What Makes a Good Team Leader?

Abstract

Although team leadership is important across many contexts, it is particularly influential in traditional, hierarchical
organizations such as the military. In these settings, leadership can explain a major portion of variance in team
performance. Failure to understand this relationship can harm the training and development at multiple levels
(Zaccaro, Rittman, & Marks, 2001). We draw from the vast literature to identify and elaborate on overarching
themes, or key insights, that can guide the practice of team leadership. Our insights follow the lifespan of a team –
creation, inception, and sustainment of a team. We conclude with suggestions for future investigations, based on
the state of the literature.