Politics is when people choose their words and actions based on how they want others to react rather than based on what they really think.

Remember teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability.

Great teams do not hold back with one another. They are unafraid to air their dirty laundry. They admit their mistakes, their weaknesses, and their concerns without fear of reprisal.

Like a good marriage, trust on a team is never complete; it must be maintained over time

Trust is knowing that when a team member does push you, they're doing it because they care about the team.

No quality or characteristic is more important than trust

Ego is the ultimate killer on a team

People who don’t like conflict have an amazing ability to avoid it, even when they know it’s theoretically necessary

The lack of conflict is precisely the cause of one of the biggest problems that meetings have: they are boring

I don’t think anyone ever gets completely used to conflict. If it’s not a little uncomfortable, then it’s not real. The key is to keep doing it anyway

conflict is productive

Commitment is a function of two things: clarity and buy-in