S8E4: High-performing teams - turning clarity into performance

Clarity on paper means nothing if it doesn't change how people actually work. Now we've worked through the purpose of the team, let's make it reality. 

In this episode, Imogen and Amanda get into the mechanics of day-to-day performance: why most teams fail not because of strategy but because they don't talk to each other properly, how a simple "now, next, later" rhythm transforms the noise of meetings into something useful, and why healthy challenge in a team is a sign things are working. Bonus tip: how to guarantee a meeting with the Beaumont team.

Imogen Hitchcock and Amanda Pierce have a clear purpose: creating communications (and communicators) that spark action, drive growth, and build lasting influence. Between them, there’s not a question or crisis they haven’t faced. From the everyday “could you just…” to high-stakes challenges, they’re here to share their insights and help you thrive.

They'd love your stars, favourites, and follows. Please, give them the social validation they crave ;) 

Transcript

[00:00:05.870] - Imogen

Hello and welcome to Dear Comms, the coffee break podcast where we tackle your biggest corporate comms challenges. I'm Imogen.

[00:00:13.780] - Amanda

And I'm Amanda. We're here to give you practical, no-nonsense advice so you can focus on the things that will really drive influence, engagement, and impact.

[00:00:24.390] - Imogen

So we're on episode 4 of 5 episodes talking about high-performing teams. Last time we talked about alignment, so clarity and purpose, roles, priorities, expectations on how the team is going to work together. These are all things that, if they're not working, will stop the team working properly. And we're going to pick up on that from there, because clarity is only really useful if it actually changes behavior. And We see it the whole time with teams that there's clarity, but nothing's really changing.

[00:01:03.140] - Amanda

All the time. If you can get everybody aligned on paper and still feel like nothing's moving, you've still got a problem. Because clarity on its own doesn't deliver in the day-to-day. It's how people talk to each other, how decisions get made, what people do when things get messy. We've seen teams with brilliant strategies, but it still feels chaotic because nothing actually really changed.

[00:01:31.710] - Imogen

What helps teams actually deliver consistency and deliver to that high level? They've got the clarity, they know who's working on what, but what is it that actually flips that switch, I guess, from chaos to high performance? And surprisingly enough, I'm going to tell you, it's about communication.

[00:01:53.030] - Amanda

It usually starts there.

[00:01:54.970] - Imogen

Usually, but most teams don't fail because they don't have a strategy. They fail because they don't actually talk to each other properly. Sometimes communications teams are the worst at this. One of the simplest shifts is just about helping teams talk to each other and understand what they should be focusing on. So, leaders giving a now, next, later conversation. So, what are we looking at now? What's happening next? What's coming up later?

[00:02:25.450] - Amanda

That can make a real difference. In high-performing teams, it's not necessarily about communicating more, they're just better at it. They're clear when they need input, when they're just keeping people in the loop. And they don't sit on bad news or awkward conversations either, they tend to deal with it early. Because the longer you think, you know, you leave things unsaid, the harder they are to fix. I don't think it's a workload problem. I think it goes back to us talking about prioritization and communicating their needs. And we talked about that last episode, that everything is now, then it doesn't really mean anything.

[00:03:09.180] - Imogen

You know, you're talking to everyone, you're not actually talking to anyone. It's the same thing with everything is urgent, therefore nothing is actually urgent. And the challenge that you get is that when everything is a priority, your calendar seems to fill up with meetings because everything needs to be discussed and meetings are the way to do that. I think teams that are working well have more of a sense of rhythm to their communication. So, they're not just having meetings about things, but instead, they have a regular cadence of communication and check-ins that actually unblocks problems. So, it's not just about a status update, it's about what's getting in the way, what do we need to change, who do I need to speak to? It's those kind of conversations.

[00:04:02.960] - Amanda

And you're talking about good communication not being about volume, about— it's— go back to that word again, about clarity. If people walk out of a conversation knowing what's happening next, then that's useful. They leave with more questions they came in with, then that meeting was probably just more noise. And that's where, you know, meetings fall down. I think you have to ask a very simple question, what's this meeting for? You know, is it about a decision? Is it about an update? Is it about problem solving? Because I think the moment you're clear on that, either those meetings get shorter or they don't need to happen at all.

