As the new leader, you must first and foremost be a merchant of hope. To accomplish that, you must be good at communicating with your team members both one-on-one as well as to the group as a whole. This is best done in person or at least via Zoom (or some equivalent) if you are working virtually. As you communicate with your team members, focus on providing them with the hope that they can achieve great things in a work atmosphere that's no longer poisoned.

But to do that, you'll also need to address underlying issues from the previous manager. There is an excellent book called "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" by Patrick Lencioni, who relays how a new leader was able to solve your very problem by dealing with five factors: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. Often, just bringing a problem into the light can begin reversing all the harm done. You may find that sharing and discussing the book with your staff will help heal and enable them to move on and make a new, healthier history together. E