High-performance teams (HPTs) is a concept within organization development referring to teams, organizations, or virtual groups that are highly focused on their goals and that achieve superior business results. Learn more about the key elements of a high-performing team with this starter Qstream microlearning course.
Category: Leadership and Communication
Industry: All Industries
Questions: 15
FREE
Navigate through the Qstream questions below to preview. Each challenge is designed following Qstream’s best practices for maximum knowledge reinforcement and engagement. This Qstream is free for clients to use as a starting point.
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Answer explanation:
While it’s important for Jasmine to be willing to stand up for her ideas if she spends too much time pushing for how important her work is, this likely will cause Ravi frustration.
To work well with others, it’s important to focus on the big picture and less on the importance of individual contributions. While Jasmine and Ravi will indeed be under a tight deadline, providing feedback to a colleague requires thought and the appropriate context. Giving it on the spot might not be the best way to solve a conflict or problem.
A willingness to compromise and see other people’s points of view is a critical aspect of successfully collaborating with others. This shows people that you respect their ideas and that you are willing to think about different approaches to the work. When you are willing to compromise, you often come up with an even better solution than you would have found with just one person.
During a project, there are often ebbs and flows in the work. There will be many ways to approach the work and asking your collaborator(s) ahead of deadlines the best way to work together can identify any differences in your work styles (if any). It will also help each of you understand what you need from the others to deliver on the project.
Answer explanation:
Trust is an integral part of a good working relationship with colleagues. Without it, colleagues can feel like individuals who just happen to be working together, rather than members of a team. Trust takes time to develop, but it is worth it when a team feels that each member trusts everyone to do their part. It is also important to realize that how people learn to trust others can vary across cultures and personality styles: paying attention to these differences will help build trust faster with teammates.
When a new person joins a team, it is important to realize that they will probably have new ways of approaching the work. Often these ideas bring creativity and innovation. But when a team focuses on rules and making sure that a new team member doesn’t break them, it can make it hard for the new team member to feel that they are a welcome addition.
Answer explanation:
Peer coaching can be a powerful learning tool and an excellent opportunity to gain knowledge from others. When coaching others, it is important to choose the right time and place for the coaching and not just grab a few minutes here and there. If you are coaching others, keep in mind that the coaching is focusing on helping them to achieve some clear goals.
Coaching sessions are not about pointing out things that people do wrong, but rather about helping them to see how to use the strengths that they have and to gain knowledge about areas to improve. It is important to focus on attitudes and behaviors that a person can control (they cannot control other people - neither can you) and don’t criticize the person. Instead, focus on the behavior while supporting the person in how to change that behavior.
After each coaching session, it helps to have clear action steps that need to happen (for both parties) before the next session to ensure that progress can be measured.
Answer explanation:
Serving others on your team is not about gaining kudos for yourself or getting people to work better for you, but rather, it is about letting others know that you care about them and you are willing to help them in pursuit of larger team goals. It is about putting aside your ego and being willing to help others not just for your own reward (although it often comes back to you twice over) but because you know it will help another person.
Answer explanation:
Having a conversation about how to work better together is important and it deserves to be conducted at a time and a place that is helpful to the conversation. This means someplace that won’t have lots of distractions and that isn’t when either person is under pressure or on a deadline (if at all possible).
To improve communication, check for understanding to make sure that what you are trying to say is what is actually being heard by the other person. Also, watch for non-verbal cues about how they are interacting with you. Are they smiling, looking relaxed, and leaning into the conversation or are they looking upset, sitting back with their arms crossed and a scowl on their face? If you are getting negative non-verbal cues, stop and try to find out what is causing the communication disconnect before moving the conversation forward.
Answer explanation:
It can be difficult to realize how your personal filter affects our interactions with others. However, developing an awareness of this can make a big difference in how you interact with others. For example, if you have always done your work in one way, from your own perspective, you may think it is the best way to do it. When a new team member suggests throwing out your process and starting over, your first reaction might be, “No way!” But knowing how your filter may impact your point of view helps you be more open about a new idea that could end up saving you time and effort in the end.
Paying attention to filters is also important when thinking about biases and stereotypes. If you think only people who look a particular way are good at a particular job, then your filter is impacting how you perceive the abilities of other people.
Our past experiences can either help us connect with others and be a member of a high-performing team or limit us and impact the team negatively. It is all about paying attention to your personal filters.
