When Teams Click: Real Talk on Building True Team Chemistry with Dr. Carol Wheeler
Episode 11
Team chemistry isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the difference between a group that gets by and a team that thrives.
What really makes a team click? If you've ever struggled with clashing personalities, low engagement, or unclear dynamics, you’re not alone—and the answer might lie in one powerful concept: team chemistry.
In episode 11 of The People Success Circle, I’m joined by leadership expert Dr. Carol Wheeler to break down what healthy team chemistry looks like, why it matters, and how to build it—without forcing fun or faking connection.
Whether you lead a corporate team or a nonprofit crew, listen in or read on for simple, research-backed takeaways you can use today.
In this episode, Dr. Carol shares her journey—from her early experiences as a resident advisor to leading diverse teams in both academic and corporate settings—revealing that great leadership isn’t about fitting into a cookie-cutter mold but about embracing your true self and empowering others.
The surprising truth about team chemistry—and why it’s not about being best friends at work
Why trying to fit into a “leadership mold” can backfire—and how to lead from your strengths
How to handle conflict productively instead of avoiding it, especially in diverse teams
Tips for boosting employee engagement by helping team members feel seen, valued, and hopeful
The power of effective leadership in giving honest feedback and building trust through conversation
🎧 Tune in to hear how building a strong employee team can transform the way you lead—and help your people thrive.
🔗 Helpful Links
🌐 Mindy’s website for business consulting: https://www.limerockcareerco.com
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Episode 11: Watch or Listen
Key Takeaways From My Conversation With Dr. Carol Wheeler
Great Team Chemistry Doesn’t Mean Everyone Has to Be Best Friends
I used to think the best teams were made up of close friends—but Dr. Carol Wheeler reminded me that team chemistry is about mutual respect, not forced fun. Productive teams recognize each other’s strengths and collaborate effectively, even if they don’t hang out after work.
One Size Doesn’t Fit All in Leadership
Effective leadership starts when you stop trying to be someone you’re not. Leaders succeed when they lean into their natural style—whether that’s being a strategic thinker, relationship builder, or visionary. When you show up as the best version of yourself, your team will notice (and respond!).
Conflict Can Actually Be a Good Thing
Some conflict is not only healthy—it’s necessary. Teams with diverse perspectives will naturally disagree at times, and that’s okay. Instead of avoiding it, strong leaders know how to facilitate respectful, idea-focused conversations that lead to better decisions.
Employee Engagement Starts With Clarity and Connection
Want to boost employee engagement? It’s not just about recognition—it starts with the basics. Do your team members know what’s expected of them? Do they have what they need to succeed? When employees feel seen, valued, and hopeful about their future, they’re more likely to stay engaged.
CliftonStrengths Builds Stronger, More Self-Aware Teams
Strengths-based teams learn to appreciate differences rather than be frustrated by them—and that makes a huge difference in collaboration, communication, and overall performance.
People First, Profits Follow
If you’re struggling to get leadership buy-in, here’s what I remind my clients: when the people side of the business isn’t working, everything suffers. Sales, service, retention, culture—it’s all connected. When you invest in your people, you build the foundation for long-term success. And it all starts with seeing what’s really going on behind the curtain.
🎧 Want the full story, examples, and action steps?
Listen to the full episode of The People Success Circle for more insights on building a thriving culture that drives results.
Read the full transcript
Mindy:
Carol, thank you so much for joining The People Success Circle podcast today. I'm so thrilled you're here and would love to pick your brain and gain knowledge from you about teams and leadership.
Carol:
I love it. I'm thrilled to be here, Mindy. Thanks for having me. And talking about team leadership is my favorite.
Mindy:
Absolutely. Yes, you are definitely an expert. And so I'm excited for our listeners to be able to learn from you today. So I'm just going to start out by asking you—what first sparked your passion to study teams and leadership?
Carol:
I've been studying leadership and student dynamics since I was a college student. But honestly, I think what first sparked my interest was being part of a great team. When I was in college, I was a resident advisor. I was on a team with four other resident advisors and a supervisor who was in charge of all of us. That team worked so well together and supported each other. Our supervisor was really great at running meetings and teaching us how to work together.
That really sparked my interest in: how do we get to work like this all the time? I'm not great at working completely by myself—I love being part of a team.
Mindy:
I love that you said that because we tend to learn things from both good experiences and bad experiences. So to hear that your best experience provided you with a model of what this could be like is really cool.
You've worked with leaders in both academic as well as corporate environments. What are some key differences and similarities you’ve seen in how teams function in different environments?
Carol:
One of the things that I think is interesting, Mindy, is that I think there are vastly more similarities than there are differences. Teams tend to vary based on their function and the personalities on the team.
A team in corporate that's focused on sales might have a lot of really competitive members, and that impacts the team dynamics. I did a lot of work in higher education, particularly in student support areas like Residence Life, where most people are there because they really care about students. They love helping people. There are a lot of relationship-building strengths. Those teams might naturally hang out together a bit more.
But the reality is, what makes an effective team looks very similar in most settings.
Mindy:
So many leaders struggle with team dynamics. From your experience, what's one of the biggest misconceptions leaders have about managing teams?
Carol:
I think we often focus too much on the team getting along and being great friends—that the team has to be really connected and like each other to be productive and collaborative. And I don’t find that to be true.
Teams do need to respect each other, and there needs to be some relationship component, but it doesn’t have to go as far as we think. The best and most productive teams really honor each other’s talents and what each person brings to the table. They may have positive working relationships, but that doesn’t necessarily mean friendship outside of work.
When we think about team building, we often default to outside-of-work activities like drinks or dinners. For some teams, that’s effective. Others don’t need that and can still be very productive and collaborative.
