Understanding Team Dynamics

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺. One pattern I keep seeing in transformation work is that organizations often confuse endurance with health. A team finds a workaround, performance recovers, and leaders conclude that the system is functioning. But the workaround gradually becomes part of the operating model, which means the organization starts depending on people absorbing problems that should have been removed. That is how dysfunction becomes invisible. Strong employees compensate for weak processes, loyal managers protect outdated structures, and good results make intervention feel unnecessary. 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀. 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁. This is why leaders should look beyond outcomes and ask where people are quietly compensating for structural failure. The places requiring the most resilience are often the places requiring redesign. What problem has your team become too good at working around? #AIReadiness #FutureOfManagement #OrganizationalDesign #TransformationLeadership

Most people are taught how to be high performers. But too few are taught how to perform in a team. And that’s a problem, because in most roles, you’re not an individual contributor. You’re part of a larger entity, working with others to build something. Yet, I see founders spend hours refining their product or systems,  But don't devote time to team development. At HomeServe, I approached team performance with purpose,  And it was one of the best decisions I made. Here are 7 tools I’ve used (and still use) to build high-performing teams,  Based on real lessons from building a £4.1bn business: 1️⃣ Start With Why (Simon Sinek) ↳ Before you focus on what or how...get clear on why. WHAT – The product you sell or the service you provide HOW – What makes you different WHY – Your deeper purpose or belief Every great team needs a reason to get out of bed in the morning. 2️⃣ The 70-20-10 Rule (McCall, Lombardo & Eichinger) ↳ How people actually learn on the job: 70% from challenging experiences 20% from coaching and mentoring 10% from formal training Most teams over-invest in training, and under-invest in real development. I'm amazed at how few founders or CEOs have a coach or mentor. 3️⃣ The Trust Triangle (Frances Frei, Harvard) ↳ Trust isn’t built with perks. It’s earned in three ways: Authenticity – Are you real? Logic – Do your decisions make sense? Empathy – Do you care? Without trust, you can’t build speed or loyalty. 4️⃣ The 5 Stages of Team Development (Tuckman Model) 1. Forming – Team gets together 2. Storming – Conflicts surface 3. Norming – Ground rules form 4. Performing – Results roll in 5. Adjourning – Project ends or evolves Don't panic during ‘storming’. It’s necessary friction. 5️⃣ The Johari Window (Luft & Ingham) ↳ Self-awareness is a team sport. Open – You know, they know Hidden – You know, they don’t Blind Spot – They know, you don’t Unknown – No one knows (yet) This helps surface feedback, build confidence, and avoid surprises. 6️⃣ The Energy/Impact Matrix (Inspired by McKinsey) ↳ Map every team member’s impact vs. energy. Use it to: Make smart hiring/firing decisions Spot burnout early Retain high performers High-performing teams don’t tolerate drift. 7️⃣ The RAPID Decision-Making Model (Bain & Company) ↳ High-performing teams make fast, clear decisions. Recommend – Suggest the course of action Agree – Those who must sign off Perform – Executes the decision Input – Provides relevant facts or opinions Decide – Final decision-maker This clears up delays, dropped balls, and blame. Building a great team is about building an environment where talent can actually thrive. I go deeper into team-building in my new book. Order it today: https://lnkd.in/eRYDKXdT ♻️ Repost if you believe team performance should be built, not assumed. And for more on how I scaled teams to build a £4.1bn business, Follow me Richard Harpin.

