Some musicians lean on theory to guide the notes they play. Others rely on their imagination. Both make music. Often, it is a blend of these differences that creates the best bands. Someone holds the structure of the tune together while somebody else improvises. Neither teammate thrives without the counterbalance of the other. Music provides plenty of life lessons for teams.

‘Stay in your lane’ is one of those phrases that weakens teams while pretending to strengthen them. You do your job and let me do mine. This is how a collection of individuals collaborates. It is not teamwork. Strong teams know the ground rules for changing lanes.

Recognition as an employer-of-choice becomes a magnet for recruitment and retention. The nomination is the easy part. Ultimately, being named a top workplace comes down to the quality of the culture. The recognition opportunity becomes a snapshot of the organization through the lens of employees. While each competition is a little different, they all basically evaluate the same things. How does your workplace measure up?

Change management and innovation skills are the same. Change management deals with loss and recovery. Innovation deals with obsolescence and discovery. What’s the difference? In both phases of the team’s evolution, teammates need to let go of the old and say hello to the new. Whether mourning a loss or taking a risk, the core competencies are shared. Let’s dig deeper.

Locate your nearest clock, whether it’s on the wall or strapped to your wrist. Look at its features. Numbers from one to twelve form a circle and hands sweep around and around, passing the twelve twice daily for eternity. Now imagine that each number is a stage of your team’s development. Where on the clock is your team? Why? Let’s slow down and take a look at what is happening as your team evolves in these predictable cycles.

It is an understatement to say the pandemic has redefined the way teams come together. The unexpected outcome of this remote team’s collaboration was an original song that, once released, will move listeners physically, intellectually and emotionally. With none of the eight teammates sharing common space (from their respective homes in Chicago, Minneapolis and Nashville), the result somehow still surpassed the vision. Each and every contribution mattered. Here is how this 6-month creative project unfolded through the lens of each player. Please meet Kerry, Steve, Michael, Jeremy, Deevo, Travis, CJ and Jaymi.

As we have seen with sports teams and rock bands, assembling the best talent doesn’t guarantee success. In fact, blending two alpha-type egos can be a recipe for disaster. Dream teams are complementary. They are balanced. They rely on the power of difference.

The biggest enemy of change is science. Homeostasis is the scientific explanation of why living things devote their energy to staying the same. When external threats occur, the ecosystem organizes around protecting the status quo. This is why it is so hard to establish new habits. This is why it is so difficult to change a workplace culture.

The pandemic has forced musicians into two places. You either find a large room with adequate ventilation and mask/distance/bubble for a live jam session or you record your part in the safety of your home studio and blend your track with your fellow collaborators. Perhaps the same musical notes come forth but a far different creative buzz is produced. Both teams provide valuable lessons.

Team engagement is more challenging when interacting through a laptop screen or a smartphone. It’s easier than ever to get away with multitasking. When the group gets larger, distractions are more tempting. What keeps teammates tuned in? Beyond the drug of charisma when a compelling speaker has the floor, the most effective fuel for sustained engagement is connection. And connection is not about you or your needs. It’s about the other people on the team.

Some motivations come from external sources. Power and money are quick examples. They drive decisions and behaviors with enticing promises. Other motivations come from within. Attachment, for instance, provides intrinsic fuel to engage with others. Connection is the most reliable glue that holds teams together. If you are looking for a strategy to strengthen your team, start with an honest appraisal of the quality of each relationship. Here’s a quick 5-step method to enhance what is working and repair what’s not.

Teams always move through cycles. For reasons coming from both within and outside the team, sometimes they get stuck. Getting unstuck is much easier when you know what has disrupted the cycle and what will get things moving again. Usually, the culprit is one of four issues. A few questions in each category will shine a light on what to do next. Let’s explore.