Smart Teams

Smart Teams Plot Summary

Introduction

In today's complex workplace, teams often struggle with productivity challenges that create friction rather than flow. Many of us experience days filled with endless meetings, overflowing inboxes, constant interruptions, and an overwhelming sense of urgency that rarely matches reality. This friction drains our energy, reduces our effectiveness, and leaves us feeling stressed and unfulfilled. The good news is that we can transform this experience by adopting a different approach to how we work together. By understanding the principles that create productive flow and implementing specific strategies for communication, meetings, and collaboration, we can build smart teams that achieve more with less stress. This journey requires us to move beyond personal productivity to create a culture where everyone works in ways that enhance not just their own effectiveness, but that of the entire team.

Chapter 1: Identify Productivity Friction Points in Your Team

Productivity friction occurs in the gaps between team members when we work together. It's that momentary loss of focus when interrupted, the wasted time in poorly planned meetings, or the frustration of having priorities derailed by urgent requests. While these issues might seem minor individually, they compound across a team to create significant drag on productivity. Dermot Crowley witnessed this firsthand at a tech company where managers were receiving 300-400 emails daily. During a presentation to the leadership team, the CEO asked how many felt overwhelmed by email volume. Nearly everyone raised their hand. He then asked how many noticed email volume dropped dramatically during their three-day conference when they were all together. Again, most hands went up. The realization dawned on them: they were creating their own email problem. They had developed an email culture where messages were sent to colleagues sitting nearby, everyone was copied on everything, and reply-all conversations generated dozens of unnecessary emails. This situation exemplifies how team members can inadvertently create friction for each other. The managers had implemented personal productivity systems, but how could they possibly keep up with such email volume? How could they focus on important work while drowning in the unimportant? The four main productivity friction points in most teams are information overload, excessive meetings, constant interruptions, and unnecessary urgency. Information overload occurs when we receive more inputs than we can process effectively. Studies suggest stress levels rise when we receive more than 50 emails daily—a threshold most knowledge workers now exceed. Meetings consume enormous amounts of collective time, often with poor planning and unclear outcomes. Distractions fragment our attention throughout the day, while a culture of false urgency keeps us perpetually reactive rather than thoughtfully responsive. To identify friction points in your team, observe where people seem most frustrated or overwhelmed. Look for patterns in complaints about time pressure, missed deadlines, or quality issues. Pay attention to how information flows, how decisions are made, and how priorities shift. These observations will reveal where your team experiences the most significant productivity drags. Remember, the goal isn't perfect efficiency but rather reducing unnecessary friction that prevents your team from doing their best work. By identifying these friction points, you take the first step toward creating a more productive flow for everyone.

Chapter 2: Establish Smart Team Qualities and Principles

Smart teams operate with a specific set of qualities that enable productive collaboration. These aren't about intelligence but rather about how team members approach their work together to create flow rather than friction. At a partner conference for a major consulting firm, Dermot asked the 400 partners how many had more than a thousand emails in their inbox. Over 80% raised their hands. This overwhelming email situation exemplified how poor productivity behaviors had become normalized across the organization. The culture accepted email overload as inevitable rather than addressing the underlying behaviors causing it. The foundation of a smart team rests on four essential qualities. First, smart team members are purposeful—they work with clear intent on activities that truly matter, rather than being driven by urgency or busywork. Second, they are mindful—they consider how their actions affect others' productivity. Third, they are punctual—they turn up on time and deliver on time. Fourth, they are reliable—they do what they say they will do. Oscar, an ex-Microsoft executive, shared how his first boss at Microsoft expected team members to arrive five minutes before every meeting. "In the navy," his boss explained, "the ship departs at 8 am. If you arrive after that, the ship has sailed." This naval discipline established punctuality as non-negotiable, creating clarity and respect for everyone's time. To transform these qualities into actionable behaviors, teams need to develop specific productivity principles. These principles provide clear guidance for real situations like meetings and projects. Rather than imposing a set of rules, the most effective approach involves collaboratively creating these principles with your team. Start by gathering your team to identify the productivity problems you currently face. Use the four qualities as a framework, and consider the different ways you work together—meetings, emails, projects, delegations. Brainstorm the issues, then prioritize them using the MoSCoW method (Must have, Should have, Could have, Would have). For each priority problem, "flip" it into a positive principle that addresses the issue. For example, if your team struggles with people arriving late to meetings, you might establish the principle: "Arrive five minutes before meetings." If email overload is an issue, you might create the principle: "Copy others with purpose, not by default." Document these principles and communicate them widely. Review them periodically and hold each other accountable. When practiced consistently, these principles will become "the way we work around here"—the foundation of your team's productive culture.

