How to Build a Solid Team
(Spoiler: It’s not about pizza Fridays)
Years ago, I walked into a project kick-off meeting with the same optimism you have when you join a gym in January. The company was well-known, the role was a big step up, and the team lead had been described as “inspiring.”
By week three, my enthusiasm was in the basement. The team was technically brilliant but emotionally flat. Meetings felt like courtroom depositions. Wins went unnoticed. People worked in silos so deep I half expected to see mining helmets.
One afternoon, I asked a colleague how long they’d been there. “Seventeen years,” they said, eyes fixed on their screen. That’s when it hit me: this wasn’t a lack of skill. It was a lack of passion.
The problem? Leadership knew how to push for results but hadn’t built the emotional architecture that makes people actually want to show up. The kind of culture where you don’t just meet deadlines, you meet meaning.
I later learned this wasn’t unique. Many leaders underestimate how much emotional connection, personal growth, and a sense of belonging drive performance. They focus on KPIs and miss the deeper needs that keep people engaged long-term.
So, here’s a reality check: You can’t manufacture passion with perks. You build it by aligning leadership skills with real human needs. And you do it in ways that go beyond the tired “recognize employees” and “offer training” advice we’ve all heard.
Below are 10 less-obvious, actually-doable tips for creating a team that cares deeply and delivers consistently.
1. Give People a Role in Shaping the Rules
Instead of top-down policies, invite your team to co-create guidelines for how you work together. Decision-making rules, meeting norms, even how you handle feedback. Ownership breeds commitment.
2. Rotate “Shadow Leadership” Days
Once a month, have a team member run the weekly meeting or set priorities for a project day. It builds empathy for leadership challenges and gives them a sense of insider status.
3. Share the “Why Not” as Often as the “Why”
When you reject an idea, explain why it didn’t fit. It keeps trust intact and prevents the silent erosion of creativity that happens when people feel ignored.
4. Run “Failure Celebrations” Quarterly
Highlight projects that didn’t work but taught you something valuable. Normalize intelligent risk-taking by treating it as progress, not shame.
5. Build “Micro-Mentoring” Moments
Instead of formal mentorship programs, encourage leaders to drop quick, specific skill tips in the moment... like a chef passing a kitchen trick to an apprentice.
6. Give Everyone a Stake in Recognition
Rotate the role of “recognition captain” weekly. Someone whose job is to notice and call out others’ wins. It prevents praise from being bottlenecked at the top.
7. Audit Work for Meaning, Not Just Efficiency
Ask your team quarterly: “Which part of your work feels most meaningful right now?” Use answers to redistribute tasks or shift priorities to boost engagement.
8. Include Introverts in Inclusion
Inclusion isn’t just about diverse perspectives. It’s about diverse communication styles. Use pre-meeting polls, written input, or silent brainstorming to ensure quiet voices get heard.
9. Make Career Mapping a Team Sport
Host a session where everyone shares their professional goals (no matter how far-fetched) and brainstorms ways the team can help. It reframes colleagues as allies in each other’s growth.
10. Create “Legacy Projects”
Assign at least one project per year that will outlast the team member’s time at the company, something they can point to years later and say, “I built that.” It turns work into a personal legacy.
Passion isn’t a switch you flip, it’s a garden you tend. It’s the quiet consistency of showing respect, giving purpose, and making space for growth.
Because one day, someone on your team will be asked, “How long have you been here?” And if you’ve done it right, they’ll smile, not sigh, before they answer.
