Driving with Andy:Session 5

I heard Andy give this talk about 4 or 5 years ago and it was as good and I am as excited about it as I was then.  If included all of my notes it would make for an incredibly long blog…here are the highlights, if you want more let me know.

BUILDING HIGH PERFORMANCE TEAMS
–A high performance team is a group of competent individuals passionately engaged in the execution of a plan designed to solve a specific problem.

• Team Advantage: Synergy as opposed to misaligned Energy.  Teams with synergy go further, faster with less energy.  Principle of Synergy: more input together than as individuals.
• Every staff has meetings but every staff does not have a team.
• Leaders don’t mind being under authority but they mind being under authority when those above them will not listen to their ideas, input, heart, etc.  They are not asking to be in change, they just want input and an opportunity to influence.
• If you are wired in a way that doesn’t like meetings and dialogue, then you probably aren’t a good team leader.
• Team Essential: A Clearly Defined Problem.  (also: Clarifying the Win).  Clarifying question for a team=what won’t happen if we don’t do what God has called us to do?  What is the problem your team must solve?
• Team Essential: An agreed-upon Solution.  An agreement necessitates "unfiltered debate".  A team doesn’t need just agreement with the solution, but the team needs to commit to the solution…emotionally owning the solution.
• "Only when all members have put their opinions and perspectives on the table can the team confidently commit to a decision knowing that it is has tapped into the collective wisdom of the entire group."  -The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, p. 208
• Every team member must buy-in before he will  wholeheartedly pitch-in.
• Team Essential: Clearly Defined Roles.  Every team member needs to know exactly what is expected.
• Andy developed a one sentence job description for each of his direct reports. 
• Greatest Gift to you Staff = Clarity on their Role
• A lack of clarity results in poor execution.  Before you blame the leader, make sure you have them clarity.
• Some of examples of Andy’s one sentence job descriptions: "Create an unforgettable worship experience for those who attend our services."; "Create and give leadership to an expanding network of small groups."
• Team Essential: A clear understanding of the Interdependency among team members.  On a real team, when one member drops the ball, the whole team suffers.
• Highly opinionated people are hard to lead but you have to have them.

More from this session to come…