On today’s episode of No Bullshit with Alex Willis, you’ll learn the secrets to uniting others under your leadership. Alex dissects not only how to give directions and manage others clearly, but how to unlock your team's potential and super-charge their performance.
We all want to be part of an amazing team. And every leader wants to lead a high-performing team. But how do you do it? How do you get a group of people to bond, work together, and get stuff done?
On today’s episode of No Bullshit with Alex Willis, you’ll learn the secrets to uniting others under your leadership. Alex dissects not only how to give directions and manage others clearly, but how to unlock your team's potential and super-charge their performance.
Additionally, at the end of the episode, Alex will tell you how you can enter to win free No BS merchandise. So be on the lookout!
In our second segment, The Level, we take a look at the 10 Elements to Win when leading a team. If you’re slacking on most of these, it’s time to study up and get clear on your expectations!
Tune into our next segment, The Foundation, where you’ll ask yourself: What is your personality type when you’re working? Is it blue, green, gold, or orange? Alex dives back into the 4 Lens Personality Assessment, and expresses how to unlock the high-performing individual within each type.
Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts as well as the YouTube channel to watch full video episodes and be notified as soon as the next episode is live.
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[00:00:00] Alex: Hey guys. Welcome back to episode seven, where we're discussing high performing teams and how do you do it, right? So welcome to the level. This segment we're really gonna dive into what are the key components of a high performing team, right? Oftentimes, when you throw that word team out there, people have all kind of ideas about it.
[00:00:28] Alex: In the last segment, the takeoff, we really defined what a team is. So if you don't know that, I would challenge you to go back and check that segment out so you can really get clarity on what a team really is. How do you bring people together and, and, and think about that, right? Because as I said in that segment, truth be told, only 20% of the population has ever played an organized sport before.
[00:00:48] Alex: So people don't know what the team looks for. So you have to do a great job of really explaining that. And we've done that in the last segment. Now. So what are those key components? Of a team that helps a team be very, very successful. You know, these are like the 10 elements that all high performing teams have.
[00:01:07] Alex: So if you're a leader, and if you're li listening to our segment today, I got my checklist right here in front of me. We're gonna go down this list, and I want you to think about this because you need to know, are you doing this well? Because if you're performing all 10 really, really well, you're doing a hell of a job and you should have a high performing team.
[00:01:25] Alex: Now, if you are slacking in the majority of these, I guarantee you that your team is not as productive as it could be right now. So, so number one, what's number one? Well, the first key component of a high performing team is, uh, define roles. Define roles. What do I mean by that? Well, people know exactly what's required of them.
[00:01:48] Alex: They know what their job is and what they need to get done. You've clearly defined. What it looks like for this person in this role when there's a lack of clarity in my role. Understand. I struggle with that. If we go back to football, my football analogy, if the offensive lineman does not clearly know their role to say, Hey, listen, you, your role is to stay here and block.
[00:02:12] Alex: Who knows what they may do, right? Hey, they may run out for a pass. Hey, go try to tackle the running back all over the place. And oftentimes because we haven't done a great job of slowing down. To clarify roles. We have a shit show going on, on job site at time. Now understand this is something that I challenge my superintendents and I challenge our general foremans to do every day.
[00:02:34] Alex: Every day because understand the game plan is always changing in construction, always changing, right? The schedule always changing, so it's important to clarify roles every day to say, Hey, listen, yesterday, your role may have been this today. I am requiring and asking you to do this role for the team.
[00:02:54] Alex: That means X, Y, and z right now. It it's important to, number one, define the role, right? Number two, after you've defined the role, you wanna do a great job of getting clear agreements. What do I mean by that? That means that not only have you told them the role that they have, but they understand a clear agreement as to what their role is.
[00:03:18] Alex: They've taken the responsibility to say, yes, I understand my job toward the team to make sure we get it done. When you can begin to, number one, define the role. Number two, have clear agreements and clear understanding me as the coach, I understand what I'm asking you. You as the player, you understand your job, your commitment.
[00:03:41] Alex: Do you have everything you need? Ready, set, go. Right? So that right there alone. We'll get teams pointing in the right direction with the North Star, simply because I've done a hell of a job really defining the role, number one. Number two, getting clear agreements that everyone understand what's required, right?
[00:04:02] Alex: So that's the first two. That's the first two. So, so the next one is really beginning to establish accountability. Ooh. And that's a tougher, so lemme ask, how the hell do you get accountability? And most times in construction, we do a horrible job of holding people accountable, right? Not just in construction, in society, period.
[00:04:21] Alex: We do a horrible job of holding people accountable because usually accountability isn't afterthought. It's after the ball has been dropped, it's after the person has failed at the task that we say, Hey, who the hell was accountable for this? When truth be told, accountability should come on the front end before I even give you the task.
[00:04:41] Alex: I have to do a hell of a job of showing you and holding you accountable at that point in time. So what does true accountability look like? Well, here's what it looks like, my friends, after I've defined the role, right after I've gotten a clear agreement that you understand it, the first thing I'm gonna do is I'm gonna make sure you understand what you're responsible for.
