A Team of High Performers Differs from a High-performing Team

I used to think high performance came down to hiring the right people. The ones with strong track records, the right experience and a history of getting results. I have come to see it differently.

A team of high performers is not necessarily a high-performing team. I learned that not from a leadership book, but from experiencing very different environments throughout my career. I have worked in places where making a mistake felt almost like committing a crime. Innovation did not disappear because people lacked ideas. It disappeared because people were afraid.

I remember preparing for meetings where the conversation was not about how to make the project successful. It was about how to get through the meeting unharmed, what to say, what not to say and where blame might land. Fear changes the way people work. They stop experimenting, wait until ideas feel safe before sharing them and protect themselves instead of challenging the status quo. Fear can create compliance. It rarely creates great work.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Forbes.