What I've Learned About Teams After 30 Years of Building Them
People ask me all the time which part of building a company matters most. Honestly, I can never give a straight answer, because every piece is crucial in its own way. But if I'm forced to point at one thing that has decided whether an organization thrives or struggles, in for-profit and nonprofit work alike, over more than 30 years, it comes down to the people.
I know that sounds obvious. Everyone says "it's all about the team." But the longer I do this, the more I mean it in a different way than when I started. It's not a nice thing you say in a pitch deck. It's the actual mechanism. Your team is what makes everything hum, and it's also the thing that can quietly wreck you if you get it wrong.
So what actually makes a team meaningful? A few things, in my experience.
1. Chemistry
This one's a big deal to me personally. I want to see people who connect, who actually hear and see each other. You know it when you feel it: a room where people walk in and something clicks, like they were meant to work together. When a group like that builds something or knocks out a hard task, there's a harmony to it. I still find it kind of beautiful to watch.
2. Problem solving
Chemistry alone won't save you. It's wonderful when everyone gets along, but if nobody can put out a fire in real time, things get complicated fast. The people who can spot a problem and just handle it, calmly and quickly, are worth their weight in gold. That instinct is one of the most valuable things a team member can bring.
3. Evolving
This one's harder to talk about. Hiring smart people is the easy part. What you're really hoping for is that they keep evolving, keep improving, keep maturing, because as they grow, the company grows with them. Some of that is on me as the leader. Part of my job is creating room for people to develop. But some of it also has to come from them, from their own hunger to keep reaching. It's never entirely clear how far someone still has to go, or when they've hit their peak. That uncertainty is just part of building with real people instead of spreadsheets.
4. Fun
I refuse to treat this one as optional. Think about it: you spend more hours a week with your team than you do with your spouse or your family. That's just the math of it. So there has to be some version of enjoying each other, whether that's a birthday lunch, time together after hours, or just a running joke that only your team gets. It doesn't need to be elaborate. It just needs to be real.
None of these things work in isolation. Chemistry without problem solving falls apart the first time something goes wrong. Problem solving without growth stalls out. Growth without fun becomes exhausting. It's the combination, messy and human as it is, that actually builds something that lasts.
