How to pull the best performance from your team
Lately, I've been focusing a lot on helping leaders and teams unleash the full potential of their team members. Through my coaching practice, facilitating sessions, and delivering keynote speeches, this message has connected with audiences across the globe.
Here's the scenario: Your team takes action, whether it's making a cold call, giving a sales presentation, or submitting a report. They're eagerly awaiting your response. Their radar for potential threats is on high alert, in other words their “threat sensor” is observing how you react to their actions.
Often, without realizing, many individuals tend to pass judgment on these actions. They may provide harsh feedback, criticize strongly, act condescendingly, or even dismiss or minimize the efforts made. This judgment creates a sense of unsafety, triggering a stress response in the individual - feelings of fear, defensiveness, the urge to withdraw, or hold back. Under such pressure, their performance is far from optimal. Does this make sense?
Our approach needs to shift. When a team member takes action and their threat sensor is peaked, rather than jumping to judgment, we should validate them. Whether the outcome is positive or not, validating their efforts, ensuring they feel acknowledged and understood, is key.
By creating a safe and supportive environment through validation, individuals can relax, perform at their best, and excel. That's our aim here.
If you aspire to bring out the best in your team, make it a habit to validate their actions, fostering a sense of security that nurtures their performance.
Are you still with me? So, the key takeaway is this - whether you're a leader, coach, manager, or team member, prioritize validation over judgment. By doing so, you pave the way for success.
From Find a Way to Win, a blog by Calvin Strachan
Calvin is a high energy keynote speaker, trainer and coach
He has work with numerous global organizations and several Fortune 500 companies such as Abbott, Bristol Meyers, Coca Cola, Hershey, Pfizer, Salesforce, Sony, TD and Verizon
Contact hutch@calvinstrachan.com or call 1.888.491.5366 to explore how your team can work with Cal