We had asked two very inspiring leaders - Bill Sullivan, Regional Sales Director at Salesforce and Chiquita King, Founder and Managing Director at Cocogun - to help us tackle this topic and share their own career stories. 

Finding your place 

Stepping into a higher performing team can feel intimidating. We all want to do well and impress the big boss, but the key to getting those top results is about more than just putting your head down and getting work done (though that’s still an important part).  

As Bill reminds us, we’re a part of a team, so the way you work and interact with that team and develop that culture can determine success.  

Chiquita would say think of your team as an Olympic athlete - “even athletes, that are perhaps solo in the pursuit of a gold medal or a world record, they've got a team around them and each member of that team has got a vital role in achieving that ultimate goal”. 

It’s not all about you 

The pressure to show up and always perform at your best in such a high pressure environment can be tricky to manage. Chiquita feels there are three key elements to doing this successfully. 

1. Commit to show up everyday with a consistent energy to every problem, every conversation. 
2. Have strong emotional intelligence - “it's really important to be able to read a room or a situation … to know when to lead and when to support and when to even exercise a certain level of restraint.” 
3. Having a desire for others to succeed - “they [will] go out of their way to do things that are not asked of them that they know will make a difference”. 

Bill also highlights that we need to remember ‘it’s not all about you’. “The highest performing individuals realise their impact on the wider organisation. They can also differentiate between what they can control and what we can’t.” 

More than outcomes 

When stepping into a high performing team, there can be a misconception that the only thing valued is that high performance. 

Chiquita highlights this language ‘is sort of counterintuitive. The reality is this high performance is simply an outcome of a team who have figured out how to work well together, support one another and set each other up to succeed. 

Team work makes the dream work 

There is no ‘I’ in team and being an effective part of a high performing team involves helping others be better at working together. 

Bill feels that caring about others is paramount, both in helping them achieve their individual goals and showing them the importance of teamwork. “Everybody's motivations are a little bit different, but at the end of the day, if you can uncover that and help them see the value in being good teammates, it goes a long way. Folks that care about others and are willing to teach and share their best practices. I think that that is super important.” 

A journey as unique as you 

One last important point - never compare yourself! Everyone is on their own journey. Embrace the path yours takes you on. 

Take Bill for example. After spending 24 years in the United States Air Force, a one-way flight to Australia saw him go down a completely different career trajectory into the world of sales leadership. While certainly not a linear path, Bill still found skills he could transfer from his time in the sky. “I found about 90% of the people leadership skills that I developed in the military translated very directly to the corporate world”. 

As Bill says, there are benefits to all of us travelling different paths. “We all have our unique journey that puts us where we're at and we all bring unique things to the team. You can offer unique perspectives on challenges and that others may not.” 

Conclusion  

While stepping into a high performing role can feel intimidating, if you head in with a strong sense of commitment, an understanding of how your job can have a wider impact and a willingness to not only work with, but support, your team, you can do this! 

Want to hear the full inspiring conversation? Click here to watch the full webinar.