High-Impact Teams: Optimize Talent, Multiply Results

Your team is the engine that drives your business towards success. But here’s an uncomfortable truth: if you don’t manage and optimize the people working with you, that engine could fail at the most critical moment. Many entrepreneurs believe that hiring someone is enough to solve problems, but they overlook an essential fact: talent without direction or recognition gets stuck—and so does the business.

Let me tell you about a real case that perfectly illustrates this: A real estate agent who had worked in-house for developers decided to take the leap and go independent. He dreamed of replicating the model of large agencies, so he hired a team of people skilled in specific tasks like customer service, lead generation, and contract management. Everything seemed fine until he started asking them to take on more and more responsibilities outside their original roles, without considering whether they had the necessary skills or adjusting their salaries.

The result? Full-on quiet quitting. His employees, mostly millennials, did the bare minimum: delivering only what was expected based on their pay, without initiative or commitment. What began as a strategy to “scale quickly” ended up being a disaster. The team didn’t deliver the necessary results, clients complained, and the business lost traction. At the end of the day, if you pay peanuts, you’ll get monkeys—whether they lack skills or simply stop trying because they feel undervalued and underpaid.

This story is not unique, but it does have a solution. In this article, we’ll explore tools, strategies, and techniques to optimize your team, identify the necessary skills, and create a culture of collaboration and trust. Whether you have a physical team or work with remote collaborators, you’ll learn how to turn them into a high-impact resource that helps you grow while they thrive as well.

Because, in the end, it’s not just about hiring; it’s about leading, recognizing, and building an environment where everyone wants to give their best.

The real estate agent’s story is a reminder that leading a team is not just about hiring skilled people but ensuring each member is in the right role, equipped with the tools and guidance they need to thrive. But how can you make sure your current team is performing at its best? The first step is to evaluate and optimize so that every piece of your business aligns with your strategic goals. Here’s how to do it.

Evaluate and Optimize Your Current Team

A high-impact team doesn’t happen by accident; it’s built with clarity, strategy, and constant evaluations. Many entrepreneurs assume that simply having employees or collaborators guarantees that tasks will get done. But here’s a reality few admit: a team only works well if each piece is in the right place and equipped with the proper tools to fulfill its role.

The real estate agent’s case offers a valuable lesson: hiring skilled people is not enough. Without clear roles and defined expectations, even the brightest talent can stagnate. But how can you ensure you have the right people in the right roles? This is where the skills and roles matrix comes in—a powerful tool to align your team with your business’s needs.

How to Use the Skills and Roles Matrix

The skills and roles matrix is a simple yet effective technique for analyzing who is doing what in your team, identifying critical gaps, and redistributing tasks strategically. Here’s how to implement it in three steps:

1. Define the Essential Roles in Your Business

List the key functions your business needs to operate efficiently. For example, if you have a real estate agency, these might include:

• Lead generation
• Contract management
• Marketing and social media
• Customer service
• Closing coordination and visits

2. Evaluate Your Team’s Current Skills

For each team member, ask yourself:

• What skills do they currently have?
• How well do these align with the role they perform?
• What tasks are they doing outside their original description, and how are they managing them?

Be honest: if you find that your marketing assistant is managing closings because “no one else can do it,” it’s a red flag.

3. Redistribute and Train

Once you identify the gaps, adjust the tasks. Redistributing responsibilities doesn’t mean overloading someone but assigning tasks where each person can excel. If someone needs additional training, consider investing in their development.

Practical Application: The Real Estate Agent Case

Returning to the agent who hired skilled employees but overloaded them with tasks they couldn’t handle—here’s what he could have done by implementing the skills and roles matrix:

• Identify the Gaps: Recognize that customer service and lead management were being handled poorly because the employees lacked experience with digital tools or strategic communication.
• Redistribute Tasks: Hire a virtual assistant to handle the more operational tasks, freeing up the team to focus on areas where they truly added value, like closings and direct client follow-ups.
• Strategic Training: Invest in courses or workshops to teach the team key skills, such as using CRMs, negotiation strategies, or digital lead generation.

