Throughout the year, I travel the country and work with both sports teams and business teams on how to increase performance and productivity through better teamwork. This year, many leaders, coaches, CEO’s, and managers have expressed a similar need to address a new, common issue affecting their teams. Political divisions. And these political divisions are seeping into the culture of the team, causing lower overall team engagement and performance.
In a polarized world, leaders must understand how to foster unity on teams, and reach intended outcomes, with team members who don’t always agree and seldom want to engage with each other.
How do they do this? The answer lies in clarity—not conformity.
When Division Distracts from the Mission
In today’s teams—whether in sport or in the office—it’s not just skills and strategy that matter. Leaders now must contend with rising political and social divisions that affect how people show up, engage, and perform.
Business leaders have explained to me that they have employees who refuse to acknowledge one another at team meetings or in the break room. In the same vein, college coaches are witnessing more arguing and shorter tempers on their teams, especially if the discussion is around politics on or off campus. So what should leaders do?
To begin with, it is important for leaders of all teams to consider this:
“High-performing teams don’t require everyone to agree on everything. They require clarity—on values and mission.”
A side comment in a meeting, a heated locker room debate, or tension over current events—these can create invisible walls inside a team. And those walls silently erode trust, focus, and momentum.
A 2024 Gallup survey found that political and cultural tension in workplaces leads to measurable drops in engagement—especially in organizations without a strong cultural foundation.
Shared Values: The Foundation Matters
Shared values aren’t about what you believe. They’re about how you behave. And if there is a strong foundation, there is a better chance of success.
On a strong team, values like accountability, discipline, respect, and resilience serve as a common language. They dictate how people interact, make decisions, and hold each other to standards—even when worldviews differ.
“You can vote differently, think differently, and still uphold the same standard of how we treat each other and chase a goal.”
When values are clearly defined and lived out, they become a behavioral contract—one that transcends politics.
Mission Clarity: The North Star That Keeps Teams Aligned
Mission clarity is more than a slogan—it’s the reason your team exists.
In sports, it might be winning games or a championship. In business, it might be building something bold or solving a critical customer need. When every team member knows the “why,” they’re more likely to align with the “how.”
“When the mission is clear, personal agendas fade. Purpose takes the lead.”
Teams lose focus when the mission becomes vague or overshadowed by external noise. Great leaders bring the team back to the mission—again and again. It is not a one and done exercise. It is an ongoing role of great leadership. The mission must be clear.
Reinforce What Matters Most
Leaders set the tone. They build the culture and reinforce the clarity throughout their organization.
To build unity through values and mission, leaders must:
- Model the values consistently.
- Celebrate behavior that reflects the team’s core culture.
- Tell stories that anchor people to purpose.
- Create events that connect team members to something bigger than themselves.
- Refocus conversations when tensions rise, always returning to what matters most.
Most importantly, leaders must remember:
“It’s not about silencing opinions—it’s about protecting the focus.”
3 Tools to Strengthen Alignment on Your Team
When we work with teams, we use tools and resources that help leaders align their teams to strengthen performance and engagement.
Some of the tools we use are:
- Team Values Audit
Ask your team: What behaviors define us? Compare their answers to your official values. Any gaps? Address them. - Mission Alignment Exercise
Have each member write down how their role connects to the larger mission. Share and discuss. This creates shared ownership. Also, be ready to address misunderstandings about employee current assessments of roles. - Team Communication Agreements
Do communication exercises. Introduce role playing with teams to help them understand how to handle disagreements, communicate under pressure, and reinforce unity.
The Power of Clarity in a Divided Time
As leaders, we can’t control the noise outside our teams. But we can control what we build inside them.
When teams are grounded in shared values and have mission clarity, they can rise above distraction, disagreement, and division. They align not through sameness, but through purpose and principle.
“In divided times, unity isn’t accidental. It’s a leadership decision.”
So ask yourself:
- Are your team’s values lived as part of the team culture?
- Is your mission a page on the wall—or the pulse of your culture?
Because shared values don’t just outperform politics. They outlast them.
Want Help Creating a Unified Team Culture?
Contact Courtside Leadership and book a leadership session. What we do for a living helps your team do what they do best.
Divisive times, Leadership, Shared values, Teamwork