If you are leading a team that is not performing up to expectations the first place you should look is in the mirror. Before considering solutions that focus on your team and its members consider whether or not you're guilty of any of the following:

Failure to set the example. An effective leader serves as a role model for his or her team. As a leader, your words, actions and attitudes are observed and imitated by your team. This can be detrimental to effective team performance if the you are providing a negative example.

Failure to enforce policies. Closely related to failing to set the example, failure to ensure that the team adheres to relevant policies and procedures is a leadership failure. Any deviation should be addressed and, absent any compelling reason for the departure, corrected immediately.

Failure to provide the necessary training. Do not assume that your team members possess all the skills, knowledge and abilities required to accomplish their assigned tasks. Provide ongoing training and educational opportunities to teach and reinforce those subjects deemed critical for success.

Failure to grow. Just as it's important to train and educate the team, a successful leader must follow an ongoing program of self-improvement.

Failure to properly delegate. A leader must be able to delegate those tasks better performed by someone else on the team. A leader who fails to do so or who micro-manages the performance of delegated tasks will quickly lose the respect and support of the team.

Failure to respect the team. A team leader who does not take into account the individuality of each team member is destined to fail. You must know what motivates them, what's important to them and their individual strengths and weaknesses in order to mold them into an effective team.

Even the best teams can fall short of expectations. Effective leaders know that these failures sometimes start at the top. An honest self-appraisal is an important first step to addressing the cause and building a high performance team.