David Rock is the director of the NeuroLeadership Institute, and he believes that one of the most important things for a leader to do (and the way in which a leader can accomplish the most) is to build a team. The team is all about forming an “in-group,” he says, and the way to do that is to establish shared goals, a shared vision. “When you can find a shared goal, you turn an ‘out’ group into an ‘in’ group,” he told the New York Times. “Many people have had a boss they really wanted to work hard for because they respected them. . . And I think those bosses have worked hard to have a sense of relatedness with people, which comes from having shared goals and making sure there’s a feeling of being on the same team, not a sense of ‘us’ and ‘them.’”
You need great people. You need smart, capable employees. You need to have talented players on your team. But talent isn’t enough. The pieces need to fit, to work together and make each other better. Teams win. Individuals lose. And when you’re the boss, it’s up to you to build a winning team of people who want to work with you, who share your vision, and who can get the job done.