Don’t overlook this essential investment in your 2026 plan

The time to begin 2026 planning will be here before we know it. Now is the perfect time to consider team effectiveness for your organization.  

Here’s why: most engagement and performance strategies fail because they focus on individual behaviors. In reality, performance is collective. It is shaped by relationships, team dynamics, and collective narratives.

If you want to unlock better results in 2026, the smartest investment you can make is in team effectiveness.

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Engagement Isn’t Individual. It’s Collective.

Despite good intentions, we often measure engagement one person at a time through surveys, metrics, or performance standards. But that individual lens only captures part of the story.

In reality, performance and engagement are relational. They are collective. They are shaped by psychological safety, trust, shared clarity, and purpose - all of which live at the team level.

When teams are strong, performance follows.

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With Team Effectiveness the ROI is Undeniable. 

Let me give you a real-life example.

A large financial services organization asked me to support a fragmented team delivering a $30M cybersecurity initiative. The delivery team included multiple vendors and enterprise employees, had no clear roles, no shared ways of working, and no relationship network.

We began with a Team Health Assessment. Initial scores averaged 2.5/5 across four key dimensions: psychological safety, clarity, belonging, and purpose.

After just 8 weeks of targeted interventions - clarifying roles, building connections, improving communication - team health jumped to 4.8/5, eventually reaching 4.9/5 for 18+ months, even through major organizational and leadership changes.

The results? In that time the team: 

• Shaved 6 months off the project schedule
• Achieved 0% regrettable turnover for over 18 months
• Increased sales by 11x
• Secured 20% more funding than was even requested for a key initiative 
• Was recognized by the C-Suite as the top-performing team in the entire enterprise

In total, team effectiveness strategies delivered $4.5M in added value for one team alone. This enabled a 45x return on investment - no RIFs, reorg, or leadership change required. 

That is the power of investing in team health strategies. 

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Why This Matters Right Now

Most organizations kick off 2026 planning in October. That makes September the ideal time to explore how team effectiveness can benefit your organization. This is the perfect time to conduct a light touch assessment - while you still have time to advocate for your 2026 budget and build your business case.

From what I’ve seen across dozens of organizations, team effectiveness is one of the strongest ROI drivers in any HR budget. And yet, it’s still overlooked in favor of generic strategies and programs that do not meaningfully drive outcomes. 

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Signs Your Teams May Need Attention

Wondering if your team needs team effectiveness support? Here are a few signs to look for:

• Clunky, misaligned operations
• Role confusion or ownership gaps
• Silence in meetings or fear of speaking up
• Attrition among top performers
• HR teams stuck in constant conflict mediation
• Repeated breakdowns in cross-functional collaboration
• Leadership teams that are moving in different directions

If any of these sound familiar, now’s the time to act. 

What Healthy Teams Have in Common

Through my work and research, I’ve found that the strongest teams share four key dynamics, which are the foundation of the Empact Peak Performance Framework:

1. Psychological Safety - Can people speak up without fear? Is it safe to make mistakes? 
2. Belonging - Do they feel like they’re part of something that matters?
3. Clarity - Are roles, goals, and norms clear and consistent?
4. Purpose - Does the team know why their work matters?

These are measurable, improvable dimensions that can transform struggling teams and clunky enterprises into high-performing powerhouses. 

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Take Action Before the Planning Crunch Hits

This is what I recommend HR leaders do right now:

• Run a quick Team Health Assessment: This light-touch assessment takes 2-3 minutes and identifies what areas of team effectiveness need attention. 
• Use the results to shape your 2026 strategy. Plan for targeted investments that strengthen teams, not just individuals - it will pay off in dividends. 
• Reach out for support. Team effectiveness strategies are best implemented with expert support. Avoid generic solutions and make sure any external partner understands your unique organizational culture and its needs. 

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Complimentary Support for TroopHR Members

To help you get started, I’m offering TroopHR members who take the Team Health Assessment a complimentary 30-minute strategy session. In this conversation we will walk through your results, discuss your organization’s needs and challenges, and identify 1-2 high-impact actions.

This is your moment to pause, assess, and build a stronger foundation before 2026 planning moves into high gear.

Take the Free Team Health Assessment Now or reach out and Book Your Strategy Session Here

Final Thoughts

We’ve spent years trying to “fix” performance at the individual level. It’s time to address what actually drives results: healthy, connected, high-performing teams.

If you want to retain top performers, move faster, reduce chaos, and drive exceptional ROI - invest in team effectiveness. Don’t wait until 2026. The time to start is now.

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