Ready to See Real Results for Your Team? Discover the Power of a Team Charter

Have you ever worked on a team where some of the team members make excuses or blame others for not achieving deliverables, derailing productivity and morale? It’s a common scenario, but one that can be avoided.

A team charter isn’t just about setting goals and clarifying roles; it’s also a powerful tool for defining the kinds of behaviours you want to see (and those you don’t) within your high performing team. By setting out clear standards up front, you create an environment where everyone understands what’s expected of them, and disruptive behaviours are easier to address. The result is a more aligned, respectful, and productive high performing team that can focus on delivering results without being bogged down by conflict, misunderstanding or confusion.

What Is a Team Charter?

A team charter is a document that outlines a team’s purpose, behavioural goals, and how they work together. It’s a living document that helps a team stay focused and on track. It’s usually developed by the team members themselves – often in collaboration with a consultant and upper management – to ensure alignment right from the start. The process of setting a team charter provides an opportunity for all team members to talk about positive and negative behaviours from their perspective, this creates a language and acceptance for the team to discuss behaviours.

How a Team Charter Adds Value to Your Business

• Team charters bring structure and clarity: Having a shared document that outlines purpose, goals, roles, and processes sets the stage for better collaboration.
  
  
• Builds trust: For all of you who know Patrick Lencioni’s model for building a cohesive, high-performing team, Trust is the most important component to building a high performing team.
  
  
• Improved alignment boosts performance: When people know what’s expected of them, they focus on high-impact activities rather than duplicating efforts or missing key tasks.
  
  
• Fewer misunderstandings = fewer delays: Establishing ground rules, agreed behavioural standards and processes upfront reduces communication breakdowns that lead to missed deadlines or scope creep.
  
  
• Greater employee engagement: Feeling clear on one’s role and contribution is highly correlated with job satisfaction and engagement, both of which drive productivity.
  
  

Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report (2023) found teams in the top quartile of employee engagement achieved 23% higher profitability than those in the bottom quartile. A team charter isn’t just a paperwork exercise; it’s a critical strategic tool and part of the foundation for a high performing team. When team members trust each other, embrace conflict, commit to decisions, hold one another accountable, and are focused on shared outcomes, they tap into the collective strength that transforms ordinary groups into extraordinary ones.

Whether you’re building a new team or re-aligning an existing one, a well-crafted team charter can make all the difference in driving productivity, improved communication and positive work environment.

Ready to consider introducing or refining your team’s charter? Contact Veronica or Chris at Stoke Consulting veronica.williamson@stokeconsulting.com.au / chris.read@stokeconsulting.com.au

Veronica Williamson

Stoke Consulting

Veronica’s executive leadership skills and broad experience puts her in a great position to help your business deliver on key business goals. Her ability to draw on strategic insight and innovative thinking to tackle financial and operational challenges whilst supporting business leaders through their execution and change processes, is Veronica’ strength.

Chris Read

Stoke Consulting

Leveraging his extensive leadership and entrepreneurial background, Chris consistently leads high-performing teams of leaders to outstanding business achievements. He excels in unravelling the intricacies of challenging business scenarios, crafting strategic plans and fostering deep trust including during executive coaching. This comprehensive and high integrity approach significantly elevates business performance for his clients, helping them to exceed expectations.