Investment
Norms: Get clarity about the way teammates expect to be treated and how roles intersect.
Values: The “why” your work is important shapes the “what” of your mission.
Conflict: Constructive and mature disagreement strengthens relationships on the team.
Trust
Respect: Everyone has a reason for their words and actions, whether clear to you or not.
Accountability: Follow-through builds trust while sanctioned omissions normalize mediocrity.
Connection: Collaboration is fueled by caring. We invest more deeply when it matters.
Innovation
Diversity: There are many paths to the same destination. Discover them all.
Growth: Struggle is a necessary condition for progression.
Distancing
Poise: We learn most about a team’s ability when they are under stress.
Adaptability: Effective teammates move quickly from trumpeting pain to problem-solving.
Because the world isn’t perfect, human frailties often interfere with effective teamwork. Healthy teams struggle with the same issues as unhealthy teams. They just apply the understanding that pain, conflict, growth, and change are necessary and valuable. The “dream team” occurs because of the attention to these challenges not in spite of them.
