How to Build and Lead High-Performing Teams

It is the job of every leader to get the best of their team and ensure that everyone is performing at their highest potential. There’s no better way to meet objectives, drive productivity and sustain success, especially in high-pressure work environments. So what are the component characteristics of a high performing team and how are they curated and cultivated?

You might think that high performing teams possess a lucky set of variables that can’t be intentionally replicated. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Every successful team is an intentionally built and consistently nurtured blend of people, systems, and leadership. Through strategic effort, ongoing support, and a culture of accountability and collaboration, they are able to achieve better outcomes, faster execution, and stronger morale. 

Building a high performing team might sound complicated, but the blueprints are surprisingly easy to follow.

Start with the Right People

It’s easy to overvalue skill when choosing a team’s personnel. But when formulating a high performing team, technical expertise and experience should not overshadow attributes like attitude, adaptability, and collaboration. A high functioning team requires people who are positive, solutions-oriented, and who help keep morale steady during challenges. As work dynamics invariably shift, it’s also important for team members to navigate uncertainty and handle change with resilience. And of course, you need a team that can work well together. A team that doesn’t communicate clearly or prioritize the team over the individual is not one that’s built for success.

Curating a strong team also means placing a premium on team diversity. Teams that are more homogenous can easily stagnate and fall into repeating patterns of thought and behavior which can harm creativity and ingenuity. But when you have people with different perspectives, backgrounds and styles working together, you suddenly shift your team into high gear. That’s because people who can see things others don’t and teams that can approach problems from different angles allow for richer ideas, more creative solutions and better decision-making. And all of this leads to better innovation, resilience, and performance.

That’s why, when it comes to hiring for teams and equipping them with the right people, it’s important to think about how a person can add to the existing team dynamic rather than just fit with what’s already there. While having people who blend well together can be great for building team chemistry, that may not necessarily be what a team needs in order to drive growth, innovation and resilience. You don’t just want to maintain a team’s existing identity, you want to shape its future. To do that you need a team that is built for change and welcomes new ideas, perspectives and ways of doing things.

Set Clear Roles, Goals, and Expectations

Providing clarity around team roles and goals can be a huge performance booster. When everyone knows who’s doing what and why it matters, you’re removing confusion, conflict and inefficiency. People can operate within their scope, without second-guessing or stepping on each other’s toes. You’re creating healthy boundaries which helps resolve issues before they escalate and fosters mutual respect. And you’re reducing friction, allowing your team to run faster and more smoothly. You’re also establishing an accountability framework that enables people to take full ownership of their work and take initiative with confidence.

But you can’t just set clear goals and then walk away. To create a high-performing team, you have to make goals visible and measurable. Team alignment around what success looks like keeps momentum going in the right direction and helps teams reach their full potential. Fortunately there are tools that can help with this. OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) help teams stay aligned by setting a clear objective and identifying specific clear results. And KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) define the quantifiable metrics that help keep teams accountable and allow for early course-correction if things go off track.

Using team charters and kickoff meetings can be great ways to set the foundation and align everyone early. A team charter outlines how the team will work together and typically includes:

• Team purpose and goals
• Roles and responsibilities
• Communication norms
• Decision-making processes
• Conflict resolution guidelines
• Success metrics

Team kickoffs bring the charter to life and allow you to set the tone, timeline and values while addressing any initial concerns or questions. These tips to improve team performance will help your team move toward its goals faster, smoother and with more confidence. 

Build a Culture of Trust and Accountability

The value of team trust when it comes to achieving high performance cannot be overstated. Trust binds a team together, strengthens it and makes it confident and resilient. It creates an environment of psychological safety that allows team members to speak up without fear of judgment or retaliation. A high-trust environment gives people the confidence and impetus to take initiative, think proactively and lean into challenges. And just as importantly, it makes it safe for people to admit mistakes. If a team can’t talk about mistakes openly, it can’t learn from them and grow. 

In parallel, the strength and resilience of a team relies just as heavily on accountability systems—simple, consistent practices that keep everyone aligned, on track, and moving forward together. Creating an environment of team accountability ensures clarity, follow-through, and shared responsibility. Quick, focused standups (whether daily or weekly) give everyone visibility into who’s doing what, where things stand, and where support may be needed. Retrospectives provide space to assess what went well, what didn’t, and what to change going forward. And ownership logs or responsibility trackers make it clear who’s responsible for what,  eliminate ambiguity and create a single source of truth. 

But a culture of trust and accountability cannot sustain itself without an environment of psychological trust at its foundation. Team trust is a delicate and fragile state that must be treated and cultivated with care. Psychological safety provides the necessary conditions for trust to sprout and grow. And without psychological safety, team accountability can turn into avoidance, finger-pointing, or silent disengagement. The key here is that you can’t build a high-performing team if people lack the impetus to speak up, take ownership and improve together.

Prioritize Open and Ongoing Communication

In order to keep a team functioning at a high level, there must exist systems and practices that encourage frequent, transparent communication. This includes things like live syncs that allow for real-time updates, problem-solving, and relationship-building. Or written updates that document progress, highlight key decisions and changes, and outline what’s done and what’s coming up next. And then there are team communication tools like Slack or Trello that allow teams to communicate asynchronously, in parallel with their regular work flow. All of these processes help ensure that everyone is aligned, informed and engaged while minimizing confusion, building trust and keeping the team moving in the right direction.

