Colin Powell once said, “Performance is the only thing that counts.”  He is right.  Focusing on results and time-based outcomes versus the number of hours your team is spending in the office nurtures an environment of trust, and trust is the foundation of an empowering team environment stimulating creativity and innovation.  When the team succeeds, everyone succeeds.  Focusing on “we” reinforces ownership of the team’s mission and a collaborative working environment. 

At the same time, recognizing individuals’ contributions is also important.  Create ownership of the collective mission by aligning the team’s goals with personal interests.  According to Dan Pink’s Drive, motivation is driven by autonomy, mastery, and purpose.  Give individuals more autonomy to work the hours they want by managing by objectives rather than face time. Offer them the opportunity to master a particular skill that can benefit your team through professional development programs. Have each team member outline how their role and tasks contribute to the overall mission, project, and/or goal.  Allow them to create solutions and work products that enable them to own the purpose.  When objectives and accountability for the team and the individual members are clear, the working environment enables the creative energy necessary for innovative ideas to percolate and take root. 
