583: The Four Pillars of Elite Teams (with Colin M. Fisher)

583: The Four Pillars of Elite Teams (with Colin M. Fisher)

In this rigorous and insight-rich episode, Dr. Colin Fisher, author of The Collective Edge, deconstructs high-performing teams using decades of organizational research and field-tested frameworks. If you lead, manage, or influence teams, the insights here can recalibrate how you build and guide collaboration.

We explore four foundational elements (Composition, Goals, Tasks, and Norms) and dismantle prevalent myths that often derail even experienced leaders.

Key insights include:

  • Composition: A team’s effectiveness begins with clarity. In a landmark study, only 7% of top management teams agreed on how many people were actually on their team. “We can’t compose the team thoughtfully unless we agree on who’s in the team in the first place.” The ideal team size? 4.5 people. Why? It balances task performance and member satisfaction, minimizing coordination cost while maximizing cohesion.

  • Goals: Most teams fall apart not because of conflict, but because “members don’t share the same understanding of what the group’s goals are.” Dr. Fisher emphasizes that goals must be clear, challenging, and consequential, repeated often, and refined constantly.

  • Tasks: Don’t assign group work to solo tasks. Effective team tasks must require interdependence and diverse expertise. Leaders must provide “clear goals but autonomy over process.” Micromanagement erodes both accountability and innovation.

  • Norms: Often invisible yet decisive. Norms around psychological safety and information sharing distinguish resilient teams from dysfunctional ones. Without them, even the most capable groups collapse under miscommunication or fear of speaking up.

Dr. Fisher’s core thesis is deceptively simple: The secret sauce is sustained attention to the basics. His research confirms that elite leaders are not mystical intuitives but methodical questioners and attentive listeners.

If you care about sustainable performance and intelligent team design, this conversation delivers a precise blueprint.

📚 Get Colin’s book, The Collective Edge, here: https://shorturl.at/91Khp

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Episoder(499)

117: Interview with the former CEO of Dunkin' Donuts, Robert Rosenberg

117: Interview with the former CEO of Dunkin' Donuts, Robert Rosenberg

Robert Rosenberg served as chief executive officer of Dunkin’ Donuts from 1963 until his retirement in 1998. For over 35 years! Under Robert's leadership, Dunkin’ Donuts grew from a regional family business to one of America’s best known and loved brands. Robert received his MBA from Harvard Business School, and just weeks after graduating at the age of 25, he assumed the position of chief executive officer. Upon his retirement, Rosenberg had grown the Dunkin’ Donuts chain to over 4,000 stores worldwide with annual system-wide sales in excess of $2 billion. In his book, Around The Corner To Around The World: A Dozen Lessons I Learned Running Dunkin’ Donuts, Robert shares many of the stories behind this historic company and actionable business advice. Checkout out our newsletter "Monday Morning 8 a.m."

6 Nov 20201h 2min

116: What is Netflix’s real strategy? (Monday Morning 8 a.m. #2)

116: What is Netflix’s real strategy? (Monday Morning 8 a.m. #2)

Hi, everyone. This is Monday Morning 8 a.m., a newsletter that goes out—as you guessed it—every Monday. You can listen to the audio version of this Monday Morning 8 a.m. episode by searching “Strategy Skills” in any podcast app! If you want to receive a written version of this podcast, with links to mentioned articles, you can sign up for it on www.firmsconsulting.com/promo   In this newsletter, we have one goal: to help you distill the insights from the noise out there. So here are the big themes we’re noticing in the news this week and the deep insights you should be extracting from those themes.

2 Nov 202032min

115: Tech, pandemics, growth, valuation (Monday Morning 8 a.m. #1)

115: Tech, pandemics, growth, valuation (Monday Morning 8 a.m. #1)

Hi, everyone. This is Monday Morning 8 a.m., a newsletter that goes out—as you guessed it—every Monday. You can listen to the audio version of this Monday Morning 8 a.m. episode by searching “Strategy Skills” in any podcast app or sign up for a written version here!    In this program, we have one goal: to help you distill the insights from the noise out there. So here are the big themes we’re noticing in the news this week and some of the deep insights you should be extracting from those themes.   www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

26 Okt 202021min

114: Design thinking. With IBM Director, Damon Deaner

114: Design thinking. With IBM Director, Damon Deaner

Damon Deaner is a director at IBM. In this interview, we focus on design thinking.  Get sample training episodes from our advanced strategy training programs: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

14 Okt 20201h 2min

113: Interview with McKinsey senior partner, Aaron De Smet (Houston office)

113: Interview with McKinsey senior partner, Aaron De Smet (Houston office)

