Written by: Trish Bishop, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
I was part of a team that helped launch the first Internet Service Provider (ISP) in Canada and then we were the first ISP to go public on the TSX. It was an incredible, fast-paced, crazy ride. However, what I didn't realize until I left that organization and moved on to other companies was that it was my first introduction to what it means to be part of a high-performance team. That experience did include long days, however, it also meant that my stomach hurt from laughing so much. It also meant that I felt safe to ask questions – the tech was changing so dynamically and so fast everyone was on a learning curve so we were all on a quest for knowledge. It was a space where we supported each other’s success because that meant the success of the whole, and we knew, to our bones, we were part of something that was going to change the world – and it did.
As I moved on to other organizations it was shocking to realize that my first experience was not the norm – far from it. Most organizations I went into were fraught with toxic behaviour including back-stabbing, incompetence in key leadership positions, constant tension, command and control leadership styles that penalized anyone who stepped out of line, etc. This was beyond unacceptable to me, how could I go from what I had before to accepting this as being my new world? I couldn’t. So I decided that because I wasn’t interested in settling for anything less, I’d simply create high-performance teams wherever I went. This approach did two things:
If I was in an informal leadership position, it meant I was quickly moved into a formal one because the results our team generated spoke for themselves.
I discovered that high-performance is contagious. When other teams saw what we were doing there was one of two reactions – jealousy or genuine interest. Those who were genuinely interested would reach out and try to discover how they could create the same thing within their own teams. BTW, those leaders who were genuinely interested…they’re the types of leaders that teams LOVE to work for.
So, how did I create high performance in what was an otherwise toxic culture? While I was naturally doing it through a hit or miss approach, it took me two years to really clarify what I was doing and why. I was able to identify what I call the Top 10 Rock Star Skills. By embracing and maturing these skills myself, I was able to effectively facilitate the development of these same capabilities within my teams. As we grew together we bonded in our shared vulnerability and the team’s growth became deeply rooted into an implicit trust in each other that was unbreakable. Once we knew everyone had each others’ backs, the team simply evolved into something else entirely. We were able to see gifts in each other that we hadn’t seen before, and we created a world where we could leverage and promote those gifts in ways that allowed the individual to shine while simultaneously creating incredible success and momentum for the team as a whole, all of which correlates directly into results.
It took me many more years to realize that the core of my success in creating these high-performance teams was predicated on one thing: my ability to read, interpret and align my own energy and the energy of the team. Yep, definitely off the beaten path and not taught in any of the leadership, communication and team building courses I’ve taken in the corporate world.
Before I share the Top 10 Rock Star Skills, it’s important that you truly understand what I mean by aligning the energy. Let’s use a very simple example, if you think to yourself, “OMG, Joey is an idiot”, then you say to Joey, “Hey, Joey, you’re doing a great job”, Joey is not listening to what you’re saying, he’s tuned in to what you’re thinking and feeling – your energy. He senses the energy of the lie and will instinctively mistrust you, though he may not know why.
The trust in teams is essential to knowing, at the cellular level, that you can count on each other to do whatever it is you’ve committed to. When that trust exists, you start to make the shift into high performance. Until it does, you may grind your staff into the ground with 14-hour days and believe it’s high performance, but you would be wrong. High performance comes from each individual’s genuine desire to contribute their best to the whole because they want to be part of something bigger than themselves, not because they’ll get a paycheck.
As a leader, it is your job to get your own energy aligned first. When you think a negative thought about anyone, you create an energy that can be read by others. Believe me, I know how frustrating it can be to be a leader and I’m not proposing you’re going to create a land of fairy dust here. Leadership takes work, and the work starts with you. When you can hold the energy and intention for everyone’s highest good, something magical does start to happen – their behaviour starts to shift – you can literally watch it happening. As you step into being the leader they need, you create the team you want. When I work with clients to develop these capabilities, I always focus first on identifying key performance indicators that can be tracked so you can also see the real-world tactical results – after all, business is still business. The missing link in most organizations is understanding that when business is human, it becomes something even more powerful.
I’ll be sharing more details about each of the Top 10 Rock Star Skills in the weeks to come here on Brainz, so be sure to watch for the posts because, while you may read the list below and think some of these are no-brainers, I can almost guarantee the definitions I’ll be sharing are not what you think. Remember, this is not about learning the right things to say or do, it’s about aligning your energy within each of these skills and then maturing them. This is a completely different approach than what you’ve been taught to date and if there’s one thing the market is telling us right now, it’s that the old way isn’t working.
Here are the Top 10 Rock Star Skills:
Respectful Communication
Honesty & Integrity
Problem Solving
Outstanding Customer Service
Ability to Learn
Basic Finance
Relentless Determination
Jaguar Mentality
Trusted Intuition
The Ability to See
Oh, and there’s a bonus skill I’ll share in the last article in this series!
If you’d like to find out more about how you’re showing up as a leader, take the Leadership Challenge. You’ll receive a report that provides you with tactical steps you can start taking immediately to shift into the leader your team needs you to be.
Are you ready to step up to be the leader your team needs you to be?
Trish Bishop, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
After launching and taking public, one of the first Internet Service Providers in Canada, Trish quickly found her niche as a ‘translator’ with an exceptional ability to translate business needs into solutions. She also discovered early in her career that she is highly intuitive and then honed that gift into her corporate superpower! She blatantly integrates both the corporate and woo-woo aspects of who she is and attributes this to the amazing success she has had in her career, including developing 6 high-performance teams.
As an Energy Integration Coach, Trish teaches leaders how to create massive transformations for themselves, their teams, and their organizations by learning how to read and interpret energetic information (aka intuition!) In addition to being a highly successful IT Project Manager, Trish is also the author of 'The Question Journey,' a Shaman, Empath, and Certified Angel Guide. Her mission: to heal corporate workplaces one leader at a time.
