‍Communication creates Connection, Connection builds Trust, and Trust opens the door to Influence

What makes team leadership truly work?

In a recent series of conversations with MBA students at the Booth School of Business about team leadership and mental performance, I mentioned that after this assignment with the university, I would join a national sports selection in preparation for a World Championship. That sparked the question that always seems to light up a room: what do successful leaders of corporate teams and sports teams really have in common?

To move beyond clichés, we set aside a leader’s individual strengths like resilience, vision, or drive. Those qualities matter, but they do not explain why some teams rise while others falter. And you cannot be in Chicago without quoting Michael Jordan, who said it best: talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships. His words point to the heart of the matter. Successful leaders understand that sustained team performance depends less on individual star power and more on the ability of a leader to turn talent into collective strength.

That insight led us deeper: how do leaders actually make that happen?

Leadership has been studied more than any subject in business and sport, yet it remains one of the least fully understood. One truth does hold across boardrooms and locker rooms alike: leadership is about positive influence because every decision, every action, and every silence of a leader shapes the atmosphere and performance of the team.

From the ensuing conversations, five concepts stood out and I’d like to share them with you.

1. Leadership is a process, not an act.
Leadership is never a one-time gesture or a quarterly speech. It is an ongoing presence, lived out day by day in the way a leader shows up. Teams do not remember a single inspiring line as much as they remember the consistency of behavior over time. Trust grows when leadership is lived as a process, and it erodes the moment it becomes sporadic.

2. Respect differences.
Every team is made up of people wired in different ways. Some thrive under pressure, others contribute best in quieter moments. Leadership means learning those differences and creating space for all of them to matter. When differences are overlooked, cracks appear. When they are respected, trust deepens and cohesion strengthens.

3. Build capability, not just outcomes.
It is easy for leaders to chase results and forget that outcomes depend on people’s ability to deliver. The real test of leadership is whether the team is getting stronger. That means putting the right people in the right roles and building their skills. Results are fragile when they rest on weak foundations, but when capability expands, performance becomes sustainable.

4. Provide direction.
Teams want to know where they are heading and how they will get there. They look to their leader to create clarity, not only about goals but also about the path, the roles, and the choices that may need to shift along the way. When storms hit, direction is what keeps a team anchored. Without it, even the most talented group will drift.

5. Create energy through enjoyment.
Leadership also means shaping the atmosphere in which people work. Pressure, stress, and setbacks are inevitable, but enjoyment keeps energy alive. It is not about making things easy, it is about making the hard work worthwhile. A leader who knows how to ease tension, celebrate progress, and bring color to the experience creates a team that can endure the grind and keep giving its best.

Put simply, high-performance leaders whether in business or sport live the process daily, respect differences, build capability, provide clarity, and create an atmosphere where energy flows.

Influence, then, is not about imposing. In the past, leaders could demand compliance. Remember the old control and command leadership style? Today, compliance breaks quickly. Conviction is stronger. The real task of leadership is to convince, align, and inspire a team to believe in the path and in their own role within it.

Yes, outcomes matter. In sports, the score is visible for everyone to see. In business, KPIs and earnings are written in black and white. But outcomes are never the whole story. Sustainable results come from two sources: performance and enjoyment. Leaders who invest in both create teams that not only win today but have the stamina and belief to keep winning tomorrow.

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