When Google spends two whole years studying the secrets of team effectiveness, there’s probably something we can all learn from the findings.
Especially when their own people analytics manager Julia Rozovsky describes Google’s original hypothesis as “dead wrong”!
Turns out, throwing the best and brightest together and expecting them to magically transform into a high-performing team doesn’t usually work out.
Instead, Google’s analysis of more than one hundred and eighty teams and two hundred and fifty team attributes revealed some key variables all high-performing teams share.
If you’re a business builder looking to create your dream team, you’ll want to foster these five critical factors:
This one’s not really a surprise… Google found that teams who can depend on each other to get things done to a deadline are the ones that succeed.
While it seems pretty obvious, it’s good to know if factors impacting team dependability (think time management, communication, accuracy and organization) are a blind spot for you or anyone your team, so you can nip it in the bud before it takes your team down.
Similarly, Google also uncovered that high-performing teams have clear goals and well-defined roles within the group.
This is where people analytics really comes into play. When a business has clarity on how their employees’ talents fit into the overall puzzle, they’re able to structure roles and responsibilities accordingly.
People analytics is already being used to supercharge businesses, and it powers the F4S toolkit – our world-first platform that allows people to uncover their strengths and weaknesses in entrepreneurship, as well as build strong, cohesive and higher performing teams.
Teams do best when the work has a personal significance to each member, Google found. Understanding individual motivations is key here because ‘personal significance’ is just that: personal.
Finding out what motivates members of your team (and yourself) in a business context, and even fine-tuning those motivations puts your business in the best position to thrive.
Knowing where your team’s motivations lie also helps you adapt roles to align with each person’s natural motivations and passions – where they will do their best work.
High-performing teams tend to believe that their work is authentic, purposeful, has a positive impact and is important the success of their organization.
A word of warning here! You just can’t assume that everyone wants to impact the world in the same way. Most likely, your team is made up of folks with different and diverse impact needs.
Some people may find most meaning when they feel their work is impacting on individual people, while others might find more meaning in impacting society as a whole.
The challenge is to ensure everyone on your team has a sense of personal purpose; to engage and motivate them at a core level. (Luckily, we can help with that…)
Last, but certainly not least, Google discovered that high-performing teams feel safe and supported in sharing ideas, taking risks and voicing their opinions in a business context.
It’s no surprise then that our research into successful CEOs found huge benefits in taking time to listen and bond with your team.
“Telling others what to do may get the job done, but it does not necessarily activate the creativity or hearts and minds of your team,” says founder and CEO of F4S, Michelle Duval.
“Ask questions, invite input and be open to your team challenging your ideas. This facilitates critical thinking and ultimately an empowered team that can think on their own.”
As a founder, no-one is more responsible for the success of a business than you. You owe it to yourself to invest in your team, to give your venture the best shot of realizing its fullest potential.
Our programs were designed by world-renowned coaches. Sessions only take 5-15 minutes. Get started for free with your personalized program now.
Our expert coaches have designed hyper-effective programs that will help
build a high-performing team.
Coach Marlee (your amazing AI-powered personal coach) will analyse your unique traits and goals to let you know which program to start with (and if there are any you should skip)!
Your recommended programs include:
Our expert coaches have designed hyper-effective programs that will help you improve your mental health, wellbeing, productivity, leadership and more.
Coach Marlee (your amazing AI-powered personal coach) will analyse your unique traits and goals to let you know which program to start with (and if there are any you should skip)!
Your recommended programs include:
Take your teaming to the next level in this high impact 9-week team coaching program with Coach Marlee. Discover and optimize complementary strengths and unique talents with your team, reach decisions together quickly, enjoy team cohesion, high energy and motivation as a bonded team.
Impress yourself and others with your attention to detail! Develop a genuine appreciation, energy and stamina for detailed thinking to execute your vision, measure performance in yourself and others while also accelerating your ability to learn and change.
In this high impact eight week program Coach Marlee will help you increase your comfort and confidence to be in positions of influence and leadership, navigate organizational politics and also help you develop greater confidence to compete and influence at the top of your industry or field.
Multiply your impact by embracing the experience and genius within others. During this eight week program Coach Marlee will help you to develop a genuine appreciation for experimentation and data and a willingness to empower the opinions, feedback and insights within your team and others in your life.
Explore, strengthen and stand by what you believe in at work and in life. Trust in your ‘gut feel’ and point of view is especially helpful for influencing, starting your own business, having your personal needs met and for living an authentic and meaningful life.
Inspire yourself and others to see the bigger picture! Increase your comfort and use of abstract and strategic thinking to gain a broader perspective in work and life. Big picture thinking is key in communication, leadership, businesses, selling, marketing, and situations where you need to get the gist of things quickly.
Develop ‘step back’ mastery for increased self-awareness and developing mindsets and tools for constant improvement. Reflection and patience is core to consolidating learning, development, strategic thinking, recharging and living an authentic and meaningful life.
Close the gap between your great ideas and starting them. Energy and drive for starting is key for inventing new things, starting businesses, selling, marketing, socializing or in situations where you need to think on your feet.
Explore, develop or strengthen your emotional intelligence (EQ). Awareness of your and others’ emotions is at the heart of influencing, ‘reading people’, impactful communication, deep relating and authentic connection at work and in life.
Inspire yourself and others to see and achieve grand visions and goals. A focus on goals is especially helpful for inspirational leaders, starting your own business, impactful communication, or for achieving awesome outcomes at work and in life.
“I learned to manage my stress about details”
“Always thought-provoking and well worth my time”
“I found the importance of setting goals. It’s a mindset”
“Awesome and effective coaching program of helping to increase motivation for goal challenged people. Fallen in love with goals and looking forward to more BHAGs. Highly recommend the coaching for GoalCatcher!”
“Marlee helped me discover skills in myself and about others on how to work together as a team!”
“I learned to manage my stress about details”
“This program helped me kickstart my journey to wellbeing. Never could I have imagined an AI coach being this good - as if you're talking to a real human and how Marlee made me accountable to my goals. Super awesome experience that you definitely got to try!”
“This was a good reflection and trigger to make the decision that I was pondering!”
Our tools are trusted by teams like Canva to help improve:
Subscribe to our newsletter for free access to the latest research and expert tips on Mental Health, Wellbeing, Leadership, Career Skills, Team Building & more!
Get started for free with personal (or team) coaching.
Programs are designed by world-renowned coaches & delivered by our incredible (AI-powered) Coach Marlee.
Sessions take just a few minutes and are 100% personalized to fit your unique traits and goals.
Name Surname
Position, Company name
Name Surname
Position, Company name
Name Surname
Position, Company name
Name Surname
Position, Company name
Name Surname
Position, Company name
Name Surname
Position, Company name