Performance over spirit.
Are you serious? Don’t you know that good team vibes will move the mountain?
Yes. I feel you.
Yet, good team culture doesn’t pay the bills. Results do.
Leaders often focus on the wrong priorities. Some try too hard to please everyone, and their performance slips through their hands.
Why do you work in teams? Because a team can do much more than an individual. Team performance is the ground floor; good vibes come from that.
Let’s stop talking about culture vs. results
Leadership theories love to distinguish between managers who are focused on results and those who are focused on relationships.
I find it outdated.
What happens in reality is that many teams have no idea what the “right” performance looks like. They don’t know what they should be doing, why, or how.
In the meantime, the HR department is running an annual “culture” survey to see what a great family the company is.
If it all feels too fabricated to you, so it does to me.
Scrap the warm vibes and “we’re one big family” narrative.
What you need is:
Results
Respectful and direct communication
Shared high standards and holding each other accountable
Reliability
Ownership
Culture stands on solid ground. Turn these into your team culture, and good vibes will follow (and so will friendship, support, and fairness).
High morale, but a low productivity situation
“My team is always laughing, but they are not producing as much as other teams.”
A leader came to me with this tricky situation. His team was cheerful, fun, and scored the highest on work satisfaction. Yet, they underperformed.
A cheerful team that underdelivers is still a liability. Making your team happy is one thing, but making them effective is another.
Positivity or pressure? Carrot and stick.
One would expect that high morale translates into results. It does not have to. So, be mindful of what priorities you have as a leader.
Typically, you support this paradox, for example, during hiring. You are likely to choose someone who is a “good fit” or “brings good energy”.
Always think about the future. It’s performance that drives progress. A brilliant contributor with a strong will might be more valuable than a loyal team player who’s making others laugh.
Maintaining good vibes comes with a soft culture
I trained a team that avoided difficult conversations because they didn’t want to hurt each other’s feelings.
As a result, the team accepted underperformance with a blind eye. No feedback culture. They didn’t challenge ideas. They even hesitated to disagree with one another.
When the good vibes become the team goal, dissent is discouraged, and critical voices are silenced to keep the peace.
Such a soft culture looks good on paper, but it is shallow and unproductive.
You need disagreement. You need to debate. You need to be able to point out mistakes. Comfort is never good.
The team’s purpose is to make tough calls when necessary. Don’t forget about that. Otherwise, you end up with groupthink.
Where do you start, though?
What does a good performance look like?
When you don’t know, talk to other teams. Performance should be measurable, but not rigid.
What is non-negotiable? What basic tasks and procedures need to be fulfilled? When you know these, you will have no trouble with hiring or performance review.
As always, simplicity and clarity are drivers of good leadership.
So, instead of planning your next pizza party, focus on what really matters. Does your team perform to the bar? If yes, good. If not, get to work.
I know from experience that some teams do not take ownership of their work. That needs to change. The steps could differ based on your situation, but generally speaking, it usually comes down to:
Task definition and accountability
Clear purpose and ownership
Delegation
Communication
(lack of) Training & mentoring
Leadership support
Let me know if you need help with your team. I am listening: ivona@ivonahirschi.com
TL;DR
Performance first, good culture later, is not a black and white issue.
What you should always consider is if there is a bar, and if the bar is well-positioned, so people can work towards it.
Healthy drive and competition could be highly motivating. What a lovely pinch of fun for your team.
Have a good one, Ivona