Team leaders are ultimately accountable to the organization for the team's results. Leaders are also responsible for the impact their behavior has on the team's culture and its performance. How, then, does a leader ensure that his impact on the team and the team's work is positive?

Contrary to the idea that leaders are born, not made, leadership can be learned by those who wish to learn it. As a leader, you can assess and intentionally optimize the impact you have on people and performance. You can understand how your leadership strategies are shaping the behavior and performance of others.

The Leader's Impact on Team Performance

Accomplished team leaders are conscious of their impact on their peers and their team members at all times. Successful team leaders carefully behave in ways that demonstrate their values and commitment to peak performance. Because of the natural power hierarchy, whether they like it or not, the leaders' behavior commonly becomes the norm for their teams.

During a corporate turnaround initiative, Jim, the newly hired CEO, noticed that members of the executive team constantly gossiped about each other. Jim guessed correctly that this was common practice of the previous CEO. He saw this as a bad habit that inhibited people from taking responsibility for their work and their communications. Jim decided to put a stop to it. At a staff meeting, he said, "I have noticed that you are talking about your peers when they leave the room. While this may have been OK before, it's not OK any more. I want you to trust each other, and gossiping is one sure way of killing trust and responsibility." But the story isn't over.

After Jim relayed this story to us, he asked for shadow coaching during the next team meeting. We discussed Jim's objectives for the coaching, and he stated he wanted to always tell the truth without judgment. During the next meeting we observed that he was also guilty of talking about people behind their backs. We provided him with feedback in a way that modeled nonjudgmental truth saying: "We noticed you were complaining about an executive on your team with other team members. Instead of complaining about that person, what request have you not made of him or what feedback have you not delivered?"

Over time, we observed that his communication became more constructive and timely for each of his direct reports and his peers. He didn't change in order to change others, he simply realized his behavior was ineffective. Previously, it had been OK to gossip and complain rather than take complaints to someone who could do something about a problem. In his effort to turn the company around, Jim saw that he had to change as an individual before he could lead change within the organization.

How would you assess the impact you are having on your team and team members? One possibility is to invite an objective observer in. Alternatively, you can investigate how you impact others by investigating the characteristics of the team that work well and don't work well. Take on this investigation for two weeks. Finally, ask yourself how the observed characteristics relate to they way you operate as a leader.