A leadership framework to create a culture of high-performance

This article is based on the insights shared by Dan during his keynote talk at Chief Customer Officer Summit London 2023.

Figuring out what it takes to turn a good team into a jaw-droppingly great one isn’t as easy as you’d think.

I've spent the last 12 months diving deep into the world of high-performance cultures. What I discovered was both enlightening and frustrating. While there's no shortage of literature on the subject, I found myself constantly asking, "What's next?"

The existing frameworks didn't quite hit the mark for me, leaving me with more questions than answers.

What does a high-performing team really look like?

This question became my obsession, no word of a lie. I reached out to about 25 different leaders across customer success, revenue, and product roles, seeking their insights. The answers I received were often along the lines of, "A team of individuals who consistently see their goals."

Now, that's not wrong per se, but it felt incomplete to me. It's more of an outcome than a characteristic. I wanted to know the key ingredients, the secret sauce that makes a team truly high-performing.

That's when I had what you might call an epiphany.

Reflecting on the teams I've built and inherited over the years, I noticed some common threads. The standout performers were incredibly driven, had a real entrepreneurial spirit, and actively embraced difficult moments. This realization led me to develop what I now call the “HIPE leadership framework”.

The HIPE leadership framework

HIPE isn't just a catchy acronym; it's a comprehensive approach to fostering a high-performance culture. It stands for:

Hire
Inspire
Push
Energize

Each element is crucial in creating and maintaining a team that doesn't just meet goals, but consistently exceeds them. Let's dive into each component.

Hire: The foundation of high-performance

The bedrock of any high-performance culture is the people who make it up. Sounds obvious, right? But here's the kicker: identifying and attracting true A-players is incredibly challenging.

Many of us are guilty of asking interview questions that, frankly, nobody cares about. "Where do you see yourself in five years?" Come on, we can do better than that. A-players see right through these canned questions, and it immediately signals that you don't have much to offer them.

Instead, try asking questions that really matter:

"Tell me how I can help you get to the next level."
"What's your number one killer attribute that you're proud of?"

These questions serve a dual purpose. They help you assess whether the candidate is truly an A-player (because if they can't answer these, they're probably not), and they demonstrate that you're the kind of leader who understands what drives top performers.

But it's not just about the questions. Create one of the most relaxed interview environments possible. Be overly transparent about everything from business results to your own areas for development as a leader. Connect on a real human level. Remember, A-players have options, and you need to prove that your team is where they belong.

Inspire: Leading by example

Once you've got your A-players on board, you need to inspire them. And I'm not talking about plastering motivational quotes all over the office. I'm talking about actions that truly inspire people to, as I like to say, "leave it all out there" every single day.

This starts with you, not them. You need to create an environment that enables your team to give 200% every day. Here's how:

Expose yourself to the tough stuff: When a difficult situation arises, be the first to step up. Your team will notice and follow suit.
Show them nothing is beneath you: I once took on managing customer accounts for three months when a team lead went on maternity leave. My CEO thought I was crazy, but it showed my team that I'd never ask them to do something I wouldn't do myself.
Be decisive and back yourself: Even when you're not 100% sure, make the call. Your team needs to see you taking those leaps of faith.
Be vulnerable: Open up when you're struggling. It builds a human connection and inspires trust.
Show maximum empathy: If someone on your team needs to miss a meeting, don't make them feel guilty. That kind of support won't be forgotten.

Push: Finding the flashpoint

Now, this is where things get interesting – and a bit controversial. Once you've hired and inspired your A-players, you need to push them. Hard.

I call this concept "finding the flashpoint." Imagine a plastic ruler. You can bend it to varying degrees before it snaps. Each person on your team has a flashpoint – that point just before breaking where they're maximally stretched but still resilient. Your job is to identify that point for each team member.

Why is this important? Let me tell you about someone I once worked with.

Case study

This person, let’s call them Jo, was someone I hired at a previous business. Out of everyone I've ever worked with, they had the highest ceiling. Their drive, their attention to detail – it was all off the charts. Within 12-15 months, they turned a function that was losing 80K a year into one making a quarter-million in profit. (I’m not joking.)

Naturally, I promoted them. I thought, "They’re going to flourish!" Instead, I watched them completely unravel over the next six months. They eventually left the business, and it remains my biggest career regret.

For years, I told myself they just weren’t ready. But that wasn't the real reason. The truth was, I hadn't exposed them to enough difficult moments early on to build their resilience. When they stepped into that higher position and faced those inevitable challenges, they didn't have the tools to cope.

That's why pushing your team to find their “flashpoint” is so crucial. It builds the resilience they'll need when they step up to bigger challenges. But remember, this isn't about breaking people – not at all. It's about having an open dialogue, understanding their limits, and gradually expanding them.

Energize: Sustaining high performance

The final piece of the HIPE framework is all about energy. As a leader, you need to create what I call an "extraordinary energy" that permeates your team. This energy is built around purpose – not just making customers happy, but a deeper, more aligned purpose that fires everyone up every single day.

Here's the deal: you need to be the engine behind the scenes, always. Turn up every single day, no matter what. Never let them see that you've given up on something. I'll be real with you - some days, it's hard. At my current high-growth SaaS business, we're under the microscope daily. But when I walk through that door, I have to be present and energized.

Find out what fires up each member of your team. Is it money? Recognition? For me, it's the feeling that I'm making a real difference every day. I also know that being overlooked lights a fire under me – I want to prove people wrong. Understand these triggers for yourself and your team, and use them to maintain that high energy.

Lastly, don't forget about mental health. Encourage your team (and yourself) to find ways to heal mentally every week. For me, it's cooking. Find what works for you and your team to stay refreshed and ready to attack each week with the same level of energy.

The challenges of HIPE leadership

Now, I'll be the first to admit that this framework isn't perfect. No leadership framework is. There are some real challenges to be aware of:

It's exhausting: The highs are incredibly high, and the lows are pretty damn low. You're on this constant roller coaster with your team, feeling every up and down.
It's harder to move people on: When you invest so heavily in your team members, it can be emotionally challenging to make necessary changes.
It may not scale for every company: As companies grow and shift into more systemized structures, some elements of HIPE might need to be adapted.

The future of HIPE leadership

HIPE leadership is still in its infancy. It's a framework designed to provoke thought and drive high performance in the right environment. It won't be right for every business or every leader, and that's okay.

What I hope is that you can take elements of this framework and apply them to your own leadership style. Maybe you focus on revolutionizing your hiring process, or perhaps you dive deep into finding the "flashpoint" for each of your team members.

Leadership, like building a high-performance culture, isn't a one-size-fits-all proposition. It's about finding what works for you, your team, and your organization. HIPE is my contribution to that ongoing conversation.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, experiences, and feedback. After all, that's how we all grow and improve as leaders. So, let's keep the dialogue going. Together, we can push the boundaries of what it means to build and lead truly high-performing teams.