Leadership
by Daniel Coyle
Why do some groups click?
Some groups add up to more than the people in them. Others add up to less. Daniel Coyle spent years inside very successful teams, from a Navy SEAL unit to the animators at Pixar, to find out what the first kind does differently.
Hear a sample · read by Laura
Coyle's first skill. Our brains keep asking whether we're safe in this group. Belonging cues answer the question, through small signals like eye contact and a sincere thank-you. They have to keep coming, because a single signal never convinces us we belong.
Researcher Will Felps planted an actor called Nick in small groups to play a jerk, a slacker or a downer. Those groups did far worse. The exception was a group where one member met Nick with warmth and questions, and kept everyone else talking.
Coyle's second skill. We tend to think trust comes first and openness follows. He says it's the other way round. Someone admits a weakness, another person answers with one of their own, and trust grows. He calls it a vulnerability loop, and leaders have to start it.
Coyle's third skill. Strong groups keep telling themselves a simple story about who they are and what they're for, in catchphrases and small daily habits. Leaders feel it's too obvious to repeat. Coyle's advice is to be far clearer about priorities than feels necessary.
Spaghetti towers
Kindergartners beat business students at building spaghetti towers because they tried ideas together instead of jostling for status.
Belonging cues
Groups feel safe through small signals, like eye contact and everyone getting a turn to talk.
Bad apple
One rude or lazy member can drag a whole group's work down.
Going first
Trust follows vulnerability. A leader who admits a mistake first makes it safe for others.
Braintrust
At Pixar, early cuts of every film get frank notes, since they all start out bad.
A story from the book
Teams race to build the tallest tower from dry spaghetti, tape, string and a marshmallow. Kindergartners beat business school students. The students spend their time working out who's in charge. The children just start building, try things together and fix what falls down.
One thing to try
At your next team meeting, name one mistake you made recently and what you'd do differently. Keep it short and plain. Coyle found that when leaders show their fallibility early, others stop hiding theirs, and problems come up while they're still small.
Knotd has the key ideas from 250+ non-fiction books, each in a few minutes, in plain words. The Culture Code comes with a Name That Idea round and a Your Move story to make it stick.
Get the whole book on KnotdOpen in the appWhy do some groups click? Some groups add up to more than the people in them. Others add up to less. Daniel Coyle spent years inside very successful teams, from a Navy SEAL unit to the animators at Pixar, to find out what the first kind does differently.
Build safety; One bad apple; Share vulnerability; Establish purpose.
At your next team meeting, name one mistake you made recently and what you'd do differently. Keep it short and plain. Coyle found that when leaders show their fallibility early, others stop hiding theirs, and problems come up while they're still small.
Yes. Knotd has the key ideas from The Culture Code in a few minutes, in plain words, plus a Name That Idea round and a Your Move story to test them. It's one of 250+ non-fiction books in the app.
The Five Dysfunctions of a TeamPatrick LencioniTeams do their best work when people feel safe with each other.
