two people holding hands in a garden with spark between them

Julia Felton

62 – Uncovering the Hidden Dynamics of High-Performing Teams

In this week’s episode of Impactful Teamwork, I delved into a topic that’s rarely discussed but absolutely vital to team success: energy—not just physical or emotional energy, but the hidden energetic system that drives or derails high-performing teams.

We often talk about team structure, roles, communication, and strategy. But what if the missing link to extraordinary performance is something you can’t immediately see? In today’s episode, I revealed why energy is your team’s invisible fuel, and how aligning that energy is the real secret to creating unstoppable momentum.

When Smart Teams Still Struggle

Let’s begin with a familiar dilemma: a team with all the right ingredients—skills, structure, clarity, even cohesion—and yet… something’s off. Progress is slow. Collaboration is surface-level. Innovation stalls. Why?

This is what I call “the illusion of harmony.” People are nice. Too nice. They’re avoiding conflict rather than confronting what needs to be said. And what lies beneath that politeness? A lack of psychological safety.

We explored this in last week’s episode, but here’s the takeaway: without healthy conflict, diversity of thought is suppressed. And without diversity, innovation and adaptability disappear.

So what’s really going on beneath the surface?

The Iceberg of Team Performance

Most leaders only see what’s above the surface: communication breakdowns, misalignment, silos. But below the surface lies the root cause—and one of the most under-recognised is team energy.

Energy is the vital force that fuels action, creativity, and collaboration. Without it, teams become stagnant. But energy alone isn’t enough. It needs to be aligned.

This is where the Momentum Equation comes in:

Energy + Alignment = Momentum

It’s simple, yet profound.

Decoding the Momentum Equation

Imagine your team as a herd of horses. If everyone’s running with energy but in different directions, chaos ensues. That’s energy without alignment—frantic, scattered, unsustainable.

Now imagine a team that’s clear on direction but lacking energy. That’s alignment without vitality—structured but sluggish. Bureaucratic. Stagnant.

But when energy and alignment combine? That’s when you unlock true momentum.

So take a moment to reflect:
Where is your team right now on that spectrum? Are you harnessing energy in a focused, aligned direction—or is your sparkler just fizzing aimlessly?

Lessons from Nature: The Diamond Model of Leadership

This principle isn’t just theoretical. It’s rooted in nature. I introduced listeners to the Diamond Model of Leadership, inspired by the wisdom of wild horse herds.

Picture a diamond:

Top (Attention): The lead mare scans for danger and opportunity.
Bottom (Energy): The stallion drives the herd forward.
Left (Congruence): Authenticity—alignment of head, heart and gut.
Right (Direction): Clarity of purpose and path.

In nature, herds thrive when energy (stallion) is channelled toward a shared purpose (lead mare). This is mirrored in high-performing business teams. Without both attention and energy, movement becomes impossible.

Introducing the Team Alignment Trifecta™

Alignment might sound fluffy, but it’s deeply practical. I’ve developed what I call the Team Alignment Trifecta™, which underpins every high-functioning team:

Role Clarity – Everyone knows what they bring to the table and how it complements the team.
Relational Trust – Psychological safety enables open, honest dialogue.
Rhythmic Flow – Teams move together, adjusting pace based on context—just like in nature.

When these three are in sync, teams accelerate effortlessly.

The Power of Push and Pull Energy

In wild herds, the lead mare pulls the team forward with vision, while the stallion pushes from behind with energy.

Businesses need both.

Leaders can’t rely on brute force (push) or inspiration alone (pull). The sweet spot is shared leadership, where both dynamics exist—pulling people forward with purpose, while pushing them with accountability.

Unlocking Your Team’s Hidden Energy System

Every team has a unique energy blueprint. Some members are visionaries. Others are doers. Some are focused on improvement, while others excel at building relationships. If you don’t know which energies exist in your team, you’re leaving performance on the table.

I asked listeners to consider:

Are your people in roles that align with their natural energy for impact?
Who might need to shift roles for the team to operate more effectively?
Is the business evolving faster than your leadership energy can sustain?

Misalignment isn’t personal—it’s energetic.

When Roles and Energy Don’t Match: Real-Life Lessons

I shared two personal stories:

Freelancing in a Customer Service Role: Initially energised by the challenge to improve the department, I quickly became drained when stuck in a role that didn’t align with my innovative energy.
Leading at Deloitte: I thrived in the start-up phase, but as the division matured, my game-changing energy no longer matched the business’s operational needs. I wasn’t a poor leader—the business just needed different energy.

These stories illustrate why founders can become bottlenecks as companies grow. Their energy often thrives in creation—not scale.

Understanding Mental Models: Why Teams Drift

One more hidden dynamic: mental models.

We all interpret the world differently, based on our upbringing, beliefs, values, and lived experiences. These lenses shape how we see situations—and they’re invisible.

You don’t see things as they are.

You see things as you are.

Unless you intentionally align those mental models through discussion and shared understanding, misalignment creeps in, trust erodes, and progress stalls.

High Energy + High Alignment = High Performance

Here’s the four-quadrant view I offered in the episode:

High Alignment, High Performance: The sweet spot—synergy, trust, excellence.
High Performance, Low Alignment: Scattered success—unsustainable and stressful.
High Alignment, Low Performance: Teams are storming, but not yet soaring.
Low Alignment, Low Performance: Disconnected and drifting—needs urgent intervention.

Ask yourself: Where is your team right now?

Making the Invisible Visible

Tools and techniques alone won’t create great teams. Understanding your team’s energy system will.

That’s why I use tools like The GC Index to help leaders decode energy for impact across their teams. And I’m thrilled to be hosting a deep-dive workshop where we’ll explore exactly that.