PDF Summary:TeamWork, by Natalie Dawson

Building a successful team requires more than hiring talented people—it requires clear systems, structured processes, and a shared understanding of what success looks like. In TeamWork, Natalie Dawson outlines how to create high-performing teams through intentional frameworks and management practices.

Dawson explains how to establish foundational elements like mission, vision, and values, and how to use tools like the Employee Maturity Model to guide professional development. She covers the complete employee lifecycle, from onboarding through growth and transition, and provides practical strategies for performance management, goal alignment, and accountability. You'll learn how to conduct effective performance reviews, address underperformance promptly, and create systems that help employees understand their path forward within your organization.

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The employee lifecycle is a tool for identifying your team's current role statuses. The aim is for employees to cycle through these phases repeatedly as they grow with the company.

The Employment Lifecycle in the Modern World of Work

The employment lifecycle may not be applicable to all organizations. In The Alliance, the authors explain that the modern world of work is characterized by short-term, project-based employment. In this context, the employment lifecycle may break down because employees may only complete part of a phase before moving on to another project or company. For example, an employee may be in the growth phase of their employment lifecycle when they are assigned to a new project. However, the project may only last for a few months, and the employee may not have enough time to fully develop their skills before the project ends.

Here, we’ll explain how to cultivate high performance using performance management systems, goal setting, and accountability.

Cultivating Excellent Results

Performance Management Systems

Dawson asserts that performance management systems should include structured reviews and plans for growth. These reviews help employees know how to improve and give managers a way to document performance issues. This documentation not only provides a clear path for improvement but also safeguards the company in case of disputes or termination.

During reviews, discuss the employee’s strengths and areas for improvement, using data and documentation to support what you say. After the review, have the employee draft a development plan outlining specific actions they will implement to improve. Review the plan together to ensure it addresses all feedback. If the employee's performance doesn't improve, develop a strategy for enhancement with clear, measurable steps and a timeline. Make certain you document all conversations and actions taken.

The Drawbacks of Formal Performance Reviews

While formal performance reviews and development plans can provide structure and documentation, they may also have unintended consequences. Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall argue that traditional feedback methods often focus too much on weaknesses, which can trigger a threat response in employees. This response can impair learning and long-term performance. They suggest that focusing on strengths and providing positive reinforcement is more effective for employee development. While documentation is important for legal protection, consider balancing formal reviews with ongoing, strengths-based feedback to create a more supportive environment.

Goal Setting & Alignment

Dawson advises aligning group goals with company objectives. When team members understand how their goals contribute to the success of the company, they feel more motivated and accountable.

(Shortform note: While aligning group goals with company objectives can increase motivation and accountability, it can also have unintended consequences. According to Lisa D. Ordóñez et al., poorly designed performance goals can cause individuals to focus so narrowly on the specified targets that they overlook important dimensions of their jobs that are not explicitly measured, neglect longer-term or less visible responsibilities, and in some cases even resort to unethical behavior in order to hit the prescribed metrics.)

Addressing Performance & Ensuring Accountability

Accountability is crucial to achieving goals. Dawson explains that it’s an essential principle that evolves as people develop in their positions. Initially, they’re accountable for fulfilling their own tasks. As they assume more responsibility, they become accountable for ensuring that the entire department functions as it should, including addressing team members who lack accountability.

(Shortform note: Dawson’s view of accountability evolving as people develop in their positions may not apply to all organizations. In Reinventing Organizations, Frederic Laloux describes self-managing organizations where accountability is shared from the outset. In these organizations, everyone is responsible for fulfilling their own tasks, ensuring the department functions well, and addressing team members who lack accountability.)

Dawson also explains that performance reviews help ensure accountability by providing a clear set of standards for employees to meet. They also offer a platform for employees to share their worries and for managers to address them.

(Shortform note: In Get Rid of the Performance Review!, management professor Samuel A. Culbert argues that performance reviews actually undermine accountability and open communication. He says that performance reviews are a “corporate charade” that destroys real accountability.)

Next, let's explore how to address underperformance and guarantee accountability.

Addressing Underperformance: Process & Escalation

Dawson stresses the importance of addressing underperformance quickly and following an organized process. If you don’t address issues promptly, you’ll end up with a team of low performers who lack improvement knowledge. The performance improvement plan's purpose is to help team members stay with the company, not to use it as a way to get rid of them. The initial action is to explain what the person on the team is doing wrong in a conversation right when you notice the problem.

(Shortform note: Addressing underperformance as soon as you see it and following an organized process can help you avoid a team of low performers who lack improvement knowledge. This is because underperformance can be contagious. If one person on the team is underperforming, it can affect the rest of the team. If the underperformer lacks improvement knowledge, it can be even more damaging, as the rest of the team may not know how to improve either.)

Next, issue a spoken warning, preferably that day. This warning should include a vision statement explaining the business's overarching goals, a description of the problem, and a commitment from both the team member as well as the manager to change and provide support. It should also include a statement that a performance enhancement plan is the following step if the issue persists. The employee and manager should sign the verbal warning, which must then be included in the employee's HR file.

(Shortform note: In some cases, you may not be able to file a signed record of a first spoken warning. For example, in unionized workplaces, collective bargaining agreements often outline specific steps that must be taken before a formal warning can be issued. These steps may include providing the employee with a union representative during the warning process, conducting a thorough investigation into the alleged misconduct, and allowing the employee to respond to the allegations before any disciplinary action is taken.)

If their conduct doesn't improve, the subsequent action is a performance enhancement plan. This plan should include the goals and pledge statements that the verbal warning did, plus a list of specific action steps, a way to measure each step, and a time period for monitoring the behavior. The performance improvement plan needs to be signed by both the team member and the manager and included in the team member’s HR file. If the person on the team doesn't meet the plan's requirements, you’ll need to let them go.

Performance Improvement Plans: Honest Help or Legal Cover?

In Powerful, Patty McCord, former chief talent officer at Netflix, argues that traditional performance improvement plans are fundamentally dishonest; they’re usually designed more to protect the company from lawsuits than to help anyone get better at their job. She suggests that managers should instead have frequent, straightforward conversations about performance and, when it’s clear that someone isn’t going to be truly successful in a role, offer a respectful, generous exit and support them in finding work where they can genuinely excel. This approach, she argues, is more honest and ultimately better for both the employee and the company.