Whether you’re a first-time manager or an experienced leader taking on a new team, the challenge of building engagement from day one remains constant. The transition period when managing a new team is critical — decisions and actions taken in the first few weeks often determine long-term team performance and satisfaction.
Many leadership resources focus on administrative aspects of team management, but fewer address the fundamental challenge of creating genuine engagement. Unlike annual employee engagement surveys that measure organisational-wide sentiment, effective team engagement requires immediate, practical strategies that new managers can implement to build trust, motivation, and performance from the outset.
This comprehensive guide explores five evidence-based strategies for how to engage a new team, helping you establish strong foundations for sustained success and creating an environment where team members feel valued, motivated, and committed to achieving shared objectives.
Understanding Team Engagement in Modern Workplaces
Team engagement extends far beyond job satisfaction or basic task completion. Engaged teams demonstrate emotional commitment to their work, colleagues, and organisational goals. Research from Gallup demonstrates that managers influence up to 70% of the variance in employee engagement¹, highlighting the critical role leadership plays in creating engaging work environments.
The distinction between managing and engaging is crucial: management focuses on oversight and control, whilst engagement emphasises inspiration, purpose, and emotional connection. Teams that are merely managed may complete tasks adequately, but engaged teams consistently exceed expectations, demonstrate initiative, and contribute to innovative solutions.
Key indicators of team engagement include:
- Team members proactively seeking additional responsibilities
- High levels of collaboration and mutual support
- Consistent delivery of quality work without extensive oversight
- Positive attitudes during challenging periods
- Active participation in team discussions and decision-making
Understanding these engagement fundamentals enables new managers to focus their efforts on strategies that create lasting impact rather than temporary compliance.
The Critical Importance of Early Team Engagement
The first 90 days of managing a new team represent a unique opportunity to establish expectations, build relationships, and create engagement patterns that will influence long-term team performance. During this period, team members form initial impressions about leadership style, priorities, and organisational culture that can be difficult to change later.
Research consistently shows that engaged teams:
- Demonstrate 23% higher profitability compared to disengaged teams
- Experience 18% higher productivity levels
- Show 12% improvement in customer metrics
- Have 40% lower turnover rates
These performance advantages become particularly pronounced in technical industries where knowledge retention, collaboration, and innovation drive competitive success.
5 Proven Strategies for How to Engage a New Team
1. Lead with Purpose: From Management to Leadership Excellence
The foundation of team engagement begins with understanding the difference between management and leadership, and consistently choosing leadership approaches that inspire rather than merely direct.
Management vs. Leadership Distinction: Management involves being “in charge of” people and processes, whilst leadership means being “an example for others to follow.” Effective team engagement requires both competencies, but leadership qualities create the emotional connection that drives sustained engagement.
Leadership behaviours that engage teams include:
- Walking your talk by consistently demonstrating the values and standards you expect from others
- Sharing vision and context that helps team members understand how their work contributes to larger objectives
- Making decisions transparently and explaining the reasoning behind important choices
- Admitting mistakes openly and demonstrating continuous learning
- Investing time in individual team member development rather than focusing solely on immediate deliverables
Implementation approach: Schedule individual conversations with each team member during your first two weeks to understand their career aspirations, preferred working styles, and perspectives on team goals. Use these insights to tailor your leadership approach to individual needs whilst maintaining consistent team standards.
2. Connect Work to Meaningful Purpose
In demanding work environments, particularly within pharmaceutical, life sciences, and IT sectors, teams can become overwhelmed by immediate pressures and lose sight of the broader purpose behind their efforts. Reconnecting team members to meaningful work significantly enhances engagement and resilience.
The power of purpose in engagement: Teams that understand the meaningful impact of their work demonstrate higher levels of engagement, job satisfaction, and performance consistency. Purpose provides motivation during challenging periods and helps team members find personal satisfaction in professional contributions.
Strategies for highlighting work purpose:
For Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Teams: Transform routine tasks into meaningful contributions by connecting daily work to patient outcomes. For example, clinical trial data collection isn’t merely system compliance — it’s creating possibilities for patients to experience life-changing treatments, attend important family events, and enjoy extended quality time with loved ones.
For IT and Technology Teams: Frame technical work in terms of enabling business success and improving user experiences. System optimisation isn’t just performance improvement — it’s enabling colleagues to work more efficiently and serve customers more effectively.
For Cross-Industry Applications:
- Regularly share success stories that demonstrate the real-world impact of team efforts
- Invite internal customers to speak about how the team’s work benefits their objectives
- Connect team goals to organisational mission and values
- Celebrate achievements that highlight meaningful contributions
Practical implementation: Establish monthly “purpose sessions” where team members can share stories about meaningful aspects of their work and discuss how individual contributions support team and organisational objectives.
3. Excel at Performance Management and Goal Setting
Clear expectations and structured performance management create the framework within which engagement can flourish. Teams that understand what’s expected of them and receive regular feedback on their progress demonstrate higher levels of engagement and performance.
The engagement-performance connection: When team members understand their goals, receive regular feedback, and have opportunities for development, they’re more likely to feel valued and motivated to contribute their best efforts.
