With Hope: Turning a New Team’s Hesitation into Strength

Restorative - Developer - Learner - Belief - Responsibility (Trainer's Top 5)

When a team is newly forming—and new leaders are stepping in—trust building requires an attentive approach and rarely happens by luck. If this sensitive issue is not handled well, trust can erode quietly through avoidance, unspoken fear, and a widening communication gap. In a recent engagement with a healthcare management team, CliftonStrengths became the shared language that helped the group rebuild safety, reset expectations around failure, and move forward with clearer collaboration.

How can trust grow in silence?

When a team is in the forming-and-norming stage, people often stay silent not because they agree, but because they are protecting themselves and trying to preserve psychological safety. When hesitation goes unspoken, conflict is avoided, real risks remain hidden, and the leader receives “surface-level” alignment that later manifests as delays, resistance, or quiet disengagement. New leaders are frequently hired for strong problem-solving and execution, but their next level of success depends on how well they create the conditions for people to speak, learn, and commit—especially when the work is new, and the stakes feel high.

Position failure: from identity threat to learning loop

In healthcare settings, researchers have described a “forgive and remember” posture toward mistakes—acknowledging errors while retaining the learning so they are not repeated. Many professionals experience cognitive dissonance after a setback, sliding from “a mistake happened” into “I am a failure.” Leaders can interrupt this by positioning failure as a learning opportunity, not a label: give people space to recover, name what needs improving, and stay close through specific feedback. In this way, resilience becomes a team capability, not an individual burden.

Why strengths work in tough moments

Positive psychology—and Gallup’s strengths-based approach—shifts attention from “what’s broken” to “what’s already strong and usable,” which is critical when confidence is fragile. A decade ago, learning Gallup’s methodology showed how to set a team up for success by recognising and supporting each person’s unique strengths. Gallup also reports that people who use their strengths every day are far more likely to be engaged at work, which matters when a new direction demands energy and initiative.

What I deployed with the team

When I designed a tailored CliftonStrengths workshop, I mapped specific activities to the team’s collective talents, practiced strengths-based partnership, and aligned on how to work together under new leadership. The team’s collective “signature” included strengths such as Relator, Arranger, Strategic, Analytical, and Responsibility—diverse patterns that became more powerful once they were named, appreciated, and intentionally combined.

Key design elements included:

·      A “blank canvas” alignment exercise to clarify desired outcomes before debating tactics.

·      Strengths sharing to surface what each person needs at their best, when the worst moment is a heads-up, and what happens when a strength is overused.

·      Highlight leadership rhythms (for example, consistent meaningful check-ins) to keep trust building continuously rather than event-based.

·      Integration of the Gallup Access app with AI to help leaders prepare for engagements or meaningful conversations upfront.

If you’re onboarding new leaders, forming a new team, or noticing “quiet resistance” after a restructure, consider designing a strengths-based reset that makes trust, feedback, and resilience measurable and repeatable. Learn more about my executive coaching and healthcare leadership work, or reach out to explore a tailored CliftonStrengths session through my website or LinkedIn

Reference:

Bosk, C.L., 2003. Forgive and remember: managing medical failure. University of Chicago Press.

How Employees' Strengths Make Your Company Stronger https://www.gallup.com/workplace/231605/employees-strengths-company-stronger.aspx