Chapter 3: Transform Communication to Reduce Noise

Email has transformed from a brilliant innovation into a source of overwhelming noise for many teams. The very features that made email revolutionary—its ease of use, instant delivery, and minimal cost—have contributed to its overuse and abuse in today's workplace. In one tech company, a new manager complained about a flood of emails in his inbox—a conversation thread that had generated more than 60 messages over a couple of weeks. Yet the topic wasn't even central to him, his team, or his boss! This email noise had become a shared problem requiring a shared solution. The three main ways email overload creates pressure are through disruption (constant alerts breaking concentration), bottlenecks (actions buried in overflowing inboxes), and stress (the psychological burden of managing high volumes). Research by Dr. Thomas Jackson with Loughborough University confirmed the link between email overload and elevated stress levels, particularly from irrelevant emails or those requiring instant response. To transform communication patterns, teams need to first recognize that email isn't always the best tool for every situation. There are four main communication tools available in most organizations, each with its optimal context. Conversations (face-to-face, phone, or instant messaging) are best for achieving cut-through when you need immediate clarity or resolution. Meetings work well for collaboration when multiple people need to make decisions or develop ideas together. Email excels when content is most important and can be consumed asynchronously. Posts on platforms like Slack, Yammer, or Enterprise Facebook provide context within project or topic threads. One senior manager shared how it infuriated him to see team members sending emails to each other from across the floor. A two-minute conversation could replace fifteen emails between five people. The key is being thoughtful about which communication tool best serves each situation. When email is necessary, the SSS approach can dramatically improve effectiveness: Strong Subject lines that accurately describe content; Short Summaries at the beginning that provide context and list any actions required; and Supporting information that offers additional details if needed. This structure creates focus, clarity, and context for recipients. To reduce noise for your team, establish agreements about when to use Reply All (rarely), how to use CC fields (purposefully), and when to switch to direct conversation (after more than three email exchanges on the same topic). Harley Alexander, a web designer who uses Slack as his team's primary internal communication tool, notes that these newer platforms organize conversations around topics rather than in scattered inboxes, providing valuable context that email often lacks. By transforming how your team communicates, you can significantly reduce the noise that fragments attention and creates stress. This shift requires mindfulness about both the tools you choose and how you use them, always considering what will create the least friction for everyone involved.

Chapter 4: Make Every Meeting Count and Purposeful

Meetings consume enormous amounts of collective time in today's workplace, yet too often they deliver disappointing returns on that investment. Many senior leaders spend up to 90% of their day in meetings, while middle managers might dedicate two full days weekly to these gatherings. During a coaching session with a senior client, Dermot tried to schedule time to plan a critical new project. Scrolling through week after week of back-to-back meetings, they had to flip forward eight weeks before finding a three-hour slot. This executive's extreme situation is becoming increasingly common, leaving people to catch up on other work during evenings and weekends. The three key problems with our dysfunctional meeting culture are spending too much time in meetings, holding poorly planned "fuzzy" meetings without clear outcomes, and tolerating poor meeting behaviors that cause productivity friction. One particularly striking example occurred at a professional services firm where, out of 19 workshop participants, only two arrived on time. The rest drifted in over 15 minutes, and not one apologized for being late. This behavior had become normalized, revealing much about the organization's culture. To transform this situation, consider implementing what Dermot calls the "100% fewer meetings" approach. This doesn't mean eliminating meetings entirely but rather making four 25% reductions: fewer meetings overall, shorter durations, fewer participants, and less wasted time within meetings. To reduce the number of meetings, protect at least half your workweek for non-meeting work. Attend only meetings with clear purpose and value, and look for creative alternatives like quick conversations or written briefs. For meeting duration, challenge the default one-hour timeslot. As Parkinson's Law states, "work expands to fill the time available for its completion." If you schedule 45 minutes instead of an hour, you'll likely finish in that time and may even accomplish more through increased focus. For participant numbers, apply Jeff Bezos's "two-pizza rule"—don't invite more people than could be fed by two pizzas. Research by Bain & Company found that every attendee over seven reduced decision effectiveness by 10%. To reduce wasted time, plan meetings thoroughly beforehand, including establishing clear purpose and agenda, and manage the meeting actively to stay on track. The 5W approach provides a structured way to plan effective meetings: Why (purpose), What (agenda), Who (participants), Where (environment), and When (timing). Always start with Why—clarifying and communicating the meeting purpose—before determining the other elements. This ensures everyone understands what needs to be accomplished and can prepare appropriately. Donna McGeorge, author of The 25-Minute Meeting, emphasizes three essentials for effective meetings: punctuality (arriving five minutes early), preparation (planning thoroughly), and presence (being fully engaged). She also challenges the efficiency of bringing everyone together when individual conversations might serve better: "We could have a meeting that goes for an hour, with five participants... or I could just do five or ten-minute phone calls with each of those individuals, which would still be an hour of my time, but only five or ten minutes of theirs." By making these changes, your team can transform meetings from productivity drains into focused, purposeful collaborations that respect everyone's time and energy.

