Building Strong Teams: What Great Restoration Leaders Do Differently to Communicate Their Vision

Picture a symphony orchestra. Every musician, from the bold brass to the steady strings, knows exactly how their part fits into the grand performance. The conductor may lead, but it’s the shared understanding of the vision—the piece they’re playing—that makes the music great. Without that alignment, even the most talented group can sound chaotic.

Restoration teams also work the same way. Success hinges on more than just assembling skilled individuals; it’s about creating harmony through clear communication, intentional leadership, and a shared purpose. The best leaders know how to articulate a compelling vision, step aside to let their team shine, and give feedback that inspires growth rather than resentment.

So, how do you build a restoration team that doesn’t just work but truly thrives?

Leaders like Zane Bagley and Leighton Healey share their insights in Building Leaders, showing how the right balance of vision, humility, and guidance transforms teams into powerhouses of purpose and collaboration.

Here’s how they do it.

Start With a Strong Vision

Before any structure can stand, an architect needs a blueprint—and in leadership, that blueprint is a compelling vision. A strong vision does more than set direction; it gives people a reason to come together and contribute at their highest level. Without it, efforts become scattered, and potential goes untapped.

Leighton Healey, CEO of KnowHow, takes it a step further in our book, Building Leaders. He believes that a truly powerful vision should be big enough to demand leadership at every level of the organization. It’s not about a single leader managing from the top; it’s about creating a goal so ambitious and inspiring that it calls for other leaders to emerge across the team. This way, vision transforms leadership into a shared responsibility, unlocking the team’s collective potential.

Connect the Vision to What Motivates People

A vision only truly works when it clicks on a personal level with the people making it happen.

In Building Leaders, influential restoration figures agree that for a vision to inspire action, it needs to connect with what genuinely motivates each individual. And this connection should, ideally, start during hiring and grow stronger throughout the person’s time on the team.

“You stir people up by connecting the vision to something that resonates with them,” Leighton explains.

When leaders tie the organization’s goals to their team members’ values and aspirations, something powerful happens. People stop being passive participants and become active contributors—leading, innovating, and going the extra mile because they see the company’s success as intertwined with their own.

The greatest leader-builders understand that leadership isn’t about titles or authority. It’s about building a shared purpose that makes everyone feel indispensable to the mission.

Check Your Ego at the Door

Balancing ego with humility might feel like trying to hold two contradictory ideas simultaneously: You need enough ego to lead with confidence but not so much that it eclipses the team’s needs.

This tension is at the heart of every great leadership struggle.

Leighton frames this paradox perfectly: “If you have too much of the wrong ego, it can be toxic and disastrous. But having no ego at all can be just as problematic.”

Ego, when healthy, is the fuel that gives leaders the courage to set bold visions and make tough decisions. But like any fuel, it needs moderation. Too much, and you risk burning out trust and collaboration. Too little, and you lack the confidence—or the boost—to steer the ship.

As a leader, the balance lies in shifting the focus away from yourself and towards others—a concept deeply rooted in humility, which is not about thinking less of yourself, but rather thinking of yourself less.

The trick is to use ego sparingly and ensure it serves the team, not just you. Leadership, after all, is a delicate dance between self-assurance and selflessness, and the best leader-builders know how to strike the perfect balance.

Provide Feedback and Play to People’s Strengths

Great leaders don’t squeeze people into rigid roles; instead, they craft roles that let individual strengths shine.

Zane Bagley puts it aptly: “Sometimes you have a great employee who doesn’t fit the exact mold, so you tweak roles to get the most out of their strengths.” It’s about flexibility, not forcing square pegs into round holes.

Leighton takes it further, emphasizing the role of feedback in leadership growth. Feedback, he says, acts like a mirror reflecting strengths, weaknesses, and overall impact, even when the reflection is hard to look at.

To make feedback count, Leighton suggests asking specific, scenario-based questions that spark honest conversations. Think: “How do I show up in group settings?” or “If I were given more responsibilities, which tendencies of mine might create friction?”

These moments of candid reflection reveal blindspots, deepen self-awareness, and build trust, creating the clarity leaders need to grow and lead effectively.

Building Tomorrow’s Leaders Starts Here:

In addition to leading with a compelling vision, the best leaders also promote from within the company, train soft skills, and do so many other things, which we cover in detail in our book Building Leaders. As you reflect on the insights from Zane and Leighton, ask yourself: What kind of leader do I want to be? What legacy will I build? And how will I make space for others to contribute in meaningful ways?

Ultimately, leadership is not about the titles or the accolades but the lives you touch, the growth you inspire, and the leaders you help build. This is your blueprint. Start building.

As you go along your leadership journey, check out KnowHow, an AI-powered, easy-to-use mobile and desktop app that helps service providers rapidly onboard new hires, upskill their workforce, and boost productivity with expert guidance for every job. Learn more at tryknowhow.com.