Design Engineer: Shape -Impact Teams & Systems

Overview

Business builder and investor. 12+ businesses founded. Exited 5. 30+ years of experience. 200K+ readers.

I’ve built hundreds of teams in life and business. Some small — and some big teams making $10mm+ decisions. Here are 9 principles I use to craft high-performing teams:

• The Peacemaker Principle It’s tempting to create a team of all hard-chargers. Rookie mistake. High-performing teams often include a “people person." These personalities naturally defuse minor conflicts in the team before they get big.
• The Clear Mission Principle Great teams need a North Star. Can the team make a difference? What purpose do they serve? Create an inspiring mission to perform at the highest level. The whole team should know their WHY.
• Skin in the Game Principle Teams perform best when personally incentivized to succeed. This can be ownership, a bonus, or a promotion. Or non-monetary rewards like acclaim or recognition. Tie personal outcome to the team outcome -- and win more.
• The Anchors Away Principle Those projects when you covered for weak teammates? Do not ask your stars to cover weaker contributors regularly. Best case, it slows them down. Worst case, the whole thing implodes.
• The Benetton Principle Teams with a variety of backgrounds and cultures perform better. This isn’t just about DEI lip service. Studies show diverse teams produce more patents than average. It’s not just right – it’s good business.
• The No Responsibility Without Authority Principle Responsibility = “you own this.” Authority = “you have the power to enact change.” If you don’t give a team both, they will feel powerless. Or worse, like they're working on a pointless project.
• The Hierarchy Principle Sure, it’d be nice not to pick a leader for your team. But business isn’t a commune, a potluck, or a campfire. You get the best results with a single person leading. And accountable for the team's performance.
• The We Are Humans Principle Get the team out of the office. Encourage them to know each other personally. Have fun. Build trust. Be people — even at the office. Studies show the highest-performing teams bond over non-work topics.
• The Swoop Principle Sometimes you need to get in there. Email wars? Tell them to pick up the phone. Stupid meetings? Do some coaching! Is good work happening? Compliment! Leaders must step in when needed.