The Hidden Power Behind Transformational Teams – It’s More Than Just Love & Trust
Transformational teams don’t just happen. They are built over time by tenacious, courageous, and passionate leaders who cultivate the right mindset, habits, and behaviours—methodically and consistently.
As Patrick Lencioni puts it:
“Not finance, not strategy, not technology—it is teamwork that is the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and so rare.”
At Full Potential Group, our mission is to make high-performing teams less rare by sharing the collective wisdom we’ve gathered over the years, demystifying the secrets, and giving teams the tools they need to thrive. And what better time to focus on what makes teams truly exceptional than during a week dedicated to love?
While love in leadership may not be a phrase we use often, the best teams thrive on connection, trust, and a shared sense of purpose. But of course, it takes more than that. Let’s explore what really sets transformational teams apart.
What Makes a Team Truly Transformational?
At the core of high-performing teams lies a structured, research-backed approach. One of the most effective frameworks for unlocking team potential is Peter Hawkins’ Five Disciplines of High-Performing Teams.
This model provides an inside-out, future-back process, guiding teams to balance the urgent demands of day-to-day operations with the bigger picture of long-term success.
The five disciplines are:
- Commissioning – Defining purpose and mandate from stakeholders
- Clarifying – Defining roles, responsibilities, goals, and ways of working
- Co-Creating – Establishing collaboration and team dynamics
- Connecting – Engaging stakeholders effectively
- Core Learning – Embedding continuous development
Let’s break these down and explore how your team can unlock true transformation.
Commissioning & Clarifying – Aligning Purpose and Roles
Why does your team exist?
Before a team can thrive, it needs a clear sense of purpose. Teams that lack clarity struggle with focus, motivation, and alignment. Key questions to ask include:
- Are we truly a team, or just a group of individuals working together?
- What is our shared purpose?
- Who are our key stakeholders?
- What are our team KPIs and roles?
Katzenbach & Smith define a team as:
“A small number of people with complementary skills who are equally committed and hold themselves mutually accountable for a common purpose, goals, and working approach.”
Research suggests that optimal team size matters. According to Harvard’s Chris Argyle:
“For a team to be effective, it needs both advocacy (stating opinions) and enquiry (seeking opinions) in a 1:2 ratio. When you have more than eight people in a team, enquiry drops off, and trust becomes harder to maintain.”
If you can’t share a large pizza comfortably, your team might be too big.
Co-Creating – How Your Team Works Together
This stage is where team dynamics come to life. One of the most widely used models for building team effectiveness is Patrick Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a Team:
- Absence of Trust
- Fear of Conflict
- Lack of Commitment
- Avoidance of Accountability
- Inattention to Results
Across thousands of teams worldwide, the biggest challenges remain:
- Holding each other accountable (60%)
- Building trust (40%)
- Constructive communication and conflict resolution (36%)
As Lencioni states:
“When there is trust, conflict becomes nothing but the pursuit of truth—an attempt to find the best answer possible.”
How to Build Trust and Psychological Safety
Many high-performance teams use behavioural profiling tools like Insights Discovery to:
- Encourage open, honest conversations
- Strengthen understanding between team members
- Build a foundation for psychological safety
Teams that embed trust see direct business benefits:
- 74% lower stress levels
- 50% higher productivity
- 40% less burnout (Harvard Business Review)
Connecting – Engaging with Key Stakeholders
A truly transformational team doesn’t operate in a silo. According to Hawkins, the best teams:
- Regularly connect with customers, investors, and partners
- Maintain momentum by continuously engaging stakeholders
- Use stakeholder mapping to prioritise influential voices
Ignoring this stage can lead to misalignment or projects that miss the mark. A simple stakeholder-mapping exercise can help your team stay focused on the connections that matter most.
Core Learning – Embedding Continuous Development
Continuous learning is at the heart of sustained high performance. That’s why Hawkins positioned Core Learning at the centre of his model—reminding teams that:
- Growth requires both personal and collective development
- Regular reflection helps teams adapt to change and stay agile
- Learning isn’t an event—it’s an ongoing commitment
Action Step: Build learning moments into your team culture through regular feedback loops, retrospectives, and knowledge-sharing sessions.
High-Performing Teams Don’t Just Work Together—They Transform Together
“Peak performance isn’t just about strategy—it’s about energy, connection, and creating moments outside the day-to-day that build deeper relationships.”
Lencioni reminds us that the most successful teams and organisations are both smart (strategy, marketing, finance, and tech) and healthy (minimal politics, minimal confusion, high morale, high productivity, low turnover). Only a healthy organisation can get smarter.
“If you could get all the people in an organisation rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time.”
Final Thoughts – Is Your Team Ready to Transform?
Transformational teams aren’t built overnight—but they are built intentionally. By aligning purpose, trust, stakeholder engagement, learning, and accountability, your team can become a true powerhouse.
- Where is your team strongest right now?
- Where do you need to improve?
We’d love to hear from you. Share your experiences and challenges in building a transformational team, or contact us to explore how we can help unlock your team’s full potential.
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