Answer explanation:
The ability to give feedback is important when working in teams. There are ways to make the feedback easier to receive, including the following:
1. Don’t attack the person to whom you are giving feedback. This will only put the person on the defensive. Instead, focus on the behavior you are asking them to change.
2. Don’t frame feedback from the perspective of other people. Instead, frame it from your own experience.
3. Be willing to listen if feedback is returned. After all, you are asking the other person to be willing to listen to your feedback, so it seems only fair to listen to theirs.
4. Be respectful.
5. Pick an appropriate time and place, where you won’t be interrupted.
Answer explanation:
Team members with integrity can be trusted to keep their word, deliver on promises, build people up, stand by others when needed, and put the needs of the team before their own. Integrity is not something that can be seen at first glance. Other people know you have integrity by how you act under pressure, especially when it is easier to walk away than to step up. Autograph your work with integrity and you will have people lining up to work with you.
Answer explanation:
It may seem counterintuitive, but being a strong follower often shows the leader that you are willing to play a role that a team needs. This can lead to future work on other projects.
When you are actively following, you are being “of service” to the team. This helps the team achieve its goals while building greater cohesion. Everyone cannot lead all of the time, but by being willing to follow someone else, you are clearly showing other members of your team that you don’t think you have all the good ideas in the world. This often leads to respect and trust from other team members.
Answer explanation:
Explanation:
Being an ally can happen in large and small ways. You can be an ally to someone privately by sharing knowledge or advice with them, or by encouraging their ideas. You can be an ally in public by promoting the ideas of others. Rather than taking up all of the space and time in a meeting, it’s about creating space for others to share.
Being an ally to teammates is about asking, “Whose voice isn’t being heard and how can I amplify it?” It’s about creating opportunities for others who wouldn’t get a chance otherwise and taking a stand for people who may not have a voice at that time.
7 Ally Examples
Answer explanation:
No one wants to work on a team where they don’t feel respected. This leads to people dis-engaging or holding back which can have negative impacts on the team and its work.
In comparison, a team that is respectful can be fun, engaged, innovative, and creative. When people feel respected, productivity and performance go up and teams are able to accomplish more together than the individual sum of their parts.
Answer explanation:
Excellence is something that comes from daily consistent habits. Excellence is not something that happens in a day, a week, or perhaps even in a month— depending on the project. The saying, “Autograph your work with excellence” means showcasing the high quality of the work you have done. Persistence and creativity are critical to problem-solving; data can often provide insights that you might otherwise miss. While it is important to focus on the details, there needs to be a balance with the big picture. If you focus on the details, only picking your head up to see the big picture from time to time, you may end up going off in the wrong direction.
Maintaining high expectations for yourself and others is good, but needs to be tempered with realism. People are imperfect. Expecting perfection all of the time will surely lead to disappointment. So, keep expectations high, but don’t set yourself or others up for failure.
Answer explanation:
While it may be very tempting to call someone out in a team meeting, this rarely gains you an engaged team member. If someone was unable to deliver on a promise, find out what happened and what can be done in the future to address the issue before it turns into a problem. Perhaps the person was working all of the hours they could, but a last-minute issue, that they couldn’t control, impacted their ability to deliver on time. However, if someone makes a habit out of not being accountable, this is a bigger issue that needs to be addressed by their manager.
Accountability is something that is often modeled. The best way to have an accountable team is to provide a great example of accountability. Anyone on a team can show what accountability looks like in their words and actions. Work on being accountable to yourself and others, and be the role model you want to see in others.
Answer explanation:
A team without leadership is going nowhere. But, you do not have to have a formal title of “leader” to be able to help lead a team. Each person on a team has a role and being clear on your role and how you can get others to see their role on the team comes with being a leader. Leading with your actions (being trustworthy and trusting others, showing respect, accountability, and excellence) means that you are also helping to lead the team, even if you don’t have an official title.
• Leadership at work includes influence
• Forbes: Successful Leadership at Work
• 3 Qualities of An Effective Leader
• Good communication in the workplace
Answer explanation:
What we say to ourselves and others when we face challenges plays a big role in building resiliency in ourselves and in others. Being positive doesn’t mean ignoring the issues or being just generally positive; for example, saying “This will all work out” isn’t as powerful as, “We have solved issues in the past and will this time, too.” It also helps to frame things as a temporary issue vs. “This always happens to us.” The latter implies that no matter what you do, this issue will always come back to you.
While it is good to be realistic about the situation you are in (making a list of what happened is a good first step to help keep it from happening again), blaming people doesn’t help build resilience. And while it is important to keep the big goal in mind, celebrating small successes along the way helps us recognize what is going right. This also helps build resiliency.
