It may seem that some teams just have that it factor. They share the same vision. They’re always exceeding performance goals. They even seem to genuinely enjoy one another (gasp!).

If you’re part of a team that doesn’t sound exactly like the one above, you’re not alone. Why are some teams high-performing while others struggle? Why do some simply work while others seem constantly at odds?

While no two teams are exactly alike, there are some key characteristics that high-performing teams consistently share.

According to the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM):

“A ‘high-performance work team’ refers to a group of goal-focused individuals with specialized expertise and complementary skills who collaborate, innovate and produce consistently superior results.”

Ready to build a high-performance team? We’ll cover the top six characteristics of a high-performing team and what you can do to help your teams be the best they can be.

1. Diversity and inclusivity are key.

When you take a look at teams that outperform everyone else, you’ll notice a critical differential. Typically, they’re a group of individuals from a wide variety of cultures, geographies, genders, sexual orientations, disabilities, backgrounds, and experiences.

A diverse team of top talent — who feel safe to be who they are and do what they do best — is already in a position to perform. It’s their differences that drives their team’s high performance.

The more diverse a team is, the more innovation and creativity its members bring to the table. And the more inclusive their work environment (where each person has equal access to resources and opportunities and feels safe and respected), the more engaged they become.

Why is engagement such a big deal? Companies that have engaged employees in their ranks outperform the competition by a whopping 147%.

So, if you’re aiming to build a high-performing team, think: diversity, inclusivity, engagement.

2. Trust is everything.

A high-performing team doesn’t just happen overnight. That takes time — and the same goes for building trust.

In many ways, trust is born from an environment of mutual respect. A team with a strong foundation of trust and mutual respect is, in many ways, a safe and inclusive team with an increased sense of belonging.

Now envision a work environment without these crucial pillars. What would the interpersonal dynamics look like? It’s pretty tough to have a safe workplace (or team dynamic) without trust and mutual respect.

How can a team work together and achieve performance targets when they don’t trust one another?

Spoiler alert: they probably won’t.

If your company is experiencing common signs of mistrust, such as low employee retention, a lack of communication, or even toxic communication (like, gossiping), then you might want to consider finding ways to solve the problem.

Here are a few approaches your team might respond to:

• Practice transparency, especially from the top down.
• Plan and execute team-building exercises that focus on open communication and collaboration.
• Seek employee feedback and genuinely address their concerns.
• Acknowledge and reward employees who go above and beyond or take risks.

3. Communication is clear, frequent, and effective.

The right hand needs to know what the left hand is doing if everyone wants to reach collective performance goals (at minimum) and work at a level of high performance (at best). That means ensuring all communication channels are open and available to everyone on your team.

Most importantly, everyone should feel safe to speak up when something isn’t working or when an alternative solution to a given problem might be a better approach. There should be zero repercussions for communicating those ideas professionally.

Implementing a few (or all) of the following tips for effective communication might boost your team’s performance in the long run:

• Conduct an honest assessment of your employees’ communication dynamic. For example, is there a lot of silence? Gossip?
• Ask your team members which mode of communication they prefer and then honor their preference.
• Hold open forums where employees are free to speak, at will.
• Seek regular feedback.

4. An agile work environment is high-performance fertilizer.

We live in a world of near-continuous change. Our ability to adapt to those changes is a mark of our agility. A high-performing team is more likely to adapt and respond in the face of unexpected change or adversity.

What are the top traits of an agile work environment?

• The team reacts and adapts quickly to change.
• An IT-supported, flexible work environment.
• Everyone is goal-driven.
• Everyone has what they need, when they need it, in one place, so that they can perform their best.
• Employees can work where they want and any time they need to.
• The team is willing to take risks, and leadership acknowledges and celebrates those risks.
• The team is resilient (and continues to perform well) after experiencing setbacks.

Access to everything they need to perform well.

Let’s face it, not everyone welcomes change. But there are ways to remain grounded no matter what professional challenge may surface.

That’s where a business playbook (AKA, a corporate playbook) can serve as an anchor that grounds your team in familiarity no matter what’s on the horizon.

A business playbook is a one-stop conduit of your company’s policies, processes, standard operating procedures (SOPs), business history, mission, employees, strategy, and differentiators.

Easily updatable, customizable, and made to keep everyone on the same page, a business playbook is a time-saver. High-performing teams don’t have time to waste digging around for the contact information of a colleague in charge of something they need input about only to, in the end, discover that person no longer works for the company.

A business playbook can simplify workplace logistics and keep them frustration-free. The less time spent searching for what should be easily accessible, can mean more time devoted to refining an out-of-the-box solution or any other number of endeavors.

5. Responsive, hands-on leadership.

Acknowledge and reward high performance.

Who doesn’t like a proverbial pat on the back for a job well done or goal reached? Making a genuine point to bring attention to those employees who attain their performance goals early or exceed their goals can boost their morale and, at the same time, create a positive ripple effect across the team.

Let’s explore several different ways you can acknowledge their hard work:

• Public recognition (i.e., creating a performance spotlight section on the website or sending a company-wide email that praises your top performers).
• Promote peer-to-peer recognition.
• Send a personal note to the employee.
• Acknowledge and contextualize an individual employee’s positive performance as a win for the team.
• Schedule a meeting with the employee to personally acknowledge their performance.

Don’t forget about the rewards.

Doling out a personalized acknowledgment is one thing, but coupling that with a reward is next level. First, it shows the employee and the team that you value their contributions beyond recognition. Not to mention, a reward indicates an extra, above-and-beyond investment in the value they bring to the table.

Not sure what to offer or where to begin? Here are a few considerations to get started:

• Offer personalized learning and development opportunities.
• Customize the reward based on their personal interests.
• Consider creating a tiered-reward system. For reaching goal A, they will receive reward X, and for reaching goal B, they will receive the even more coveted Y.
• Make it fun! Gift certificates, health and wellness memberships, food vouchers — these can all help to motivate and incentivize employees.

6. High performers thrive in an environment of continuous learning.

High-performing teams have more than one competitive advantage. Carrying out their daily responsibilities in a company culture that values continuous learning and development tops the list.

But what does that look like on a daily basis?

Ongoing learning can take place on both a personal and professional level. This can include anything from work-life balance seminars and bringing in a life coach to discuss how to avoid burnout, to offering training opportunities for the latest, cutting-edge learning management system (LMS)-alternative.

To determine how learning-centric your company is, you may want to reflect on the following questions:

• What type of learning opportunities do you give your employees?
• Do you offer both personal and professional learning opportunities?
• Does your company value professional development? If so, how? If not, why not?
• Are processes evolving to the extent that would necessitate additional training and learning development?
• What are the best practices for upskilling and training employees in your industry?
• What are your competitors offering their employees?
• Have you considered the benefits of peer coaching?

Ready to equip your team with what they need to perform at their peak?

Teamwork makes the dream work. And that dream might mean cultivating a high-performance team. But when a team isn’t performing up to their potential, it’s important to find out why.

One reason they may not be high-performing? Lack of access to all of the tools and resources they need to do their job. An easy way to change this is to create a business playbook for them.

That way, they won’t waste valuable time looking for the right process or a relevant policy. Instead, their energy is focused on fulfilling their duties and responsibilities so that together, they can reach their performance potential.