Effective performance management strategies:
- Establish clear, measurable objectives that align individual roles with team goals
- Create regular check-in schedules rather than relying solely on formal review periods
- Provide both positive recognition for achievements and constructive guidance for improvement
- Connect individual performance to team success and organisational objectives
- Offer development opportunities that help team members grow their capabilities
Goal-setting best practices:
- Use SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) for all objectives
- Involve team members in goal-setting conversations to ensure buy-in and understanding
- Review and adjust goals regularly based on changing priorities and circumstances
- Celebrate milestone achievements to maintain motivation and momentum
Implementation approach: Implement weekly 15-minute check-ins with each team member to discuss progress, obstacles, and support needs. These brief, regular conversations prevent small issues from becoming major problems whilst demonstrating ongoing investment in individual success.
4. Develop Self-Awareness: Individual and Team Capabilities
Engaged teams typically have managers who demonstrate high levels of self-awareness and actively develop similar awareness within their team members. Self-aware leaders understand their strengths and limitations, enabling them to maximise their impact whilst building complementary team capabilities.
The role of self-awareness in engagement: Leaders who understand their own capabilities can better support team members, make more effective decisions, and create environments where diverse strengths are valued and utilised.
Building leader self-awareness:
- Conduct honest self-assessment of leadership strengths and development areas
- Seek feedback regularly from team members, peers, and supervisors
- Identify complementary team members whose strengths offset your limitations
- Invest in continuous learning through formal development opportunities and peer learning
- Practice vulnerability by acknowledging when you need support or don’t have all the answers
Developing team member self-awareness:
- Use strengths-based assessment tools to help team members understand their natural talents
- Provide regular feedback that helps individuals recognise their impact and effectiveness
- Create opportunities for team members to reflect on their work preferences and motivations
- Encourage peer feedback and collaboration that builds mutual understanding
- Support individual development planning that builds on natural strengths
Coaching approach: Focus development conversations on building strengths rather than eliminating weaknesses. Help team members identify how their unique capabilities contribute to team success and provide opportunities to apply strengths in new contexts.
5. Prioritise Consistent, Meaningful Communication
Effective communication serves as the foundation for all other engagement strategies. Research consistently demonstrates that regular, high-quality communication between managers and team members directly correlates with higher engagement levels.
The communication-engagement connection: Teams that receive consistent communication from their managers are significantly more likely to be engaged than those who experience sporadic or poor-quality communication. Regular interaction builds trust, provides clarity, and demonstrates investment in team member success.
Essential communication practices:
- Schedule regular one-to-one meetings and protect this time from competing priorities
- Create multiple communication channels to accommodate different preferences and situations
- Practice active listening by focusing fully on team member concerns and perspectives
- Provide context and rationale for decisions and changes that affect the team
- Encourage open dialogue about both work-related and broader professional topics
Communication frequency and quality: Research indicates that employees whose managers hold regular meetings with them are almost three times as likely to be engaged as employees whose managers don’t maintain consistent communication schedules.
Virtual team considerations: For remote or hybrid teams, communication becomes even more critical as casual interaction opportunities are limited. Implement structured communication approaches that ensure regular connection whilst respecting individual work styles and schedules.
Building psychological safety: The most effective managers create environments where team members feel comfortable discussing any subject, whether work-related or personal. Psychological safety enables experimentation, challenge, information sharing, and mutual support — all critical components of team engagement.
Implementation strategy: Establish weekly individual meetings with each team member and monthly team meetings focused on open discussion rather than just status updates. Use these sessions to understand individual motivations, concerns, and development aspirations.
Measuring Team Engagement Success
Engagement indicators to monitor:
- Regular participation in team discussions and decision-making
- Proactive communication about challenges and opportunities
- Collaborative behaviour and peer support
- Initiative-taking and creative problem-solving
- Consistent performance quality without extensive oversight
Feedback mechanisms:
- Weekly individual check-ins with structured questions about engagement
- Monthly team retrospectives focusing on team dynamics and satisfaction
- Quarterly engagement surveys with specific, actionable questions
- 360-degree feedback processes that include peer perspectives
- Exit interview insights when team members leave
Continuous improvement approach: Use engagement data to adjust leadership approaches, team processes, and support systems. Remember that engagement is an ongoing process rather than a one-time achievement.
Demonstrating Appreciation and Recognition
Recognition serves as a powerful engagement driver, particularly when it acknowledges both achievement and effort. People want to feel appreciated for their contributions, and this need often outweighs financial incentives in driving long-term engagement.
Effective recognition strategies:
- Acknowledge individual contributions publicly and specifically
- Celebrate team achievements that demonstrate collective success
- Recognise effort and improvement not just final outcomes
- Provide peer recognition opportunities where team members can appreciate each other
- Connect recognition to values by highlighting how contributions align with team and organisational principles
Beyond monetary rewards: Whilst compensation matters, recognition that connects to personal values and professional growth often has greater impact on engagement than financial incentives alone.
Frequently Asked Questions About Team Engagement
Transform Your Team’s Performance Through Engagement
Effective team engagement creates sustainable competitive advantages that benefit individual careers, team performance, and organisational success. Managers who master these five strategies consistently build stronger, more productive teams that deliver exceptional results whilst maintaining high satisfaction and low turnover.
The journey of team engagement begins immediately. Choose one or two strategies to implement in your first week with a new team, then gradually expand your engagement toolkit as relationships develop and trust builds. Remember that engagement is an ongoing leadership responsibility rather than a one-time initiative.
Your investment in team engagement will yield dividends in performance, satisfaction, and career advancement opportunities. Teams that feel genuinely engaged become advocates for your leadership, create positive organisational impact, and contribute to your reputation as an effective manager and leader.
Start building engagement from day one — your team’s success and your leadership reputation depend on it.