Key Messages
Learn How To Build The Dream Team: Applying History’s Greatest Lessons To Find Success Together
When it comes to working together, there is no greater feeling than having and being a part of a dream team.
Getting from the point of total chaos and disorganization to having a successful team is often not easy.
However, thanks to Shane Snow’s Dream Teams we can learn how to create our own dream teams while having fun!
Shane Snow has taken his readers on an adventure, learning some key lessons about working together while exploring examples drawn from across the gamut of human history – providing both entertaining anecdotes and thought-provoking insights into teamwork.
From learning which hip hop group you should aspire to be, how the Wright Brothers liked to settle arguments or gaining more knowledge in modern art appreciation – in this pack you will discover how to form strong teams and drive success in any organization.
Whether it’s for your business or for yourself, these lessons will surely lead you onto a path of incredible productivity when everyone learns combination techniques that don’t just make sense but also have real-world results.
Diversity In The Workplace: How Different Perspectives Lead To Better Solutions
Having a diverse team of people with different backgrounds, genders and perspectives can help a team to be successful.
This was demonstrated by Chris Jung, who served a subpoena to a Mafia boss using her disguise and clever tactics as a young female FBI agent.
Gender and racial diversity in teams helps bring new viewpoints that can contribute to problem-solving.
People’s lived experiences shape the way they see the world and ultimately help them come up with unique solutions.
In addition, having opposing opinions on a team can challenge entrenched prejudices that are already in place, leading to making better informed decisions.
As seen in an experiment conducted by four US universities on Democrats and Republicans working together on solving a murder mystery, knowing that their solutions would have to be presented to people of opposing party allegiances pushed participants to preparing themselves better and working on more thorough arguments.
Overall, it is evident that when forming teams for any project, companies should focus not only on hiring talented individuals but instead promote diverse groups of people who come from varying backgrounds, genders and opinions as this will ultimately bring about better solutions for achieving success.
Organizational And Personal Conflict: When Can It Help And When Does It Hurt?
When it comes to a team working together effectively, it can sometimes be beneficial to have at least some tension present.
It may seem counterintuitive, but having a little bit of disagreement can actually help the team towards achieving success.
The famous Gottman Institute that studies couples’ relationships is a prime example of this thinking in practice.
According to their research, arguing regularly isn’t usually the cause of long-term issues; rather, it’s when partners remain silent and avoid discussing problems that serious problems often arise.
The same principle applies to companies and organizations.
For instance, look at DaimlerChrysler, a failed merger between Detroit’s Chrysler and Germany’s Daimler motor companies in 1998.
There was a lack of communication between employees from both sides of the business due to cultural differences – a phenomenon known as cognitive friction.
This led to organizational silence and resulted in serious downsizing for the company three years later.
Contrast that with one of hip hop’s all-time greatest groups – The Wu-Tang Clan – who flourished in no small part because they embraced conflict and put their differences to great use while crafting their music, eventually going on to revolutionize the genre with groundbreaking lyrics and beats.
A similar tactic was employed by another famous brother duo too – Orville & Wilbur Wright – who not only worked together despite major disagreements but even switched sides during arguments in order to detach from emotion and assess the situation more impartially before reaching their decisions.
So if you want your team or business organization performing optimally, never underestimate the value of fostering healthy argumentative exchanges!
A little tension here and there can go much further than you might think in spurring creativity, collaboration and ultimately success!
Soccer: Breaking Down Animosity And Fostering In-Group Identity Through A Shared Activity
The power of playing together cannot be underestimated.
As the Wright brothers discovered, the act of working and playing together can increase harmony in groups and foster deep understanding and appreciation for each other’s perspectives.
This is something that was seen by communities in Buenos Aires at the turn of the twentieth century.
Argentina was transitioning from one dominated by gauchos to a national identity composed of pibes – kids who loved to play soccer on streets – as soccer became more prevalent throughout the city.
Importantly, playing together had a remarkable effect of bringing people together across all different social classes, races, ethnicities and religions; something that was particularly beneficial for the Jewish community facing difficulties at the time.
As this happened, animosities between different groups in Argentina diminished.
There are good reasons behind this too: when we play together with people who we initially considered out-group members, it helps make them part of an in-group instead – reducing feelings of threat and aggressive behaviour.
This is because playing together triggers cheerfulness and happiness which can lead to further trust being built over time.
This process relies on how the brain works: when feeling threatened or suspicious about others (triggered by things like hearing foreign languages), our bodies’ responses cause our heart rate and blood pressure to spike.
But there’s a way around this chemistry; if people come together through playing various sports such as football or basketball rather than confrontation, they’ll start to trust each other more easily resulting in camaraderie amongst different teams.
The power of coming together through play should not be underestimated; it has been hugely successful in Buenos Aires previously due to its ability to cross divides between social classes, race and religion – something individuals often struggle to do without any external help or support.
Don’T Be Afraid To Shake Up A Winning Team For Success
It is common in business that teams that have achieved success tend to stay stuck in their ways.
This can be the result of becoming comfortable with practices that led to initial successes and not wanting to risk a change, but it can also cause stagnation and lead to disappointing results down the line.
The old adage “don’t change a winning team” often holds true, but there are times where fresh ideas and opinions can bring life back into an otherwise static organization.
Take for example G-Corp, a company that struck gold in the 80s with the invention of a successful ‘blister cushion’ bandage and medicated plaster product.
However over time, sales started to decline as innovation stagnated.
In order to revive the company’s fortunes, changes had to be made – G-Corp hired consultants from Sense Worldwide who implemented focus groups and got people from professions prone to blisters using their products on camera.
