10 lessons on transformation, trust, and what happens when leadership gets out of the way.
What does it take to build a team that doesn’t just perform—but transforms?
That was the question we explored in a recent breakfast session with Mark Evans, former-CEO of O2, and a group of senior leaders, which centred around Mark’s real and raw account of leading a team through a complex organisational merger.
This wasn’t a tidy case study. It was an honest conversation—about doubt, delay, friction, breakthrough. About what it means to lead in uncertainty. And what happens when you stop chasing quick wins and start investing in the messy, human work of team effectiveness.
Here’s what emerged: 10 themes, mapped to the four pillars of the X-Model —Task, Trust, Team and Traction.
TASK: Are we clear on our mission?
1. Purpose needs to be personal and shared
The starting point for this team was clear: a unifying ambition. But a strategic goal alone wasn’t enough. Teams need to see themselves in the vision. They need to understand not just what they’re aiming for, but why it matters—and where their role fits. One leader put it simply: “When you turn up to the board, you’re a board director—not a function director.” If purpose isn’t owned collectively, it stays theoretical.
2. Strategy is easy. Defining your role in it is harder.
Strategy documents rarely fail on clarity. But the real challenge lies in knowing when to act together and when to act alone. Too much collaboration slows teams down. Too much independence erodes cohesion. High-performing teams know which is needed, when—and why. That discernment takes deliberate conversation, not just alignment on the end goal.
TRUST: Is the team psychologically safe?
3. Vulnerability starts at the top
One of the biggest shifts in this story came when the CEO showed vulnerability. He stepped back, made space, and waited. When the team didn’t step in, he took charge again—frustrated. But that tension became a turning point. It exposed the dynamics at play and opened the door to something real. Distributed leadership doesn’t happen by decree—it’s a dance of giving space and learning how to fill it.
4. Impartiality builds safety
Why go external for support? It’s not just about capability; it’s about neutrality. Internal facilitation, however skilled, comes with baggage and bias. An external facilitator creates a space where history doesn’t cloud the room. Where cynicism can be named. Where the playing field is level. “You’re looking to another person to solve the problem,” said one leader. “And that doesn’t work when they’re part of it.”
TEAM: Do we collaborate?
5. The team is more than the sum of its parts
One of the earliest realisations in this story: high-performing individuals don’t automatically make a high-performing team. Great solo players don’t guarantee a great game. “A marketing team might build an amazing product,” said one attendee, “but if they don’t think about how it lands with the rest of the organisation, it won’t fly.” The shift is from individual excellence to interdependent performance.
6. Dysfunction isn’t just about ‘Bob and Jane’
When a team struggles, it’s easy to blame the most visibly difficult individuals. But as this group saw, swapping people out doesn’t fix systemic dynamics. Performance sits in the collective. And starting the process early (before you’ve built your ‘perfect’ team) is actually more powerful. It creates the culture that new people join, rather than asking them to fix the one they walk into.
7. It’s a process, not a moment
Real team development isn’t a one-off fix. It unfolds over time. It includes missteps, tension, uneven progress. It requires reflection between sessions, not just compressed bursts of activity. “There were moments,” the CEO said, “where it felt painful; but it got us further.” The space between sessions became part of the work. That’s where sense-making happens.
TRACTION: Do we deliver?
8. Everyone is a participant. No passengers.
Teams thrive when everyone shows up fully and actively, not passively. That means taking responsibility for the team, not just your functional lane. When something goes wrong, the question shifts from who’s to blame? to what can I do to help? That’s the mark of a high-performing team: shared ownership.
9. Observation > Opinion
One of the most powerful tools was simple: observation. Not judgment. Not advice. Just watching a team in motion, and holding up a mirror. “Sometimes you can’t see the wood for the trees,” one attendee said. “You can’t see how you’re actually behaving with each other.” A good facilitator helps you see what’s really happening, and asks whether that’s working for you.
10. Sustainability is the goal
ig was deliberately clear about the scope of engagement. The aim isn’t dependency; it’s self-sufficiency. Transformation isn’t complete when the facilitator says so. It’s complete when the team can call each other out with care, have hard conversations, and keep showing up for the work—even when the future’s uncertain. One attendee summed it up: Your team should feel like a hotel, not a prison. You’re there because you want to be, not because you have to be.
Final reflections
The results weren’t just cultural. This organisation retained key people, boosted engagement scores, and continued to grow, even through complexity.
But what really stood out was the pride the CEO felt—not when the strategy landed, or when the deal was signed—but when the team started to drive itself. When they held each other accountable. When they played as one, not just as skilled individuals.
That’s the mark of a high-performing team. Not perfection: but conviction, accountability, and momentum.
And just enough friction to move forward.
Curious where your team stands?
The X-Model is our diagnostic tool for understanding team effectiveness—across purpose, trust, collaboration, and delivery. It’s quick to complete, rich in insight, and designed to help you take action.
Learn more about the X-Model here, or get in touch.