data and only the right data is how to make decisions faster.
 

4 Ways to Manage the Fog of War

As a trained leader, there are several things you can do to assist your team members so they spend the minimum of their precious time collecting the most valuable information:
  • Prioritize your questions of fact. Determine what one must know versus what is nice to know. In some cases, a metric applied to the data itself might signal the end of the useful collection. Always place greater emphasis on answering questions that will determine go/no go criteria for the project.
  • Route the right questions to the right stakeholders. Too often, we engage the wrong people with our critical questions. When engaging with subject matter experts, ensure that your question drives toward a decision and that you ask in language or vernacular appropriate to your audience, as words often mean different things to different professionals. Don’t make the common mistake of assuming every project manager knows complex engineering terminology.
  • Streamline data collection toward specific questions targeted to make better decisions. Effective project managers adequately define the project scope and ensure the project remains oriented toward a measurable end-state. If you are collecting information that does not target how to make decisions faster, stop collecting it.
  • Sequence your data collection to align toward project milestones. Get what you need most first. Do, however, keep one eye on preserving data you might need later.

Make Better Decisions Within the Fog of War

If you wait too long for too much information, you can miss critical opportunities as projects and situations evolve. The Fog of War will never part to reveal the perfect decision until it’s too late to matter. Do you have enough information to make a “good enough” decision now? Make it. Learn how to make decisions faster, and you’ll find you can make better decisions.
 
These principles inform our work at The Eighth Mile Consulting. We work with good people who are ready to take a critical inventory of their skills and make the changes necessary to become better leaders for their teams and businesses. If you’re facing the uncertainty of the Fog of War, we’re a good ally to have on your side. Take a look at our 8-week online leadership course and see how The Eighth Mile can help you make better decisions faster.
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The FASD Method: Improved Decision-Making at Work

Adults make over 35,000 decisions each day. Many of the choices you make are automatic and proceed without much conscious consideration, such as getting out of bed or the route you take to the office. Other decisions carry more weight and require additional time and thought before making a judgment. But what about making decisions at work? Do you have a decision-making method to determine the right course of action?

Most of us have never been formally coached on how to make important decisions. If you’ve had difficulty making decisions at work, or if the calls you’ve been making are resulting in undesired outcomes, there might be something wrong. Not necessarily with the decisions themselves, but with how you are making them.

What if you took a more methodical approach to decision-making? Decision-making methods do exist. In fact, the military wouldn’t be able to function without a system for making rational decisions we call the FASD method. Could implementing a similar decision-making method at work help you develop and hone your decision-making skills?

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What Is the FASD Decision-Making Method?

The FASD approach is a military decision-making method that provides a framework for making informed decisions. This method guides choice-making with a systematic approach. To use this method for making decisions at work, you first determine the possible courses of action. Next, measure each of the options against the four FASD principles:

  1. Feasibility

  2. Acceptability

  3. Sustainability

  4. Discernibility

Both the Australian and American military use a variation of these terms in their decision-making methods. Let’s cover each one.

Feasible

Is the course of action feasible? Meaning can it be done within any restrictions you may have, including physical limitations, access to resources, and so on? Consider the amount of time required, the location, and the manpower needed.

For a simple example, let’s say your company’s fax machine has broken, and you are trying to choose whether to repair it or replace it. Is one option more financially feasible than the other? Do you have the staffing capacity to spend time comparing and testing new models? What about physical space–would a new machine take up more room, and can dedicate the square footage to this piece of equipment?

If it passes the feasibility test, you can move on to the next parameter.

Acceptable

Take the time to do a risk assessment. If a given option plays out as you expect it to, what are the consequences? Define the risks and determine if they are more detrimental than doing nothing. Balance the cost of this choice, which includes the risk involved in relation to the potential gain.

Continuing with the broken fax machine example, are the consequences of replacing vs. repairing the fax machine acceptable? If you replace it, the cost will be more significant, but repairing it may only buy time until another breakdown. Which option is more acceptable to you?

Sustainable (or Suitable)

In other words, are you capable of following through with this decision and maintaining the outcome on a long-term basis? Also, take a look at suitability — does the end result effectively resolve the problem you set out to solve with this decision-making method?

Referring back to our example, will the company be able to absorb the cost of replacing the fax machine, or will it do irreparable harm to the budget? Or, if you repair it, how long will it last until it breaks down again, thus incurring another cost?

Discernible

Lastly, look at whether each course of action is discernible. If the options you have identified at the beginning are not significantly different from each other, then you aren’t really making a decision — or rather, you’ve already made the decision, and who knows if it was the right one? If this is the case, return to the beginning of the process and redefine your potential courses of action, making sure each one solves the initial problem through a distinct and differing result.

In this case, our example problem of replacing vs. repairing broken equipment might have the same outcome if all other factors, such as cost and downtime, are the same. If that’s the situation, you should consider what problem you are really trying to solve. Is your end goal to send faxes? Or is it simply that you need a secure way of sending documents to clients? Are there other ways of accomplishing that goal other than a fax machine? Can you pivot to electronic signatures via an online platform or email? Or would you benefit from in-person meetings to go over these documents? Now, instead of tying yourself to a “choice” where you ultimately up in the same place no matter which option you choose (still using a fax machine), you have three truly unique options to choose from (fax machine, electronic sending, or in-person meetings).

From there, you can take the options that have passed the FASD criteria and conduct a course of action analysis to make a better and more informed decision at work.