To explore resilience more deeply, consult an excellent book: The Resilience Factor, by Karen Reivich and Andrew Shattee.
Answer explanation:
While it’s important for Jasmine to be willing to stand up for her ideas if she spends too much time pushing for how important her work is, this likely will cause Ravi frustration.
To work well with others, it’s important to focus on the big picture and less on the importance of individual contributions. While Jasmine and Ravi will indeed be under a tight deadline, providing feedback to a colleague requires thought and the appropriate context. Giving it on the spot might not be the best way to solve a conflict or problem.
A willingness to compromise and see other people’s points of view is a critical aspect of successfully collaborating with others. This shows people that you respect their ideas and that you are willing to think about different approaches to the work. When you are willing to compromise, you often come up with an even better solution than you would have found with just one person.
During a project, there are often ebbs and flows in the work. There will be many ways to approach the work and asking your collaborator(s) ahead of deadlines the best way to work together can identify any differences in your work styles (if any). It will also help each of you understand what you need from the others to deliver on the project.
Answer explanation:
Trust is an integral part of a good working relationship with colleagues. Without it, colleagues can feel like individuals who just happen to be working together, rather than members of a team. Trust takes time to develop, but it is worth it when a team feels that each member trusts everyone to do their part. It is also important to realize that how people learn to trust others can vary across cultures and personality styles: paying attention to these differences will help build trust faster with teammates.
When a new person joins a team, it is important to realize that they will probably have new ways of approaching the work. Often these ideas bring creativity and innovation. But when a team focuses on rules and making sure that a new team member doesn’t break them, it can make it hard for the new team member to feel that they are a welcome addition.
Answer explanation:
Peer coaching can be a powerful learning tool and an excellent opportunity to gain knowledge from others. When coaching others, it is important to choose the right time and place for the coaching and not just grab a few minutes here and there. If you are coaching others, keep in mind that the coaching is focusing on helping them to achieve some clear goals.
Coaching sessions are not about pointing out things that people do wrong, but rather about helping them to see how to use the strengths that they have and to gain knowledge about areas to improve. It is important to focus on attitudes and behaviors that a person can control (they cannot control other people - neither can you) and don’t criticize the person. Instead, focus on the behavior while supporting the person in how to change that behavior.
After each coaching session, it helps to have clear action steps that need to happen (for both parties) before the next session to ensure that progress can be measured.
Answer explanation:
Serving others on your team is not about gaining kudos for yourself or getting people to work better for you, but rather, it is about letting others know that you care about them and you are willing to help them in pursuit of larger team goals. It is about putting aside your ego and being willing to help others not just for your own reward (although it often comes back to you twice over) but because you know it will help another person.
Answer explanation:
Having a conversation about how to work better together is important and it deserves to be conducted at a time and a place that is helpful to the conversation. This means someplace that won’t have lots of distractions and that isn’t when either person is under pressure or on a deadline (if at all possible).
To improve communication, check for understanding to make sure that what you are trying to say is what is actually being heard by the other person. Also, watch for non-verbal cues about how they are interacting with you. Are they smiling, looking relaxed, and leaning into the conversation or are they looking upset, sitting back with their arms crossed and a scowl on their face? If you are getting negative non-verbal cues, stop and try to find out what is causing the communication disconnect before moving the conversation forward.
Answer explanation:
It can be difficult to realize how your personal filter affects our interactions with others. However, developing an awareness of this can make a big difference in how you interact with others. For example, if you have always done your work in one way, from your own perspective, you may think it is the best way to do it. When a new team member suggests throwing out your process and starting over, your first reaction might be, “No way!” But knowing how your filter may impact your point of view helps you be more open about a new idea that could end up saving you time and effort in the end.
Paying attention to filters is also important when thinking about biases and stereotypes. If you think only people who look a particular way are good at a particular job, then your filter is impacting how you perceive the abilities of other people.
Our past experiences can either help us connect with others and be a member of a high-performing team or limit us and impact the team negatively. It is all about paying attention to your personal filters.
Answer explanation:
The ability to give feedback is important when working in teams. There are ways to make the feedback easier to receive, including the following:
1. Don’t attack the person to whom you are giving feedback. This will only put the person on the defensive. Instead, focus on the behavior you are asking them to change.
