Are Your Teams Creating More Work Than They Solve? Here’s How to Change That.
Many business owners hire staff with the hope of reducing their workload, only to discover they’ve created more problems than solutions. Instead of delegating tasks and focusing on strategic growth, they find themselves dealing with poor team performance, inefficiencies, and conflicts. Teams that don’t work together often create additional bottlenecks, leaving the business owner stuck in the day-to-day operations rather than working on expanding their business.
This is a common experience for small to medium-sized business (SMB) owners. Instead of collaboration and innovation, teams fail to deliver on promises, and internal friction begins to rise. The owner ends up spending more time managing issues and less time on growing the company, leading to frustration and burnout. But this can change by building high-performing teams. Let’s explore why this is so critical and how you can make it happen.
The Importance of Teams In a Small to Medium-Sized Business (SMB).
Teams are essential to the success of any SMB because no one person can handle every task or decision. In a growing business, teams allow the owner to delegate responsibilities, solve complex problems, and maintain operations. Without effective teams, a business owner is stretched thin, handling everything from client relationships to daily logistics.
High-performing teams give the owner the freedom to focus on strategy, innovation, and long-term goals. When teams operate well, they contribute to greater productivity, creativity, and resilience. Businesses that leverage strong teams outperform competitors by responding quickly to market changes and evolving customer needs.
The Downsides of a Non-Performing Team for a SMB.
When teams don’t perform, the consequences for the business can be severe. Nonperforming teams create inefficiencies, miss deadlines, and fail to meet expectations. In a small to medium-sized business, these failures have a significant impact. Missed deadlines can result in lost clients, while poor collaboration leads to duplication of efforts or costly mistakes.
The business owner feels the effects directly. Instead of freeing up time, they are pulled back into managing projects, solving conflicts, and making up for team failures. This constant firefighting prevents owners from focusing on critical tasks such as business development and strategic planning. It can also lead to higher staff turnover, further compounding the problem.
For example, imagine a small marketing agency where the design and copy teams aren’t aligned. Instead of delivering creative solutions for clients, they’re in constant conflict over project direction. The business owner has to step in frequently, not only delaying progress but also leading to client dissatisfaction and lost revenue.
What Is a High-Performing Team?
A high-performing team is more than just a group of talented individuals. It’s a team that communicates effectively, collaborates seamlessly, and works toward shared goals. These teams are characterized by trust, accountability, and emotional intelligence. They don’t just work together—they thrive together.
High-performing teams excel because they have psychological safety. Team members feel confident in expressing their ideas, voicing concerns, and admitting mistakes without fear of judgment. This openness fosters innovation and problem-solving, allowing the team to tackle challenges more effectively.
The Benefits of a High-Performing Team in a SMB.
The advantages of high performing teams for a small to medium-sized business are vast. For one, they allow the business to scale. When teams perform well, they take ownership of tasks and projects, allowing the business owner to focus on strategic growth instead of operational details.
High-performing teams also lead to increased innovation. Diverse perspectives within the team contribute to creative solutions that drive the business forward. Additionally, these teams deliver higher levels of customer satisfaction by consistently meeting or exceeding expectations.
For example, a software startup with a high-performing development team can quickly iterate on customer feedback, release updates more frequently, and stay ahead of competitors. The owner can focus on partnerships and new opportunities, knowing that the team will deliver.
How to Recognize a High-Performing Team.
Recognizing a high-performing team isn’t just about looking at metrics. Beyond meeting deadlines and achieving goals, high-performing teams display strong collaboration and emotional intelligence. They operate with clear communication and transparency, taking ownership of their responsibilities.
In a high-performing team, conflicts are resolved constructively, with team members focused on solutions rather than blame. They consistently push each other toward growth and improvement. Team members are engaged, motivated, and aligned with the business’s mission.
In contrast, poor-performing teams tend to operate in silos, with little communication and a lack of trust. Projects may be delayed, and the team is often focused on individual success rather than collective goals. This leads to dissatisfaction and frustration for both the owner and the team members.
Where do you start to turn your organisation around?
If you’re a business owner struggling with poor team performance, it’s time to consider the impact that building high-performing teams can have on your business. Effective teams are the key to unlocking growth, efficiency, and innovation in your business. They enable you to focus on strategy, rather than being caught up in daily operational issues.
We can help you, to transform your business from one bogged down by inefficiencies to one driven by a strong, cohesive team ready to meet any challenge. It’s not just about working harder—it’s about working smarter. Invest in your teams, and you’ll see the impact on both your business and your peace of mind.
Do you want to know where your team is strong and where is needs improving to become a truly high performing team, take our HPT scan now, go straight to our offer or contact us directly.
Our Building a High-Performing Team Offer
Step 1: Zoom in on the current business
Understanding both your team and you
Topics:
- • Your goals, strategy and performance
- • Your Leadership and communication
- • Culture of the organisation
- • Skills of your people
- • Structure and communication
Benefits: Pivotal insights into e.g.:
- • Your leadership style, values and beliefs that impact the business
- • The business’s unwritten rules
- • The skill & performance match of your staff
- • Challenges with the structure and/or communication
Step 2: Challenge the status quo
Identify and prioritise problem areas
Topics:
- • Define improvement initiatives
- • Identify risks and how to mitigate these
- • Create aggressive but realistic timelines
- • Prepare communication to the organisation
- • Creating clarity for all
Benefits: Quick wins in the business, e.g.:
- • Introducing accountabilities and responsibilities
- • Changing communication and meeting flows to improve information flow
- • Promoting desired behaviours, reducing un-desired behaviours
- • Eliminate and/or delegate tasks for more time freedom of owner
Step 3: Active a new reality
Achieving, accelerating and sustaining results
Topics:
- • Resilience and personal state management
- • Resolving roadblocks
- • Courageous discussions and decisions
- • Staying the course and correcting where needed
Benefits: Structural improvements towards a High Performing Team, e.g.:
- • Restructuring your business
- • Rehiring and/or retraining parts of the team
- • Delegating accountabilities
- • Establishing a High Performing Team cadence
Programme benefits
Knowledge
- • Proven strategies, tools and
systems for success - • Actionable content and
thinking exercises
Accountability
- • Virtual pit-stop meetings
every two weeks - • 1:1 coaching sessions during
the program, challenging you
to bring out the best
Support
- • WhatsApp support between
sessions - • 15 min “unstick-me” sessions
Optional support for:
- • Your team members
- • Your management team
- • You and your spouse
Mindset
- • Proven methods for Peak
Performance and Self Regulation - • Prompts for gaining insights
tailored to your situation
Structure
- • Dedicated time to focus on your business
- • Tailored experience and dynamic session content
Access
- • Early access to our latest
content - • Coaching and mentoring by
qualified, experienced
professionals
Community
- • Where appropriate, we will
connect you with our network
of like-minded business
owners
• Proven strategies, tools and
systems for success
• Actionable content and
thinking exercises
• Proven methods for Peak
Performance and Self Regulation
• Prompts for gaining insights
tailored to your situation
• Virtual pit-stop meetings
every two weeks
• 1:1 coaching sessions during
the program, challenging you
to bring out the best
• Dedicated time to focus on
your business
• Tailored experience and
dynamic session content
• WhatsApp support between
sessions
• 15 min “unstick-me” sessions
• Early access to our latest
content
• Coaching and mentoring by
qualified, experienced
professionals
• Your team members
• Your management team
• You and your spouse
• Where appropriate, we will connect you with our network of like-minded business owners