Why the FASD Method Is Better Than Most Decision-Making Methods

The FASD decision-making method gives decision-makers the steps to complete a thorough assessment and review before making critical calls. This approach to decision-making is better than most others for various reasons. To understand this, let’s take a quick look at some other common ways decisions are made.

Common Alternatives to the FASD Decision-Making Method

Some of the common decision-making methods used to make decisions at work today include:

  • Commanding: Making decisions on your own without outside input

  • Consulting: Considering input from a small group of peers to make a decision

  • Voting: A group consensus where the majority rules

Each of the above methods fails to include one crucial step that the FASD masters: setting up the game properly. To make truly informed decisions as a leader in business, you first need to develop feasible options to compare. Each option has to be able to stand on its own merit and be entirely different (not just a slight deviation from the same plan).

The FASD method ensures that you’re choosing from the right set of choices. Assessing each course of action against the four principles above provides clarity in two ways. First, it acts as screening criteria to ensure each option is thoroughly considered. This prevents proceeding with a decision that fails to meet one of the FASD principles. Second, it enhances problem-solving abilities by requiring a thorough understanding of the situation before making any rash decisions to solve the problem.

When you adopt the FASD decision-making method, you can find your true power as a leader by adopting a military-like approach to your business. Doing a thorough review of your options before you choose one removes subjectivity and impulsive conclusions from your process, thereby earning you more respect from your team.

Take Your Decision-Making Method to the Next Level

Learning the right methods for how to make decisions at work can be a daunting task. If you feel this way, you are not alone. Luckily, there is help. At The Eighth Mile Consulting, our goal is to work with good people looking to improve themselves as employers and leaders.

If you’re looking for lessons that will take your leadership to the next level, take a look at our 8-week online leadership course to see if it might help you make better decisions at work and become a better leader for your team.

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What is Online Leadership Training?

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

It takes a trailblazer to go where no path exists. It takes a leader.

In every business, it’s leaders who provide direction. Your business couldn’t reach its goals without this.

But great leaders aren’t necessarily born — they’re made. Leadership is one of those qualities that people can learn.

According to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ (PwC) recent report on working millennials, 29% of those surveyed accepted their most recent position for its personal development opportunities and advancement potential. Only 14% chose their position for the benefits package.

The bottom line? Millennials are poised to make up 75% of the workforce in just a few years. These workers want to see training opportunities offered, and employers who don’t meet this desire risk losing current (and attracting future) talent.

The question is: do you opt for traditional classroom-based or online leadership training? And how do you know if online leadership training is right for you or your organization?

Classroom-based learning has its place, but online leadership training offers multiple benefits over the classroom — for employees and employers.

Benefits of Online Leadership Training

Whether you want to help employees jumpstart a soaring career trajectory, succeed in a current role, or prepare for a future role, knowing the benefits of this kind of training can help point you to the right type of program.

At Eighth Mile Consulting, we pride ourselves on helping organizations grow by improving their people and processes. Our consulting services can help your organization handle change, build resilience, and develop the strategies that cultivate leadership.

The right online leadership training program can provide many opportunities for improvement.

Assess your Leadership Effectiveness 

To improve upon anything, you need to know where your skills stand currently.

  • What are some of your weaknesses?
  • How can you strengthen those areas?
  • Where do your strengths lie?
  • How can you pull from your current skillset to improve your leadership qualities?

Becoming familiar with these answers generates awareness. It offers insights that identify improvement strategies and personal leadership styles. You and your employees can reference, pull from and build upon these skills over the course of a career.

Learn and Practice Vital Leadership Skills

Effective leaders know how to:

  • Define direction
  • Create teams
  • Coach coworkers
  • Give constructive criticism
  • Offer meaningful advice and feedback
  • Generate interpersonal relationships built on trust

The mark of a genuine leader lies in their influence on (and empowerment of) coworkers, subordinates, and bosses. Great leaders can tackle stressful situations and identify whether delegation is necessary or if it would be better to handle the task on their own.

Receive Honest Advice From More Experienced Leaders

This is the greatest benefit of online leadership training: the exposure to others in leadership positions. Leaders in all career stages have experiences they can share, and learning from others is one of the best ways to grow. Freely debating and exchanging ideas is something that can prove invaluable compared to trying to learn how to lead all by yourself.

Who Benefits Most From Online Leadership Training?

You may think the only candidates worthy of leadership training are those who already hold some type of leadership position. Actually, a wide range of positions and career stages can find value.

Let’s take a look at four types of professionals who typically see the most benefit from online leadership training.

Entry-Level to Mid-Career Employees 

These professionals might be experts in their field or company. If this person wants to eventually take on a leadership position but isn’t sure of the path to get there, leadership training is the map. Proactive development of the skills a leader needs primes these employees for lift-off when the right position opens.

Employees New to Leadership Roles

Most larger companies have an established hierarchy that determines those next in line for promotions to leadership roles. For example, specific education and relevant experience may be required for consideration.

On the other hand, smaller and more agile companies might not have such a formal hierarchy. This is ideal for employees who desire a leadership role but don’t have any experience yet. Employees suddenly thrust into leadership positions can especially benefit from leadership training to get acclimated to their new responsibilities.

New Entrepreneurs

A lot of small businesses begin as single self-employed individuals. There are no other employees to schedule, manage or otherwise consider.

The moment this entrepreneur’s business grows, hiring that first employee can change the game entirely. The entrepreneur isn’t just responsible for themselves anymore. Many people can attest that solopreneurial success doesn’t always translate to entrepreneurial success.

