A winning team ?

If I were to parody James Bond (in the film “Dr. No”), I'd say that for a team, achieving its objectives once is good; twice in a row is luck; three times in a row is provocation.

So how do you maintain the momentum of victory?

A winning morale is good and energizing, but it can also put an over-confident team to sleep.

Here are 4 ideas to maintain a winning team:

1. Put your teams in danger: don't play it safe, get them to do things at the limit of their skills. Galvanized by success, they're more likely to look to their own resources for what will enable them to surpass themselves. Think of the flow theory: putting people at relative risk means asking them to go that little bit further in terms of know-how (going too far breeds anxiety).

2. Question yourselves together: this is the time to unpack everything and to be self-critical (remember: the word criticism is neutral = a criticism can be positive or negative). Do you have a method for doing this unpacking in complete neutrality (I have one myself, and it works)?

3. Maintain a good working atmosphere: we work three times better when we're in good spirits, and four times worse when we're down. Think about having breakfasts or potlucks.

4. Separate the good from the bad: now is the time to get rid of those who are a drag on the team. It's not necessarily because they're no good, but simply because they'd be more effective in another team.

   
   

When do you start?