Fantastic Teams are cultivated by leaders who value people and prioritize relationships. These leaders recognize that the health of the team is inseparable from the health and effectiveness of the organization. Creating a flourishing team takes intentional work.
From the very beginning of Scripture, we see that God never designed flourishing to be a solo endeavor. In Genesis 2:18, God says, “It is not good for man to be alone.” That statement isn’t just about marriage—it establishes a pattern for how human beings are meant to live and work. We are created for community. We are created to build, serve, and lead together.
And yet, in many workplaces—even Christian ones—we celebrate the heroic individual. The visionary founder. The high-performing rainmaker. While individual talent matters, Best Christian Workplaces’ research and experience continue to confirm something deeper: flourishing workplace cultures are built on Fantastic Teams, one of eight FLOURISH Factors. Flourishing is based on “we,” not "me."
When I look at Genesis 1:26, “Let us make mankind in our image,” I’m reminded that even within the Godhead, there is community. The triune nature of God reflects unity, collaboration, and shared purpose. If we are made in his image, then collaboration is not a leadership tactic; it’s part of our design.
Consider Nehemiah and the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls. The task was daunting, the opposition fierce, and the timeline urgent. Yet the people succeeded because they worked shoulder to shoulder, aligned around a common mission.
Even the story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:1-9 reveals the extraordinary power of unity. God himself observes that when people are unified in purpose and language, “nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.” The project was misguided, but the principle is undeniable: unified teams are extraordinarily powerful.
Christian leaders know that Spirit-led unity has great Kingdom impact.
In measuring workplace health through the research-based Employee Engagement Survey, we consistently find that flourishing cultures don’t emerge simply because there’s one strong, visionary leader or a handful of high performers. In fact, organizations that rely too heavily on a few “stars” often struggle with silos, misalignment, and quiet disengagement.
Individual excellence without team cohesion creates fragility. When success depends on one or two people, the organization becomes vulnerable. But when teams are aligned, clear on the mission, and committed to one another’s success, resilience and momentum build.
Fantastic Teams understand that shared success matters more than personal recognition. They leverage one another’s strengths. They recognize that what we can accomplish together far exceeds what any one of us could achieve alone.
Healthy teams expect conflict. They understand that diverse perspectives sharpen thinking and improve decisions. In fact, if a team never experiences tension or disagreement, that’s often a red flag for team dysfunction.
The distinguishing factor is not whether conflict happens, but how conflict is handled.
Fantastic Teams operate in environments of psychological safety. People feel free to speak up, offer dissenting views, and raise concerns without fear of ridicule or retaliation. They engage in open, honest dialogue. They address issues directly rather than allowing them to fester.
When leaders cultivate this kind of environment, conflict becomes a refining process rather than a destructive force. Differences of opinion are treated as expressions of diversity of thought and experience. Trust becomes the currency of the team.
By contrast, unhealthy teams either avoid conflict altogether or personalize it. Disagreements turn into defensiveness. Silence replaces candor. Over time, frustration and disengagement grow. The mission suffers.
Christian leaders sometimes misunderstand unity as uniformity. But biblical unity does not mean the absence of disagreement. It means shared intent and purpose, even amid differing perspectives. Jesus prayed that we would be one—not that we would all think identically, but that we would be united in mission and love.
Open communication is another hallmark of Fantastic Teams. This goes beyond simply sharing information. It involves courageous and respectful dialogue across departments, roles, and hierarchies.
In siloed cultures, people focus narrowly on their own tasks or departments. Information is guarded. Wins are localized. Collaboration is minimal—flourishing stalls.
In contrast, Fantastic Teams see themselves as interconnected parts of a larger whole. They understand how their work impacts others. They communicate across boundaries. They seek clarity when confusion arises.
A large international nonprofit/parachurch organization has been on a 16-year journey of annual surveys and action plans with Best Christian Workplaces. They recently improved from Healthy to Flourishing on their Employee Engagement Survey.
For the past four years, the leadership team has been focusing specifically on healthy two-way communication to work more effectively across departments. Team Snapshot debriefs have helped individual departments identify their strengths and opportunities based on Employee Engagement Survey data. They have seen ways that their departments can work more effectively together. Each department speaks into the overall strategy and annual goals of the organization.
In addition, the International Director holds lunch-and-learns with each department to provide opportunities for them to share ideas, questions, and concerns about the organization.
As a result of their efforts, 15% more of their staff reported “good teamwork across departments,” and 18% more people strongly agreed that staff “exhibit good conflict resolution skills.” In the past 5 years, they have experienced a 17% increase in the number of engaged staff across their organization, which has increased productivity and Kingdom impact!
Intentional focus on open communication results in synergy and momentum within an organization. People feel connected not only to their immediate tasks, but to the larger mission God has entrusted to the organization.
Leaders at every level play a decisive role in shaping team culture. What you model sets the tone for the entire team. This includes how you listen, respond to feedback, and handle mistakes.
If leaders react defensively to criticism, team members will withhold honest feedback. If leaders compete for recognition, team members will do the same. But if leaders model humility, curiosity, and collaboration, those behaviors ripple outward.
Healthy leaders invite honest feedback about themselves. They acknowledge their mistakes. They demonstrate a willingness to learn. That kind of humility builds trust faster than any new initiative or policy ever could.
Best Christian Workplaces offers Leadership 360 assessments and Leadership Coaching to deepen a leader’s effectiveness in building Fantastic Teams.
Recently, a seasoned top executive reflected on his year of Leadership Coaching. He shared that he expected his Leadership 360 to confirm he was a strong leader. Instead, the feedback from his peers and direct reports highlighted several areas where he needed to grow.
He humbly accepted that feedback as truth and decided he would do all he could to change. He engaged in a year of Leadership Coaching with a Best Christian Workplaces consultant. Each month, he processed input from his stakeholders and asked for ideas on how to keep improving. By the end of the year, nearly all of his stakeholders reported a distinct improvement in his leadership, and one person remarked that he seemed like a completely changed person.
For Christian leaders, welcoming feedback is more than just a good management practice. It reflects the character of Christ. Jesus modeled servant leadership. He washed feet. He empowered others. He shared authority. Humility and collaboration are not optional add-ons; they are core expressions of Christlike leadership.
God designed us for community. He accomplishes his purposes through people working together. When Christian leaders cultivate psychological safety, foster open communication, and model humility, they are participating in God’s design for flourishing. Building strong, unified teams is not merely a strategy for improving performance metrics. It’s a biblical calling.
Healthy teams fuel organizational health. Healthy organizations expand Kingdom impact.
Take the next step to improve the health of your team by asking the following questions:
Assess the health of the teams across your organization through Best Christian Workplaces’ Employee Engagement Survey. The research-based results will give insight into the strengths and areas for growth in your particular organization. An experienced consultant will come alongside you with encouragement as you develop your own action plan to grow Fantastic Teams.
Flourishing doesn’t happen by accident. It is cultivated. And it is cultivated most powerfully when we shift our mindset from “me” to “we.”
In God’s economy, unity multiplies impact. And when his people work together in trust and purpose, nothing he calls them to accomplish is beyond reach.
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