Honing leadership skills is a must for people whose desires lie in the entrepreneurial territory. It helps them learn the skills needed to hire and manage a high-performance team.

Entire Companies

Depending on the business or industry, some companies look outside to hire for open leadership roles. But there are several benefits of promoting someone already familiar with how the business works, such as:

  • Reduced costs. There’s no expense to recruit, screen, or interview candidates.
  • Faster acclimation. Since the employee already knows a lot about the company, there’s much less time spent on training.

Offering access to online leadership training can help the newly promoted individual learn more about management and build the skills necessary for success in their new role.

What Problems Can Online Leadership Training Solve?

Online leadership training, compared to traditional classroom-based training, can ease the strain on employees in several respects, such as:

  • Employees with children don’t need to seek childcare.
  • Employees whose families share one vehicle don’t need to coordinate transportation.
  • Employees can still address other responsibilities outside of work.

Unfortunately, some companies cast aside these benefits in exchange for perceived cost savings because the C-suite mistakenly believes that investing in online leadership training is cost-prohibitive. Did you know: After changing company policy and implementing online leadership training, IBM saved almost $200 million?

Partner with The Eighth Mile

At The Eighth Mile, our mission is to work with good people who are ready to improve their leadership and management skills through critical evaluation and absolute honesty. If that sounds like a challenge you are ready for, we’d love to hear from you. Our consulting and educational programs can help you design your ideal team through our 8-week online leadership course with regular virtual workshops and even one-on-one coaching sessions included with the modules. If you want to learn how to better handle changes in your organization, build greater resilience within your staff, and develop the strategies that cultivate strong leaders, connect with us to learn more.

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Observations from a ‘Bloody Consultant’

Over the years I have heard consultants get a pretty bad rap, so here are some observations from a ‘Bloody Consultant’.

When I worked on the other side of the fence, I heard consultants described on occasions as ‘vultures’, ‘sharks’, ‘idiots’, ‘morons’, and everything in between. Ironically, the organisations which I worked in at the time had felt the need to bring them in order to get momentum and horsepower in areas where they were significantly lacking. On other occasions, consultants were brought in to provide objectivity and impartiality.

I have only been a consultant for a relatively short time, and I chose the profession as it seemed like a logical choice that would enable me to support different organisations in achieving their goals, as well as entwine myself in varying and complex problems.

When we launched The Eighth Mile Consulting, we created a mantra and ethos of ‘good people, helping good people’ and made sure it translated in our service towards ‘positive projects and people only’. At the time we felt the need to do this in order to demonstrate some level of separation from what some people see as a ‘dirty’ word.

Since our launch, we have kept true to our mantra. We have supported only positive projects taking the form of social support projects, scholarship programs, Veteran services projects, leadership & professional development projects, medical projects, and more. It has been a roller coaster to say the least, but here are some of the observations from a ‘Bloody Consultant’.

I hope that providing some objective observations, it might allow people to learn from some of the consistent friction areas experienced by many organisations.

Be very wary of a ‘Yes’ culture

No organisation I have ever worked in is without its faults. It is impossible to have a perfectly oiled system and operation. If you cannot find areas for improvement, then you aren’t looking hard enough, or your staff aren’t raising it to your attention.

Either:

  • They don’t trust the information will be kept confidential and used for its intended purpose
  • They think you will react adversely against them or another member of the team
  • They believe it’s easier to just go along with whatever their manager or supervisor says than to raise issues.

There is a term I have picked up on my journey called ‘malicious compliance. It refers to a tendency for jaded staff to literally follow directions from their supervisors despite knowing that it will have significant negative effects. When this occurs disastrous things happen, and what is worse is the leaders are left holding the ashes, not knowing how they could have stopped it. Rapport and respect are weapons against evils like malicious compliance.

Many executives have called us in because they don’t feel they have a good understanding of an issue in the organisation. In this way, consultants are gathered in order to ground the truth of what is actually happening and provide feedback for the executive or manager. This can be hard to deliver sometimes, as it takes a very courageous and well-intentioned leader to open their doors to critique and objectivity. It also takes an equally courageous consultant to relay information that could be poorly received by their employer.

I have a lot of respect for those leaders and consultants willing to engage in open and honest conversations. It takes integrity, self-awareness, and professionalism to pull it off.

 

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Plan to communicate

So many issues in the world are caused by miscommunication. In one of my previous articles, I wrote that misinformation is worse than no information at all. At least with no information you can actively source data, but with misinformation, it will corrupt your decision-making and cause nightmares in your deliveries.

Many of the issues associated with the teams we work with are based around a distortion of information from the top to the bottom and back up again. There was a great scene in a Simpsons episode where a rumor is started but by the time it gets to the end of a long line of people it has evolved into ‘purple monkey dishwasher’. Unfortunately, this demonstration of information distortion is uncomfortably close to the truth for many organisations.

Here are some rules which I hope will serve some people in their attempt to tighten their communication:

  • More touch points or crossover points always equates to more errors. Ask yourself how many gates are required in order to get this information where it needs to go. Can we cut it down, or streamline it?
  • Translating information between systems and people dramatically increases the chances of errors.
  • Ensure your communication clearly answers an organisational question or need. Don’t create or collect content for the sake of it.
  • Too much information and no one will read it.
  • Less is more. Brevity is key in communication and stands out like a sore thumb in today’s saturated environment.