2. Don’t frame feedback from the perspective of other people. Instead, frame it from your own experience.
3. Be willing to listen if feedback is returned. After all, you are asking the other person to be willing to listen to your feedback, so it seems only fair to listen to theirs.
4. Be respectful.
5. Pick an appropriate time and place, where you won’t be interrupted.
Answer explanation:
Team members with integrity can be trusted to keep their word, deliver on promises, build people up, stand by others when needed, and put the needs of the team before their own. Integrity is not something that can be seen at first glance. Other people know you have integrity by how you act under pressure, especially when it is easier to walk away than to step up. Autograph your work with integrity and you will have people lining up to work with you.
Answer explanation:
It may seem counterintuitive, but being a strong follower often shows the leader that you are willing to play a role that a team needs. This can lead to future work on other projects.
When you are actively following, you are being “of service” to the team. This helps the team achieve its goals while building greater cohesion. Everyone cannot lead all of the time, but by being willing to follow someone else, you are clearly showing other members of your team that you don’t think you have all the good ideas in the world. This often leads to respect and trust from other team members.
Answer explanation:
Explanation:
Being an ally can happen in large and small ways. You can be an ally to someone privately by sharing knowledge or advice with them, or by encouraging their ideas. You can be an ally in public by promoting the ideas of others. Rather than taking up all of the space and time in a meeting, it’s about creating space for others to share.
Being an ally to teammates is about asking, “Whose voice isn’t being heard and how can I amplify it?” It’s about creating opportunities for others who wouldn’t get a chance otherwise and taking a stand for people who may not have a voice at that time.
7 Ally Examples
Answer explanation:
No one wants to work on a team where they don’t feel respected. This leads to people dis-engaging or holding back which can have negative impacts on the team and its work.
In comparison, a team that is respectful can be fun, engaged, innovative, and creative. When people feel respected, productivity and performance go up and teams are able to accomplish more together than the individual sum of their parts.
Answer explanation:
Excellence is something that comes from daily consistent habits. Excellence is not something that happens in a day, a week, or perhaps even in a month— depending on the project. The saying, “Autograph your work with excellence” means showcasing the high quality of the work you have done. Persistence and creativity are critical to problem-solving; data can often provide insights that you might otherwise miss. While it is important to focus on the details, there needs to be a balance with the big picture. If you focus on the details, only picking your head up to see the big picture from time to time, you may end up going off in the wrong direction.
Maintaining high expectations for yourself and others is good, but needs to be tempered with realism. People are imperfect. Expecting perfection all of the time will surely lead to disappointment. So, keep expectations high, but don’t set yourself or others up for failure.
Answer explanation:
While it may be very tempting to call someone out in a team meeting, this rarely gains you an engaged team member. If someone was unable to deliver on a promise, find out what happened and what can be done in the future to address the issue before it turns into a problem. Perhaps the person was working all of the hours they could, but a last-minute issue, that they couldn’t control, impacted their ability to deliver on time. However, if someone makes a habit out of not being accountable, this is a bigger issue that needs to be addressed by their manager.
Accountability is something that is often modeled. The best way to have an accountable team is to provide a great example of accountability. Anyone on a team can show what accountability looks like in their words and actions. Work on being accountable to yourself and others, and be the role model you want to see in others.
Answer explanation:
A team without leadership is going nowhere. But, you do not have to have a formal title of “leader” to be able to help lead a team. Each person on a team has a role and being clear on your role and how you can get others to see their role on the team comes with being a leader. Leading with your actions (being trustworthy and trusting others, showing respect, accountability, and excellence) means that you are also helping to lead the team, even if you don’t have an official title.
• Leadership at work includes influence
• Forbes: Successful Leadership at Work
• 3 Qualities of An Effective Leader
• Good communication in the workplace
Answer explanation:
What we say to ourselves and others when we face challenges plays a big role in building resiliency in ourselves and in others. Being positive doesn’t mean ignoring the issues or being just generally positive; for example, saying “This will all work out” isn’t as powerful as, “We have solved issues in the past and will this time, too.” It also helps to frame things as a temporary issue vs. “This always happens to us.” The latter implies that no matter what you do, this issue will always come back to you.
While it is good to be realistic about the situation you are in (making a list of what happened is a good first step to help keep it from happening again), blaming people doesn’t help build resilience. And while it is important to keep the big goal in mind, celebrating small successes along the way helps us recognize what is going right. This also helps build resiliency.
To explore resilience more deeply, consult an excellent book: The Resilience Factor, by Karen Reivich and Andrew Shattee.
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