What does it take to be a high-performing top team in an organisation? What themes emerge from the very best executive teams and what can we learn from them?

Do you spend more time filling in time with introductions rather than getting on with the work? A common mistake in virtual and face to face meetings

How valuable is your expertise in a meeting? What happens when you dial it back?

‘I wonder who will do it?’ she wondered

‘I wish they would get their act together’ he fumed

‘We will just have to wait until they sort this’ he lamented

‘No one tells me anything’ he complained

‘That’s not my job’ she asserted

Four questions for your next team meeting:

What are we doing well that we are proud of and that deserve a moment in the spotlight?

What are we doing that we need to eliminate that prevents us from getting on with valuable work?

Are you the centre of all things? When decisions have to be made, do you make them? When things need to be authorised, do you carry the stamp of approval? When someone needs some time off, are you the gatekeeper to permission? When a meeting runs, are you in the leading chair and in command of the agenda?

Four words that are compelling, respectful and often transformational.

Leaders often talk about managing resistance to change but they forget about why people resist change in the first place. People often resist the ideas that appear out of nowhere and land on them as a solution they need to implement. All too often their own thoughts are ignored or sidelined.

Have you ever met an athlete or someone who goes to the gym who seems to be in some physical pain. They confess they pushed themselves too hard and are now suffering with an injury or strain that will take some recovery time. The idea of the exercise is not worthy of criticism but perhaps loading the equipment with weights way above their physical limitations was perhaps a mistake. It is this concept of overdoing something that is good for you that is worthy of exploration.

When working as an executive coach we often encourage our clients to think about their key stakeholders and what they are doing to add value. For example, if preparing a presentation, we will ask why it matters, who else is interested and who is being judged by the reception to the presentation? This process of reflection is important as it reminds our clients that they don’t work alone and that the work they do is part of a wider system and someone will benefit and someone else inevitably has a vested interest in it going well.