The role of the manager is vital in keeping the wheels of communication turning. One of the most pivotal functions of a manager is in creating clarity. They can achieve this through a couple of simple but powerful tools: structured agendas and feedback loops. Structured agendas make for effective team meetings—they help set expectations, keep discussions on track, and ensure nothing important gets overlooked. Feedback loops, an extension of constant communication, include things like one-on-one check-ins, regular team pulse surveys, and project debriefs. These touchpoints are important because they help surface misalignments and keep communication flowing in both directions.

One of the communication habits that is frequently exhibited by leaders of high-performing teams is adaptability. Adaptability refers to the ability to alter and tailor one’s communication style according to an individual’s preferences and dynamics. The benefits are obvious. When you’re able to communicate in a way that best matches how a person likes to receive information, your message is more likely to land and take hold. Choosing the right medium for the right context also makes for effective communication. For example, use Slack or chat for quick updates and check-in, but video calls or in-person meetings work better for nuanced conversations. And being able to read the room and change your communication style as your team evolves shows emotional intelligence and earns respect.

Use Team Building Activities to Strengthen Connection

Team building activities can be a powerful tool in boosting team health and performance. When designed and executed properly—or by the right people—they can lead to tangible benefits like improved collaboration, reduced silos, and refreshed motivation. For example, in BreakoutIQ’s Team Quest game, teams must work together and rely on each other’s strengths to solve puzzles and complete challenges. This mirrors the real workplace challenges of cross-functional collaboration and can be a catalyst for improving how people work together. Or there’s Name That Price which injects a dose of fun and provides a well-earned break which can re-energize people and reinforce camaraderie. 

Remote teams face even greater challenges when it comes to health and performance because of how easy it is for members to feel disconnected and siloed. Virtual team activities can help build and maintain relationships while providing social connections that enable smoother collaboration and improve productivity.

The way to build collaborative teams that are cohesive, driven and productive is through a mix of informal and structured team bonding activities that match the team’s energy and goals. Structured activities that are often designed for a specific purpose and are great for achieving a particular goal like: 

• Strengthening cross-functional relationships
• Boosting communication and problem-solving skills
• Celebrating milestones or kicking off major projects

Informal activities, on the other hand, are great for reinforcing the team culture and building trust over time. They also remind everyone that it’s ok to have fun at work while maintaining team connections, which is especially crucial for remote teams.

When choosing the right team building activity, it’s important to make sure it matches the energy of your group and that it reflects your team’s current needs. A high energy team might thrive playing a game show or doing a scavenger hunt. A more low-key group might be better suited for a trivia game. An escape room would be a great option for a team that’s looking to improve collaboration and problem solving. A team that just brought on a bunch of new members might benefit from an icebreaker activity. By choosing an activity that fits the moment, you’re using your team’s resources and time wisely while making sure that has a lasting impact.

Invest in Growth and Learning

The world—and the challenges that come with it—doesn’t stand still. It’s constantly changing, shifting and evolving. That’s why a team that’s standing still—that’s not growing, learning and changing in parallel—will inevitably fall behind. No one wants that. Certainly not someone who’s looking to build and sustain a high-performing team. The success of a team depends on the employee development opportunities that are available to its members. Investing in team training, mentorship, and stretch projects is essential if you want your team to reach new levels and be ready to respond when new challenges arise.

High performing teams possess a culture of continuous learning and a growth mindset—the belief that abilities can be developed through effort, feedback, and learning. These teams use tough challenges as a catalyst to grow, adapt, and innovate. They aren’t afraid to test bold ideas, offer creative solutions, and take smart risks because they don’t view mistakes as failures, but as opportunities to learn and grow. And being able to stretch, adapt, and level up in the face of challenges builds resilience, confidence and stamina that continually propels the team to new heights.

Lead by Example—Every Day

If you want to create a high-performing team that takes accountability, exhibits optimism, practices transparency, and operates with integrity and trust, then you have to set the example for these behaviors. Leaders are models for their employees. Team members don’t just listen to what their leaders say—they watch what they do, and they’re great at spotting inconsistencies between the two. If employees see that their leaders aren’t practicing the same behaviors and attributes that they’re being asked of, they lose trust and disengage. Without leadership by example and team culture modeling you can’t credibly hold a team accountable, establish a sustainable team culture or get the best out of your team.

The secret to leadership by example lies in self-awareness, humility, and consistency. These traits help effective team leaders earn trust, create stability, and nurture growth over time—and by modeling these qualities, leaders give space to their employees to do the same. Self-aware leaders reflect on their strengths and blind spots, listen actively and pay attention to how they come across. They have the humility to share credit, ask questions, and welcome diverse perspectives. And through consistent behaviors, values, and expectations they create trust and predictability which reassures the team, reinforces culture, and keeps things grounded. The best way to get what you want out of your team is to show them what it looks like. Lead by example and your team will follow.

Intentional Leadership Builds Unstoppable Teams

High-performing teams don’t appear overnight—they’re the result of deliberate choices, consistent leadership, and a deep investment in people. From building trust and clarity to fostering growth, connection, and accountability, every element matters. And it all starts with leaders who lead by example—who show up with self-awareness, humility, and consistency day after day.

If you want better outcomes, faster execution, and a team that thrives under pressure, focus on the foundations: the people you hire, the systems you build, and the culture you nurture. Leadership isn’t about perfection—it’s about presence, practice, and purpose. When you commit to that, high performance becomes not just possible—but sustainable.

And if you need to give your team a performance boost, look no further than BreakoutIQ’s expertly designed team building activities. Let us help keep your team performing at a high level. Click here to learn more!