You’ve inherited a team. They’re talented; there’s no question about that, but the vibe is off, performance is inconsistent and roles are blurry.
Stepping into a new leadership role is supposed to feel like a new chapter, full of possibility. But sometimes, it feels more like walking into a room where the lights are flickering, the furniture’s mismatched, and everyone’s looking at you like, “Who are you, and what are you going to do about this mess?”
As a Talent & Culture Strategist and Executive Coach, Anja van Beek has worked with countless leaders who’ve been in these shoes — dropped into roles with big expectations but little clarity or support. Gallup’s 2025 State of the Workplace Report backs this up: nearly 70% of employees aren’t fully engaged at work, and a lot of that comes down to how teams are led – or, more often, how they’re not led. You’re not failing if you feel like you’re putting out fires with a half-empty bucket. You’re dealing with a team that wasn’t set up to win. Yet.
The good news is that you can turn it around. It’s not about being a superhero or flipping everything upside down overnight, but more about being intentional, and making human-centered moves that rebuild trust, spark momentum, and get everyone rowing in the same direction.
Van Beek shares five practical steps to get you started:
1. Find the gold in your team (even when it’s hard to see)
Every team, no matter how stuck, has strengths. Maybe it’s the deep knowledge someone’s been quietly hoarding for years. Maybe it’s the way the team rallies for a client despite internal chaos. Or maybe it’s just their grit – showing up day after day, even when things feel off.
Your job is to spot those strengths and shine a light on them. Call out what’s working, and then use it. At the same time, show you’re not ignoring the mess. Cut out that pointless process that’s driving everyone nuts. Clarify who’s responsible for what. Find a quick win, something small but noticeable that makes people think, “Okay, this feels different.” When people see progress, even in small doses, energy starts to shift. You don’t need a complete overhaul; you just need to start where they are.
2. Don’t just lead down – lead sideways, too
It’s easy to focus on your team and your manager, but what about the people across from you? Your peers, other departments… they might still see your team as “that group that always drops the ball.” If their assumptions about your team are outdated, you’ll keep running into roadblocks.
Get proactive. Sit down with those colleagues and reset the narrative. Explain how your team works now, what’s changing, and how you can collaborate better. This kind of “horizontal leadership” turns your team from an isolated island into a connected part of the bigger picture. It isn’t about managing down, it is also about building bridges sideways. You have the opportunity to change the narrative.
3. Paint a clear picture of success
If your team’s been through a restructure or is mid-transition, “success” can feel like a moving target. Don’t let it stay vague. Spell out what progress looks like, and make it concrete. Think small, measurable wins: fewer missed deadlines, smoother handovers between teams, quicker decisions, or even just better vibes in meetings.
Then, talk about it. A lot. Don’t assume people see the progress you’re making – call it out. Share the wins in team huddles, in emails, in chats with your boss. LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report shows that clear goals and visible progress boost engagement and keep people around longer. So, make it loud, make it clear, and let your team feel the momentum.
4. Talk about the cracks, without pointing fingers
Your team already knows what’s broken. They’ve been living it: missed deadlines, unclear priorities, or processes that feel like they were designed to frustrate. They might’ve raised these issues before, only to be ignored or dismissed. That stings, and it erodes trust.
You can change that. Create space to talk openly about what’s not working, but frame it as a problem-solving session, not a blame game. Try this: run a “Start, Stop, Continue” discussion. Ask:
- What should we start doing to work better together?
- What should we stop doing because it’s holding us back?
- What’s working well that we should continue?
This approach invites honesty without making anyone feel attacked. Research from Gartner shows that psychological safety – where people feel safe to speak up – is what is needed for team performance. In places like South Africa, where cultural nuances and hierarchies can make open dialogue trickier, creating this kind of space is even more critical.
5. Fix the system before you judge the people
It’s tempting to look at a struggling team and think, “They’re not collaborating,” or “They’re not stepping up.” Hold off on that. More often than not, what looks like a people problem is actually a system problem. Ask yourself:
- Are priorities clear, or are people juggling competing demands?
- Do they see how their work fits into the bigger picture?
- Are processes built for collaboration, or do they create silos?
- Are they set up to succeed, or just to survive?
A McKinsey study found that most organisational transformations fail because leaders don’t address these deeper, systemic issues. Before you start coaching individuals, take a hard look at the setup: the processes, the structure, the culture. Fix those first, and you’ll be amazed at how much the “people problems” start to fade.
A Final Word
You don’t have to be the saviour who swoops in and fixes everything. Your job isn’t to rescue – it’s to reset. Reset the system, re-engage your people, and rediscover the team’s purpose. It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen if you lead with intention and emotional intelligence.
Gallup’s 2025 report shows that leaders who bring empathy, clarity, and curiosity to the table keep more talent, get better results, and rebuild broken cultures faster. You might’ve inherited a mess, but how you respond? That’s where your leadership shines.
