Insights & Tips
What High Performing Teams Are Doing Right Now
July / August is choc-a-bloc with teams re-setting and realigning for the new financial year. My industry colleagues and I are busier than ever which is always a good thing!
While things might feel a bit uncertain for many businesses (I’m hearing a little bit of that), my clients aren’t hunkering down. They’re coming together for a couple of days offsite to focus on the FY26 priorities and what’s required of them as leaders.
Just a few of the things we focus on at the offsite are:
- Aligning business plans and the operating rhythm
- Re-setting expectations of each other
- Getting very clear about what matters to them personally and professionally (You might be surprised to know that there’s a big impact when team members understand what each other really cares about)
- Having the conversations they need to have about the business, their people and how they want/need to work as a team.
It’s a joy to facilitate these sessions. They’re long days, they completely keep me on my toes AND we get big outcomes. They truly make a difference to how the team shows up to lead and grow the business.
It’s ongoing approach, not a set and forget. For example, I’ve been working with Mark Gay, Group Executive Technology at Australian Unity and his team for the last two years, providing individual coaching, masterclasses for the top 25 leaders and regular Exec and senior leader team offsites all designed to support his leaders to navigate a big transformation of their business and maximise the opportunity it presents. This is what Mark had to say:
Our business is undergoing a profound transformation, making it an exciting but also a challenging time. Chris’s coaching has been instrumental, helping us build resilience, maintain cohesion, and keep our transformation on track while helping us create a high-performing leadership team for our new world.
Apart from being brilliant feedback for me (Thanks Mark!) it also shows what’s required beyond the strategy planning if you want to truly transform and grow your business.
If you find yourself wanting to hunker down and tighten the belt, I encourage you to take a moment to think about what is required of you and your team to lead through this period. Double check they’re operating and leading in the best way possible for the current context you’re in.
You Can’t Lead Strategically Without This One Habit
What I’m noticing is my ever-decreasing attention span when I’m doing ‘deep thinking’ kind of work. It’s been a gradual creep and now I’m admitting I am easily distracted and if I’m not careful, I’m checking LinkedIn (because that’s work related hey!) or FB or Insta or the family chat or the news app or….something….anything!!! Not because I’m looking for anything in particular. Don’t worry I’ve analysed that – is it I’m looking for connection? Inspiration? Motivation? Distraction?
What I think it’s about is an unconscious need for (or reliance on) action and constant activity. And as a result, my deep thinking muscle has atrophied.
And I’m not alone. A number of my coaching clients have recently shared a similar struggle. They’re in back-to-back meetings every day and when they do have space, they feel restless. The quiet is too quiet and the work that actually matters is too slow to feel productive. It all feels hard and they get caught up in the simple things they can tick off the to do list.
Sound familiar?
My take is that the “back-to-back” culture we’ve created might look productive on paper, but it’s eroding our ability to think deeply, strategically, and creatively – the exact mindset leaders need right now.
So, I’m rebuilding my deep work muscle – slowly and consciously. If this resonates, you may want to try my experiments too. I’ve also noted a couple of books you might find helpful at the end of this newsletter.
Here’s what I’m experimenting with:
- Phone in another room. I keep my Apple Watch on for urgent calls or texts, but the phone stays out of reach and Do not Disturb is on when needed.
- Block time and set goals. I’m protecting 90-minute blocks for writing and thinking. Each block has a focus and a goal (word count, decision made, concept clarified).
- “Defrag” before I begin. A 10-minute breath practice or slow walk before a deep work session. Like rebooting the nervous system.
- Rewriting my self-talk. I’ve stopped saying “this should be easy” and started saying “this matters enough to deserve effort.”
It takes discipline to be free from distraction and some days are better than others. But I am noticing real shifts in the quality of my thinking and the quality of my presence.
In other news…
EOFY is looming and I’m seeing a different energy this year. More of my clients are locking in their Team Alignment Offsites now – some paying early to use remaining budget, others securing dates with invoices in July. Either works.
What I’m really noticing is that these leaders know that now is the time to re-set their teams.
Because:
- Complexity is increasing
- Markets are moving fast
- And there’s no room for misalignment at the top
These leaders are aligning their teams around purpose, sharpening focus on 5 (not 25) priorities, and consciously shaping the culture they want their teams to embody.
One client said to me recently:
“It’s a gamble. But we have to pull out all stops in this market, and I can’t see how else we’ll deliver [to our parent company] if I don’t upskill the leadership and set clear parameters for how we operate as a team.”
I assured him, it’s not a gamble. It’s a strategic decision. And it’s exactly what high-performing leadership teams are doing right now.
If you want to talk about how to set your team up for success in FY26, I’m here, book a time to chat. Let’s make sure your team isn’t just busy, but aligned, focused, and ready to lead.