One of the reasons that we study high performance teams is to understand the criteria and conditions that make these teams function as well as they do.  Whether it is an Emergency Room trauma department, a police SWAT team or a special forces team in the military there are some similar characteristics across all high performance teams that stand out and things that we all can take away and apply to our own teams and our own leadership.  One of these conditions is the commitment that the team leader has to being the best leader that they can be.  These team leaders do not rely on their position to garner respect or to wield authority; in fact, if these leaders resort to positional authority and privilege to get things done they have all but lost their leadership role.  Instead, the best leaders understand that their leadership is a craft that must be developed and honed for them to become better leaders; they are more concerned about being worthy of their leadership and of leading others than they are about the "power" that comes with the position.  When leaders are first concerned about their team and being the best leader they can be because they believe their team deserves it, then high performance is not too far away.  Team performance is an outcome of the leadership that exists; if we get that right, the results nearly take care of themselves.

Success is almost totally dependent upon drive and persistence. The extra energy required to make another effort or try another approach is the secret of winning.  Denis Waitley

Don’t lower your expectations to meet your performance. Raise your level of performance to meet your expectations.  Ralph Marston

To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.  Steve Prefontaine