High-performing team is not a team of high-performers

Hey friend,

It's been 9 months since I made the decision to become an Online Educator. And boy, oh boy, it has been quite the ride!

Since then, I've learned many lessons. And the journey of an Entrepreneur or Solopreneur, in my case, has been quite the challenge. I love every bit of it. My ultimate goal is to create a portfolio of products I can be truly proud of.

Knowing who I want to serve is one of the core principles of running a business. Who is your ideal client? What do they do? What are their goals?

But now that I have shipped Developer to Leader and preparing for full launch, I have been spinning my wheels on who I should serve next!

But here is where you can help me; frankly, I need your help more than ever.

• What is your biggest headache growing as a Developer or an Engineering Leader?

It would mean a lot to me if you could take a couple of minutes to hit reply and let me know your answers.

Onto this week's Newsletter.

🎯 How do you define a High-performing team?

High Performing Teams are not a team of high performers. Let me tell you why.

Let’s first understand what a high-performing team is. Many variables are at play depending on your company, team, department, etc. But I have found that a few characteristics of a high-performing team are common in any of the teams I have built.

• They are goal-oriented
• They are hyper-focused
• They aren’t afraid to make mistakes
• They celebrate wins
• If they lose or make mistakes, they openly share their learnings.
• And lastly, but most importantly, they also deliver outcomes, i.e. business results.

So, High Performing Teams are not a team of high performers. High performers tend to cater to individual needs. If you put every high performer in one team, they might not thrive. But if you teach how to get a developer to become a high performer based on the characteristics I mentioned above, there is no stopping you.

But I think psychological safety is a high-performing team’s foundational pillar.

Psychological safety is the belief that it’s okay to make mistakes. It is okay because you won’t be penalized if you make them. It allows team members to feel safe while taking risks and be vulnerable in front of others.

As a leader, it is extremely important for you to create psychological safety for your team so everyone can openly make mistakes, share learnings, and grow together. I wrote about how you can create psychological safety in your team.

Plus, in a few weeks, I am going to give a conference talk at Refactor Toronto on Cultivating a Culture of Psychological Safety in Engineering. If you are in Toronto, come watch my talk! 💪

I would like to pass it on to you now.

How would you define a high-performing team? Hit reply and let me know.

👋 Last Word: Want a FREE course?

I recently launched a course on Udemy on Building Solid foundations as an Engineering Leader.

This course covers 2 modules: How to Build a solid foundation as a Leader and How to craft your first 90 Days as you lead a Team.

If you want this course for free, reply to this email.

• What is your biggest headache growing as a Developer or an Engineering Leader?

This is the same question I asked at the beginning of this email.

Once you reply, I'll send you a code that you can use to grab the course for free. Thanks for all the support you've given me to this point!

🧰 The Engineering Leader's Toolbox

• ​Become an Engineering Manager Playlist covering a range of topics on how to communicate, how to become a Leader, What I wish I knew before becoming a manager and lots more.
• ​Anti-patterns of being a Manager You may be exhibiting some common anti-patterns, such as being too controlling or prioritizing personal relationships over constructive feedback. Check out what you should be avoiding.