Remember group projects in school? The ones where one person did all the work, and everyone else just coasted along? If we aren’t careful, work can mirror that exact scenario.

Social loafing. That’s what my psychology professor would caution us against before we were sent off on a new project. I didn’t think much of it back then, but now? It’s a reminder about understanding team dynamics. A lot of business initiatives are just bigger versions of those old school projects. You’ve got your core contributors—the MVPs doing two to three times the work— a few people who do a little and the rest, well, they never quite attempt to hit their stride.

But what if we flipped the script?

What if we built teams of people who all consistently reach their potential, day in, day out?

Here’s how we do it:

1. Cast Vision with Details – Get Everyone on the Same Page

Start with shared understandings. It’s not rocket science: if everyone knows what success looks like, and the deliverables and measurables are clear, you can turn chaos into clarity.

Make success as objective as possible, and suddenly, you’ve got a team that’s not just working, but winning together.

What are the key indicators of success for your team? Pin them to the doorposts, cubical walls, TV dashboards, etc.

If you’re on the same page, everyone can and should be able to recite what is most important at any time. Test it out.

2. Stay Part of the Team – Leaders Need to Lead

Leadership isn’t about barking orders from the front. It’s about guiding your team from within. Be the person who brings others along, who lifts them up, who makes them believe in the mission. That’s how you build a culture that doesn’t just talk the talk but walks the walk. A culture that thrives long after you’ve stepped back.

3. Know the Mission, Own the Mission

Every day, there’s a hill to conquer.

Growing up, we would call out people that we termed as “see the hill, take the hill” kind of people. It was a virtue for me. I strove to take all the hills and never look back.

For whatever reason, I’ve always associated this saying with Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders fighting the Battle of San Juan Hill.

Its likely because Teddy Roosevelts’s heroism and quirks were drilled into me as a kid growing up in North Dakota.

Do you know what your mission is?

Does your team?

Make it crystal clear. Circle it. Underline it. Make sure everyone wakes up with that goal in mind. Because when your team knows what they’re fighting for, they’re not just working—they’re winning.

If you’re known to have several different missions, kill all of them but the one that matters.

Take a vision quest and figure it out—your clarity matters.

4. Measure the Progress, Don’t Stall

Progress isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a daily practice.

Are you moving the needle every day? Can you see it? And when you stall—and trust me, you will—what’s your plan to break free? Keep the wheels moving, and you’ll turn that potential into performance.

When we stall out, we must take a second and push.

Like riding a bike up a hill, its supposed to feel like burning.

We can’t jump off and walk and just blame circumstances.

We have to push through and jump at the challenge.

So, there you have it. The secret to ditching the group project mentality and building a team that actually works—no, thrives—together. It’s not just about avoiding social loafing; it’s about creating a culture where everyone’s engaged, leaders are leading, and everyone’s winning. Every day.