Not too long ago, my friend joined a company as a director, and in doing so, she inherited a team of four managers and coordinators. She quickly told me the scoop on her new team.

Bob, the creative manager, was helpful, but very sensitive to anyone who critiqued his work. Sarah, a marketing manager, had worked at the agency a long time and felt very entitled. (My friend sensed that she interviewed for my friend's job, but didn't get it.) She said positive things about the two coordinators, but also noted that they were both somewhat inexperienced and had a different work ethic than what she was used to following.

Does this sound familiar? If you feel like your inherited team is a case of dysfunction junction, you'll want to pay attention to the tips shared today and tomorrow in Promotional Consultant Today to help you avoid leadership mistakes. Here are four traps to avoid when taking over a new team:

1. Criticizing the previous leadership. There is nothing to be gained by criticizing the people who led the organization before you arrived. This doesn't mean that you need to condone poor past performance, nor does it mean that you can't highlight problems. Of course, you need to evaluate the impact of the previous leadership, but rather than point out others' mistakes, concentrate on assessing current behavior and results and on making the changes necessary to support improved performance.

2. Keeping the existing team too long. Occasionally, new leaders make major changes in their teams too quickly, but it is more common for them to keep people who aren't performing longer than is wise to do so. Whether because they're afflicted with hubris ("These people have not performed well in the past because they lacked a leader like me.") or because they shy away from tough personnel calls, leaders end up with less-than-outstanding teams. This means they and the other strong performers must shoulder more of the load.

3. Not balancing stability and change. Building a team you've inherited is like repairing an airplane in mid-flight. You will not reach your destination if you ignore the necessary repairs, but you do not want to try to change too much too fast and crash the plane. The key is to find the right balance between stability and change. First and foremost, focus only on truly high-priority personnel changes.

4. Not working on organizational alignment and team development in parallel. A ship's captain cannot make the right choices about his crew without knowing the destination, the route and the ship. Likewise, you can't build your team in isolation from changes in strategic direction, structure, processes and skill bases. Otherwise, you could end up with the right people in the wrong jobs. Your efforts to assess the organization and achieve alignment should go on in parallel with assessment of the team and necessary personnel changes.

Need more leadership tips when it comes to your new team? Read more in tomorrow's issue of PCT.

Source: Michael D. Watkins is the chairman of Genesis Advisers, a professor at IMD and the author of the expanded edition of The First 90 Days (Harvard Business Review Press, 2013).