Changing roles within a team creates uncertainty. Imagine this scenario:

A new leader joins a team. She wants to spark new thinking and vision for the team and relies on her network to bring in a person from her previous organization. “We did it there, and we can do it again here, even better,” she thinks. “Just wait until they see Salena brainstorm solutions — they will be broader and more innovative than anything we’ve already discussed, and it will change the whole tone and perspective of this team!” But it doesn’t… why?

Today’s leaders need to innovate and drive change at new levels. Changing roles within teams invigorates the team’s thinking and ability to innovate — but this comes with a risk. If leadership during a team transition is not intentional, the opportunity for innovation can spiral into stagnation, or even worse, a degradation of the team’s connection, trust and orientation toward results. Leaders being curious about perceptions is key for averting favoritism concerns, fractured collaboration and diminished morale.

There are three common scenarios that leaders in transition face with their team:

• A new leader joins an existing team: Members may ask, “Will the new leader see me and think of me in the same way the former leader did? Will my standing on the team translate?”
• A leader recruits someone with whom they have a previous relationship: Members may ask, “Will this new person have a louder voice than me? Will the leader discount ideas that don’t come from the trusted source?”
• A leader hires someone from another part of the organization: Members may ask, “Will the new person’s broader network discount my connection? Will I become irrelevant as the leader understands and values the new connections this person brings?”

These scenarios can lead team members to infer that they are “in” or “out.” Perceptions must be noticed and managed; it is not enough for the leader to discount perceptions of favoritism as lacking reality. Perceived inequity can erode psychological safety and reduce team members’ willingness to share ideas and — even more detrimentally — to take risks.

Managing Perceptions in These Scenarios

Perceptions belong to the one perceiving, and those perceptions are based on life experiences. The best leaders seek to understand perceptions that are not their own to build and navigate relationships.

Below are perceptions that leaders should watch out for — and the best ways to follow up. L&D leaders can incorporate these perceptions and follow-up strategies into their leadership training programs:

Favoritism

Perceiving that decisions are not based on merit, but on loyalty and past relationships, undermines feelings of fairness. Leaders have an opportunity to convey clarity and transparency in how decisions are made — including work assignments and idea adoption.

Strained Collaborations

Perceiving that one is in the outgroup can create a reluctance to cooperate and an “us” versus “them” mindset.  It reduces valuable output from individuals. Investing in the team equally through one-on-one meetings and team time together ensures everyone gets to highlight their work and learn from others.

Lack of Engagement

Even high-performing employees are at risk of disengaging and seeking opportunities elsewhere if they feel undervalued.  Leaders who create lines of sight for each team member to understand their contributions increase buy-in and invite a shift from emphasizing individual success to shared success.

Leaders can lean on the above follow-up methods when discord is obvious.  However, unearthing dynamics might not be as simple as inviting team members to discuss them.  These conversations can be uncomfortable.  Team members might stay silent instead of rocking the boat.

When leaders need to encourage their team to feel safe to discuss these dynamics, they can lean on the following practices.

Take note of existing relationships.

Some teams draw a relationship map indicating perceptions of proximity, which might relate to loyalty, physical proximity or barriers that prevent team members from working together.  This practice is gaining traction among teams that strive to improve their culture, knowing that combining perspectives is a superpower and not a detriment.

Listen with curiosity.

Anonymous feedback tools can be used early in the team’s formation — frequently soliciting information from all until trust is gained and feedback flows freely. Leaders should listen for misaligned goals, unequal access to data or opportunities and any perceived barriers to progress.

Establish clear metrics of success and maintain transparency about progress.

Once leaders have the feedback they need, they should connect their employees’ personal contributions to the team’s success. A well-understood measurement system increases accountability and brings clarity to gaps in progress — and it does so in a way that reduces the risk of anyone feeling singled out.

Change is continuous and personal agility to thrive during times of change is vital.

The leader sets the tone and motivates a “what’s next?” mentality. Who are we becoming and how will we get there together? These intentional team conversations make the team feel bigger than its individual parts and reveal its potential as a whole, increasing alignment and trust.

Lean into autonomy.

Building the team’s trust will take time.  A leader can’t forcibly speed up the process, but they can practice patience, inspiring other team members to follow suit.  The leader’s intentional resilience and continuous self-care are vital to refueling and remaining ready for the stress of change — given that today’s pace of change necessitates the team building the plane as they fly it, both in terms of team dynamics and work deliverables.

Everyone plays a part in the successful transition of team roles, empowering their team to move to a place of connectedness, trust and high performance. The leader must set the tone and practice curiosity and intentionality to create an environment that inspires the team to work together and meet their potential.

When a leader conducts these best practices with excellence, their new team experiences enthusiasm and psychological safety.  This energizes the team about their new direction and dynamics, making it much less likely that they’ll miss their old team’s structure.

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