Team health is one of those concepts we toss around in leadership conversations as if we all agree on its meaning. But do we?
When Excellence Isn't Enough
I recently had the privilege of working with what many would consider an exemplary team – industry veterans with impressive networks and consistent results. Their contact lists went three to four layers deep into key customer organizations. By the third quarter, they had already hit their annual targets. On paper, they were the definition of success.
But here's what makes this interesting: sometimes our greatest strengths can mask underlying challenges that, if left unaddressed, can undermine long-term success. It's similar to what a physician friend recently shared about a committee of marathon-running doctors he chaired. Among these 20 accomplished professionals – all under 55 and at the peak of their careers – eight had heart stents. High performance, it turns out, doesn't always equal health.
Understanding True Team Health
Think of team health as the foundation that either strengthens or weakens performance over time. When teams are truly healthy, they achieve something remarkable – a synergy that enables them to accomplish what no individual member could do alone. This creates a sense of possibility and potential that elevates everyone's game.
However, when we overemphasize certain aspects of performance while neglecting the human elements of our teams, we risk creating what I call "performance theater" – impressive short-term results that mask deteriorating team dynamics.
Transforming Team Dynamics
When I began working with this high-performing team, our focus wasn't on their already impressive metrics. Instead, we explored how they could evolve as leaders within their organization. This meant examining their assumptions about performance and leadership, then developing new approaches to their work.
This type of transformation requires what organizational learning experts call double-loop learning – questioning not just how we do things, but why we do them and what we might be missing.
Two Pathways to Team Development
I've found two approaches particularly effective in helping teams evolve beyond pure performance metrics:
1. Exploration Through New Perspectives
One powerful exercise we used focused on fundamental listening skills. Team members paired up for structured listening sessions, with each round presenting increasingly challenging scenarios. The only rule? They had to focus completely on understanding their partner's perspective.
This simple yet profound exercise helped the team recognize something crucial: while having strong opinions is valuable, understanding others' perspectives opens doors to the organizational synergy their senior management sought.
2. Advancement Through Process Innovation
This involves improving existing systems while fostering creativity and adaptation. For instance, we discovered that when faced with challenges (like being left off meeting invites), the team often defaulted to passive responses: "If they don't value our input, that's their problem."
Together, we worked on understanding individual conflict styles and developing more constructive responses. This wasn't just about being more assertive – it was about finding authentic ways to engage that aligned with both individual and team strengths.
The Leader's Role in Team Health
As a leader, your responsibility extends beyond tracking metrics and ensuring deliverables. You're the steward of your team's overall health. This means:
Creating space for authentic dialogue
Supporting sustainable high performance practices
Recognizing that team health drives long-term success
Understanding that different situations require different approaches
Looking Forward
The question isn't whether your team is delivering results – it's whether they're building the capabilities and relationships that will sustain and enhance that performance over time. Are you creating an environment where team members can:
Share perspectives openly and constructively?
Address challenges directly and productively?
Support each other's growth and development?
Maintain high performance without burning out?
Remember: Truly healthy teams don't just perform well – they create an environment where sustained excellence becomes possible, even inevitable. They develop the capacity to face challenges, adapt to change, and grow stronger together.
What steps will you take today to move your team beyond performance toward true health?