How To Create A Winning Team by Mark Wager

How To Create A Winning Team

By Mark Wager

Every team, no matter its size or purpose, has a collective mentality. It’s the invisible force that shapes how people behave and interact. Within a team, individuals are influenced by their peers to adopt certain attitudes and behaviours, often without realising it. This collective mentality can be so powerful that it drives individuals to act in ways they might not instinctively choose, simply to feel like they belong.

As a leader, your role is to shape this collective mentality into a winning one. Without it, success becomes fleeting at best. A winning team mentality doesn’t happen by chance; it’s cultivated through deliberate effort. It’s about creating an environment where individuals feel supported and empowered to perform at their best while holding themselves—and each other—accountable for their contributions.

But how do you create this winning mentality? It starts with building a strong, enduring team culture. Here’s how you can make it happen.

Step One: Create a Vision of the Future

Great teams begin with great visions. If you want to lead a winning team, you need to be ambitious. Think about where you want your team to go, and don’t hold back. Forget the limitations of the present moment or the obstacles in your way. Instead, ask yourself: where should this team be? What could we achieve if we dared to dream bigger?

If your vision doesn’t make you feel a little uncomfortable, you’re not aiming high enough. A bold vision has the power to inspire. It pushes people to believe in possibilities they’d never considered. Leadership, at its core, is about instilling belief in others so they can reach heights they once thought impossible. Start by believing in your own vision, and your team will follow.

Step Two: Formulate the Strategy

A vision without a strategy is just a dream. To turn that vision into reality, you need a strategy—a clear, overarching plan that outlines what needs to happen. Remember, strategy is the “what,” while tactics are the “how.”

Think of your strategy as the foundation. It should be simple enough to summarise in one or two sentences yet compelling enough to convince your team that achieving the vision is possible. Once you have this strategy in place, you can work on developing the tactics—the specific actions and steps that will bring it to life.

Step Three: Align Personal Ambitions

No vision will ever succeed without the buy-in of your team. This is where personal connections come into play. Take the time to meet with each team member individually. Find out what drives them. What are their personal goals and ambitions? What gets them excited to come to work each day?

Here’s the key: align their personal ambitions with your team’s vision. If people can see how achieving the vision will help them reach their own goals, they’ll be far more invested. For example, if someone’s ambition is to develop their leadership skills, show them how contributing to the team’s success will give them opportunities to lead. When personal and team goals align, motivation becomes intrinsic.

Step Four: Dive into the Details

Once you’ve sparked interest in your vision, it’s time to get into the details. This is where tactics come into play. Tactics are the medium-level actions that will deliver your strategy. Think of them as the stepping stones that bring your vision closer to reality.

But tactics alone aren’t enough. You also need to define the specific behaviours required to execute those tactics. These behaviours might seem mundane—things like consistent communication or punctuality—but they’re crucial. Success often lies in the smallest details, and it’s your job as a leader to ensure those details are not overlooked.

Step Five: Establish Accountability

Accountability is the glue that holds a winning team together. Once everyone understands their role in the larger strategy, it’s time to make responsibilities clear. Who is accountable for what? How does one person’s actions (or inaction) impact the rest of the team?

Great teams thrive on a concept called “low tolerance thresholds.” This means issues are addressed quickly and constructively, without fear of causing offence. When people feel safe to give and receive honest feedback, they grow—and so does the team. By fostering an environment where accountability is the norm, you create a culture of continuous improvement.

Step Six: Celebrate Small Wins

Building a winning mentality takes time. It’s not something you can achieve overnight, but you can reinforce progress every step of the way. One of the most effective ways to do this is by celebrating small wins.

Why are small wins so important? Because they provide tangible evidence that your vision is attainable. When people see progress, they start to believe in the bigger picture. It might feel strange at first to celebrate small victories, but as human beings, we’re hardwired to repeat behaviours that are rewarded.

A small win could be a successful project, hitting a milestone, or even adopting a new behaviour that supports the team’s goals. The more you celebrate, the more your team will start to see these wins as stepping stones to something greater.

The Journey to a Winning Mentality

Creating a winning team mentality isn’t easy, but it’s one of the most rewarding journeys you’ll ever take as a leader. It requires patience, vision, and the ability to inspire others. There will be challenges along the way—times when progress feels slow or obstacles seem insurmountable. But don’t lose sight of the bigger picture.

Remember, leadership is about more than just achieving results. It’s about transforming individuals and teams. It’s about creating an environment where people believe in themselves and each other. When you succeed in building a winning mentality, the rewards go far beyond any single achievement. You’ll have a team that not only performs but thrives—and that’s the true measure of leadership.

Now, it’s your turn. What kind of team do you want to lead? How will you create a winning mentality? The journey begins with you.