Hi Reader!

We romanticize great teams.

But the more I’ve worked with leaders and teams, the more I’ve realized that most of what we believe about building high-performing teams is wrong.

Here are five myths I see holding back smart, well-meaning leaders from building teams that actually work:

Myth 1: You need "A-Players" to build a high-performing team

Let’s get something straight: high-performing teams aren’t built from a collection of all-stars. In fact, when every team member is focused on standing out individually, the group suffers. People start competing, not cooperating.

I've coached teams that outperformed their "elite" counterparts because they shared three traits:

Shared purpose
Interdependence
Clear team structure

When teams align on a goal, depend on each other, and know who belongs, performance follows. No superstars required.

Myth 2: You build strong teams through 1:1s

Drop a new leader into an existing team and what usually happens?

They start planning. Setting up 1:1s. Mapping team dynamics. Drafting strategy decks.

But the best leaders I know do something different: they facilitate team conversation.

Instead of guessing what kind of team culture to build, they co-create it. They ask questions like:

What behaviors do we want to support?
What will we no longer tolerate?
How do we want to communicate?

The answers form a living team charter. It doesn’t just align people—it empowers them. Especially in remote settings where miscommunication isn’t just likely, it’s inevitable.

Myth 3: If I don’t know what to say, it’s better to say nothing

When things are uncertain, many leaders go silent. They wait for clarity before they speak. But that silence creates more confusion, not less.

Especially in remote teams, where a missed Slack or a surprise call can cause anxiety, people start filling in the gaps with their own stories. And a better approach here might sound surprising — it’s overcommunicate.

Even a simple “We don’t have the answer yet, but here’s what we’re doing” builds trust.

Use multiple channels. Say things more than once. Clarity beats silence every time.

Myth 4: Leaders need to be heroes and save everyone

Not long ago, I believed great leadership was about having the answers. Clear direction. Flawless execution. Maybe even a bit of heroism.

But leadership isn’t about saving the day. It’s about building teams that don’t need saving in the first place.

Heroic leadership is outdated. In today’s workplace, the best leaders don’t just drive performance. They create the environment where performance is inevitable.

Myth 5: AI will replace me

Everyone’s talking about AI like it’s a magic bullet. Or a ticking time bomb.

Here’s the truth:

AI won’t replace managers. But it will replace managers who fail to build strong teams.

How do you do that when AI is stepping on your feet?

Put humans back in the loop. Let AI handle the heavy lifting, but never the thinking. Your team still needs to:

Interpret the data
Apply judgment
Build customer relationships

The moment AI becomes your decision-maker is the moment your team starts checking out.

And finally

Most of what we’re told about building great teams doesn’t hold up in the real world. You don’t need all-stars. You don’t need to have all the answers. You definitely don’t need to go it alone.

You need clarity, co-creation, and communication. You need to build the kind of environment where the right behaviors emerge naturally.

Because no tool, no title, no trend will ever replace the power of a strong, aligned human team.

That’s all for today.

See you next Thursday.

P.S. If team building feels harder than it should, my book Clicking might help. It’s packed with practical tools for creating resilient, self-sufficient teams—especially if you’re navigating hybrid or remote work. Give it a look.