Leadership will make or break teams

No brainer right? Wrong. I have been very fortunate to be mentored throughout my whole life by very capable and influential leaders. What I thought was intuitive and obvious is not. Leadership is learned by seeing others and adapting it into a methodology that suits the individual and the circumstance.

People need to be trained and mentored if they are to become better at leading and managing teams. Worse yet, some people will have to be trained to drop bad or toxic habits. Unfortunately for people like myself, we cannot change someone else’s mind. All we can do is provide additional information and context that might lead them to another conclusion.

If your organisation genuinely wants leaders it needs to invest in them. This means (as a minimum):

  • Time
  • Resources
  • Executive and senior management buy-in
  • A strategy that they can understand and align to

One key mistake I see routinely is that people are promoted, or forced into leadership roles due to their tenure in an organisation. This is dangerous, particularly in technical or specialist streams. Not everyone wants to be in a leadership role and not everyone is suited to it . This opens a can of worms that can be very difficult to put a lid back on.

Luckily for me and my team, we love helping other organisations with leadership and management training. There is nothing more satisfying than supporting someone else to a point where they can support others.

Strategy reinforced by systems and processes allows you to scale

There is significant pressure placed on organisations that have scaled too quickly and are now forced into becoming reactionary and responsive to their operating environments. Their staff regularly feel like they are behind the eight ball (no pun intended). Over time this develops animosity against their teams and their profession. Scaling properly takes planning and preparation if it is to be done right. It also takes a concerted and deliberate effort in order to decentralise certain roles and responsibilities to other staff or capabilities. One person cannot do it all effectively.

Scaling a business should be leveraged off a unified strategy which can act as a compass during the confusion. When things get crazy and the operating environment becomes more complex, our staff need an agreed direction to head, as well as sanity-check their decisions.

Companies that ignore the importance of a well-communicated strategy do so at their own peril. Consultants are often well-positioned to assist companies in developing a strategy as they are able to cross reference against market trends and other companies.

Resilience is not a buzzword 

Resilience is a serious issue in today’s society. With ever-increasing psychological issues influencing our workspaces, it is becoming more relevant than ever to have teams that are robust, focused, and unified. Without going into my personal beliefs as to why this is occurring, I think we can all agree that a resilient team is often a key determiner in improving our chances of success.

Companies that invest in formal resilience training perform better overall, as they see benefits in their staff retention, leadership, and their ability to respond to change. Companies that don’t take this seriously experience highly transient workforces, poor reputation, and numerous incomplete projects.

 

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Change takes courage and commitment

The world is going to change whether you like it or not. The difference is whether you are leading it, or being led by it. Companies considering large-scale changes need to seriously assess the implications on their staff, clients, profile, and operational delivery. Being quick moving and agile is great providing you have a framework and team built to support such actions. Move too quickly and you will leave a wake of destruction in your path.

Good change management relies on strategic alignment and the development of a ‘need’ (combined with an agreed sense of urgency). It also relies on clear methods of communication, and responsible/accountable people who play a strong stakeholder game. Too light in some of these areas and the implications can be terrible.

Don’t wait until it’s too late

Many organisations wait until the damage is done in order to bring in consultants to support their work. It becomes tough for consultants as they are asked to achieve seemingly impossible results and are then chastised when they are not delivered. I believe this reflects poorly on the consultant in many instances, as they have not fully expectation managed their client and have then subsequently under-delivered. But in any case, we can probably agree that if issues are addressed early then we have an infinitely better chance of fixing them before it becomes a true detriment.

The key capability a consultant brings is objectivity. Providing they are courageous enough to tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. Approaching the problem without the same biases and internal politics can be the difference between bad, good, and expert.

Conclusion

My observations from a ‘Bloody Consultant’? I love being a consultant! I love being held accountable for my work, and my team’s work. Our consultants at The Eighth Mile Consulting are focused, professional, and experienced and it makes my job of managing the brand a breeze.

There is no more satisfying feeling than supporting a positive project or initiative and seeing it through to delivery. Our measure of success is being called into the next positive project, based on the success of previous ones.

I hope these observations serve others well. Remember, it is just one man’s opinion…

If you ever think you might need an objective and friendly hand on something. Give us a call. We are always here to help.

Safe travels.

Contact Us

Reach out to the team to book a consult.

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The Principles of War – A Corporate Translation

I recently posted a number of content pieces that explained ‘The Principles Of War’, a set of broad and overarching guidelines that acted as a filtering system for the operational and strategic efforts we conducted within the Military. In response to these posts many asked me to collate the information in a central source so that they might apply more reasonably to their businesses and teams.

There is no point in providing a set of principles, guidelines or considerations unless we build a context behind them that establishes relevance.  This is my shot at doing that for the Principles of War in a corporate context.

The Principles of War are a set of guiding principles that act as considerations for military planning and strategy.  It has become apparent that there is some utility in using them in the corporate environment.  In this article, we look at the analysis and interpretation of the principles with that concept in mind.

Simply put, the principles exist to help frame ‘how’ to think and not ‘what’ to think.  This means that we are free to explore whatever is needed to solve the problem.  However, we must be careful to balance our priorities and resources to enable the best possible outcome.

These are the principles in order but not in importance.  Each plan or initiative will see a different prioritisation of each of these principles in order to achieve a different effects or outcome.