70% of change initiatives fail. (And it's rarely because the idea was bad.) Here's what actually kills transformation: You picked the wrong change model for the job. It's like performing surgery with a hammer. Sure, you're using a tool. But it's the wrong one. I've watched brilliant CEOs tank their companies this way: Using individual coaching (ADKAR) for company-wide transformation. Result: 200 people change. 2,000 don't. Running a massive 8-step program for a simple process fix. Result: 6 months wasted. Team exhausted. Nothing changes. Forcing top-down mandates when they needed subtle nudges. Result: Rebellion. Resentment. Resignation letters. Here's what nobody tells you about change: The size of your change determines your approach. Real examples from the field: 💡 Startup pivoting product: → Used Lewin's 3-stage (unfreeze old way, change, refreeze) → 3 months. Clean transition. Team aligned. 💡 Enterprise going digital: → Used Kotter's 8-step process → Created urgency first. Built coalition. Enabled action. → 18 months later: $50M in new revenue. 💡 Sales team adopting new CRM: → Used Nudge Theory → Made old system harder to access → Put new system as browser homepage → 95% adoption in 2 weeks. Zero complaints. The expensive truth: Wrong model = wasted months + burned budgets + broken trust Right model = faster adoption + sustained results + energized teams Warning signs you're using the wrong model: • High activity, low progress • People comply but don't commit • Changes revert within weeks • Energy drops as you push harder • "This too shall pass" becomes the motto Match your medicine to your ailment: Small behavior change? Nudge it. Individual performance? ADKAR it. Cultural shift? Influence it. Full transformation? Kotter it. Enterprise overhaul? BCG it. Stop treating every change like a nail. Start choosing the right tool for the job. Your next change initiative depends on it. Your team's trust demands it. Your company's future requires it. Save this. Share it with your leadership team. Because the next time someone says "people resist change," you'll know the truth: People don't resist change. They resist the wrong approach to change. P.S. Want a PDF of my Change Management cheat sheet? Get it free: https://lnkd.in/dv7biXUs ♻️ Repost to help a leader in your network. Follow Eric Partaker for more operational insights. — 📢 Want to lead like a world-class CEO? Join my FREE TRAINING: "The 8 Qualities That Separate World-Class CEOs From Everyone Else" Thu Jul 3rd, 12 noon Eastern / 5pm UK time https://lnkd.in/dy-6w_rx 📌 The CEO Accelerator starts July 23rd. 20+ Founders & CEOs have already enrolled. Learn more and apply: https://lnkd.in/dwndXMAk

The New York Times profiled a start-up with 28 employees serving nearly 50 million users. That company is us. The traditional startup playbook: raise massive funding, hire hundreds of employees, and worry about profitability "later." But there's another way. Everyone at Gamma could fit in a small restaurant. We're not just surviving—we've been profitable for 15+ consecutive months, with revenue growing month over month, and lifetime negative net burn (we have more money in the bank than we've raised). This isn't an accident. We've deliberately designed our organization to maximize impact per person. Instead of creating specialist silos, we hire versatile generalists who can solve problems across domains. Rather than building management hierarchies, we find player-coaches who both lead and execute. Our team leverages AI tools throughout our workflow - Claude for data analysis, Cursor for coding efficiency, NotebookLM for customer research synthesis. These aren't just productivity hacks; they're force multipliers. Examples: — When our growth PM needed better analytics, he didn't file a ticket with a data team—he built a self-serve system that anyone can use without SQL knowledge. — When our marketing lead needed to understand our customers better, she fed thousands of interactions into an LLM and created actionable personas that now guide our entire strategy. — When our design team needs to test a hypothesis, we create a rapid prototype and show it to our power users. What we're seeing isn't just about "doing more with less." It's about fundamentally changing what's possible per person. The most valuable employees aren't specialists who excel in narrow domains - they're resourceful problem-solvers who continuously expand their capabilities. This approach creates remarkable resilience. Since everyone understands multiple functions, we don't have single points of failure when someone leaves or moves to another project. If you're building today, the question isn't how quickly you can scale headcount … it's how much impact you can create with the smallest possible team. The future belongs to tiny teams of extraordinary people.

"Feedback is a gift. It's an opportunity to learn and grow" At Google, we believe in the power of feedback to drive improvement. Sometimes feedback can be tough to hear. But taking the time to unpack it, understand the perspective, and reflect on it is crucial. Why feedback matters: - It reveals blind spots we cannot see ourselves - It accelerates learning by shortcutting trial and error - It demonstrates that others are invested in your success - It creates alignment between perception and reality How to receive feedback effectively: 1. Approach with curiosity, not defensiveness When receiving feedback, your first reaction might be to justify or explain. Instead, listen deeply and ask clarifying questions: "Can you give me a specific example?" or "What would success look like to you?" 2. Separate intention from impact Remember that well-intentioned actions can still have unintended consequences. Focus on understanding the impact rather than defending your intentions. 3. Look for patterns across multiple sources Individual feedback may reflect personal preferences, but patterns across multiple sources often reveal genuine opportunities for growth. 4. Prioritize actionable insights Not all feedback requires action. Evaluate which points will have the greatest impact on your effectiveness and focus your energy there. 5. Follow up and close the loop Demonstrate your commitment by acknowledging the feedback, sharing your action plan, and following up on your progress. Creating a feedback-rich environment: - Model vulnerability by asking for feedback yourself - Recognize and celebrate when people implement feedback successfully - Make it routine through structured check-ins rather than waiting for formal reviews At Google, we've learned that organizations with robust feedback cultures innovate faster, adapt more quickly to market changes, and build more inclusive workplaces. Let's commit to seeing feedback not as criticism but as a valuable investment in our collective future. The discomfort is temporary, but the growth is lasting. #motivation #productivity #mindset