[00:04:44.670] - Imogen

I make it a point of rejecting as many meetings as I can which don't have an agenda. I think if your meeting doesn't have an agenda, then why are you asking for my time to be in that meeting?

[00:04:55.740] - Amanda

It's a really, really good rule.

[00:04:59.080] - Imogen

Yeah, yeah. I don't know if my clients always think so, but I think having an agenda is a really good start. So, if you are saying, you know, let's make the purpose of this meeting clear, decision update, problem solving, If you have a purpose, then you should have an agenda, and people should know why they're there, because then the meeting is useful. Everyone knows their role in it, and your communication is improving. So start putting agendas into your meetings, people.

[00:05:32.890] - Amanda

It's very simple.

[00:05:36.410] - Imogen

You know, and it's so obvious. Why wouldn't you have an agenda of things that you want to talk about? I don't know. Anyway, have an agenda. Once that cadence of communication improves, once we start talking to people about what's actually happening and what we need and priorities, the next friction that we see is around decision-making.

[00:06:07.600] - Amanda

Yeah, and having meetings, being stuck in meetings all the time is symptomatic of a lack of decision-making. It's what's missing underneath. And if no one's clear on who's deciding what, it turns into a discussion, and a discussion is a meeting, and it drags on because nobody feels that they can close that out. And that's where things really slow down. If you spend your day in meetings, you've then got to do the work afterwards.

[00:06:37.670] - Imogen

And people seem to take pride somehow in their calendars being stuffed full of meetings. I'm like, but how do you actually do anything? Do anything at all? Um, you need to make it very clear, or it needs to be very clear for everyone on the team, as to who is making decisions about what, who's deciding, who's contributing, when you need input versus when things just need to get done, you know, when we need to take the Nike approach and just do it. It sounds really simple, but it's a cause of a lot of invisible friction.

[00:07:17.880] - Amanda

Get that decision-making right and something quite subtle shifts. I think people stop waiting, they stop holding back just in case and just get on with it, as you say. And it's usually when teams start moving faster without feeling more pressure.

[00:07:32.090] - Imogen

It occurs to me that this is also a point where values being part of behavior is really important. So, if you're saying that your values as a team or an organization is being dynamic and innovative and courageous, that needs to show up in decision-making as well.

[00:07:51.020] - Amanda

Yeah.

[00:07:51.980] - Imogen

You can't be innovative and courageous if you're sitting waiting for someone else to make a decision for you. Once those decisions start being made quicker and with a bit more rigor behind them, it is a point where disagreements can start to show up. And generally, I think people try to shy away from disagreement and conflict. I think it makes teams a bit nervous.

[00:08:20.930] - Amanda

It gets a bad reputation. And that's only because people see the messy version of it. But if you avoid conflict, it doesn't go away. It means you get frustration building quietly, or things come out in the wrong way. I think a healthy challenge is actually a good sign in a team. It means people are paying attention and they care enough to question things. If everything feels too smooth, it's probably because you've got a team that's not engaging.

[00:08:47.160] - Imogen

And I think the trick around challenge and questions is that it has to be about the work or the process or the objectives or the strategy. It's not about a person, it's not a personal thing. You're not getting at someone, it's about curiosity around how it's going to work.

[00:09:07.300] - Amanda

Yeah, and if you keep it simple, as you say, you focus on the work, I think there are some simple things you can do with a shift in language that really helps. So phrases like, talk me through how you're seeing it, or what are we trying to avoid here, that grounds it in the issues of the problems. It stops it becoming personal.

[00:09:29.270] - Imogen

And once you have that mandate and that safety around challenge, your team is going to grow, your individuals are going to grow, they're going to develop, and they're going to perform better.

[00:09:44.190] - Amanda

It's not just about getting things done, is it? It's about how people develop. Over time. I think those teams that work really well are usually very clear about what good looks like in practice, not just outputs, how people show up, how they handle decisions, how they manage stakeholders. It's about not guessing. It, you know, if you can see how to improve, then you can actually move towards it.