Chapter 5: Collaborate Effectively on Projects

Projects are how we get meaningful work done in organizations, yet many teams struggle to collaborate effectively on these complex endeavors. Whether you're working on a major product launch or simply planning a team offsite, the principles of productive project collaboration remain the same. At a National Partner Conference for a major consulting firm, the COO delivered an electric keynote address challenging 800 partners to collaborate more effectively. He explained that achieving market leadership would require working together rather than individually. This message resonates across organizations where siloed work limits potential. Effective project collaboration depends on three key elements: alignment, agreement, and awareness. Alignment means getting everyone on the same page about what needs to be achieved and why it matters. Agreement involves setting clear rules of engagement for how the team will work together. Awareness requires monitoring and adjusting behaviors that might create friction. Colin Ellis, project management expert and author of The Project Rots from the Head, emphasizes that projects are fundamentally about people, not plans. "Whenever I go into organizations to help them with their project management, the first question I ask is, 'What did you do to come together as a team before you started?' Without that, you're going to struggle with productivity from the start because you won't understand everyone's personality or how to get the best work out of them." This people-centered approach begins with clarifying the project's purpose. In his book Projectify, Jeff Schwisow explains: "When you connect your people's strategic efforts to a higher business purpose, you give them an understanding of the business impact they're having... This motivates them to do more—to keep making progress and adjust their activities to be as meaningful as possible." Once the purpose is clear, the team needs to define what needs to be done (objectives, deliverables, and tasks), who needs to be involved (leadership, resources, and stakeholders), and when work will happen (schedule, milestones, and progress tracking). Making these elements visible to everyone creates clarity and shared understanding. Choosing the right tools for project collaboration is crucial. Complex projects with many team members might require full project management software like MS Project. Simpler projects might be better served by mind maps, project boards (like Trello, Asana, or MS Planner), or even well-structured checklists in tools like OneNote. The key is selecting tools that are useful (adding value), usable (easy to access and operate), and used (adopted by everyone involved). One client implemented a new CRM system that proved useful but not very usable when team members were away from their desks. As a result, it wasn't consistently used, reducing its value. By contrast, the same team quickly embraced MS OneNote because it was useful, intuitive to use, and accessible across all devices. Effective project collaboration requires thoughtful planning and consistent communication. By creating alignment around purpose, agreeing on how you'll work together, and maintaining awareness of productivity impacts, your team can transform project work from a source of friction to a powerful flow of collaborative achievement.

Chapter 6: Build an Active Mindset to Manage Urgency

Urgency has become the dominant force driving priorities in many workplaces, often derailing productive collaboration. A senior manager at a tech company once told Dermot, "I don't think you understand. We work in an industry that is highly reactive, and our clients expect us to drop everything when they contact us." This argument appears across industries, suggesting urgency rules everywhere. This focus on urgency undermines our ability to cooperate productively. While some factors like global time zones and increased competition contribute to this pressure, the real driver is the rise of instant communication technologies. Email, smartphones, and messaging apps have rewired our expectations, creating an environment where immediate response feels mandatory. The truth is that most urgency is false. Some urgency is real but unreasonable—perhaps something became urgent only because someone left it until the last minute. This unnecessary pressure causes workplace stress and keeps us reacting to urgent matters rather than focusing on important work that delivers results. During a presentation for a major client in the mortgage industry, Dermot heard Ben Roberts-Smith, a highly decorated former Australian SAS soldier, speak about leadership. Roberts-Smith explained that what made it possible for him to be courageous in life-threatening situations was knowing he could absolutely rely on his team. They operated according to strong values and did exactly what they said they would do. While most workplace situations aren't life-or-death, this reliability principle applies equally—teams function best when members can depend on each other completely. To manage urgency more effectively, teams need to develop what Dermot calls an "active mindset." This approach positions itself between reactive (immediately responding to everything) and proactive (thoroughly planning everything). With an active mindset, team members respond appropriately to incoming requests, considering current priorities and the opportunity cost of switching focus. They also anticipate early what might be coming and prepare accordingly. When facing urgent requests from others, you have four main options: ignore false and unreasonable urgency; negotiate false but reasonable urgency; question real but unreasonable urgency; or respond to real and reasonable urgency. Notice that none of these options involve reacting—most requests can be handled with a thoughtful response rather than a knee-jerk reaction. Leaders play a crucial role in managing urgency. Rather than acting as "conductors" who amplify urgency throughout the team, effective leaders serve as "cushions" who absorb unnecessary urgency. One manager Dermot worked with passed every urgent request directly to his team, creating constant anxiety. The team suspected many issues weren't truly urgent but felt powerless to push back. Not surprisingly, this was a high-stress, high-turnover environment. To reduce urgency for others, make planning a priority. When we take time to plan our week, we identify tasks to delegate in a timely way, prepare properly for meetings, and anticipate project needs. This proactive approach prevents last-minute scrambles that create stress for everyone. As a team, adopting an active mindset should become "the way we operate around here"—a cultural norm that reduces urgency and increases thoughtful productivity.

