How to Increase Efficiency and Achieve High Performance in Teams with Liane Davey

by kristenharcourt

What are some of the things you can do as a leader to make your teams more effective? The major reasons why teams fail to be high-performing are alignment-related and dynamic-related issues.

In this episode of the Inspirational Leadership podcast, I speak with Liane Davey about her experience working with teams and what leaders need to do to improve their team performance. For the past 25 years, Liane has researched and advised teams on how to achieve high performance. Known as the “teamwork doctor,” she’s worked with teams from the frontlines to the boardroom, across a variety of industries, and around the globe from Boston to Bangkok. In working with hundreds of teams, including 26 Global Fortune 500 companies (and counting), she has developed a unique perspective on the challenges teams face – and how to solve them.

Listen in to learn about the layers of trust and the critical role of trust in teams to make things easier. You will also learn the difference between tension and friction in conflict and the importance of being aware of healthy tension.

Key Takeaways:

  • How to eliminate inefficiency by getting better at time management and creating boundaries.
  • How to be a vulnerable and accountable leader to earn confidence and connection from your team.
  • How to be aware of healthy tension and properly recognize friction and shut it down.
  • How productive conflict enhances psychological safety and strengthens team relationships.

What You Will Learn in This Episode:

  • [01:48] Liane on how failing calculus in her first year of college shaped her career and interest in working with teams.
  • [04:38] She shares some of the oddest things she has experienced working with teams.
  • [06:45] The alignment-related and team dynamic-related issues that hinder teams from being high-performing.
  • [08:22] Understanding the “trust cake” layers and the importance of trust in teams in any organization.
  • [14:43] The importance of addressing the meetings and email problem to create space for focus and flow.
  • [20:24] How to structure emails in a way that serves the reader and get them to do what you want them to do.
  • [24:50] How to structure emails to serve the reader and get them to do what you want them to do.
  • [27:40] The difference between tension and friction in conflict and how to avoid tension because we fear friction.
  • [34:53] Liane shares some quick wins she notices helping teams solve problems together.
  • [37:37] The leadership qualities needed to create alignment and a trust-based productive conflict dynamic.

Standout Quotes:

  • “We need to address meetings and email problems so that we can create space for focus and flow.”– Liane Davey [16:29]
  • “The more productive conflict we have, the higher the psychological safety gets because people learn that they can come out the other side and the relationship will be stronger.”– Liane Davey [33:01]

Listen to the podcast here:

Watch the video here:

Resources Mentioned:

Have you subscribed to the Inspirational Leadership Community? If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram and share your favorite episodes across social media.

Leave a Reply