Getting the best from a team is the overriding concern of the effective leader since excellent performance can only be achieved this way. No leader can achieve excellence simply through actions alone. This again demonstrates why the greatest leaders realise that, at the same time, they lead from the front and also from behind: their fate lies with their colleagues’.

Clearly much of this rests with having the right team in the first place; selecting team members is itself an all too frequently unsung skill and one which can set the entire tone for the way a team functions. But much rests, too, on the way a team operates to achieve excellence, notably in:

• doing the right things at the right time – ensuring that activity is strategically focused;
• communicating thoroughly to all colleagues – and doing so through team gatherings which enable effective interaction;
• managing performance – especially being tough on underperformance;
• dealing with interpersonal conflict – which left unchecked can poison any organisation;
• being prepared to say tough things however uncomfortable;
• being clear and targeted around objectives and incentives – so they are fully aligned to overall strategy.

This is another area of leadership which is not at all easy. Doing the right things at the right time sounds straightforward but much that is a diversion can get in the way. Communicating what’s expected of staff is indeed straightforward, but doing so regularly and in an environment of humility where feedback is solicited is more demanding. Being honest with colleagues – talking openly about the good as well as the bad – can be a challenge to personal modesty and self-esteem; but avoiding honesty for fear of conflict never served any business well.

Leading performance excellence demands from the leader excellence in their own approach!