Hey Roamers,

Building a high-performance team is crucial for any leader, especially in the first 90 days. Your decisions about people during this period can make or break your success. Here’s a guide to help you navigate these critical early steps.

Here is the video explanation of it:

Inheriting and Shaping Your Team 🛠️

Inherited Team Challenges

In most scenarios, you won’t have the luxury of building your team from scratch. Instead, you'll inherit a group of individuals with established dynamics. Your task is to mold this existing team to meet your high-priority goals. It’s important to strike a balance: making changes too quickly can disrupt operations while waiting too long can stall progress.

Balancing Stability and Change ⚖️

Think of your team as a ship at sea. Repairing a leaky ship mid-ocean is tricky—you need to fix the leaks without sinking the vessel. Similarly, prioritize critical personnel changes first. If a B-player can manage for a while, let them. Don’t rush to replace everyone at once; focus on immediate high-priority needs.

Avoiding Lone-Wolf Syndrome 🐺

Restructuring a team involves navigating emotional, legal, and policy-related complexities. Don’t tackle this alone. Seek support from a trusted HR professional who can guide you through the process and help chart a strategic path forward.

Assessing Your Team: The First 30-60 Days 🔍

Identifying A, B, and C-Players

Your team will likely consist of outstanding performers (A-players), average ones (B-players), and those who aren’t meeting expectations (C-players). Understanding this mix is crucial for effective team management. Begin by identifying who fits into each category and understand their roles and dynamics within the team.

Key Evaluation Criteria

Use these six criteria to evaluate your team members:

• Competence: Do they have the necessary skills and experience?

• Judgment: Do they make sound decisions, especially under pressure?

• Energy: Are they motivated and engaged, or burned out?

• Focus: Can they set and stick to priorities?

• Relationships: Do they work well with others and support collective decisions?

• Trust: Are they reliable and do they follow through on commitments?

One-on-One Meetings 🗣️

Meet with each team member individually to assess their capabilities and fit. Use a standardized interview template to ensure consistency:

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of our existing strategy?

• What are our biggest challenges and opportunities in the short and medium term?

• What resources could we leverage more effectively?

• How could we improve team collaboration?

• If you were in my position, what would your priorities be?

Respectful Treatment 🤝

Throughout this process, treat everyone with respect. Even if changes are necessary, your team will judge your fairness and care. Demonstrating respect will earn you their trust and cooperation.

Aligning Your Team: Setting Goals and Accountability 🎯

Defining Roles and Responsibilities

Once you have the right people, ensure everyone understands how they can contribute to key goals. Break down large objectives into manageable tasks and assign responsibility for each element. This creates clear accountability.

Encouraging Accountability ✅

Design incentive systems that align individual and team goals. Avoid rewarding individual achievements when teamwork is essential, and vice versa. Ensure incentives promote the behavior you need to reach your priorities.

Gaining Commitment Through Consultation 🗨️

Be clear about non-negotiable elements of your vision but remain flexible to incorporate team input. This creates shared ownership of the vision. Off-site meetings can be effective for building this commitment, provided they are well-designed.

Off-Site Meetings: Setting the Foundation 🌐

Purpose of Off-Site Meetings

Identify the goals for your off-site meetings. They can help:

• Gain a shared understanding of the business (diagnostic focus).

• Define the vision and create a strategy (strategy focus).

• Change how the team works together (team-process focus).

• Build or alter relationships within the group (relationship focus).

• Develop a plan and commit to it (planning focus).

• Address conflicts and negotiate agreements (conflict-resolution focus).

Effective Off-Site Planning

Don’t try to achieve too much in one meeting. Focus on a few key goals to ensure effectiveness. Establish a shared understanding of the business and build strong relationships as a foundation before moving on to strategy and planning.

Face-to-Face Interaction Importance 👥

Whenever possible, bring the team together physically. While virtual interactions are improving, face-to-face meetings are invaluable for establishing knowledge, relationships, alignment, and mutual commitment.

Communication Norms: Establishing Clear Guidelines 📢

Communication Channels

Set clear norms for which communication channels will be used and how. Agree on responsiveness expectations, such as responding to urgent messages within a specific timeframe.

Virtual Meetings

Establish norms for virtual meetings to ensure efficiency and respect. For example, minimize interruptions compared to face-to-face meetings but focus on clear and concise communication.

Conclusion: Your First 90 Days Matter 🏁

Creating a high-performance team in your first 90 days is crucial. Your decisions about people will define your success. Balance stability and change, assess your team carefully, align their efforts with your goals, and establish clear communication norms. By following these guidelines, you’ll set the foundation for a successful leadership journey.

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If you want to read more about habit building, you can order Robert’s book, Mastery. 🚀

Warm regards,

Bilal Khan