If You’re Building a Leadership Team, Make Sure It Feels Like One

Every workplace has one: That mysterious group of people who make “big decisions". The leadership team. But here’s the thing most companies forget:

Your employees should know who’s on the leadership team.And the people on that team? They should actually feel like they’re on one.

Not just invited to a monthly meeting. Not just tagged in a Slack thread. Not just cc’d on a strategic update.

I’ve been on leadership teams where it felt like I accidentally sat at the wrong table—where decisions were made behind closed doors, ideas landed flat, and people quietly checked out. It wasn’t a team. It was a table of power dynamics.

That experience taught me a hard truth: Being a leader can be lonely. And if the leadership team isn’t intentional about building trust with each other, the rest of the company will feel it.

So what actually makes a leadership team feel like a team?

Here’s what I’ve learned (and helped build) after years working in HR and executive team environments:

🔖 1. Start by naming the team

Seems obvious, but you'd be surprised. Make it clear who is actually on the leadership team. Don’t make people guess. Share a visual org chart. Include photos. Introduce them in All-Staff Meetings/Town Halls. Normalize their presence and roles.

If your team can’t answer “who’s on the leadership team?” that’s a red flag 🚩🚩🚩

💬 2. Create a dedicated Slack (or Teams) channel for the leadership team

Not just for announcements—this is where trust is built. Use it to:

• Share articles

• Ask for input

• Celebrate each other

• Vent a little (yep, it’s allowed)

Treat it like the digital version of popping by someone’s office. Informal > overly polished.

👯‍♂️ 3. The CEO/Founder sets the tone—but they don’t do it alone

The CEO/Founder (or Executive Director in non profits) should take ownership of bringing this team together, but every leader plays a part. Rotate who leads the weekly agenda. Encourage peer mentorship. Model openness.

Reminder: Hierarchy doesn’t mean hierarchy in trust.

📆 4. Schedule quarterly Leadership Development Days

Not just strategy off-sites—true development time. Sure, workshops, coaching, vision alignment, etc. And yes, it should include fun. A dinner. A walk. A paint night, escape rooms, or Karaoke if that’s your thing.

You’re not just building better leaders—you’re building a better team.

🤝 5. Normalize peer support between leaders

Give your leaders space to process hard things with each other—whether it’s a tough conversation with a direct report, a department miss, or navigating burnout.

If you don’t intentionally create peer connection, you create silos. And silence.

📣 6. Tell your company what this team is working on

Transparency builds trust. Your employees want to know what the leadership team is focused on. Share top-line goals. Recap decisions. Invite input when appropriate.

Trust trickles down from the top—but so does confusion.

In Closing: If it doesn’t feel like a team, it isn’t one.

Leadership isn’t just about who’s in the room. It’s about what happens in the quiet moments between the meetings.It’s about how leaders support each other, challenge each other, and grow together.

Because when your leadership team is fractured, misaligned, or lonely—your entire organization feels it.

But when they show up as a true team?

That’s when the good stuff happens. That’s when culture takes root.

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👋🏽 At PocketHR, we don’t just advise from the sidelines—we embed ourselves into your leadership team to help CEOs and founders build the trust, systems, and rituals that actually make leadership feel like a team sport.