A few days ago, I was facilitating a leadership workshop with a group of school leaders when the conversation turned to what makes leadership teams truly effective. Very quickly, the discussion landed on trust. It wasn’t surprising—when a team is struggling, trust (or the lack of it) is often at the core of the issue.
I guided the group through Patrick Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a Team, breaking down how each dysfunction—when left unchecked—creates barriers to success. But more importantly, we discussed how each element, when addressed intentionally, builds upon the next to create a leadership team that is not just functional, but high-performing.
At the foundation of every great team is vulnerability-based trust. This isn’t about trusting that someone will do their job—it’s about trusting that we can be honest, admit when we don’t know something, and seek help without fear of judgment. When team members don’t feel safe to be vulnerable, they withhold concerns, ideas, and questions, which keeps the team stuck in surface-level conversations.
In the workshop, we explored how school leadership teams often struggle with this. If past experiences have led to a culture of guardedness, rebuilding trust takes time and intentional effort. It starts with leaders modeling vulnerability—admitting mistakes, asking for feedback, and demonstrating a willingness to learn.
Without trust, teams avoid conflict—not the destructive, personal kind, but the productive debates that push teams forward. I’ve seen leadership teams hesitate to challenge each other because they fear creating tension. But avoiding conflict doesn’t create harmony—it creates artificial agreement, where unspoken frustrations fester and ultimately damage the team.
High-performing teams engage in healthy conflict. They debate ideas, challenge assumptions, and push each other toward better solutions. In schools, this means that leadership teams must be willing to wrestle with difficult conversations—whether about instructional priorities, staffing decisions, or student discipline—without making it personal.
When teams don’t engage in open debate, they struggle to commit. People may nod along in meetings but walk away with doubts, hesitations, or outright disagreements. As a result, decisions lack buy-in, and execution suffers.
I challenged the workshop participants to consider whether their teams truly commit to decisions or if they simply comply. Commitment means that even when a decision doesn’t go your way, you support it fully because you were heard in the process. It requires Clarity—ensuring that everyone knows what was decided, why, and what success looks like moving forward.
School leadership teams often struggle with accountability, especially when it involves holding peers responsible for their commitments. If trust is low and conflict is avoided, accountability feels like criticism rather than a shared expectation.
High-performing teams create a culture where accountability isn’t top-down—it’s peer-to-peer. If a colleague isn’t following through on a commitment, a strong team member will address it directly rather than relying on the principal to intervene. We discussed how principals can foster this by setting clear expectations, normalizing feedback, and making accountability a collective responsibility.
The ultimate dysfunction is when team members prioritize individual success over collective outcomes. In schools, this might look like assistant principals focusing on their own initiatives rather than aligning their efforts toward shared goals, or teachers prioritizing their department’s needs over the school’s mission.
When trust is strong, conflict is embraced, commitment is real, and accountability is expected—teams stay focused on results. High-performing teams measure success not by individual wins but by the collective impact they have on students, staff, and the school community.
At the end of our discussion, I asked the leaders in the room to reflect: Where does their team struggle the most?
Some identified trust as their biggest hurdle. Others saw a lack of productive conflict holding them back. A few admitted that accountability was a challenge—they avoided the tough conversations necessary to maintain high standards.
No leadership team is perfect, but the best ones recognize where they need to improve and take action.
If your leadership team isn’t functioning at its highest level, start with trust. It’s the foundation upon which everything else is built. Create space for vulnerability, encourage open and honest dialogue, and commit to the shared success of your school.
Strong teams don’t happen by accident—they’re built with intention. What step will your team take today?
If you’re ready to take your leadership team to the next level, let’s talk. Through Coaching, professional development, and leadership retreats, I help school and district leadership teams build trust, improve communication, and align their efforts for real impact. Let’s work together to set your team—and your school—up for success in the coming year.
Send me a message or visit RoadToAwesome.net to start the conversation.
Tune in this Sunday to “Leaning into Leadership” when I sit down with my long-time friend, rockstar educator Bradlee W Skinner.
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