summary ofThe Wisdom of TeamsBook by Jon R. Katzenbach, Douglas K. Smith

first KEY POINT

Real teams go farther than individuals on a project

In its simplest form, the idea of teamwork is a story of a leader and followers. For the people who end up becoming team leaders, there's natural and inborn resistance against being accountable for others. The followers (teammates) will prefer to struggle for personal success than put effort into collective projects and teamwork. But this summary teaches that both ideologies need adjustments. Leaders ought to be accountable, and individuals will perform much better when working as a team.

By gathering information about several successful teams, you will learn to be a helpful teammate and know what is needed to succeed in a group — and that’s what this summary will show you. The lessons will also help you if you're a leader.Although team experiences can bring great results, sometimes, they can be a colossal waste of time. The truth remains that the quality of output a team brings forth is proportional to the kind of people that make up the team.

“Real teams,” as the authors call them, have some secret ingredients for their success. One of such is that everyone in the team takes up responsibilities. In other words, every team member shows commitment by getting involved.Accountability is another critical requirement vital for a team's performance, which goes hand in hand with discipline because a person who is accountable to someone tries hard to stay on track. Two things happen when teammates are accountable:• Everyone stays in order.
• The team runs smoothly.In general, this summary describes how team members can lay a concrete foundation for the three building blocks of every team: commitment, accountability, and skill. You will learn how to focus on collective projects, personal development, and overall general performance.Did you know? Having too many people in a team can bring about a reduced sense of accountability and performance.