By T. Leigh Buehler | 09/04/2026
Some people are born to lead, while others unexpectedly find themselves in leadership positions. Whether you are guiding a new team, taking on a fresh project, or stepping into management for the first time, taking on a new leadership role is both exciting and overwhelming at first.
Many new leaders believe they need to have all the answers right away, but great leaders do not succeed because they know everything. They succeed because they know people, as well as:
- How to lead
- How to build trust
- How to create conditions where team members can thrive
Business leadership expert Simon Sinek® once said, “Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.”
This kind of mindset is a foundational component of effective management. Good leadership is about relationships and communication. It is also about creating a culture where people feel safe, supported, and motivated to contribute their best ideas.
How to Lead a Team with the Right Leadership Style
Every leader has a unique blend of personality, values, and experiences. Understanding your leadership style helps you to set clear expectations and build a sense of stability for your team.
Authenticity is one quality that will establish trust. According to leadership researcher Brené Brown, people follow leaders who are real, not perfect.
When leaders model vulnerability by admitting their mistakes, asking for help, or acknowledging uncertainty, they create psychological safety. Amy Edmondson, a Harvard researcher, states that psychological safety is the top predictor of high-performing teams.
Also, consistency matters more than charisma. Teams thrive when leaders are predictable in their values and behavior.
A leader who is consistent in behavior, actions, and communication helps employees feel grounded. In turn, that reduces anxiety and increases focus for employees.
Flexibility is a key leadership skill, and a leadership style should evolve with the team. New leaders tend to assume that they must pick one style of leadership and stick with it.
But that isn’t necessarily going to work in all situations or with all individuals, so effective leaders adapt. They know that a new team may need more structure and direction, but a seasoned team may thrive in autonomy or shared decision-making.
Essential Skills for Leading a New Team
There are several essential skills required for when you’re leading a new team. For example, those skills involve:
- Communicating
- Collaborating
- Delegating
- Supporting diversity
- Maintaining morale
- Showing emotional intelligence (EI)
Communicating Effectively for Team Leaders
Communication is the component that connects leaders with their teams. It combines people, ideas, and progress.
Strong communication helps leaders keep everyone united and reduces the chances of misunderstandings that can bring progress to a halt. When people feel genuinely heard, that creates a healthier team culture that allows trust and collaboration to grow more naturally.
Leaders should encourage open dialogue to improve communication skills, because teams perform more strongly when communication flows freely. One of the largest studies on team effectiveness, Project Aristotle by Google®, discovered that open dialogue and allowing employees to take turns in conversations were key indicators of success. Similarly, asking open-ended questions and inviting quieter voices into discussions help to show appreciation for diverse perspectives and encourages everyone to share their ideas.
Clarity in team communication prevents conflict. Workplaces are not free of conflict, no matter who is leading or how blissful their leadership style may be.
Many workplace challenges come from unclear expectations, which can then lead to disagreements. Clear expectations reduce confusion and help team members understand their responsibilities.
Feedback provides growth. Effective leaders should practice giving feedback that is timely and specific, as well as focused on employee behaviors.
Feedback is not a tool to be used for criticism. Instead, quality leaders invite feedback about their own leadership to reinforce trust and model humility.
Collaborating Across a Team
When they think of collaboration, many people conjure images of working side by side with other people. But collaboration is more than that – it is the ability to combine strengths and challenge others’ ideas respectfully.
Collaboration allows groups to move toward shared goals. Leaders play an integral role in shaping how collaboration happens and how effective it can be within an organization.
Collaboration also flourishes with trust. Trust develops through keeping commitments and showing genuine interest in team members as individuals, not just as employees.
When trust is present, employees have a safe place to:
- Share their ideas
- Give feedback to leaders and team members
- Ask questions
- Challenge company assumptions
Supporting Diversity and Creating an Inclusive Team Environment
Diversity within a team increases its problem-solving ability. Research from McKinsey & Company® notes that diverse teams outperform homogenous ones, both in decision-making and in creativity. Leaders should invest time seeking different viewpoints, creating space for different experiences and shaping the team’s strategy.
Maintaining Team Morale Through Recognition
Leaders should maintain team morale by taking the time to celebrate small wins. Recognizing small wins can do wonders for a team’s morale. It shows people that their efforts are seen and valued.
