Is Your Leadership Team a Superteam?

These seven strategies contribute to a culture of continuous improvement, the mark of a superteam.

A recent Harvard Business Review article discusses the distinctions that separate high performing teams. The author and his research team posed the question: What do the best teams do differently? In order to identify members of high-performing teams, they asked over 6,000 respondents to rate two questions on a scale of 1-10:

• How do you rate your team’s effectiveness?
• How do you compare your team’s performance with that of others in your industry?

They designated those who scored their team a 10/10 on both measures as members of super teams. They then compared the behaviors of these people with everyone else.

At the core is a leader who makes growth a priority. They also identified three key strengths shared by highly effective teams: 1) they get more done by managing time, energy, and attention more efficiently; 2) they each make each other better (think Multipliers book); and 3) they constantly build new skills and improve over time.

The researchers focused on how to drive continuous improvement, particularly in this AI-driven world where we must be able to adapt quickly. They identify seven principles that help a leader create a team that “keeps getting better.”

1. Run more experiments. Try new things. If an approach or strategy isn’t getting the results you want for a particular group of students, do something different. If a process or routine doesn’t readily serve the purpose for which it was created, change it. Don’t wait for months and years to pass. Develop a culture of innovation. Then, share those practices from PLC to departments to any who would benefit from it. Highly effective teams experiment 50% more often than their average peers; and leaders make it safe to do so. Leaders make it easy to implement new ideas. What new thing will you try next school year?
2. Be curious. Admit when you don’t know an answer or have information, but know who to ask. This also makes you more trustworthy and competent. By modeling your own “knowledge gaps” and a desire to learn, you build psychological safety and foster a learning culture. You send a message that learning can come from anyone-- the custodian, a para, a veteran teacher, a brand new Gen Z teacher, you. 
3. Ask the question most leaders avoid. What are you stuck on? In asking this question, you make it normal to be faced with challenges and you invite honest responses. We all experience setbacks, and together we can find solutions.
4. Stay involved. Don’t take over. Don’t micromanage. Build capacity. Coach your team. Contribute to the work. Be “in the trenches.” Then, you will have insight and understanding of what’s happening in your building, and you will be able to make informed decisions, communicate more clearly to parents and others, and avoid potential pitfalls and problems.
5. Master the art of giving feedback. The author’s research found that superteams’ leaders provide more and better feedback than leaders of average teams. Ask questions. Share observations and impact. I noticed that you… the impact was… Create a culture where feedback feels safe and viewed as a part of the learning and improvement process.
6. Champion your people’s talent and skills. Know your staff’s strengths and encourage their pursuit of their passions. Whether someone is taking a jujitsu course or teaching dance one night a week, these “side pursuits can also expose people to new tools, communities, and skills they bring back to the team, expanding what the group is capable of accomplishing together.”
7. Lead with why. Be clear about your vision and why it matters. People are more energetic, collaborative and proud of their results when they understand why their work matters. They want to be a contribution to something beyond themselves. They are unwilling to be satisfied with good enough.

Read the full article (subscription may be required). Friedman, R. “How to Build a Superteam That Keeps Getting Better.” Harvard Business Review (May-June, 2026).