Ron Friedman: Why Superteams Have High Well-Being

Most leaders say they want a high-performing team. Far know how to build one. Ron Friedman, author of Superteams: The Science and Secrets of High-Performing Teams, joins us to explain what separates the two, and why the answer has less to do with talent than with the conditions people work in.

Friedman opens his book with a question: Why do so many leaders ignore what research tells us about how people do their best work? His own research on superteams points to a truly profound conclusion. The teams that perform at the highest level are also the ones where people have very high well-being.

In our conversation, we look at how superteams collaborate, and why the best of them guard individual focus as carefully as they build connection. We take on meetings, which a recent MIT study found get in the way of important work for 70% of employees and strike 92% as unproductive. Friedman explains what superteam leaders do differently. We also discuss how a leader’s own habits after hours shape the people who work for them.

Then there’s time. Harvard Business School psychologist Ashley Whillans has shown that feeling we have enough time shapes nearly every part of our lives. In a workplace that expects people to be always on, that may be one of the most overlooked drivers of both well-being and performance.

Along the way, Friedman makes the case for having chili cook-offs, talent shows, and paper airplane competitions, the kind of activities some leaders dismiss as a distraction from real work. He also describes who belongs on a superteam, and the culture of generosity, trust, and psychological safety that lets people compete and succeed together without rivalry.

Taken together, this conversation is a powerful confirmation of why leaders and companies must make employee well-being a key performance indicator. If organizations want high-performing teams, this is the way to get there. Whether you lead five people or five thousand, you will come away with research-backed ideas you can put to use right away.

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