I started on my current team as the "low man", over eight years ago. The team was struggling (I knew this) and was known as one of the "armpits" of the company. There was a lack of SQL Server expertise (one of the reasons I was hired), so I knew I could make a difference.

Today I manage this team, and overall, the team has a pretty good reputation. We are often the "go to" people when either our services or our support people need assistance with data adjustments / corrections / custom work in a customer's database. This is in addition to our normal responsibilities (custom data conversions).

I agree that an individual can stand out, even on a poor team. By being helpful, having a good work ethic, and providing excellent deliverables - on time, within budget, and with few defects - that individual is likely to be retained / promoted / given other opportunities, regardless what happens with the rest of the team.

I also agree that the team reputation can reflect the reputation of the leader. If the leader is excellent, the leader likely demands excellence of the team. If the leader is belligerent, team individuals likely can't be as helpful as they may like to be because of the reaction they get from their lead. If the leader is poor, the poor members of the team likely get away with continuing to be poor.