Why the Right Leader Can Change Everything
January 8, 2026
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Teams are everywhere. But great teams? They’re far more rare.
There are two big misunderstandings when it comes to teams and teamwork.
The first misconception is that a group working together, it automatically makes them a team. This isn’t true because, by definition, a team is three or more people working together to achieve a common goal. The goal could be a project, a mission, or a shared purpose, but there has to be something that binds the team together and creates a collective purpose.
The second misconception is that putting talented people together automatically creates a high-performing team. However, talent doesn’t make teamwork; how well people work together does.
Talent doesn’t make teamwork; how well people work together does.
In the upcoming How to Lead a Winning Team workshop, we will highlight the example of Belgium Draft Horses: individually, each horse can pull around 8,000 pounds. You might think two horses together could pull 16,000 pounds, but they actually pull 24,000 pounds. Even more impressive, if those two horses were raised or trained together, their pulling power increases to an astonishing 32,000 pounds. This synergy comes from familiarity, trust, and genuine teamwork.
If that weren’t impressive enough, there’s only a team when there are leaders present, someone or a group of people with a clear vision of a better future, capable of inspiring and guiding others toward shared goals.
Teams with effective leaders function dramatically differently from leaderless teams.
Leaderless teams tend to avoid conflict, focus on problems rather than solutions, and accept average performance. In contrast, leader-led teams actively embrace conflict as healthy debate, start from a foundation of core values, and consistently choose excellence over mediocrity.
In other words:
Having leadership doesn’t guarantee success. But lacking leadership guarantees you won’t succeed.
Great leaders create clarity, not confusion. Teams without clear leadership drift into uncertainty. Whether due to poor communication, unclear goals, or external pressures, confusion stalls momentum and hurts morale.
Empowering decision-making at the right level is essential for teams to thrive. As leadership expert L. David Marquet says:
“Great leaders empower their people to make decisions where the information is.”
Leaderless teams struggle to make timely, confident decisions, leaving them stuck in hesitation and missed opportunities.
Few things undermine a team more than internal conflict or cliques. Without leadership to unite them around common goals, team members splinter, pointing fingers instead of working together to solve problems.
Patrick Lencioni famously outlined five dysfunctions that cripple teams:
Effective leaders constantly address these dysfunctions head-on, creating healthy environments where trust, accountability, and results thrive.
Ultimately, you can’t make people follow you. However, all leadership starts with someone choosing to lead. It starts with someone like you, making a decision to take responsibility for things you can’t control, which is why so many people don’t do it. Leadership is hard.
But if you are one of those special people that want to make your organization, family, or other people better, keep in mind this powerful leadership principle:
If you’re too big to serve. You’re too small to lead.
The role of leadership is to inspire, empower, and elevate others toward their highest potential.
Today’s complex environment demands leadership more urgently than ever. Choose leadership, not just because you have a title, but because you believe in the power of people reaching their potential.
Your team is counting on you.
How to Lead a Winning Team: Join the live virtual workshop August 7th 11-1 PM EST. Learn the proven framework for talent, culture, and strategy. Get Started Here.
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About the Author: John Eades is the CEO of LearnLoft and The Sales Infrastructure. He was named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices. John is also the author of Building the Best: 8 Proven Leadership Principles to Elevate Others to Success. You can follow him on Instagram @johngeades.
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