Even something as simple as calling out a quick success or small win during a meeting can shift the energy of the room. Highlighting an employee’s successful daily actions (such as handling client issues, hitting a quota early, or solving a tech issue) can help a team feel more appreciated and connected.
Delegating Effectively as a Team Leader
Many new leaders struggle with delegation because they don’t want to lose control of their roles or burden others with additional responsibilities. However, assigning some responsibilities to others helps subordinates to develop their professional skills.
Inspirational speaker Tony Robbins® reminds leaders that “Where focus goes, energy flows.” Leaders who spend all their time on tasks instead of strategy limit their impact. Delegation allows leaders to focus on the work only they can do.
Delegation is important because:
- It builds confidence and capability of team members.
- It frees leaders to focus on strategic responsibilities.
- It strengthens the team’s resilience and adaptability.
Delegation involves various considerations to delegate effectively. These considerations include:
- Matching tasks to people’s strengths and professional development goals
- Providing job context with clear instructions
- Setting clear expectations for outcomes and timelines
- Giving people stretch assignments, mentors, and other learning opportunities
- Holding team members accountable for their results while demonstrating integrity and ethical leadership
- Ensuring team members are included in essential conversations, especially if they are working remotely or in a hybrid setting
- Offering support and autonomy without micromanaging
- Following up with encouragement and feedback
- Preventing employee burnout by checking workloads regularly
Delegation is one of the most essential skills for leadership development. Being able to master it can transform the leader and the team.
Showing Emotional Intelligence and Effective Leadership
Many companies offer yearly training to managers and employees on emotional intelligence. Why? Research shows that emotional intelligence separates good leaders from great ones.
Ultimately, the difference between average and exceptional leaders comes down to emotional intelligence. It is a critical business skill that directly impacts employee performance and retention.
There are five components of emotional intelligence in the workplace, including:
- Self-awareness – Self-awareness involves recognizing and understanding your moods, emotions, and drives, as well as their effect on others. Leaders must understand their own triggers and blind spots. Self-aware leaders communicate more clearly and make better decisions.
- Empathy – Empathy is understanding what other people are feeling and why they might react in a certain way. Empathy means knowing how to respond to others in a way that fits their emotions, instead of ignoring or dismissing them. When leaders show empathy and behave fairly with everyone, they can develop stronger relationships with teammates and create a workplace where compassion and accountability go hand in hand.
- Self-regulation – Self-regulation is about keeping your emotions in check and controlling yourself in times of stress or frustration. Instead of reacting right away, a strong leader will pause and think through the moment. Then, that leader can choose how to respond. When leaders remain calm, it sets the tone and atmosphere. A steady leader creates a steady team.
- Social skills – Strong people skills make it easier for leaders to handle conflict and build connections. It’s about knowing how to manage relationships across the team. Leaders who can find common ground and build rapport tend to develop environments where collaboration feels natural.
- Motivation – In the workplace, motivation is about having a genuine drive to do meaningful work – outside of a paycheck or a title. It’s the kind of motivation that keeps someone pushing toward their goals with real energy and persistence. Leaders who operate in this way stay focused, even in times of adversity, because the work matters to them on a deeper level.
When leaders focus on trust, communication, integrity, and human connection, business success will naturally flow. Leadership is not just about exercising authority, but also about creating an environment where a team can solve problems together.
The Bachelor of Arts in Entrepreneurship at APU
For adult learners who aspire to become leaders and want to improve their entrepreneurial skills, American Public University (APU) offers an online Bachelor of Arts in Entrepreneurship. In this degree program, students can take a variety of courses such as idea generation, entrepreneurs as leaders, and innovation design and prototyping. Other courses include the foundations of entrepreneurship, business plan foundations, technological innovation, and strategic growth.
For more information about this B.A. in entrepreneurship, visit APU’s business and management degree program page.
Simon Sinek® is a registered trademark of Simon Sinek.
Google® is a registered trademark of Google, LLC.
McKinsey & Company® is a registered trademark of McKinsey Holdings, Inc.
Tony Robbins® is a registered trademark of TR Legacy, LLC.