When Things Don’t Fit: Tough Decisions

Not all team problems can be solved with training or redistribution. Sometimes, you have to accept that some people aren’t the right fit for your business. This doesn’t mean they’re bad employees—it means their talent might be better utilized elsewhere.

Ask yourself:

• Am I confident this person is doing the work I need, exactly how I need it?
• Is this person willing to grow with my business, understanding that it requires adaptability?
• Does their behavior demonstrate that they share my values as a professional and entrepreneur?
• Am I keeping someone just because I’m afraid of not finding a better replacement?
• Am I avoiding this decision because I dread the emotional impact of letting someone go?

Remember, these questions aren’t for judgment—they’re for clarity. An aligned team not only benefits your business but also helps each member play a role where they can truly shine. Letting go of someone who doesn’t fit isn’t an act of cruelty—it’s an act of kindness and empathy. You’re giving them the chance to find a place where they can grow and avoid stagnating in their professional journey.

Results You Can Expect

When you evaluate and optimize your team, you’ll notice significant changes:

• Increased productivity: People will be doing what they do best.
• Better work environment: Everyone will have clarity about their responsibilities.
• More time for you as a leader: By delegating strategically, you can stop micromanaging.

Optimizing your current team is the first step toward building a high-impact team. It’s not just about hiring; it’s about leading with intention, recognizing talent, and ensuring every piece of your team aligns with your business vision.

By optimizing your team and making sure each person is in the right role, you are laying a strong foundation. However, a high-impact team doesn’t stop at having clear roles; it also requires efficient collaboration and daily productivity maximization. In the next step, we’ll explore how to enhance communication and workflows using digital tools and practical strategies that transform the way your team operates together.

Optimize Workflows to Empower Your Team

A high-impact team doesn’t happen by chance; it is built on clearly defined workflows that eliminate bottlenecks and ensure each member knows what to do and when to do it. Before diving into communication strategies, it’s essential to optimize how work flows within your team. A chaotic workflow can derail even the most talented and motivated teams, creating unnecessary friction and significant missed opportunities.

Let me share a real story that illustrates how a lack of clear workflows can negatively impact a business:

Case: A Candle Maker Losing Opportunities

One of my clients was a talented candle maker with unique designs. His products targeted boutique hotels, upscale beach clubs, restaurants, and spas. Additionally, he had a strategically located shop where he sold candles inspired by spiritual themes from Buddhism and Hinduism, which were highly sought after by holistic therapists and wellness-focused customers.

Despite the quality of his products and market demand, the business was struggling. Why? The shop was often closed, missing out on potential customers, and the wholesale side faced delays in fulfilling orders and following up with clients. The owner, passionate about crafting candles, spent most of his time in the workshop. However, the lack of efficient operations management meant that both the B2B and B2C sides of the business were stagnating.

The issue wasn’t the product or the market but the lack of an optimized workflow. Without clear processes for fulfilling custom orders and keeping the shop running efficiently, the business couldn’t grow.

Steps to Optimize Workflows

To avoid these pitfalls, follow these steps to streamline your workflows and create a solid foundation for collaboration:

1. Map Current Processes

Take an honest look at how tasks are currently managed in your business. Use tools like flowcharts to visualize your processes. For example:

• How are orders processed and fulfilled?
• What is the process for maintaining inventory in the shop?
• Who is responsible for client follow-ups?

This exercise will help you identify inefficiencies, such as redundant or poorly delegated tasks, and pinpoint areas where opportunities are being missed.

2. Simplify and Prioritize

Focus on eliminating tasks or steps that don’t add value. For example, automating client reminders or delegating inventory updates can free up time for more strategic tasks.

3. Communication Based on Workflows

Once workflows are defined, it’s time to establish clear communication dynamics. Remember: effective communication depends on an organized context. This is where digital tools like Notion, Slack, or Trello come into play.