Consulting isn’t dying—it’s evolving. The traditional "finder, minder, grinder" framework that has defined the industry for decades is being disrupted. As client expectations shift and technology advances, the reliance on junior-heavy teams and leverage-based profit models is under significant pressure. The future of consulting lies in a new model where hands-on leadership is paramount. Corporate and Private Equity clients expect senior-level Partners to actively drive strategy execution. They want seasoned professionals with deep expertise to lead from the front, ensuring that solutions are not just designed but delivered with measurable impact. Successful consulting firms will focus on outcomes rather than hours. By integrating AI and other technologies, they will accelerate efficiency and enable senior leaders to focus on delivering real value. Clients are increasingly drawn to results-driven approaches that prioritise entrepreneurial thinking and experimentation over time-based billing. As technology advances over analytical tasks, human consultants must excel in areas machines cannot replicate: creativity, emotional intelligence, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Coaching clients on how to leverage technology effectively will become a core skill, alongside curiosity and adaptability.

In this video, pay close attention to where I'm 𝘕𝘖𝘛 looking. 😬 My eyes are fixated on the jet to my right. The pilot in the jet next to me also looks to his right. And on the right side of the formation, both pilots are looking left. We're not looking at airspeed, altitude, or the ground. Most of us aren't looking forward, even when we're upside down at 400 mph! 😎 In formation, our trust in each other is everything. Thunderbird #1 (aka The Boss) is the only person with a full picture of what is happening. We trust his vision and trust him, knowing there's no space for arrogance or deflecting mistakes in the cockpit or in the debrief after. This is what trust in a high-functioning team looks like. Are you building trust on your team by doing the following? ✅ Setting clear goals. ✅ Building a culture of accountability. ✅ Creating an environment for open feedback. ✅ Empowering team members to acknowledge mistakes. ✅ Equipping your team with the necessary tools. Remember - Trust builds teams while arrogance tears them down. How do you build trust on YOUR team? ------------------------ Hi, I'm Michelle. I'm a former fighter pilot turned speaker, author, and coach. If you found this helpful, consider reposting ♻️ and follow me for more content like this. #TeamTrust #HighFunctioningTeam #LeadershipLessons #ThunderbirdTeamwork #TrustInLeadership #VisionaryLeadership #BuildCulture #AccountabilityMatters #FeedbackCulture #EmpowermentLeadership #TeamworkInAction

