5 Ways to Build a High-Performance Team in Today’s Workplace

How can leaders build a high-performance team? Have you ever been part of a great team at work? A team where you feel valued, motivated, and energized every day? A team where collaboration is seamless, innovation thrives, and challenges become exciting opportunities? A team where you have a strong sense of belonging, knowing your colleagues have your back in every situation. On this team, work is not just productive—it’s fulfilling.

Now, contrast that with the team from hell. A team filled with conflict, disengagement, and a lack of psychological safety. A team where employees hesitate to speak up, struggle to share ideas, and distrust their colleagues. A team where people operate in survival mode, do the bare minimum, and count down the days until their next vacation simply for an escape.

Recently, I spoke with a professional who described surviving on a toxic team by carrying a lottery ticket in his front pocket. “If I was in a meeting and felt especially bad, I’d rub the ticket in my pocket—it gave me hope for a way out.”

The reality is that the difference between these two team experiences comes down to leadership. Leaders have the power to create environments where people thrive—or environments where they barely survive. But what specific leadership behaviors contribute to build a high-performance team today?

The Research Behind How to Build a High-Performance Team

In our analysis of more than 66,000 respondents, we examined leadership behaviors that correlated most strongly with high employee engagement, commitment, and willingness to go the extra mile. We found that leaders in the top 10% of these behaviors had 71% of their team members highly committed—compared to only 13% in teams led by those in the bottom 10%. These leaders unerstood how to build a high-performance team.

While no leader can achieve 100% commitment from every employee, focusing on these five key leadership behaviors significantly increases the likelihood of building a high-performance team, even in today’s evolving workplace.

1. Team Leaders Inspire More Than They Drive

High-performance teams are built on inspiration, not just direction. The best leaders create energy and enthusiasm, helping team members connect their work to a larger purpose. In today’s workplace, where hybrid models and digital communication can make people feel disconnected, leaders must double down on inspiration—through storytelling, recognition, and helping employees see their impact.

2. Team Leaders Cultivate Psychological Safety and Resolve Conflict Proactively

Conflict is inevitable, but in high-performance teams, it is addressed constructively rather than ignored. Psychological safety—the freedom to speak up without fear of judgment or repercussions—has emerged as a crucial factor in team success. Leaders must foster open dialogue, encourage differing perspectives, and mediate conflicts before they escalate.

In hybrid and remote teams, where miscommunication is more common, proactive conflict resolution and intentional communication are even more essential. A lack of face-to-face interactions can make misunderstandings fester, so leaders must create structured spaces for open discussion.

3. Team Leaders Set Stretch Goals That Challenge and Empower

People are most engaged when they are working toward something meaningful and ambitious. Leaders who set stretch goals—not unrealistic ones, but challenging and motivating objectives—help team members push their limits. In an era where technology and AI are transforming industries, setting stretch goals can also mean encouraging teams to embrace innovation and continuous learning.

The key is to ensure these goals feel achievable with effort and support. When employees accomplish extraordinary things, they gain confidence in their own abilities, and the team as a whole becomes more resilient and high performing.

4. Team Leaders Over-Communicate the Vision and Direction

Clarity is a competitive advantage. In fast-moving workplaces where priorities shift and ambiguity can create confusion, leaders must continuously reinforce the vision, mission, and priorities. It’s not enough to communicate a vision once—leaders must repeat and reinforce it in different ways, ensuring that every team member understands how their work contributes to the bigger picture.

Without the benefit of informal office conversations in remote and hybrid work environments, this level of intentional communication becomes even more critical. High-performance team leaders use multiple channels—team meetings, one-on-one check-ins, and digital tools—to ensure alignment and clarity.

5. Team Leaders Build Trust Through Transparency and Consistency

Trust is the foundation of high-performance teams. Without it, even the most talented groups will struggle. Trust is built in three key ways:

• Relationships: People trust leaders who genuinely care about them. Leaders should invest time in getting to know their team members as individuals, not just employees.
• Competence: Teams trust leaders who demonstrate expertise and good judgment. Leaders don’t have to know everything but must be willing to learn, adapt, and make informed decisions.
• Consistency: Trust erodes when leaders are unpredictable or fail to follow through. Keeping commitments, being transparent about challenges, and aligning actions with words builds credibility.

The Leadership Imperative to Build a High-Performance Team in Today’s Workplace

Having worked on both high-performance teams and dysfunctional teams, I know firsthand how the experience shapes not just work performance but overall well-being. When teams thrive, employees are more engaged, innovative, and resilient. When teams are toxic, stress levels rise, productivity drops, and talented employees leave.

In today’s workplace—where hybrid work, AI-driven change, and employee well-being are top priorities—leaders must be more intentional than ever about fostering high-performance teams. The good news? Small, consistent leadership behaviors can make a significant impact. By inspiring rather than pushing, fostering psychological safety, setting meaningful stretch goals, over-communicating the vision, and building trust, leaders can transform teams from surviving to thriving.

And that’s the kind of team we all deserve to be part of.

Joe Folkman

KEY LEARNING: How to Build a High-Performance Team?
High-performance teams thrive under leaders who inspire rather than push, foster psychological safety, set meaningful stretch goals, over-communicate vision, and build trust through transparency and consistency. Research shows that these behaviors significantly boost engagement and commitment, turning work into a fulfilling and collaborative experience. When leaders create clarity, encourage innovation, and cultivate trust, teams shift from merely surviving to truly excelling.