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How do you help your team truly operate at their best?
A few years ago, a group of researchers and I set out to answer that exact question. Beyond just identifying what makes a great team, we worked to isolate the specific skills required to build one—and more importantly, how to develop those skills in everyday leaders.
Recently, I shared these findings with a community of emotionally intelligent leaders, and the resulting conversation highlighted highly practical lessons for anyone looking to elevate their team's performance.
If you want to get the absolute most out of your people, start implementing these nine strategies today.
1. Establish Clear Team "Norms"
One of the very first things a team should do is agree on the "rules of engagement." Establish clear norms for communication and cadence. Be specific: What is the expected response time for a direct message versus an email? How often will you meet, what is the purpose of those meetings, and how long will they last?
You’d be surprised how many teams skip this crucial step, leading to misaligned expectations and unnecessary friction.
2. Leverage the "IKEA Effect"
The "IKEA effect" is a cognitive bias in which people place a disproportionately high value on things they helped create. (Hence why we love the furniture we built ourselves, even if it’s slightly crooked).
This applies directly to the workplace. Involve your team in co-creating your ground rules. When tackling a problem, brainstorm solutions *together*. When organizational change is inevitable, bring team members into the process early and use their feedback to shape how the change rolls out. **The lesson:** The more your people collaborate on building the "how," the more they will buy into executing it.
3. "Interview" Your Team Members
When building a new team or onboarding new members, take the time to understand their unique strengths, passions, and past triumphs. Then, align their roles with work they will naturally excel at and enjoy.
Try this great technique: Ahead of a weekly meeting, have one team member "interview" another about their background and accomplishments, and then present them to the rest of the group. This solves two common problems at once: if a team member is overly humble, they won't feel awkward about bragging about themselves; if they lack self-awareness and tend to dominate the spotlight, having a peer introduce them keeps team chemistry balanced.
4. Follow the "Dishwasher Rule" for Autonomy
Just as there is more than one way to load a dishwasher—and someone else’s method still gets the dishes clean, even if it’s not *your* way—you must strive to give your teammates complete autonomy whenever possible.
Apply this to less critical tasks. If you are happy a team member is taking a project off your plate, let them do it their way. In these scenarios, getting the job done is far more important than micromanaging *how* it gets done.
5. Apply the 10-80-10 Rule for Delegation
For high-stakes projects where you need to maintain a higher level of quality control, use the 10-80-10 rule:
* **10% of the time:** Provide clear guidelines, context, and expectations.
* **80% of the time:** Step back and let the team member build and execute.
* **10% of the time:** Step back in to review, polish, and communicate exactly what you changed and why.
Over time, as you and your teammate become more aligned, you’ll find you need to spend less time in that final 10% polishing phase.
6. Create Meaningful Symbols
Physical or visual symbols can profoundly impact team identity. For example, a fire battalion chief once designed custom coins for his new team. One side featured the department badge, the other featured the team name and core values. The edge of the coin was engraved with each firefighter's unique badge number. The coins became a massive source of pride and a tangible link to the team.
What could you create for your team? A custom challenge coin, a framed certificate, a unique team logo, or a specific ritual? The key is to create a symbol that connects the individual to the collective whole.
7. Manage Expectations with Tuckman’s Model
In the 1960s, psychologist Bruce Tuckman developed a model for team development consisting of four stages: **Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing.**
* **Forming:** High energy, but low trust.
* **Storming:** Conflict emerges as true personalities clash.
* **Norming:** The team gets past conflict and settles into a routine.
* **Performing:** High productivity and seamless collaboration built on deep trust.
Many teams get stuck in the "Storming" or "Norming" phases and never reach "Performing." Understanding this model helps you manage your expectations. Knowing that "Storming" is a natural, necessary phase prevents you from panicking when conflict arises, and gives you a tangible roadmap to guide your team toward "Performing."
8. Teach Your Team to "Dance"
To reach the "Performing" stage, team members must master their own roles, trust their peers to do the same, and anticipate each other's needs.
Think of a highly experienced restaurant staff working a busy Friday night shift. They know and trust each other so deeply that they don't have to speak; they just move. It’s like a practiced choreography that has become second nature. The movements are fluid, the work gets done effortlessly, and they actually enjoy the process. Foster this environment by building deep trust and encouraging your team to proactively support one another.
9. Don't Forget to Celebrate
Great work deserves to be recognized. Appropriate celebrations do more than just boost morale; they show genuine appreciation, provide a sense of closure on hard projects, and inject joy into the workplace. Most importantly, they strengthen the interpersonal bonds between team members.
Look for creative ways to celebrate major milestones. Whether it’s a special team lunch, an informal wrap-up meeting with a small reward, or simply taking five minutes to publicly acknowledge a win, make celebration a habit.
Great teams aren’t born by accident. They aren't just the result of hiring smart people and hoping for the best. High-performing teams are built with deep intention, emotional intelligence, and consistent effort—one simple step at a time.