Mindy:
Yes! You hear the term "forced fun" sometimes in workplaces, and it's good to hear that team chemistry doesn’t require that. It’s more about trust and respect.
Carol:
Definitely not necessary.
Mindy:
Carol, I’d love to have you tell us more about your background in leadership and what took you from that early spark to where you are today.
Carol:
I've been fascinated by leadership since I was about 18 years old. As a college student, I did every single leadership thing I could. If there was a leadership training, group, or activity, I was in it.
That got me started. I spent about 15 years working in administration in higher education, supervising teams and leaders. Then I went on to get my PhD in leadership, which gave me academic knowledge and research opportunities.
After that, I worked on the faculty side for about 15 years—some with undergrads, but for the past 10 years, mostly with graduate students getting their doctorate in leadership. I helped them conduct research, much of it in corporate or nonprofit environments.
For the last six years, I’ve run my business, NOPA Leadership. I love helping managers and supervisors become great at their jobs. I believe when you have a great supervisor, you have a better work experience—and that positively impacts your life outside of work, too. I truly believe we make the world better when we help leaders grow.
Mindy:
I love the connection you made between being well-led at work and being a better person outside of work, too.
Carol:
Yes!
Mindy:
You’ve helped people become the best versions of themselves. What are some signs that a leader is trying to fit into a mold instead of leading from their strengths?
Carol:
I think it often looks awkward. We’ve all done it—we’ve all tried to be somebody we’re not, and it doesn’t feel natural. What’s worse is the people you’re trying to lead feel that even more than you do.
When we try to lead in a way that’s outside our natural zone of genius, it usually doesn’t work. It’s frustrating. For example, someone might think a visionary leader should inspire from the front of the room. But if that person is more relational or introspective, that style might not work.
If instead they lean into one-on-one conversations and share vision in a way that feels authentic to them, they’ll be far more effective. There’s no one way to be a great leader. Leadership always works better when it starts from who you are.
Mindy:
That’s so freeing to hear. As someone who also works with CliftonStrengths, I know you're a strengths expert. How do you use strengths to help teams and leaders?
Carol:
I’ve been using CliftonStrengths since about 2007. What I love is that it’s a developmental tool—it doesn’t just label you; it shows where your greatest potential lies.
With leaders, we use it to help them understand which talents they’ve already developed and which ones they haven’t. It’s often eye-opening. With teams, strengths help us appreciate each other’s differences. Most effective teams are diverse—but that also means conflict.
Strengths help us see others for what they bring, not just what frustrates us. For example, Deliberative is one of my lowest talents, but I’ve worked with teammates who are high in Deliberative. Their caution can feel like it’s slowing me down—but actually, they’re seeing risks I would’ve missed. That makes our work stronger.
Mindy:
I love that. I have Strategic and Activator too—and my husband has Deliberative. Playing Scrabble with him is a real test of patience! But knowing our strengths helped me appreciate his way of thinking. It really does help relationships—at work and at home.
Carol:
Absolutely!
Mindy:
You also have expertise in conflict management. What are some common mistakes leaders make when managing conflict?
Carol:
The biggest one? Trying to make conflict go away too fast.
We need to distinguish between personal, emotional conflict and substantive conflict—conflict about ideas or methods. The latter is actually healthy and productive. Diverse teams will have conflicting ideas, and that’s where innovation happens.
When we avoid all conflict, we lose those benefits. Instead, we should teach people to have respectful, productive discussions. Not every idea can win out, but talking through them makes teams better.
Mindy:
Yes, and helping people feel safe enough to share is key. You’ve mentioned Crucial Conversations as a tool for this—how do you use it?
Carol:
The authors define a crucial conversation as one where opinions vary, stakes are high, and emotions run strong. These conversations matter, so we have to handle them with care.
One key idea from the book is that most people think they have to choose between telling the truth and keeping a relationship. But we should aim to be 100% honest and 100% respectful. It’s not always easy, but it’s a skill leaders can learn—and it changes everything.
Mindy:
Such good advice. That really is a superpower—leading through conflict with honesty and respect.
Carol:
It is. I tell leaders: if you can go through the storm instead of around it, you’ll come out stronger—and so will your team.
Mindy:
Yes! I’ve even used that storm visual with my teenager. It applies to life and work.
Gallup recently reported that we’re facing the most disengaged workforce globally. In the U.S., engagement is better, but still low. From your perspective, how can leaders increase employee engagement?
Carol:
It really comes down to helping employees feel seen, known, and valued.
If someone feels invisible or unimportant, they won’t be engaged. Start with the basics: Do they know what’s expected? Do they have the tools and resources they need? Those are the first two questions on Gallup’s Q12 Engagement Survey, and leaders often assume the answer is yes—but it’s not always true.
Then, we build on that by providing growth, feedback, and a sense of hope. Gallup’s newest research shows that hope is the number one follower need. People want to feel that things are going to be okay—that their job is secure, their company is stable, and their future is possible.
Mindy:
And the best way to give hope is to tell the truth—even when things are uncertain.
Carol:
Exactly. Transparency builds trust. When people are left in the dark, they assume the worst. But when leaders share the reality and what they’re doing about it, employees feel more hopeful and engaged.
Mindy:
That’s such an important point. One final question: If a leader listening to this episode could walk away with one action step to improve their team today, what would it be?
Carol:
Form a connection with your people. Talk to them. Listen to them. Give them feedback.
People need to know how they’re doing—positive or constructive. No feedback at all can be just as damaging as negative feedback. So start small. And if you’re not sure how to do that, get some leadership training or coaching. There are tools and support out there, and they really make a difference.
Mindy:
Absolutely. Whether it’s a course, a mentor, or a book from the library, the help is there. Thank you so much, Carol, for your wisdom and insight today.
Carol:
Thank you, Mindy. It was a joy to talk with you!
