Success in leadership for academic medicine is much more complex and characterized by an accelerating pace of change. For new leaders, a robust support team is essential. To optimize that support, a thorough assessment of the individual leaders’ skills and experience, as well as the institutional environment is imperative at the beginning of their tenure. For that reason, a structured program or institutional review preceding the placement of a new leader can have great value. Once the institutional and leader assessments are completed, an ideal support team can be created to buttress areas where the leaders may face their greatest challenges. Furthermore, when leading a new team, a leader’s thorough understanding of different team members skills, experience, and styles of work and communication can be leveraged to optimize the success of the program, division, or department.