It’s important to recognize some of the symptoms of a poorly performing computer. They include but are not limited to:

1. Ambiguity, miscommunication and confusion. That leads to…
2. Reworking or sloppy work, missed targets. That leads to…
3. Loss of trust and customer satisfaction. That leads to…
4. Lost sales, and that leads to…
5. Lower income and a bottom line that suffers.

If underperforming teams have a direct impact on the bottom line, why is the problem not being addressed in some organizations? In my years of working with organizations, I have seen THREE main reasons.

First of all, the coach does not know how to deal with the team on an individual level. There are two reasons people change: they move toward pleasure or they move away from pain. If the bread isn’t bad enough, things stay the way they are. The same with moving towards pleasure. So if a person in the team is not motivated in any direction, he just won’t change.

Second, addressing team functionality is not on the high priority list. It looks like ‘fluff’ or ‘extra’. I’ve seen organizations in firefighting mode and they never get to a place where they can oil the machine because they’re too busy dealing with breakdowns. But breakdowns will always happen until they take a break for regular maintenance.

Third, it happens slowly and is not noticed until it becomes a problem. Let’s say someone starts showing up to every meeting just 3 minutes late. That is accepted by the group. In fact, others know that the meeting will not start on time and so they are 5 minutes late. That becomes the norm. Then someone starts showing up 7 or 8 minutes late. From the previous 5 minutes, it’s a slight slip, barely noticeable. Now 8 minutes late becomes the new norm. The norm keeps changing until one day someone notices that meetings always start 15 minutes late. What started out as a very short 3 minute shift slowly morphed into the new norm of 15 minute delay.

Over time, the trajectory slowly but surely changes in a new direction. Like a rocket with its power boosters pointed in the wrong direction, the rig drifts slowly if a course correction is not made.

To build an effective team, it all starts with trust.

1. CONFIDENCE. If team members don’t trust each other, they can’t engage in respectful discussion. This is necessary for…
2. HEALTHY DISCUSSIONS and cultivate new ideas. When teams engage in productive and respectful discussion, they can move to the next level of effective teams, which is…
3. COMMITMENT. When each person is committed to the success of the team, not their own individual success. Once each team member knows that everyone is committed to the team, each person has…
4. RESPONSIBILITY. Team members support themselves Y your teammates, accountable for their actions. This leads to the desired…
5. RESULTS. The desired results are simply a symptom of trust, healthy discussion, commitment, and responsibility.

A baseball team is a good example of a highly functional team. The pitcher doesn’t need to look over his shoulder to make sure the second basemen are where he’s supposed to be, or that the outfielders are paying attention. Each player knows that individuals are committed to their jobs and can focus on their own work for the success of the team.