Chapter 7: Create a Productive Team Culture Through Projects

Building a smart team culture doesn't happen by accident. It requires intentional leadership and specific projects that bring productivity principles to life in your team's daily work. While many priorities compete for your attention, creating a more productive culture may have more impact than any other initiative you undertake this year. Matt Church, author of Amplifiers, suggests leaders have three essential roles: replacing fear with confidence, replacing confusion with certainty, and mobilizing people in pursuit of a better future. This last role is critical—if you want to create a more productive culture, you must mobilize your team toward this goal through concrete action. Dermot once worked with a large consumer goods firm whose HR director was excited about implementing productivity training across the organization, starting with the leadership team. A week before the training, the CEO canceled his participation due to another meeting. Without his commitment and example, the initiative struggled. While a few team members embraced the new approaches, most reverted to old habits. This illustrates a crucial point: productive cultures need leadership from the top, demonstrated through consistent behavior and commitment. As a leader seeking to build a more productive culture, you should follow four key principles. First, "do no harm"—avoid behaviors that disrupt others' productivity, like last-minute delegations or unnecessary meetings. Second, lead from the front by modeling productive behaviors yourself. Third, remember you're always "on show"—every email, meeting, and interaction sends a message about what you truly value. Finally, create specific projects for your team to rally around. Rather than trying to change everything at once, implement one productivity project at a time, focusing on it for a month before adding another. Over three months, you can embed powerful changes in how your team operates. Think of these projects as plates spinning on poles—once you have one running smoothly, you can add another while keeping the first one going. Possible projects include establishing team productivity principles (focusing on a different quality each month), reducing interruptions through visual signals and quiet spaces, dialing down urgency by creating an active mindset, putting your team on a "meeting diet" to reduce unnecessary gatherings, implementing a standard meeting agenda template, reducing email noise through mindful communication practices, exploring alternative communication tools beyond email, or improving project visibility through collaborative tools. One financial director Dermot worked with excelled at this approach. Whenever she wanted to create change, she framed it as a project and rallied her team around it. She gave each initiative a codename to keep it top of mind, and made it part of their weekly progress meetings. Her passion was infectious, making her team eager to participate in these improvement efforts. As Calvin Coolidge said, "We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something at once." By choosing one productivity project to implement now, you take the first step toward transforming your team's culture from friction to flow.

Summary

Throughout this journey from friction to flow, we've explored how smart teams can work better together by addressing the common productivity challenges that plague modern workplaces. The core message is powerful yet simple: the best results come when everyone does what's best for themselves and for the group. As John Nash's equilibrium theory suggests, true productivity emerges when we balance personal effectiveness with team collaboration. The path forward requires more than individual productivity improvements. It demands a cultural shift where teams embrace purposeful, mindful, punctual, and reliable behaviors in all their interactions. By transforming how we communicate, congregate in meetings, and collaborate on projects, we can dramatically reduce the friction that drains our energy and effectiveness. As Dermot Crowley reminds us, "Think of your projects as plates spinning on a pole. Once you have one up and running, you can introduce another, and keep them both spinning with a little occasional encouragement." Start today by selecting one productivity project that addresses your team's greatest friction point, and take that first decisive step toward creating a smart team that truly works better together.

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Dermot Crowley

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