A Simple Model for Extraordinary Teams

Anyone who has led teams knows that teams can be messy, complex, and hard to align.  But what if building strong teams was actually much easier than we thought?  What if there was a simple yet powerful method that allowed anyone to create strong teams?

Allow me to introduce Team Clock. In the Team Clock model, each hour of the clock represents a different stage of team development. Just follow the clock from 12:00 back to 12:00 and you will understand the inevitable loop that defines all team development. You will also understand why Team Clock has proven useful to Fortune 500 companies like Kraft and professional sports teams like the Chicago White Sox.

Cornerstones

Let’s start with the four most important points on the Team Clock, what I call the cornerstones.  After I explain the cornerstones, we’ll bring the model to life by examining how a new CEO might use Team Clock to lay the foundation for extraordinary results.

The 4 Cornerstones of Team Development

6:00 Attachment

Attachment is at 6:00 on the clock.  Most teams seek to achieve the closeness and trust that accompanies attachment.

12:00 Loss

Loss is on the opposite side of the clock.  Whether a change in status, a disappointment or the departure of a friend, teams inevitably experience the depletion of loss. The greater the attachment, the greater the loss.

3:00 Dependence

Dependence is the cornerstone that results from an investment in a common goal.  Team members establish their rules of engagement.  Leadership is established. Rules, roles and boundaries become clear.

9:00 Independence

Independence arises from the willingness to take smart risks.  This, of course, is easier to accomplish when the team’s infrastructure is firmly established. There is a direct correlation between the amount of dependence accepted and the degree of independence realized on a team.

The Team Clock

We can now see the full clock and the journey that our new CEO will traverse.  Let’s assume that our new CEO is taking the place of a CEO who was well-regarded.

The journey will start at 12:00 Loss, as the team is currently experiencing the loss of their old CEO. At 1:00 Investment and 2:00 Testing, the team will ask themselves the questions, “Should I invest in this new CEO,” and “What will this new CEO allow me to get away with?” An effective CEO quickly convinces team members to invest in her, and also lays out clear boundaries so that when the team gets to 3:00 Dependence, there is a new, healthy rhythm established. If the CEO fails in this first critical quadrant, they will find it hard to build Trust, Cohesion, and Attachment in the next three hours on the clock.

Between 3:00 and 6:00, the CEO can build healthy attachment by enforcing the boundaries, values, and vision established earlier and by being frank and clear in all communications. Every small, consistent action signals to the team who their CEO is and allows them to build Trust (4:00) and Cohesion (5:00). In an ideal situation, the CEO will lead their team in such a manner that a high level of Attachment exists by 6:00.

6:00 Attachment feels great but it can also be a trap – many teams get stuck at attachment because they overvalue consenus, closeness, and a conflict-free atmposhere. Our CEO can choose to leverage the work done between 12:00 and 6:00, to challenge her team to innovative in smart ways. By pushing past Attachment, she can lead her team to 7:00 Innovation, 8:00 Risk, and 9:00 Independence, where team members both respect the norms of the larger team, and exercise their unique talents and abilities to innovate.

Change is inevitable, whether it’s new team members, a change in how the firm does business, or the result of innovation, and the CEO finds her team at 10:00-11:00, where  loss of some kind is being experienced. After a period of adjustment or mourning, the CEO and her team find themselves back at 12:00 Loss and must once again decide to invest in their new reality at 1:00.

The Team Clock can be simplified into four quadrants:

As evidenced by the faces, the investment quadrant feels uncomfortable because new norms and rules are being established; the attachment quadrant feels happy because people are getting more comfortable with their new reality; the innovation quadrant is full of anxiety because innovation is by nature risky; and the loss quadrant for obvious reasons is full of sadness.  A strong CEO understands the value of each quadrant and how to move their team from quadrant to quadrant in a manner that creates spectacular results.

A quadrant by quadrant explanation of The Team Clock with clear actions steps can be found in the book Team-Clock: A Guide to Breakthrough Teams. The professional team at the Team Clock Institute is also available to consult with a limited number of leadership teams each year who are ready to create breakthrough results.

Future blogs will address critical topics such as:

•    How to transform a struggling team into an extraordinary team.
•    How to set up an effective cross-functional team.
•    How to help a team move beyond loss to investment and new levels of innovation.

To return to this blog’s original question, how does one create extraordinary teams?  It may be simpler that we thought.  Breakthrough teams invest with courage, invite trust, use cohesiveness to innovate and dare to change.  Are you ready to lead a breakthrough team?

Steve Ritter is the CEO of The Team Clock Institute, an organization that helps teams create breakthrough results. He is the author of the acclaimed book, Team Clock: A Guide to Breakthrough Teams. To learn more, visit Team-Clock.com or email Steve@Team-Clock.com.