Insights
Team Laughter Builds Connection
Every "ha ha" after a colleague's mediocre joke? Social investment. Every shared chuckle over something mundane? Relationship building. Every moment of genuine team laughter? Strengthening the invisible bonds that make actual collaboration possible. The best teams understand something important: laughter isn't a break from the work. It's part of the infrastructure that makes the work successful.
The Complete Guide to Building Strong Team Foundations
Every high-performing team shares the same secret: they've stopped pretending everything's fine and started building foundations that actually work. Look at your team right now—some engaged, others checked out, most somewhere in between. That's not a people problem. That's what happens when teams run on assumptions instead of agreements, personality clashes instead of psychological safety. This guide reveals the hidden architecture of exceptional teams and the specific steps to transform yours from a collection of individuals into a unified force. Because the difference between teams that struggle and teams that soar isn't talent—it's the foundation they build together.
Building Stronger Connections In Teams
That candy shell exists for a reason. It's protective, safe. If people reveal their chocolate, they could be hurt, altered, or worse - melted! The professional personas we build around ourselves serve a similar purpose. They're carefully crafted to present the version of ourselves we believe will be most successful in our work environment.
Does Your Team Cheer Each Other On?
When Lily Zhang of the US Ping Pong team was playing for gold, Ant was right there in stands cheering her on. And you can tell he is truly excited for her. This is the person we all want to be on a team with. A person that wants to win and one that will cheer us on with full throated support.
Building Empathy in Teams With Personal Stories
Steve from accounting becomes Steve the guy who played baseball in the Little League World Series. Your team has a ton of stories like this and when shared, they will add depth and dimension to the relationships in your team. When we can hear, see, and understand the depth and dimension behind our teammates histories, we gain appreciation for them as a person. We understand they are more than the role they fill.
Building Connection: The Secret Sauce in How to Improve Team Performance
Improving team performance isn't solely about refining processes or integrating new tools. Sometimes, the answer lies in revisiting our human roots—by building and nurturing connections. In the grand scheme of how to improve team performance, fostering genuine relationships and understanding within the team could be the most potent strategy of all.