This qualitative phenomenological study explored the approaches of newly appointed principals in New York State to build capacity through their Instructional Leadership Team (ILT). Interviews were conducted with 16 newly appointed principals to dive into their lived experiences using ILTs in their schools. Two approaches were identified: general recruitment emails and targeted selection. Implementing the teams had two impacts: staff was motivated for new initiatives, and collaboration increased. The principals identified three primary measures to track performance: student outcomes, surveys, and observation. Findings revealed that principals felt the need to use a dynamic approach to recruiting ILT members. Using ILTs resulted in noticeable positive changes reported by the school community, including new initiatives and classroom changes. Notably, principals had to rely on multiple data sources to evaluate the effectiveness of staff ILT participation. Results revealed the need for a district-wide policy to assess the ILTs' impact within the schools formally. Research still needs to be conducted to ensure best practices for ILTs, but the findings of this research support their use to create innovative, collaborative workplace cultures. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]