  1. The selection and maintenance of the aim
  2. Concentration of force
  3. Cooperation
  4. Economy of effort
  5. Security
  6. Offensive action
  7. Surprise
  8. Flexibility
  9. Sustainment
  10. Maintenance of morale

The situation will see each principle being utilised differently and should be weighted depending on the circumstances, what needs to be achieved and the priorities set out by the planner.  As an example, when developing a concept for client focused service (aim) we may need to bring in another organisation to cover an identified need (cooperation) which we could only build ourselves at a much higher cost (economy of effort).  This joint venture may necessitate an exchange of restricted information (security) to ensure the team is established, trust is built, and we can be demonstrating our ability to adjust to our client’s needs (flexibility/aim).

For this scenario, the client focused service has primacy.  It may look something like this.

Note – ‘the doctrine’ comments are excerpts from Land Warfare Doctrine 1 – The Fundamentals of Land Power 2014 – The Principles of War

THE SELECTION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE AIM

The doctrine – Once the aim has been decided, all effort must continually be directed towards its attainment so long as this is possible, and every plan or action must be tested by its bearing on the aim.

“ Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future ” – Walt Disney

In broad terms, it means to keep the object/ end in mind at every level of the operation. The creation of the aim (end state/ outcome) takes time, energy, and some serious thought. This is true for military and corporate action.

When selecting and maintaining the aim:

  1. Ensure it aligns with your values
  2. Communicate it simply and effectively to those involved
  3. Reinforce the aim at all levels
  4. Resist the urge to ad hoc stray from the aim
  5. Maintain open lines of communication with key stakeholders
  6. Test any changes against its impact on the overall aim
  7. Bring subject matter experts in for objectivity

Know where you are heading before you start. It allows you and your team to align to a common outcome and make decisions as well as maintain momentum in your absence. From CEO to a jobseeker, selecting and maintaining your aim provides the purpose to make sound decisions.

CONCENTRATION OF FORCE

The doctrine – Concentration of force is the ability to apply decisive military force at the right place, at the right time and in such a way as to achieve a decisive result.

“ The talent of the strategist is to identify the decisive point and to concentrate everything on it, removing forces from secondary fronts and ignoring lesser objectives. ” – Carl von Clausewitz

To be successful we need to be able to concentrate our capabilities, at the appropriate time and place, to achieve success. This means knowing what we have, what it can do and where it is going to have the most impact.  Then doing it.  This principle is about be deliberate and even more so, decisive.

In a corporate context this would mean:

  1. Having the funding to support a new project or capitalise on an opportunity
  2. Aligning staff, capital and messaging at a key point to achieve and outcome
  3. Defining areas that are irrelevant for expenditure
  4. Having a surge capability to reinforce success
  5. Knowing the strategy and communicating key locations and times for action
  6. Making decisions within the time to be effective
  7. Building alignment, momentum and energy to decisive points in the plan

We cannot spend everything on anything.  Prioritise those actions that will have the highest impact and align to the strategy.  Then build up the required resources, staff and capital to seize an opportunity.  This is a deliberate and defined process.

COOPERATION

The doctrine – Cooperation within joint combined arms interagency teams, allies and coalition partners is vital for success. Only in this way can the resources and energies of each be harnessed so as to achieve success.

” It is the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) that those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed. ” – Charles Darwin

Vital to success is the ability to bring together multiple agencies to achieve an overall effect.  What this means in a practical sense is to build teams that cover each other’s gaps.  We cannot know or be great at everything, so we join forces with others to create something better than our own individual capability.

What cooperation looks like:

  1. Admitting that you are not strong in an area
  2. Aligning with a team that is
  3. Leaving your ego at the door and being prepared to be led depending on the priority
  4. Acknowledging a greater purpose
  5. Sharing information freely and in a timely fashion
  6. Synchronising the efforts in space, time, and priority to create the best impact
  7. Putting the team needs first
  8. Protecting each other and representing them in areas where they don’t represent themselves

Combining efforts takes a great deal of trust, authenticity, and respect.  It may be for a short period or an enduring strategic partnership.  The vulnerabilities of your joined team must be protected at all costs.

ECONOMY OF EFFORT

The doctrine – Economy of effort is the prudent allocation and application of resources to achieve the desired results.

“ The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency. ” – Bill Gates

Economy of effort.  This principle deals with ‘playing smart’ and making the full use of available resources. It is in this space that we create a balance in priorities and what we can realistically achieve and sustain.  Appropriate allocation must be nested with the strategy as they are finite.  Priority allocation must go to the main effort that and supporting efforts will be created to enable it.

In a corporate setting this might look like:

  1. Priority resourcing to finding new opportunities
  2. Supporting effort in retaining and consolidated current projects
  3. Reserve resources segregated for identified contingencies

A changing environment requires adaptability and if the main effort/ supporting efforts evolve then the priority of resourcing will change.  At all times maintaining your economy of effort must be nested with the other principles like sustainment.  Appropriate allocation of effort can mean the difference between success and failure.

SECURITY

The doctrine – Security is concerned with measures taken by a command to protect itself from espionage, sabotage, subversion, observation, or surprise. It is of basic concern during any campaign or operation. Security is required to operate effectively with minimal interference from the enemy.

“ Protection and security are only valuable if they do not cramp life excessively. ” – Carl Jung

To be able to continue to operate and/ or obtain opportunities we must first ensure that our own capabilities are as secure as required by the strategy.  Now in times of need, sacrificing security for speed may be that strategy but it must be a planned, deliberate, and precise decision.  Offensive strategies can also be a method of security as we stay mobile, maintain momentum and aren’t targetable.

