500 Things I Should Know About Building and Maintaining High-Performing Teams
I asked Copilot to give me a list of 100 questions I should be able to answer as a subject matter expert in building and maintaining high-performing teams. It came back with more than 500 questions grouped into 20 categories.
Ok, then, challenge accepted!
Over the last twenty years, I’ve worked in software development teams across multiple organizations. Sometimes, things went well, and sometimes, we struggled to find the right flow and rhythm. Of course, with experience, we are getting better at finding the right balance and building the necessary trust in the team, but it still feels like we lack consistency. I have always wondered how to replicate the good results.
Starting in 2024, I spent more time studying the science behind high-performing teams, learning about what others say about high-performing teams, and combining it with my own personal experience. I had no clear plan. I started listening to thought leaders I admired and making notes of books, podcasts, articles, and principles that connected the leadership and high-performing teams. I read books on team topologies, on team of teams, on dysfunctional teams, on leaders who eat last, and on people turning ships around,
Alan Weiss says, “Expertise can be defined as a thorough and encompassing knowledge of a particular subject matter, including its origins, application, strengths and weaknesses, future probabilities, and so forth. It’s not about perfection, absolute wisdom, or even a personal repository of global information. It’s about helping others to improve in a given area. That improvement may be in the form of more knowledge, changed behavior, new standards, reduced stress, a more balanced lifestyle, more enduring relationships”.
After reviewing my research notes and considering what a subject matter expert in building and maintaining high-performing teams might need to know, I decided to ask my friendly neighbourhood AI (Copilot) to provide me a list of the top 100 questions such an expert should be able to answer. Due to some glitch in the human-machine interface, it returned over 500 questions grouped into 20 categories.
Team Dynamics and Structure: Understand the basics of team composition and dynamics.
Leadership and Management: Learn about effective leadership styles and management practices.
Communication: Master the art of clear and effective communication within teams.
Culture and Engagement: Focus on creating a positive team culture and keeping team members engaged.
Goal Setting and Achievement: Learn how to set and achieve team goals.
Performance and Productivity: Explore ways to enhance team performance and productivity.
Collaboration and Coordination: Understand how to promote collaboration and coordinate efforts within the team.
Feedback and Improvement: Learn how to provide and receive feedback to drive continuous improvement.
Team Building: Learn how to build a cohesive and collaborative team through effective team-building activities and strategies.
Training and Development: Focus on identifying training needs and supporting continuous learning.
Conflict Resolution: Master techniques for resolving conflicts within the team.
Problem-Solving and Decision-Making: Develop effective problem-solving and decision-making skills.
Adaptability and Resilience: Learn how to build a resilient and adaptable team.
Innovation and Creativity: Encourage innovation and creativity within the team.
Performance Management: Understand how to manage and review team performance.
Strategic Planning: Align team goals with organizational objectives and plan strategically.
Emotional Intelligence: Develop emotional intelligence within the team.
Diversity and Inclusion: Promote diversity and create an inclusive team environment.
Innovation and Technology: Integrate new technologies and manage digital transformation.
Future Trends: Stay updated with the latest trends and prepare for future challenges.
It was definitely more than I asked for, but then I remembered the 2000 things you should know about the C# website and how useful it was for me as a developer to learn about C#. And then I thought, what if I do the same thing, go over all these questions, and try to answer them as best I can? Hopefully, over time, I might also be able to get some help from those who find the content useful.
And that’s what I’m planning to do. I’m sure the excitement will die out at some point, but if it doesn’t and I can swap it for some good old-fashioned discipline, this will be my mountain to climb. Whichever way it goes, I’m looking forward to what lies beyond.