The culture of a team—the habits and behavioral norms among its members—has a big impact on its performance. Every leader knows they need to build a strong team culture, but what does that actually entail? There are three key elements you need to develop and protect, according to research.

* Psychological safety. Do team members feel safe expressing themselves, speaking up when they have questions or concerns, disagreeing with each other, and making mistakes? When they do, diverse perspectives emerge and people are more likely to intervene and state their opinions or concerns before errors occur.

* Common goals. Everyone should understand how their own expertise and responsibilities contribute to the team’s overall performance and its place within the broader organizational context.

* Prosocial purpose. Knowing the purpose of their work isn’t enough; employees also want to know who their work is serving. When team members know that they’re making a valuable contribution to the world and producing work that positively impacts others, they feel prosocial purpose, which, in turn fuels collective focus and motivation.
This tip is adapted from “What Makes Some Teams High Performing?,” by David Burkus

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