Finally, introducing outside perspective into a team is a great way to shake up existing ideas and perspectives; an experiment in 2009 saw double the success rate of solving chance when a fourth member – known as a ‘devil’s advocate’ – was added just 20 minutes before concluding the task at hand.
The new person need not bring correct answers – merely they forced those present to reevaluate choices and examine arguments more rigorously.
When stuck in continuous cycles of productivity or tasting short-term success, injecting fresh blood, ideas or opinions into an organization can kick start new prospects and offer opportunities for elevating levels of success further than ever before imagined.
The Power Of Bad Ideas: How Unexpected Solutions Can Change The World
We’ve all faced the idea of something appearing bad at first glance, but sometimes that can lead to new and useful solutions.
Take, for example, artist Kazimir Malevich’s painting in the Tretyakov Gallery, Black Square.
Although it appeared to be nothing more than a small square canvas painted black, it revolutionized art by freeing it from the need to portray reality.
His student El Lissitzky then put these ideas into action with his work in propaganda posters for the Communists in Russia; however his realization of art’s power scared him and many other artists into fleeing Germany during the mid-1920s.
The foundation of Bauhaus as an art movement was a direct result of this exodus and helped to redefine art within industrial and advertising functions.
Similarly, a wacky idea from city planners in Winooski, Vermont – an attempt to cover their town with a dome and reduce heating bills – brought out nationwide coverage and staunch disapproval from President Jimmy Carter which ultimately led to the stopping of construction.
Despite its failure, this “bad” idea actually ended up benefitting the town in the long run when increased media attention allowed for new hydroelectricity funding, providing Winooski with sustainable heating through cheaper rates.
These cases prove that despite appearances, good can indeed come from bad ideas if given enough consideration.
Don’t be quick to dismiss possible solutions before they have been given time to form as they might just surprise you!
Unity Is Possible With The Right Level Of Empathy And Teamwork
Throughout human history, diverse groups of people have been able to set aside their differences and work together when faced with a common, higher goal.
This was evident during World War II when the Western capitalist countries and the Communist Soviet Union put aside their ideological differences to fight against Hitler’s forces, as well as in 1812 during the War of 1812 where an unlikely squad of all sorts of Americans united to defend New Orleans from the British.
Not only can a common superordinate goal unite people from different backgrounds, but if done correctly and sincerely, mutual respect can also cultivate an atmosphere where diversity does not dissolve unity.
This was seen in an experiment conducted in 1954 at a boys’ summer camp that divided children into two groups which despised each other.
However, after multiple challenges that allowed them to collaborate, mutual respect was formed between the two camps which helped unite them by their last day of camp together.
So although internal division may be inevitable when there are varying perspectives among individuals or social groups, it is possible to bridge gaps through superordinate goals and mutual respect – traits that strengthen connections rather than separate them.
Malcolm X’S Pilgrimage To Mecca As A Teaching Moment In Intellectual Humility
A dream team is only as good as its individual members.
That’s why it’s important that these individuals possess certain key qualities, such as intellectual humility.
Intellectual humility is the willingness to evaluate and challenge your beliefs regardless of how strongly you cling to them.
It requires individuals to approach intellectual arguments with a degree of objectivity and accept any predetermined opinions that they might hold.
This quality allows teams to discuss issues rationally, without prejudice or personal bias interfering with the debate.
Malcolm X demonstrated this perfectly when he went on his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1964 and spent time in Africa.
His experiences gave him a new multicultural perspective on life, finally changing his opinion about separatism which had been entrenched for many years prior.
As important as it may be for an individual to possess intellectual humility, it is even more important for teams so that the right solution can be discovered faster- especially during times when differences of opinion arise among team members.
That way, all sides will be evaluated based on their rational merits alone instead of on personal bias and preference, which accelerates the decision-making process while ensuring that the group makes the correct choice in their deliberations.
So if you’re looking to assemble a successful dream team then make sure everyone’s equipped with this powerful quality – intellectual humility!
The Power Of Empathy And Storytelling To Form Dream Teams
Sharing stories and listening to one another is a powerful way to show empathy and build trust.
That’s why, as Paul Zak of Claremont University discovered, showing charity advertisements that show life stories has much more of an effect than just presenting dry statistics.
Zak conducted several experiments and it was found that when people watched ads with real-life stories, their bodies produced higher levels of oxytocin (the hormone responsible for making us feel empathy).
Furthermore, they were also much more likely to donate money after viewing the story-based ads than they would have been with the stat-based ads.
This same principle can be applied on larger scales too.
The US has seen big improvements in people’s attitudes towards Asian Americans and gay people in the last century – thanks largely due to the increased amounts of sharing about their experiences and stories.
Onscreen characters such as Hikaru Sulu in Star Trek helped challenge negative stereotypes about Asians whilst bravely coming out as members of LGBTQ+ community enabled people to relate, understand and empathise better with them all collectively.
Therefore it goes without saying how sharing stories leads to increased empathy towards one another in dream teams – afterall all it can take is a bit of understanding and compassion for things to work out for the better!
Wrap Up
At the end of the day, teamwork can be a major challenge for many people.
It becomes even harder when arguments arise and no one is willing to compromise.
But with Dream Teams by Tom Whipple, you can get insights on how to deal with this kind of situation in a productive way.
The key takeaway here is that we should strive to build dream teams – teams that take into account respect, empathy, open-mindedness, willingness to challenge each other and welcome dissent.
Also, it’s important to remember to reverse roles every once in a while if your team is stuck in an argument: by arguing for the ideas they were originally against, people will be able to see the various benefits more clearly and reach an understanding.
With this advice, dream teams can be achieved anywhere!
