Best Team Ever: The Surprising Science of High-Performing Teams

It may at first seem like Pal’s takes clarity to a level totally uncalled for by a fast-food chain. And you could make that argument. But you can’t argue with their results. Pal’s leaders understand that clarity is a gift you give team members that empowers them, and the whole team, to work better. When team members know what’s expected of them, an

For weeks, Mulally sat at the boardroom table of a company bleeding money and listened as its senior executives each told him their departments weren’t the problem. The situation was worse than Mulally had thought. The executives were afraid. They felt in danger. They felt it must have been a trick. The idea of being open and transparent with the v

Your team may feel frustrating or exhilarating depending on the current level of clarity, but there is always room to grow. Here are a few ways you can get started bringing more clarity and dependability to your team:

Purpose isn’t a why. Purpose is a who. But many organizations’ mission statements are missing that who. In 2020, professors Christopher Michaelson, Douglas Lepisto, and Michael Pratt asked nearly two thousand CEOs to describe the purpose of their organization. More than half failed to mention any beneficiary

“And the reason that this happens is that when team members feel safe, they’re much more likely to ask for help. They’re much more likely to admit a mistake. They’re much more likely to try new roles and responsibilities, knowing that their team has their back—and, by doing this, they learn. And by learning, they become more effective.”28

Likewise in teams, If-Then plans can help coordinate team actions and foster accountability. (“If I get the outline from Sarah, then I’ll go to work creating charts for the slide deck within the next day.”) When you set If-Then plans, there is less room for conflicting interpretations around who is doing what and when. The actions, triggers, and ti

can read about all five in this book’s endnotes—but let’s just say the other four correlate nicely with Common Understanding and Prosocial Purpose.)

Mulally knew he needed his leadership team to trust each other and trust him. He knew the team needed to come together around a compelling vision, comprehensive strategy, and relentless implementation to create value for all the stakeholders and the greater good. He knew he needed them to speak freely if they were going to understand just how dire

psychological safety may be the hardest to build. It’s certainly the rarest, because it involves totally rethinking how leaders and teams respond to divergent ideas and mistakes. In fact, how well a team handles mistakes is kind of how psychological safety was discovered in the first place.