[00:10:12.810] - Imogen

And a lot of that comes from your leadership. And how your leadership is feeding back to you. If it is constant, ongoing cadence of communications and feedback, then you are going to grow. If it's vague platitudes once a year, it's not very useful, and by the next day you've forgotten it.

[00:10:37.340] - Amanda

No, don't get started on that one, waiting for feedback once a year for performance review. That's a whole nother podcast.

[00:10:44.730] - Imogen

I think we've actually done a podcast on that.

[00:10:46.250] - Amanda

I think we did.

[00:10:47.130] - Imogen

Ranted about it, yeah.

[00:10:48.730] - Amanda

We did. And that goes back, if expectations are vague, people fill the gaps themselves, and that's where anxiety creeps in. You get overthinking, you get second-guessing, you know, a lot of energy trying to interpret what's wanted instead of just getting on with it.

[00:11:08.840] - Imogen

Yeah, and it goes back to that word that we've used a million times. It's about that clarity again, isn't it?

[00:11:13.730] - Amanda

Yeah.

[00:11:13.990] - Imogen

Yeah. A lot of people, who are seen as low performers is not actually about their ability. It's about the fact that they haven't been given a clear steer on what's going wrong and how they fix it.

[00:11:33.670] - Amanda

We see that a lot, actually. What looks like a performance issue often isn't when you dig a bit deeper. It's people trying to muddle through, isn't it? Work— work without enough clarity on what matters and how to approach it. And I think if you can sort out that, you're removing some of the obstacles that are in the way.

[00:11:54.550] - Imogen

And, you know, we talked a little bit about the tools that we offer and that teams should have in place. And I think things like a priority matrix can help. And what I mean by that is a very clear framework as to the kind of projects or the kind of areas that are a priority because they deliver on business expectations and because you can add value to them versus the kind of projects or work that isn't adding value to the business and you have no place doing anyway.

[00:12:30.320] - Amanda

Once priorities are visible, I think something practical happens. They— you stop trying to do everything. You start making choices. And I think it becomes much easier to say, this isn't the right thing for us to focus on right now. That takes a lot of pressure off. It gives permission to stop work that doesn't move the dial.

[00:12:51.240] - Imogen

And that's really where your plan comes in, I think. I love planning. Plans are good. Plans are also not set in stone. And I think people are scared of plans because they think it's structure and therefore rigid. But actually, having a plan in place gives you the freedom to be able to say no and to be able to, um, prioritize and do things in a certain order. Because without a plan, without that guidance, everything is always going to feel urgent.

[00:13:26.610] - Amanda

I mean, we spend a lot of time working with teams, uh, realistically planning for the year ahead. In fact, sometimes 2 or 3 years ahead. Not a giant document that gathers dust and makes the work feel more manageable, you know, step by step, really, a clear rhythm that people can rely on. I think that's usually the point where you shift from firefighting over to more control over the work.

[00:13:54.360] - Imogen

Okay. So, if you were to summarize this conversation, Amanda, how would you boil that down into two sentences?

[00:14:02.030] - Amanda

You— You're putting the pressure on me now. That was one of my two sentences. It's not about pushing teams harder, it's about making things easier for them to do good work. And what do I mean? I mean clearer conversations, faster decision, less second-guessing, put in place tools, templates, systems that people can fall in behind.

[00:14:29.020] - Imogen

Are you basically saying, get your teams to work smarter, not harder?

[00:14:33.670] - Amanda

Probably, yes.

[00:14:36.780] - Imogen

What a way to end the episode.

[00:14:38.700] - Amanda

Oh, sorry.

[00:14:40.550] - Imogen

Cliché from the '90s. But exactly.

[00:14:45.450] - Amanda

The thing is, we don't want to work more, we want to work better, right?

[00:14:49.640] - Imogen

Yes, we do. But if, like the cliché, work smarter, not harder, this episode feels familiar to you, why don't you share it with a member of your team who's desperately trying to make her life or his life easier and run more smoothly?

[00:15:08.430] - Amanda

And if there's a challenge you'd like to us unpick in a future episode, send it our way.

[00:15:13.090] - Imogen

Until next time.

[00:15:13.990] - Amanda

Ta-ra!