Welcome to episode 113 of the Strategy Skills podcast. An interview with McKinsey senior partner, Aaron de Smet (Houston office). Aaron counsels leadership teams as they transform their organizations to improve performance, organizational health, speed, and agility. He is also an expert on organizational design, corporate culture, leadership development, team effectiveness, capability building, and transformational change. Get sample training episodes from our advanced strategy training programs: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

23 Sep 202055min

112: IBM Vice President & Senior Partner, North American Talent & Transformation Leader, Victoria Pelletier

112: IBM Vice President & Senior Partner, North American Talent & Transformation Leader, Victoria Pelletier

Let us introduce you to a recognized expert in Leadership, Diversity & Inclusion, HR/Talent, career change and growth. Victoria Pelletier is an IBM Vice President & Senior Partner, North American Talent & Transformation Leader. She is one of those rare, impactful speakers who you hear once, and remember. She brings her authenticity, her passion, and her smarts, in a way that connects, resonates, and moves the audience. She is recognized across North America as a dynamic, captivating keynote speaker, published author and dynamic executive.  Her own story of overcoming unspeakable odds to live a life of no excuses is both moving, and incredibly inspiring. Victoria is a recognized leader in her industry, having won multiple awards, including the 2019 HSBC Diversity & Inclusion in Finance & technology Award and most recently, the 2020 Mentor of the Year from the Canadian Women in Communications & Technology organization. She has been featured in many podcasts, conferences and events, including Generation Now (Gary Vaynerchuk as Keynote), Fearless Women Podcast, Canada's Podcast, CBC National Television - Weekend Business Panel, Women Talk Tech, multiple IBM and other technology conferences and many more.

25 Aug 20201h 13min

111: Interview with Airbnb Chief Ethics Officer Rob Chesnut

111: Interview with Airbnb Chief Ethics Officer Rob Chesnut

An interview with Rob Chesnut, Chief Ethics Officer at Airbnb, about his new book INTENTIONAL INTEGRITY: How Smart Companies Can Lead an Ethical Revolution. Buy Rob's book: https://amzn.to/30twtVQ (paid link) Most companies think they have integrity… until they get boycotted, protested and skewered in the press. They’ll punish and apologize for lapses but have no clue about prevention. In an interview, Rob discusses how creating a culture of integrity can clarify and energize employees to act on their values and lead. Rob is a former Federal Prosecutor who prosecuted spy Aldrich Ames, he went on to found the Trust and Safety Department for eBay and the integrity training program for Airbnb: two companies with business models dependent on trust that had to invent the rules in the new frontiers of e-commerce and platforms.  Get sample episodes from our advanced training programs: http://www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

5 Aug 202055min

110: Ex senior McKinsey Partner and worldwide strategy practice co-leader, Kevin P. Coyne

110: Ex senior McKinsey Partner and worldwide strategy practice co-leader, Kevin P. Coyne

Kevin P. Coyne is a founder of Coyne Scientific. He is the former Director and co-leader of both McKinsey’s Worldwide Strategy Practice and CEO transitions practice, and the host of The Consulting Offer II Kevin attended the Harvard Business School after his junior year of college. He simultaneously graduated from both Rice University and Harvard in 1978 and joined McKinsey as the youngest associate ever and one of the youngest principals ever appointed. During a 27 year career at McKinsey Kevin advised clients on a variety of issues and across a broad range of industries including banking, consumer goods, venture capital, industrial, telecommunications and the public sector. His primary area of focus was corporate strategy. He has worked one-on-one with over twenty-five different CEOs. Kevin has been an active leader in civic roles throughout his career. He served as an Executive Assistant and sole policy advisor to the Deputy Secretary of the United States Treasury, the second ranking department official in the Reagan Administration. In that role he advised on Brazil’s economic growth, served as an intermediary between Britain and Argentina after the Falklands war and advised on opening Japan’s capital markets. He recently co-led several pro-bono efforts, including the following: Setting up the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund Leading the Atlanta and London Olympic Games committees on several initiatives Leading the team supporting former US President Carter on the Atlanta Project helping low-income citizens Kevin has co-written 6 Harvard Business Review articles, 12 McKinsey Quarterly articles and 2 bestselling business books, as well as many other articles across influential business publications. You can view FIRMSconsulting programs with Kevin on StrategyTraining.com/apps. Get sample episodes of our advanced training programs: firmsconsulting.com/promo

30 Jul 202040min

Populært innen Business og økonomi

stopp-verden
dine-penger-pengeradet
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
e24-podden
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene
utbytte
pengepodden-2
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
pengesnakk
finansredaksjonen
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
rss-sunn-okonomi
morgenkaffen-med-finansavisen
rss-rettssikkerhet-bak-fasaden-pa-rettsstaten-norge-en-podcast-av-sonia-loinsworth
lederpodden
stormkast-med-valebrokk-stordalen
rss-investering-gjort-enkelt
okonomiamatorene
rss-fa-makro
rss-andelige-tanker-med-camillo