In a corporate context, this could mean:

  1. Securing your information, strategies and plans from your competitors
  2. Ensuring you have consolidated resources to mitigate uncertainties
  3. Future proof your employee relevance by developing them
  4. Maintain quick and deliberate decision-making cycles to stay ahead of the competition
  5. Securing financial viability by maintaining cashflow
  6. Diversifying to create redundancy to secure operational viability
  7. Mitigating priority risks to reduce critical events

Security of our businesses in physical, financial, strategic, operational and resource-based decisions is important to enable us to operate effectively with minimal disturbance.  This principle allows us to analyse risk and mitigate it before crisis occurs.

OFFENSIVE ACTION

The doctrine – Military forces take offensive action to gain and retain the initiative. This has often taken the form of building momentum and fueling it to snowball the opposition. In most circumstances, such action is essential to the achievement of victory.

“ A little deed done very well is better than a mighty plan kept on paper, undone. Wishes don’t change the world; it’s actions that do this business! ” – Israelmore Ayivor

We need an offensive action (read, a bias for action in this case) to either regain or maintain initiative, or in a corporate context; maintain your competitive advantage, be first to market, launch on a project or create and seize opportunities.  This action must be deliberate and decisive and must be driven towards achieving the established aim.

To effectively implement offensive actions, we should:

  1. Empower people who have a bias for action (as long the strategy supports it)
  2. Consolidate and make use of adequate resources
  3. Ensure the action is sustainable to the end
  4. Be linked to other key stakeholders to support
  5. Use an element of surprise
  6. Make effective use of available resources
  7. Be deliberate and decisive
  8. Be oriented towards the overarching aim or strategy
  9. Be balanced with security of our own capabilities

In a military context this may necessitate combat however, it can also be the use of information actions and achieving influence as well.  Overall, it is important to understand the importance of having a bias for action as it creates momentum, speed in decision making and advantage over your competitors.  This bias will ultimately allow you to create opportunities not just be reactive to them.

SURPRISE

The doctrine – Surprise can produce results out of all proportion to the effort expended and is closely related to security.

“ In conflict, straightforward actions generally lead to engagement, surprising actions generally lead to victory ” – Sun Tzu

In a military term this might require deception or simply being able to disperse and concentrate rapidly, concealing your activity, appearing weak when you are strong etc.  The idea is to be where you are unexpected or where you are expected at a time when you are not, in forces that weren’t planned for.  In a corporate context, this may mean the release of a new strategy, software, market entry, product release in a time and manner that is not expected so that your competitors can’t mimic or get the inside track.

To achieve successful surprise:

  1. Be where you are not expected to be
  2. Appear vulnerable when you are in fact strong
  3. Appear strong when you are weak
  4. Approach markets from different methods
  5. Create strong allies who enable you to scale and disperse rapidly
  6. Know your environment in detail
  7. Understand the importance of timing
  8. Have a strategy and a plan
  9. Show the minimum amount of activity in an area people are expecting so that they don’t know what your actual aim is. It is called a feint.
  10. Be adaptable and ready to respond to your changing environment

This list is ultimately endless but, in a nutshell, utilising surprise not only keeps you and your team excited about new plans, it also enables you to capitalise on opportunities before others know you are even looking at them.

FLEXIBILITY

The doctrine – Flexibility is the capacity to adapt plans to take account of unforeseen circumstances to ensure success in the face of friction, unexpected resistance, or setbacks, or to capitalise on unexpected opportunities.

“ It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change. ”  – Charles Darwin

This is your ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment (your AQ).  I would also include your resilience to setbacks, ability to deal with friction, chaos and complexity and to make decisions in uncertainty.  The aim of flexibility is to maintain dynamic decision making across multiple lines of operation and still be synchronised.

To build flexibility:

  1. Identify and communicate the overall aim
  2. Understand your environment
  3. Build a redundancy or reserve of resources
  4. Empower decision making at the lowest level
  5. Simplify communication
  6. Provide realistic and relevant boundaries
  7. Create an environment of innovation
  8. Absorb risk, friction and anxiety for your team

Giving your team and organisation the confidence and capability to accept risk and seize opportunities is a deliberate process.  As leaders we have a responsibility to create the environment and set the conditions for success.  Build and train your teams to be able to understand intent and feel confident to take risks knowing that you have their backs.  Ultimately, gaps and opportunities will be found by them.  If they feel confident and capable, you will be able to pivot early and often.

SUSTAINMENT

The doctrine – Sustainment refers to the support arrangements necessary to implement strategies and operational plans.

“ You won’t find it difficult to prove that battles, campaigns, and even wars have been won or lost primarily because of logistics ”  – General Dwight. D. Eisenhower

The new executive with the grand ideas will often forget about the sustainability of a project or strategy.  Logistics and sustainability don’t just happen and can underpin an entire campaign.

Deliberate planning of time and resources for both offensive and defensive strategies should be a priority if you want an enduring impact.  The sustainability or logistical elements of are also those things that are easily targetable by a competitor who can bring more support to the game.

To be sustainable we must:

  1. Accurately plan the requirements of our missions
  2. Have a redundancy
  3. Identify the needs and requirements of our teams
  4. Be prepared to do more with less (should not be the ‘go to’ move)
  5. Be creative and use initiative
  6. Allocate resources to those areas with the greatest impact
  7. Prioritise resources (especially time and energy)
  8. Have a strategy and a plan

Sustainability of our initiatives is the life blood of enduring impact.  In change management, fatigue and obstruction are the result.  In projects, loss of capability occurs or a failure to meet scope.

