The Wisdom of Teams

There is a lot written about teams because it’s the people structure in which most work gets done. We are going to be writing a series of Tips on teams over the coming weeks, so here are some quotes and a book to inspire you:

Individual commitment to a group effort–that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.
– Vince Lombardi

“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”
– Andrew Carnegie

None of us is as smart as all of us.
– Ken Blanchard

“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.”
– Babe Ruth

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
– African Proverb

“Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.”
– Steve Jobs

Teamwork makes the dream work, but a vision becomes a nightmare when the leader has a big dream and a bad team.
– John C. Maxwell

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
– Margaret Mead

The ratio of We’s to I’s is the best indicator of the development of a team.
– Lewis B. Ergen

The title of this post comes from a classic book of the same name, The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-Performance Organization. What are some of your favorite books on teams?