Producing a High-Performing Championship Team

March is tournament time and what comes along with it is the time-honored tradition of predicting who will prevail. Over two weeks, we will see the best college basketball has to offer; ultimately crowning a high-performing championship team as victors. While filling out your bracket, remember teams that survive and thrive (or survive and advance as they say in the tournament) from week to week are not always the ones with the best shooting percentages or the greatest talent. What can we learn about our culture and teams from a basketball tournament?

• Strategic Alignment – Is everyone on the team aligned to the vision, mission and goals of your organization?
• Focus & Consistency – Are expectations consistently communicated and does leadership show discipline in leading expectations and sustaining high performance?
• Inclusion & Engagement – Does the team feel engaged in the purpose of their work and overall goals of the organization?  Do individual players know how their role impacts the entire team?
• Organizational Agility – How quickly does your team handle and adapt to change in response to the external industry and market environment?

• Are you retaining your top talent?
• Are you consistently obtaining your goals?
• Is there leadership continuity?