Be clinical and decisive in your application of resources.

MAINTENANCE OF MORALE

The doctrine – Morale is an essential element of combat power. High morale engenders courage, energy, cohesion, endurance, steadfastness, determination and a bold, offensive spirit.

“ An army’s effectiveness depends on its size, training, experience, and morale, and morale is worth more than any of the other factors combined. ” – Napoleon Bonaparte

For those that know and understand the power of good morale, it is understood that this can be the power that turns the tide and make the unachievable…achievable.

Teams with high morale based on being highly trained, determined people with a shared value set, cohesion and trust will outperform even the best ‘qualified’ teams (on paper) with low morale. This is the secret force multiplier that changes the game.

Morale is built on:

  1. Trust
  2. Shared experience
  3. Open communication
  4. Success (short/long term) and performance
  5. Influential leadership (at all levels)
  6. A shared purpose and identity
  7. Commitment and conviction to succeed
  8. A genuine and authentic care for each other and the team
  9. Culture and a feeling of belonging
  10. A willingness to put the team above yourself

If you have worked in a team with high morale, you will understand the power and addictive nature of it. You feel indestructible and associate the impossible as the possible. However, it takes work and commitment to being a part of something bigger than yourself.

SUMMARY

The principles of war have been developed over the years as a set of factors and considerations for successful planning and implementation of strategy.

Depending on the environment, the adversary, experience, available time and any other amount of identifiable conditions will determine what weight is applied to each principle. We cannot achieve every principle perfectly every time. Sometimes we may have to sacrifice one to achieve another as a priority of circumstance. That means that careful consideration and analysis must be applied to each strategy and plan. The consideration itself will lead to a better plan than had it not been done at all.

Ultimately, having a set of principles that can help aid in planning and decision making helps you to create better outcomes.  The principles of war are one such set.

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We Do Not Retreat

One of the most distinctive memories from my early days within the Army was one of my respected Sergeants suddenly and abruptly correcting one of my trainee peers.

My mate had mentioned the unmentionable…

We were discussing what we should do if we encounter an enemy that was larger or more dangerous than we had originally predicted, and someone mentioned the word ‘retreat’. The response from my sergeant was immediate, ‘Australians DO NOT retreat!’. He went on to explain that we might withdraw in the interest of finding a terrain that was more conducive and favourable for us, but we do not retreat.

This is a statement that has stuck with me since that time. It speaks of the importance of always moving forward and regaining the initiative. Of remaining focused and deliberate in everything we do. It accepts that at times we might have to take a step back, but this should only be done to regain our footing in which to be able to take more steps moving forward. Over the years this phrase has spread its utility into most aspects of my life such as:

The Importance of Strategy

But here is the catch, it is predisposed on an assumption that we know what direction we should be heading. What point is there moving forward if it is entirely the wrong direction?

This is why having a strategy is so incredibly important. A strategy is a framework which sanity tests our decisions in short time, in order to allow us to stay focused on heading in the right cardinal direction. I have seen so many people get this wrong at their detriment.

We need to ask ourselves does our strategy (personal or professional):

  • Detail what we are seeking to achieve (Mission)?
  • Explain what it looks like when we achieve it (Vision)?
  • Include a sequence of how we might actually transit there (Goals, pillars, objectives, measures of success)?
  • Contain an acknowledgement of what we are willing to invest (or give up) in order to achieve it (resource allocations)?

It is an area that is too often paid lip service, but it is this defining feature that separates good teams from the absolute best.

A strategy allows a team to make quicker decisions, allocate precious resources towards those efforts with the highest impact and effect, as well ignore those shiny distractions which enticingly seduce people off of the centre line of their success.

Stopping the rot

‘Moving forward’ all the time is extremely difficult. It requires consistency, dedication and focus. Traits that can be increasingly hard to come by these days.

Our world is full of ever-increasing distractions and information that act as ‘white noise’ to our concentration. This white noise can incrementally increase for some people to the point where it becomes debilitating to their decision-making abilities. Some teams can become so confused by the pressures associated with these distractions that they reactively overcompensate by creating more and more high priorities. Leaders become withdrawn as the idea of moving forward appears less and less tenable.

For these teams, a ‘circuit breaker’ is required. Something that can stop the spiralling confusion and provide some level of clarity. This often requires a combination of the following:

  1. Strong leaders & managers with clear roles and responsibilities. Kotter once described the distinction between Leadership and Management, explaining that leaders coordinate ‘change’ and managers coordinate ‘complexity’. I particularly like this description as it is a simple reference for teams to make in order to refocus and distribute their team’s efforts. It is a common observation that the teams that are drowning have not clearly identified the distinction in roles and responsibilities between key roles. Everyone is trying to do everything, and no one is doing it well.
  2. Objectivity. Sometimes people are so saturated in their problems that they cannot see the overall context. They are literally living minute by minute and the idea of popping their head about the parapet in order to refocus their direction is unimaginable. This is where objectivity is so key. A third set of eyes, from someone who is not so absorbed in the problem, can be invaluable in asking the right questions and assisting in resetting the focus.
  3. Horsepower. Some teams are under-resourced and under-supported – plain and simple. These teams have often been heading in the right direction but just do not have the horsepower or workforce to get their project over the line. They have been doing ‘more with less’ for so long that they have reached culmination, and they just need reinforcement. Jonathan Clark once said to me, ‘sometimes you don’t need more people standing around the hole telling you how to dig better, you just need them to jump in and help dig’.
  4. Prioritisation. It is common to see teams that have a massive list of ‘what to do’ they have forgotten to detail what they ‘do not need to do’. The list of what is not required is often more important than what need to do. It stops people being lured down the enticing trip falls we eluded to earlier…

Some of the readers might resonate with some of these observations. If you have, I would love to hear your comments, case studies, and ideas.

