7 Powerful Phrases That Turn Good Teams Into Great Ones

You can’t do it alone. Successful leaders know that having a great team makes all the difference. No one person has all the answers all the time. The trick is learning how to build a high-performing team, which requires more than just delegating work. If you want to build a high-performing team, use these phrases to encourage a collaborative culture that will bring out the best in every member of your team.  

1. Together we can do this. 

Use this phrase to remind the members of your team that you’re in it together, and that together you are collectively stronger and more effective. 

2. Can you think of a better way? 

When you use this phrase, you will get people to think. It’s a way of saying that you are open to new and better ideas. You have a team of smart, capable people around you who will rise to the challenge if you give them permission. 

3. Success depends on everyone working together. 

As the old saying goes, teamwork makes the dream work. Keep your team’s focus on the importance of working together to achieve success. No one person can do it alone, and no one person is the hero. Every individual on your team is critical to its ultimate success. 

4. I trust you’ll make the right decision. 

When you trust your people, you encourage them to be high performers. This phrase is a way of telling others that you give them the freedom to make the right decision for the good of the organization, even if it is not what you personally would do. 

5. What can I do to help? 

As a high-performing leader, ask what you can do to help instead of waiting for people to ask you for help. This phrase is a great way of signaling that you are not going to get in the way of your team, and in fact, you are going to actively remove any barriers that get in their way. 

6. I’ve got your back. 

Organizations are political places where it pays to be savvy. As a leader, you know this, and this phrase is a way of telling others that you will have their back no matter what. This will help create the psychological safety your people need so they won’t be distracted with political posturing or self-preservation, and they can focus on results. 

7. Thank you. 

Being thanked for a job well done never gets old. Be consistent with your gratitude and remind others what a difference they make. This will set the right expectations, which in turn will inspire more of the same.