When too many things depend on too few people, the team becomes a slave to circumstance. Life happens and the size of the team determines how resilient the team can be when it does. People get sick. People’s kids get sick. People go on vacation. People move on to other opportunities. These facts can be anticipated and
In a world that seems to have so many built in distractions, it is not a surprise that mediocrity is so celebrated. Focus is not even possible for many who have to constantly distract themselves from the pressure of the tasks and expectations they are facing. This allows those who learn the discipline required to focus to
Great teams have the ability to tune out all of the noise and distractions that threaten to take their eyes off of their objective. Think about what we see in sports. The truly transcendent athletes can see the action in almost slow motion. They have the ability to take in all the information available to them and
Tests are a form of accountability and evaluation. They come in formal forms like SATs and the famous pop quiz. Teams are also tested by the natural and inevitable adversity of life. Tests are tough because they are often more revealing than we care to admit. When the flames of adversity touch a team, the team is
Great team-builders have the ability to see what isn’t visible in the present. Potential is the basis of all hope for building any team at the outset. Seeing the diamond when everyone else sees a lump of coal is what sets the great team-builders apart from those who only recruit for the need of the moment. Seeing
Innovation is a fun way to live. It revolves around looking at the world and seeing ways that it can be better. Some of the best things we enjoy today are the result of someone’s great idea coming to life. This only happens when someone has the courage to not only try something new, but to start
Do I expect as much freedom as the next person? That sounds reasonable but there is a problem with that expectation. Freedom and entitlement to freedom only ever look good on paper. In reality, one person’s freedom is likely to infringe on another person’s freedom. Think about how people decide who is to go first when two
Organic management (or mismanagement) seems cool in theory because it feels free and democratic but eventually the actual limits remind everyone that no one is ever as free as they want to be. The management falls to the team to keep the limits from making too many decisions for them. People tend to resent the person who
Time, money, attention, mind space, proximity, and number of available lunch appointments have their limits. Everyone has a limit so limits are not what separates the great team from the ordinary team. The management of limits are what make that distinction. Understanding that limited resources can be wasted on unimportant things is at the heart of the
The easy choice is not always the best path. Our present always seems to be defined by the current fork in the road and the choice we have to make. Even turning around to undo a past choice is a choice to take a particular path. I am responsible for every choice I have ever made. The