Why Team Performance Breaks Down and the Behaviours That Rebuild It
Most teams don’t struggle because people don’t care. They struggle because of the way people show up in conversations and decisions that slowly build tension amongst relationships and work against collaboration.
Pressure builds and momentum stops… the consequence? Results suffer.
Not because of poor intent but because foundational behaviours are missing.
Why team issues are rarely technical
When performance dips, organizations often look for structural fixes such as clearer roles, better processes, and new tools. However, breakdowns usually happen at a behavioural level. This can be seen as:
Loss of trust
Avoiding conflict
Lack of commitment
Accountability feels personal
Results become individual, not collective
These patterns show up quietly, but their impact compounds over time.
The reason why teams get stuck
Many people have never been taught how to behave well on a team, especially under pressure. They rely on instinct, past experiences, or personal working styles. And without a shared framework, teams default to what feels safest in the moment:
staying silent instead of challenging
agreeing publicly but disengaging privately
avoiding difficult conversations
focusing on personal success
But this usually isn’t a technical or structural issue. It shows up in behaviour.
The behaviours that make teams work
High-performing teams aren’t defined by personality or talent. They’re defined by consistent behaviours that support collaboration. The Five Behaviours framework focuses on five foundational elements:
1. Trust
Creating an environment where people feel safe to be honest, admit mistakes, and ask for help.
2. Conflict
Engaging in productive, respectful debate rather than avoiding tension or defaulting to artificial harmony.
3. Commitment
Leaving conversations with clarity and alignment—even when there isn’t full agreement.
4. Accountability
Holding one another responsible for commitments and standards, without blame or defensiveness.
5. Results
Prioritizing collective outcomes over individual success.
When these behaviours are practiced consistently, teams communicate more clearly, make better decisions, and perform more effectively.
Why behaviour-focused development is essential
Behaviour change doesn’t happen through theory alone. It happens when people:
reflect on how they show up
understand the impact of their patterns
practice small shifts in real situations
That’s why effective team development focuses less on instruction and more on awareness, discussion, and application. Whether someone is a manager, senior leader, or executive, how each person shows up has an impact at every level.
The best tool to strengthen teams
In The Five Behaviours Team Development program, teams are given space over time to step back from day-to-day delivery and focus on how they work together.
Within the team development process, participants
complete an assessment to understand their teamwork style
reflect on how their behaviours influence team dynamics
practice applying the five behaviours in real, everyday work
This is why structured team development matters. It creates shared experiences over time, allowing teams to pause and reflect on how they work together, not just what they are working on.
When people reflect on their own patterns, hear how others experience the team, and practice these behaviours together, the conversation changes. Assumptions become visible. Language becomes shared. Accountability feels collective rather than personal.
Teams don’t leave with abstract ideas. They leave with a clearer understanding of how trust is built, how conflict can be productive, how commitment is formed, and how shared accountability supports better results.
That shared understanding is what allows teams to work more effectively once they’re back in the flow of real work.
If you want to learn more send me an email - tom@rhythmleadership.ca
