Teamwork remains a sustainable competitive advantage that has been largely untapped because it is hard to measure (teamwork impacts the outcome of an organization in such comprehensive and invasive ways that it's virtually impossible to isolate it as a single variable) and because it is extremely hard to achieve (it requires levels of courage and discipline that few executives possess) - ironically, building a strong team is very simple (it doesn't require masterful insights or tactics).

On a team, trust is all about vulnerability, which is difficult for most people.

Leaders must display their humanness. Those under their authority must be empowered & have the courage to engage in honest dialogue.

When you know your reason for existence, it should effect the decisions you make.

A core value is something you're willing to get punished for.

The team you belong to must come ahead of the team you lead: this is putting team results (e.g., organizational needs) ahead of individual agendas (e.g., the team or division you lead, your ego, your need for recognition, your career development, etc.) Confidentiality is respected downward more than it is respected upward. Organizational alignment is a direct result of this hierarchy (if it were the other way around, organizational alignment would be very difficult to achieve).

Building a cohesive leadership team is the first critical step that an organization must take if it is to have the best chance at success.