[00:05:00] Alex: Do you understand what you're responsible for? Right. What you understand, what you're responsible for. I'm gonna make sure you are empowered to do the job. Do you have everything you need to do what I'm requiring you to do? Right? At that point in time, you're gonna talk it out. Make sure the person understands that right Now, after doing that, my friends, it's at this point in time, you're gonna talk to the person and let 'em know, Hey, if you don't get it done, here's what's going to happen.
[00:05:32] Alex: I call this signing the prenup before marriage, right? You know, when you as a leader can say, Hey, listen, this is such a vital role to the team that I need you to get it done. If you don't get it done, X, Y, and Z won't happen. And if that happens, I'm going to have to come back to you and here's what I'm gonna have to do.
[00:05:49] Alex: Understand if you could do this early on, it makes your job much easier if you ever have to come back and reprimand someone as a leader, right? Because you've set the tone in the tempo before the ball has been dropped. Most people struggle having to come back to talk to people and challenge them because they didn't do a good job setting them up for success.
[00:06:07] Alex: Now, after I've done that, I can now hold the personal account, say, Hey, listen, ready, set, go. You're accountable for making it happen. But I've done a great job of defining the role, having a clear agreement, right? They know what they're responsible for. I made sure they're in pound. They have all the tools that they need.
[00:06:27] Alex: They got a chance to ask all the questions. I told 'em what will happen if we don't get it done. Now I can say, you're accountable. Ready, set, go. Right? So that big three. The third thing is holding people accountable. Now, understand. The best teams value accountability. Let's stay on this third one right now.
[00:06:44] Alex: The, the best teams value accountability. Now what, what is accountability though, right? So understand this, a study was done evaluating teams and how successful they are based on accountability. Now, the poorest or the weakest teams out there have no accountability at all. Zero accountability. If your organization, if your team has no accountability, I can guarantee you, you are a very underperforming team cuz there's no accountability.
[00:07:11] Alex: Now the second weakest team are those teams who only look to leadership for accountability. This is kind of that concept that I like to say when the cat's away, the mice will play. Right now if no one else is holding people accountable except the leaders. We have a semi week team there. Now, the best teams that are out there, my friends, are those who have what we like to call universal accountability.
[00:07:39] Alex: Ah, what do we mean by that? Well, universal accountability means that everyone understands their role. Everyone understands the north star of where we're going. Everyone understands the values that the team lives by, and anyone on the team can call anybody out if they fall out of line. Ouch. From the lowest person on the totem pole to the highest.
[00:08:02] Alex: If they see someone not going in line with where the team said we wanna go, they can call bullshit on it and they can call people out. The teams who perform the best, who are high performing teams have created this type of environment so that everyone feels like they can participate. Right? So that's our next one.
[00:08:20] Alex: We have a participatory leadership. What do I mean by that? Well, number four, participatory leadership means that my friends, There's not just one chief here. No, no, no. Everyone views themselves as leaders. In my own domain and where I am, I am a leader in this particular part of the organization. I have been tasked with this role and given this responsibility, I am a leader here and I see myself that way, and I'm going to participate as such and as a result, I'm gonna make sure we are very, very successful, right?
[00:08:52] Alex: So that participatory leadership has universal accountability. Everyone doing a great job, right? So, so understanding this, defining roles, right? Making sure we have clear agreement. Making sure we hold people accountable. Next, making sure we have participatory leadership is going to be huge for us there.
[00:09:10] Alex: Now the next one, which is very, very important is managing conflict. And this is where you have to really refine your skillset, my friends, right? For managing conflict, it can be very, very challenging and that's when managing conflict, because most of us support conflict. My team and I joke quite frequently because I've come to a place where I freaking love conflict.
[00:09:35] Alex: I don't create it, but I love it. I love, I love that butterfly on my stomach when I have to have a challenging conversation with someone because it's like, Ooh, man, I get to level up today. I get to grow a little bit in my leadership and sharpen my tool a little bit, having a challenging conversation. Now, as a leader, you want to be able to have those quick and often right when something goes wrong.
[00:09:57] Alex: You don't want it to linger. High performing teams address things immediately. Think sports really quickly. For me, right now, if a player misses a shot, misses a block, drops a ball, throws the interception, they're getting immediate feedback as soon as they come off the damn field, we're not waiting the next week or next month to talk to the player about what happened.
[00:10:21] Alex: And this is why sports can correct things so fast and so quickly. To make adjustments, to continue to make audible calls and still perform at high levels because there's no lag in the challenge that has happened, right? Why? Because they manage conflict very well and quickly understand this, my friends.
[00:10:40] Alex: As a leader, the longer you allow things to draw out the problem, the slowness in work, the conflict that's going on, the longer you allow it to linger. The poor, your performance as a team will be, right? Those teams who quickly resolve it, perform at high levels and do a great job of doing that, right? So that's gonna be important for you to understand that right there, my friends.
[00:11:06] Alex: What's the next one? Number six on that list is high performing teams value diversity. Ah, yes, yes. High performing teams understand that difference is not scary or dangerous. Not at all. They actually want difference. They want people who have different skill sets than they do. They want people who can think differently, people who work at different pace, right?
