One of my most valuable lessons on leading high performing teams came from a CEO I previously worked with. 

It took me a while to assess whether I’d see the same great results as the CEO by putting this lesson into practice. I’m happy to report that I did—which is why I’m thrilled to share the lesson with you, in the hopes you’ll enjoy similarly great results.

Let me start by telling you about this CEO. This guy was a big deal. He’d been at the tippy top of a global financial firm. Eventually, he exited that world and entered the world of startups. He eventually became the CEO of a startup he ultimately led through a successful acquisition by a well-known global organization. 

But his impressive track record isn’t the full picture (it never is!). He was super cool and somehow managed to foster a working environment that was simultaneously focused and relaxed; productive and creative; execution-oriented and thoughtful; mission-driven and people-focused; serious and joyful.  

You can see why I admired his leadership style and wanted to learn from him. And I learned a ton! 

But one thing in particular stood out and stuck with me. That’s the lesson I’m sharing with you today. 

(Okay, okay, getting to the point after all that preamble!)

The lesson is this: Assume—and internalize the assumption—that each member of your team is highly competent.

Yep, that’s it. Pretty simple, and it goes a long way. 

Of course, as with anything, there are tactics and pitfalls to be mindful of. But before I get into the ‘How’, let’s start with a different question…

Why? Because, in terms of impact, nine times out of ten your team will respond not only by meeting, but exceeding, your expectations. By showing up with an assumption of high competence, you’ll cultivate a high trust environment in which your team’s confidence in themselves, each other, and you will grow. This, in turn, will feed a culture of personal excellence and curiosity. With these foundations in place, what you’ll have is a rock-solid, high-performing team.

Now turning back to the ‘How’. Below is a sample list of tactics, followed by a list of pitfalls. 

Tactics. 

* Lead with curiosity about your team members’ roles. Ask about the nature of their work, their specialized skills, and how they collaborate with others. Give them an opportunity to share details about the work they’re most proud of. Fearlessly admit when you don’t understand something and ask follow-up questions. 

* Engage with your team’s expertise. Ask how they’re solving a problem or thinking about a challenge. Invite their perspectives and learnings. Eliminate from your mind any tendency to be the smartest person in the room. Some prompts to get you started: “Have you seen this type of challenge before?” “How would you approach this problem?”

* Recognize your team’s potential. Ask for advice on questions ‘above their paygrade’. Be candid about what’s on your mind; share what you’re excited about, as well as what you’re worried about. Take in their fresh perspectives and be sure to let them know if you’ve implemented their advice. 

Pitfalls. 

* You don’t actually believe in your team’s competence. This all falls apart if you don’t have confidence in your team’s ability to meet or exceed expectations. And if you don’t hold this belief, it’s important to explore why (is it you? is it your team?) and work to address it.  

* You don’t hold each other accountable. This is such an important antidote to ensuring your team’s confidence doesn’t turn into arrogance. At the same time, you will need to balance this with normalizing failure and learning from suboptimal decisions, outcomes, etc. 

* You’re feeling a lot of pressure. This could be coming from your manager, or accountability for delivering an ambitious goal, or a lack of self-confidence. High pressure can invite enemies of high-performing teams, like micromanagement. The key to thwarting these enemies is to establish your healthy team culture from the get-go so you’re not digging yourself (and your team) out of a confidence hole.

So there you have it: Assume competence!

Give it a try. You’ll be amazed at the results.

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