When Team Tension Isn’t Just a Vibe...It’s a Leadership Signal!

It isn't just bad vibes!!

You ever walk into a team meeting and feel the tension before anyone even speaks?

The fake smiles.The quiet eye rolls.The way folks hold their breath until it’s time to log off.

Yeah… that’s not just “a rough week.” That’s culture talking.

And as a leader, it’s your job to listen.

Culture Is More Than a Vibe. It's the Outcome of Leadership Clarity.

"The truth of the matter is...." : When your team feels disconnected, frustrated, or confused it usually traces back to you.

Now I don’t say that to place blame, I say it to give you power.

Because when you recognize that culture is a reflection of leadership, you realize that tension is a signal… not a sentence.

It means something is out of alignment. And your role as a leader is to realign your people, your practices, and your purpose.

Common Leadership Traps That Create Team Tension:

• Micromanaging in disguise: You call it “being thorough,” but your team sees it as mistrust.

• Avoiding conflict: Letting things slide because you “don’t want to be the bad guy” only makes space for resentment.

• Inconsistent expectations: When the bar keeps moving, people stop trying to meet it.

• Reactive decision-making: Your team feels like they’re on a rollercoaster instead of a roadmap.

Sound familiar?

So How Do You Realign a Team in Tension?

I coach leaders through this inside the Balanced Leadership Blueprint Coaching Experience, but here’s a preview of the work we do:

1. Define the Culture You’re Building

You can’t build what you haven’t named. Get clear on the values, behaviors, and mindsets that reflect your team’s purpose. Culture thrives on clarity.

2. Create Space for Real Conversations

Tension builds in silence. You have to model vulnerability, invite feedback, and make it safe to talk about what’s not working without blame.

3. Align Practices to the Mission

From how you start meetings to how you give feedback, your systems should reinforce the culture you’re building. If they don’t, they’re creating confusion.

4. Lead with Consistency, Not Control

Your team doesn’t need a superhero. They need a steady leader who communicates clearly, holds the line, and leads with both heart and strategy.

Here’s the Good News:

You can reset the culture without starting over.

You can move from tension to trust.

You can lead a team that actually feels like a team.

But it starts with you deciding to lead differently.

If this is hitting home, I created two powerful tools to help you shift the culture starting today:

• The Balanced Leadership Clarity Guide

• The Summer Reset MasterClass Replay (Passcode: 2Z#Vd!&N)

Together, they’ll walk you through the root causes of team misalignment and how to fix them from the inside out.

Let’s build a culture that works for you and your team.

P.S. Want leadership tools like this in your inbox each week?

📥 Subscribe to my email list and I’ll send you weekly insights, stories, and strategies to help you lead with confidence, not chaos.