[00:11:30] Alex: People who can do different tasks that they can't do as well as they don't allow their ego to get in the way because they understand that, Hey, listen, this person is way better at this than I am. Understand this, our, uh, director of operations is phenomenal. She is way better at shit than I am and understand if I get in the way, I slow her down and I slow the progress of the team down.
[00:11:56] Alex: She is that gold personality type. And if you remember from our first episode we talked about the four lenses and the color types. She's structure, she's organized, she keeps us together. She knows how to run a company from a operation standpoint. Which is also because it allows me to be wild and crazy and do all the crazy cool, Ooh, we can do this, we can do this.
[00:12:16] Alex: And she's always said, well, whoa, wait, wait. Slow down, dude. How the hell are we gonna do that? Let me think about this. And so, because of the diversity that she brings to our team, she brings structure order control to our team to bring big ideas forth. Now, if I allow my ego to get in the way and slowed her down, or shut her down, We would not be a high performing team where we are, as well as it allows her to take ownership, and she really begins to love that area that she's playing in and has that participatory leadership in that area.
[00:12:50] Alex: So as a construction leader, my friends, it's your job to value diversity. It's your job to look within others and see what's there, pull that out, encourage them, give them the task so that they can be ultimately successful there. Right. Now this brings us to the next one, which is it's your job to maintain a positive atmosphere.
[00:13:11] Alex: Understand, my team will tell you, man, am I tough? Am I a driver? Yes, I am being a former athlete, it's just in me, but it's also in me to understand the value of a positive atmosphere. So no matter how bad things get, if the shit hits the fan, maybe I have to take a, a deep breath or two, right? But I always come back to him and say, because I want a great atmosphere, because we understand this.
[00:13:34] Alex: People work best when there's less stress, and most times they're looking to you, the senior leader, to see how are you responding to the task. If you're cool, calm, and collective, most times your team will say, well, shit, they're cool, calm, and collective, so maybe it's not that bad. We're going to be okay here.
[00:13:54] Alex: Right? So creating that great atmosphere is a huge deal that would do a phenomenal job for you there, right? The next one is clear goals. You have to have clear goals of knowing what are we trying to do as a team right now? We talked about defined roles earlier, so that's me individually knowing what I'm doing.
[00:14:14] Alex: Now, the next step here is clear goals. So we clearly know where we're trying to go as a team for a construction on site that's saying, Hey, listen, today, here's what we wanna accomplish today, my friends. In order for us to meet this long-term schedule of where we're going, what we're trying to build, what we're trying to do today, we need to do this chunk here now.
[00:14:33] Alex: Within this larger chunk of a clear goal for the team, I'm gonna now break it down to have defined roles for multiple people so they can do their thing. Right. The more I can do that, the better I can be. Right. Now, the next one that's very, very important is effective decision making. How do you make decisions as a team?
[00:14:53] Alex: Right? And we'll pause on this. How do you make decisions as a team? I want you to think about that. Most times, the weakest team. Have to make every decision through the leader. Please understand that that's what you're doing, my friends. It's going to be a very long, slow process to get shit done. You wanna do a hell of a job of empowering people in their area to make decisions.
[00:15:19] Alex: I've seen a phenomenal company do this. Miller Electric, I got a chance to see them, uh, hands on. They have a phenomenal c e o, uh, Henry Brown. They have a phenomenal chief education officer, Patty Keenan, phenomenal VPs. And, and what they've done is that they've done a hell of a job of setting guidelines and rules.
[00:15:37] Alex: For each individual in their area. Hey, at the foreman level, here's what decision making looks like, where you don't even have to call anyone. If it's in this area at the project manager level, it's here right at the, uh, assistant PM level here, at the executive level here. So that. People can operate in their gifting, in their call with their skillset, and be phenomenal leaders and take ownership in their area without having to make a call.
[00:16:01] Alex: So understand, these are some key rules. If you do these things, my friends, you can do a phenomenal job of bringing people together, amplifying the productivity of your team, being super, super successful. Now, in the next segment, we're gonna dive even deeper into this thing of team building. And creating phenomenal teams.
[00:16:22] Alex: And we're really gonna go back a little bit. We're gonna talk a little bit about the four lenses because understand, not only do you need to put these things in place, you need to really know your people really, really well. And we're gonna really dive into that in the next segment of the foundation. So hey, tune into the next segment so you can really begin to understand how to motivate.
[00:16:39] Alex: How to encourage, how to get the best out of people using the four lens assessment and their personality. See you soon guys. Hey, I wanna thank you again for tuning in to No Bullshit with Alex Willis, the number one source for leadership development in the construction industry. If you are watching on YouTube, my friends, We are doing our first ever giveaway, and trust me, we have some good shit for you.
[00:17:02] Alex: You don't want to miss it, my friend. So one of those things, this phenomenal, awesome mug with some hard hat stickers, no bullshit hard hat stickers. All you have to do to participate is leave us a comment to let us know where you may have challenges as well as what you think about the show, right? We will pick a random winner and we'll reach out to you with detail.
[00:17:20] Alex: So don't forget to hit play to check out the next segment.