How to Improve Team Performance (Without Just Pushing Harder)
- Matt Eichmann
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Every leader says they want to improve team performance.
Most try to do it by applying more pressure.
More urgency. More oversight. More “we need to step it up.”
But you cannot pressure your way to sustainable performance.
If you want to improve team performance, there are only two levers that matter:
Increase capability.
Increase drive.
That’s it.
Everything else is noise.
Why Most Efforts to Improve Team Performance Fall Short
When performance stalls, leaders guess. They assume it’s effort. Or engagement. Or attitude.
But nearly every performance gap comes down to one of two issues:
Your people don’t know how to perform at the next level.
Your people don’t feel compelled to.
Misdiagnose that, and you waste time, money, and momentum. And in business, lost momentum shows up in margin.
Over time, leaders start thinking they have a talent problem.
Often, they don’t.
They have a leadership leverage problem.
Lever #1: Increase Capability
If skill, judgment, or clarity is lacking, training is the answer.
Capability grows through:
Structured leadership development
On-the-job reps with feedback
Mentorship
Executive coaching
Training raises ceilings. It reduces errors. It improves decision speed.
Skill compounds.
Lever #2: Increase Drive
Even capable teams stall when drive erodes.
Motivation grows through:
Incentives aligned with outcomes
Recognition
Time off and flexibility
Clear ownership and purpose
Drive fuels discretionary effort — the difference between compliance and commitment.
But skill without motivation creates complacency. Motivation without skill creates frustration.
You need both.
The Force Multiplier Most Leaders Ignore
There’s one move that strengthens both capability and drive:
Teaching.
When leaders teach, skills sharpen, standards clarify, and thinking improves. Just as important, people feel invested in.
Teaching transfers knowledge and signals belief.
It costs nothing to teach what you already know. And when you sharpen your development approach with a coach, the upside can be exponential.
Minimal downside. Significant return.
That’s an asymmetric bet.
How Executive Coaching Helps Improve Team Performance
Most senior leaders aren’t short on effort. They’re short on leverage.
Executive coaching helps you:
Diagnose whether your gap is capability or drive
Build repeatable development systems
Equip managers to teach, not just supervise
Create performance that scales beyond your direct involvement
If you’re the only one raising the standard, performance stalls at your bandwidth.
If your leaders raise the standard, performance scales.
Ready to Improve Team Performance?
If results feel harder than they should…If you’re carrying too much at the top…If your team is good but not compounding…
It’s time to pull the right levers.
At Catalyst Point Leadership Advisors, we help leaders improve team performance by increasing capability, drive, and leadership leverage — without fluff or wasted effort.
👉 Schedule a conversation here: Calendar Link
Stop pushing harder.
Start leading smarter.
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