10 Things to Learn About Your Team to Maximize Performance

I live in the metro Detroit area, and for anyone who has a heartbeat here, we know that the Detroit Pistons are in the National Basketball Association playoffs. After last year’s poor 14-68 season, they’ve rebounded to 44-38 with a new coach and a physical style of play reminiscent of the 1989 and 1990 “Bad Boys” era when they won back-to-back championships.

A critical role in their success is the new coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who joined the team in June last year with a mandate from team owner Tom Gores to “immediately instill a culture of growth, development and inspiration.”1 He’s responsible for getting the team to work together to win. And like any other team in sports or business they want to win, especially after so many losses.

All professionals and leaders need a good coach. “Special” coaches may be hired to facilitate learning certain competencies and behaviors. But it’s the C-suite leader who is with the team on a daily basis who must set goals and manage the personalities to ensure they collaborate to win as a team and an organization. Even teams that may not have the strongest individual players, can learn how to collectively combine their skillsets to win.

Leadership Information

The C-suite leader has to prioritize gaining leadership information on their direct reports. This means learning many facets of their values and behaviors so that they know how to best interact with each individual and get them to work collaboratively.

Here are 10 aspects of leaders’ styles that C-suite members must learn in order to maximize performance from their team. What matters most about the answers to the questions is whether it fits the role they’re in, the team they work with, and the desired outcomes.

  1. How they make decisions. Are they focused on logic and objective analysis where they can step back from a situation and think about it? Or do they take a more empathetic perspective based on their own values and feelings?
  2. How they gather information. Do they gather information based on what they see and hear, or by focusing on patterns and possibilities of the future?
  3. How they gather energy. Do they need quiet time to plan their day and work? Or do they thrive on interactions with people and things to stimulate thought? What time of day are they most productive?
  4. How they approach their life and work. Do they focus on planning, organizing and scheduling their time? Or are they more spontaneous and open to ideas that then crystalize into a plan just-in-time?
  5. Their cultural background. Do they expect to be consulted in decision-making, or do they expect the leader to make decisions on behalf of the group? Do they want to express their differences and creativity, or do they prefer to blend in with the team? Particularly in global organizations, there is a difference between expectations in Eastern and Western cultures. And even in U.S. cultures there are different expectations based on the environment in which leaders grew up.
  6. Their motivations. Are their values aligned with the results they’re trying to drive or the agreed upon strategy to get there? Do they desire more recognition for achievements, or do they focus on team contributions?
  7. How they approach problem solving. Are they inclusive or exclusive in their methodology? How easily do they recognize where change is needed? Do they drive change when it’s appropriate, and not just for the sake of change? Do they prioritize properly?
  8. How they form trusting relationships. Are they self-aware of their own behaviors and how this enhances or hinders building relationships with colleagues? Do they possess high integrity and character such that others know to expect the best from them? Do they deliver on promises?
  9. Their points of conflict. What are their conflict triggers, and how do they handle them? Do they avoid conflict and therefore fail to address inappropriate behaviors from others? Are they super competitive, putting their desires ahead of the team?
  10. Their communication style. Are they direct and to the point? Are they passive-aggressive, trying to manipulate others for their own purposes? Can they clearly share their opinions and feelings?

Great C-suite leaders learn this information through spending time with their team members, observing and encouraging proper behaviors, leveraging assessments to learn more about their personalities and capabilities, gathering feedback from others with whom they interact, and understanding how they drive results.

As the C-suite leader learns more about each aspect of every leadership team member, they are responsible for ensuring that the team discusses and recognizes these traits in themselves and their colleagues. The goal is to optimize how all of these traits work together to maximize the team performance. Because nothing can be accomplished without a cohesive leadership team.

1.Detroit Pistons. (July 3, 2024).  Detroit Pistons Announce J.B. Bickerstaff as Head Coach [Press release]. https://www.nba.com/pistons/news/detroit-pistons-announce-j-b-bickerstaff-as-head-coach

Copyright 2025 Priscilla Archangel.

Image from iContact

Want more leadership tips read past leadership articles or check out the book LeaderVantage.