Establish Effective Communication Methods

With optimized workflows, you need communication systems that support this structure. Poor communication can lead to confusion, duplicate efforts, and a tense work environment. Define the following:

1. What Gets Communicated and to Whom

Not all conversations need to involve the entire team. For example:

• Daily updates: Only for those directly involved in specific tasks.
• Weekly reports: To assess overall progress and address obstacles.
  
  

2. Define Communication Channels

• Use tools like Slack for quick messages and instant collaborations.
• Centralize documentation in Notion or Google Drive for easy access by the whole team.
• Use Trello or Asana to provide visibility into task statuses.

3. Establish Communication Rituals

• Morning stand-up meetings to sync the team.
• Weekly check-ins to assess accomplishments and adjust priorities.

4. Follow-Up and Feedback

Create spaces where team members can share ideas and voice their concerns. This doesn’t just boost morale but also helps identify potential issues before they escalate. With optimized workflows and clear communication in place, you’re now ready for the next step: strengthening collaboration and productivity.

Once you’ve optimized workflows and established effective communication systems, the next step is to ensure your team operates not only efficiently but also cohesively. This requires something deeper: a culture of trust and clarity.

Why is this important? Because while tools and processes can guide work, trust is what truly unites people. Without a strong foundation of clear expectations and constructive feedback, even the most organized teams can fall into conflicts, lack of motivation, or disengagement.

We’ll explore how you can build this culture within your business.

Build a Culture of Accountability and Clarity

Creating a culture of trust doesn’t just mean making people feel comfortable in their work environment; it also means ensuring that everyone knows what is expected of them and that each person, including the leader, is accountable for meeting their commitments. Here’s where accountability becomes essential—it’s a critical tool for aligning your team with your business goals and empowering them to make confident decisions.

1. Clarity and Purpose: Communicate the Business Strategy

It’s not enough to provide your team with a well-defined workflow, a job description, and performance metrics. If they don’t understand how their work contributes to the business’s success, they are likely to operate on autopilot, doing only the bare minimum. Clarity begins when you take the time to explain:

• The vision and objectives of the business. What are you aiming to achieve in the short and long term?
• How their role impacts these goals. For example, how does the work of your sales agents influence the overall growth of the business?
• What it means to give 150%. Don’t assume that “going above and beyond” is obvious to everyone. Specify what actions represent the extra effort you expect.

Case: The Digital Placement Entrepreneur

A digital entrepreneur helping students secure internships faced high turnover in his online sales team. Upon analyzing the situation, we found that there was no clarity in the value proposition or in how to sell the service.

The problem wasn’t just the agents but also the product and the owner’s lack of listening. Students were unwilling to pay for something they could arrange on their own (an internship), and the sales team lacked the tools or clear direction to handle client objections. This created frustration and an environment where the salespeople didn’t feel responsible for outcomes because they lacked guidance and confidence in the product.

The key takeaway was that accountability isn’t just about demanding results—it’s also about the leader being available to resolve uncertainties and ensuring their team feels empowered to make decisions.

The Ideal Team Starts With You

A high-impact team isn’t built solely with well-defined strategies, optimized workflows, or advanced digital tools. All of these are crucial, but there’s something even more important: the leadership that drives it. Your team not only reflects the individual capabilities of each member but also your ability to guide, inspire, and keep them aligned with a clear vision.

Optimizing your team starts with your ability to lead with clarity and purpose. Be the kind of leader who listens, who is available to resolve uncertainties, and who leads by example. When you show commitment, clarity, and adaptability, you inspire your team to give their best.

Today, I invite you to reflect: What can you do to be the leader your team needs? Maybe it’s taking the time to hear their concerns, adjusting processes that cause frustration, or simply showing genuine appreciation for their efforts. Small changes in your leadership can transform your team’s motivation and impact.

Building a high-impact team doesn’t just transform your business; it also strengthens trust and relationships with the people who make it possible. Because in the end, leadership isn’t just about delegating tasks—it’s about creating a culture where everyone feels valued, empowered, and focused on a shared purpose.