Why We Use the Drexler/Sibbet Team Performance Model

Nick Leach
Nov 25
3 min read

High-performing teams don’t happen by accident.

They are built deliberately, consistently, and with a shared understanding of how teams actually form, align, and execute.

The Drexler/Sibbet Team Performance Model is used because it does something most team frameworks fail to do: it makes the invisible forces of team dynamics visible, practical, and predictable.

This model gives leaders and teams a common language for the real journey teams go through, not the idealised one. And that’s exactly why it works.

1. It Shows Teams That Their Struggles Are Normal : Not a Failure

Most teams think their challenges are unique. Resistance, confusion, friction, dips in morale, these are seen as signs that something is wrong.

The Drexler/Sibbet model normalises the journey.

It shows that every team moves through predictable stages: Orientation → Trust Building → Goal/Role Clarification → Commitment → Implementation → High Performance → Renewal.

The moment teams see this, they relax. They understand they aren’t broken, they’re simply in a stage.

This shift alone accelerates performance.

2. It Gives Leaders Clarity on What Their Team Needs Right Now

Most leaders misdiagnose team problems.

They push for execution when alignment isn’t clear.
They demand commitment without clarity.
They expect trust where trust hasn’t been built.
They assume high performance without first setting purpose.

The Drexler/Sibbet model acts like a diagnostic tool.

It tells leaders:

Where the team actually is
What the team needs next
What the leader should do more of, or stop doing

When leaders know the stage, they know the intervention.

This eliminates guesswork and reduces frustration for everyone.

3. It Aligns Perfectly With Purpose-Driven Leadership

Team purpose is the real driver of performance — not pressure. The Drexler/Sibbet model reinforces this by ensuring that before a team accelerates, it aligns deeply with:

Why it exists
How success is defined
What customers need
How roles and goals interconnect

The early stages (Orientation, Trust, Alignment) connect directly with the purpose and trust principles outlined in previous blog posts and in the book, Leading on Purpose.

This ensures teams don’t just work harder — they work with meaning and cohesion.

4. It Removes the Biggest Barrier to Performance: Assumption

Teams often assume:

Everyone understands the purpose.
Everyone is clear on roles.
Everyone sees success the same way.
Everyone trusts each other.

These assumptions kill performance.

The model forces teams to surface the unspoken, because each stage asks essential questions:

Orientation: What are we here to do?

Trust: Can I rely on the people around me?

Goal/Role Clarification: What exactly is my role?

Commitment: Are we truly all-in?

Implementation: How will we coordinate?

High Performance: How do we strengthen our rhythm?

Renewal: What needs to change?

By answering these questions, teams remove friction, confusion, and hidden tension.

5. It Provides a Roadmap to High Performance : Not a Hope

High performance is usually treated as a desirable state, but not a repeatable one. The Drexler/Sibbet model turns high performance into a process:

If you follow the steps, you get the outcome.

If you skip steps, you get stuck.

Teams quickly see:

Why they plateau
What’s blocking momentum
Why meetings become repetitive
Why morale rises or falls
Why execution breaks down

And more importantly, what to do next.

6. It Gives Teams a Shared Mental Model

When everyone understands the same framework:

Conflict becomes easier to solve
Misalignment becomes easier to diagnose
Leaders can coach teams more effectively
The team becomes self-correcting
progress becomes visible and measurable

This shared mental model builds trust, reduces ego, and creates a sense of collective ownership over performance.

The framework becomes the team’s compass.

7. It Supports Continuous Renewal and Growth

A key message in the book, Leading on Purpose is that great teams constantly renew themselves. The Drexler/Sibbet model embeds renewal as a core stage, not an afterthought.

This prevents stagnation, protects culture, and keeps ambition alive.

Teams stop asking: “Why are we slipping?” and instead ask: “What part of our journey needs attention right now?”

This keeps performance strong and sustainable.