🧠 UX & Psychology: Guides and Cheatsheets. With useful resources on how people think, decide, remember and focus attention — guides, glossaries, Miro/Figjam boards and cheat sheets ↓ 🤔 We think we know what others are thinking (we don’t!). 🤔 Too often we fill in gaps and detail from stereotypes. 🤔 We project our assumptions onto the past and future. 🤔 We tend to avoid or postpone irreversible decisions. 🤔 We edit and reinforce some memories after the fact. 🤔 We don’t see everything and we overlook details. 🤔 We simplify probability and numbers to make sense. 🤔 We are drawn to details that confirm our own beliefs. 🤔 We tend to believe things we choose to believe. 🤔 We transfer our experiences on other people. As GK VanPatter noted, what is often missing in conversations on cognitive biases are divergent thinking bias and convergent thinking bias, with the latter being by far the most prevalent. With the divergent thinking bias, we often generate too many ideas without properly evaluating their quality of feasibility. As a result, we at times resist making decisions and narrow down solutions, and hence often overlook obvious solutions. I definitely fall into that trap frequently — and then get lost in all the fine details, without a clear path forward. With the convergent thinking bias, we rely too much on logical analysis while totally ignoring emotional factors, and then fall prey to confirmation bias when evaluating solutions. So we rush towards a single right answer, and often skip or ignore the option of experimentation. Both of these biases can be very counterproductive when we try to innovate and find solutions to a given problem. They are often overlooked and forgotten — so watch out for them, and flag them for yourself and for your team when designing the next big thing. --- 💎 Useful resources: Psychology Insights Cookbook, by Jerome Ribot 👍🏽 Docs: https://lnkd.in/epGNUd9j Figma: https://lnkd.in/gHEU4R9Y Laws of UX, by Jon Yablonski 👍🏽 https://lawsofux.com/ Psychology UX Glossary, by Peter Ramsey 👍🏽 https://lnkd.in/ek9Pi-CG Cognitive Bias Cheat Sheet, by Buster Benson https://lnkd.in/eCGDp4mP Psychological Principles And How To Apply Them (Figjam), by Maryna Kucherova 🇺🇦, via Paweł Huryn 🇺🇦 https://lnkd.in/eQE2y5HG The Psychology of Design, by Dan Benoni, Louis-Xavier Lavallée https://lnkd.in/d5Z6TpVt Cognitive Biases Explained, by Krisztina Szerovay https://lnkd.in/eCxbBBS9 Behavioral Science Insights (Miro board), by Elina Halonen https://lnkd.in/eW5XgwDk The Big Behavioral Bias (Miro Board), by Robert Meza https://lnkd.in/ei-Xs-tD Behavioral Evidence Hubs 👍🏽 https://www.bhub.org/ https://www.besci.org/ #ux #design #psychology

As Duarte grew, I’d hear feedback that decisions were made too slowly, which confused me. In reality, we didn’t have a system to recognize when the team was asking for a decision. We thought they were just informing us, so decisions would languish. We weren’t ignoring them, failing to act, or even making incorrect decisions... We just didn’t realize a decision needed to be made in the first place. It dawned on the exec team that the lack of clarity during the conversation is what slows teams down. Leaders and teams can share the same language for decision-making. Much of it is about shaping recommendations that actually lead to the right type of action and making the urgency clear. Here’s the shift that changed everything… We started mapping every decision against two factors: urgency and risk. Low risk, low urgency: Decide without me. Your team runs with it. Low risk, high urgency: Inform on progress. They update you, but keep driving. High risk, low urgency: Propose for approval. They bring a recommendation, and you decide together. High risk, high urgency: Escalate immediately. You're in it together, right now. Once my team understood which quadrant a decision lived in, they knew exactly how to approach me. And I knew exactly what my role was. The framework gave us a shared language. People can’t act on ideas if they don’t understand how decisions are made. Leaders should define how recommendations move from idea to approval to action. That transparency keeps progress from stalling. Remember: One of the biggest threats to your company isn't a lack of good ideas. It's a lack of clarity. #Leadership #ExecutiveLeadership #OrganizationalCulture #DecisionMaking

ABSOLUTE FACTS When it comes to building a team, I’ve learned that skills alone don’t cut it. Passion, curiosity, and a willingness to grow matter just as much - if not more. I’d rather bring someone on board who’s still learning but genuinely eager to be part of the journey than a perfectly polished candidate who lacks energy. Skills can be taught; attitude is harder to shape. So, what do I pay attention to during hiring? It’s not about having all the right answers or trying to impress. Instead, I look for: 1/ Engagement and Curiosity: Does this person ask thoughtful, engaging questions? Are they interested in more than just the role itself? 2/ A Mindset for Growth: Can they adapt and learn? Are they open to new challenges and have they shown this in the past? 3/ Empathy and Collaboration: How do they talk about their past team experiences? Do they understand the importance of working well with others? Hiring for attitude isn’t about overlooking talent - it’s about finding people who can thrive in a collaborative environment. Skills can always be developed, but the right attitude is what makes teams work, especially over the long run. The right team dynamic can make or break a project. So I focus on hiring people who fit the culture and are ready to learn. Skills can come later. 🔥Victoria Repa