T for Trust. E for Empowerment. A for Accountability. M for Motivation. T.E.A.M. for Team Performance

These four elements result in a group of people performing well as a team and delivering great outcomes, according to research referenced in this, this, this, and more. After all, to drive customer outcomes and business outcomes is the purpose of a product team.

A missing element can lead to underperformance. Trust in a team or empowering a team without them feeling accountable can lead to confusion or chaos. As Stephen M.R. Covey pointed out, trust is equal parts character and competence, sometimes known as a person’s likability and respectability. Accountability put on a team member without trust in their competency or skill mastery can lead to micromanagement, which is disempowering. Empowerment without motivation can result in missed opportunities or lower competency.  

Trust but verify. This is prudent for the team leader, who is ultimately accountable, to remember. The “verify” part is to account for inadvertent gaps in communication of strategic context. It is typically not due to distrust in a person’s character and rarely due to distrust in their competency, if proper recruiting and development practices are in place. 

Though a lot has been written about empowerment, Spotify’s principle of “alignment enables autonomy,” is a practical interpretation—“the greater the alignment, the more autonomy you can grant”. The elements of driving alignment, such as a comprehensive product vision and strategy, strategic positioning, and goal setting, serve a dual purpose. Not only do these elements provide the strategic context that empowers teams to solve the company’s challenges, thereby motivating them and aligning incentives, they also are crucial for product success. This is expected because it is great teams who deliver great products. 

Great teams distinguish themselves through solid skill-based competencies and clear, precise communication. These traits empower team members by providing them with a voice and fostering an environment of trust, both within the team and across different teams. As a result, the team’s contributions are impactful and recognized, creating a cycle of continuous empowerment and achievement.

The T.E.A.M. elements between two people are reciprocal, and fostered through clear two-way communication. The two people could be peers, or a manager and an employee, or leadership and a team. Let’s call the two people, Alice and Bob. Alice may trust Bob; does Bob feel trusted by Alice, and vice versa? Alice may empower Bob; does Bob feel empowered by Alice, and vice versa? Alice may hold Bob accountable; does Bob feel accountable, and vice versa? Alice may feel Bob is motivated; is Bob motivated, and vice versa?  

Underlying these four elements is psychological safety, which measures “If I make a mistake on our team, it is not held against me.” 

The saying, “all models are wrong, but some are useful,” applies here. While the specifics of the organizational context and individual diversity matter, I hope the model of the T.E.A.M. elements for team performance is useful.  

PS: Check out more articles on building products. I write to pay it forward and to clarify my thinking.