The Eighth Mile Consulting team has founded a reputation for helping teams navigate through this confusion. There is an amazing feeling of elation as a team steps over the line of success when things months prior looked dire and unachievable.

For those slugging their way through problems at this very time, remember:

  • We don’t retreat, we withdraw to more favourable conditions
  • We ensure the actions we are doing are working to an overarching strategy or design.
  • We don’t give up, but we do adapt our approach

 

 

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Invest in your teams, it will save you

Have you ever completed an obstacle course… On your own?

Picture this, you have just scraped your knees crawling through a tunnel, mud all over you and heavy with water. Your feet are blistered, sweat is stinging your eyes. You hear your heartbeat in your ears and the sharp panting of breath. You are fatigued and in survival mode. You look up to see the dreaded wall. It is ten feet high.

Too high to jump up, no ropes and it is stopping you from reaching your goal. If only you had a team… Even one other person and you could complete the course.

In crisis, much like obstacle courses there are those who choose to go it alone and self-protect, preferring to minimise personal risk at the expense of the team. They are 50/50 on success and failure. Then there are those that double down on teams and increase their odds of succeeding by sharing a common vision and providing different perspectives to problem solving and communicating effectively.

Share the load

In an average or sub performing team, people are happy to watch other people do the lion’s share of the work, the late hours and own all the pressure and responsibility. They would rather see themselves succeed and the team fail so that they appear strong. In a High Performing Team (HPT), people focus on the overall success and reputation of the team. They put team success before self and proactively search for work. They understand that sharing the fatigue and the burn so that everyone can perform means that nobody gets left behind. While they share the work and their fatigue so that the team achieves more, they all actively seek to be involved in planning at all levels.

Shared planning and supportive decision making

There is a place for planning in isolation and it usually means there are substantial time pressures or trust issues within the team. A leader who doesn’t trust the team will not value their input into decisions. If they have been burned before, they will want to remove that possibility. In an HPT, everyone’s opinion is valued. It is understood that a wide range of perspectives on an issue may yield a better solution. The team also knows that when a decision is made, the time for shared planning is over, and its implementation time!! 

They align and get it done. They support the decision because they understand the importance of achieving the goal and they were involved in the planning. They leverage and reinforce their relationships and maintain open, supportive communication.

Build relationships and a team language

Ever wondered how HPTs can work with minimal communication, or when they do you can’t really understand them. It is like watching a group of soldiers use hand signals and you are standing there, having no idea. They have refined the way they speak to include their history, shared experiences, values and connection to remove superfluous chat. They still have fun and they still care for each other. However, when work needs to get done, they can streamline their language. They know they work from a position of care and support. The HPT will work to strengthen relationships and networks in the good times so that they can lean on each other in crisis. They are calm and deliberate in their actions and communication because they understand that the team’s reputation is more important than their own. These relationships and shared language help understand and communicate the context while implementing the vision.

Clear context and vision

A team that works to understand and communicate the context in which they operate will be able to make decisions in the absence of leadership, direction and under extreme pressure. They share a common vision for success and work within the boundaries of the defined context. Pushing authorities and decision making as far down as you can, will allow a team to create momentum and take advantage of opportunities. This also mitigates risks associated with slow decision making. The key part of owning the context and implementing the vision is a shared trust in every member of the team.

Trust

HPTs trust each other to a point where they receive feedback without feeling hurt. They understand that the feedback is coming from a place of love and respect to build the overall team and is not a personal attack. They trust that when someone says they will do something, they do it. The behaviour and trust are forged through shared experience and values. They also understand that they will be represented well even when they aren’t in the room.

The steps

The theory of teams is built on a model originally published by Dr Bruce Tuckman. It encapsulates Forming, Storming. Norming. Performing. Adjourning. These steps are normal, linear (step through to build a team) and cyclical in nature (it can relapse back steps at any time) and cannot be skipped. Friction in the storming phase is normal, temporary and MUST happen. A HPT will minimise their time in both storming and norming to accelerate reaching performing. They will also have limited relapses to storming by:

1. Sharing the workload

2. Conducting shared planning and supportive decision making

3. Building relationships and a team language

4. Having a clear context and shared vision

5. Building trust

6. Acknowledging the steps.

The point 

By understanding what a successful team looks like, how it operates and some of their characteristics, we can work to constantly improve our own teams. There is no secret that, teams are always evolving and constantly changing. Understanding the context allows you to have clarity and accommodate for the disruptions. The steps above are not exhaustive and based on my experiences and opinions. I will say this though, once you have been part of a HPT, you will understand the addictive nature of it. You want it back all the time and will fight to have it again. 

So, if I return to the scenario above. Imagine you are back in that obstacle course and you are looking up at the wall. You are fatigued, tired, wet and sore. Suddenly someone says, “you got this!” A hand reaches down from the top to grab yours and at the same time you are lifted to grasp it. Doesn’t it make a difference?

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