I Love Where I Work

Yesterday, we asked the question, “Do you love what you’re doing?” Today, we ask if you love where you’re doing it. We’ve written a good deal about the culture and the environment for top performance.

In a recent article in SellingPower magazine, Neil Zaman, senior vice president at Cadence, shares the Triangle Model. He says when followed, this model can lead to increased innovation, improved individual satisfaction, more effective communication, better decision making and higher quality execution. Sounds like important stuff, right?

According to Zaman, there are seven key principles for building a team.

1. Trust - Trust is the foundation on which all successful teams are built, and that requires building an unwavering belief that everyone is driving toward the same strategic goals. This is the most critical component when building a high-performing team.

2. Vision - Once you are on your way to building out your team of strong contributors, you’ll need to share a clear, simple vision that is aligned all the way to the top-line corporate strategy.

3. Teamwork - Drive inclusion by encouraging each and every team member to bring creative ideas to the table to solve problems or provide input for important decisions.

4. Empowerment - Team members are often more productive and perform at their peak when you get out of their way. It’s critical that team members have opportunities to grow and execute on their own.

5. Accountability - To build accountability, establish clear goals from the top down that can be measured with each individual – and have regular check-ins to track key milestones.

6. Execution - Instead of being paralyzed by planning and analysis, remind the team of your shared vision and push them to execute on it. Instead of complacency, develop an agile and customer-focused approach.

7. Reward - Money isn’t always the answer. Sometimes just giving someone the credit in front of a group can go a long way. With repeat successes, you can look at opportunities to expand your team members’ responsibilities and consider promotions. The recognition can be very motivating and fuels the continued success of the individual, the team and the broader company.

These are by no means new concepts, but I like the way Zaman has organized them with the visual of a triangle reaching the peak or peak performance. What do you think?

Jeff Schmidt is the SVP of Professional Development. You can reach him at Jeff.Schmidt@RAB.com. You can also connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn.