Are You Leading a Team, or a Group of Coworkers?

by Andrew Batenhorst

This may seem to be a bit of an unusual question, but I have found that the best performing teams I have ever been on have worked this out.

For many people who did not grow up playing sports, their first exposure to being on a team may have been in school, doing “group work.” And those who were on a sports team may not have fully understood the significance of what being on that team meant. I am guilty of this.

In 1995, I was 12 years old. I loved basketball, and my father encouraged me to join the local youth league and play on a team (which I had never done before). I used to play for fun with my friends after school, and this seemed like a natural next step. Although I’m 6’2” now, back then, I was the shortest guy on the team. I was not a great basketball player, but I was eager to learn and improve. To my dismay, I was the last one picked during tryouts, but nonetheless, I carried on and attended practice. My coach and the other players were aware of my low skill level, and at the onset of getting to know everyone and practice, I was embarrassed and felt like I was holding the team back. The coach would spend extra time with me working on drills and my shooting form, but I still lacked confidence.

It wasn’t until the coach was able to help me find my “home” on the court as a defensive player that I began to feel better about my playing and how I supported the team during games. I never really blossomed into an amazing player, and overall, our team had a losing record. When the season ended, I was upset and told my father I didn’t want to do it again the next year.

Fast forward 13 years, when I got my first job in a body shop as a repair planner, I began to learn and understand what it really meant to be on a team. Holding my teammates accountable, having a shared vision and purpose, trusting each other and providing support. I bring this up as a few weeks ago, I found my basketball team photo from 1995 in an old box. At 43 years old, I saw myself in the photo and realized – that’s just a kid who was blinded by his own embarrassment. After truly thinking about that time in my life, now as a full grown adult, I saw a coach and a group of teenagers who did truly support each other. No one ever insulted me, no one ever made me feel less than and once everyone found out what I was good at, my strengths were able to come through and shine. At the time, I couldn’t see it, but when I look back now, I think about how important that experience was and how it shaped me.

I think this is one of the most important things a leader can facilitate in the shop. Sure, solving problems, giving direction and offering support are all part of my daily obligations, but I find that a team full of people who don’t know what it truly means to work alongside someone that has their back, holds them to a standard and trusts them is not really a team, it’s just a group of coworkers.

These values must cascade from the top, starting with leadership leading by example. There are great resources out there to help you learn your team’s strengths. (Gallup has online assessments for example). Sit the team down and have everyone learn what each other’s strengths (and blindspots) are. Some of them may already know, but most of your team members likely do not know.

Exercises and games can be done to help teach each other about their strengths/blindspots, and how each team member benefits from knowing this information. This is a foundation of the culture of your team, and it comes before SOPs, standards and all the technical things needed to repair a car.

Pull the curtain back, and don’t be afraid to ask: Are you leading a shop full of coworkers, or are you leading a team?

Want more? Check out the August 2026 issue of Hammer & Dolly!