Team trust vs individual talent in adversity

Talent doesn’t win games. Trust does. I learned that young. I didn’t learn about high-performing teams in a boardroom. I learned it sweating under Friday night lights in high school football. On the field, I saw that raw talent could only take you so far. We had players who could sprint like lightning or bench more than anyone else; but when the pressure hit, talent alone wasn’t enough. What mattered most was the invisible glue: trust, accountability, and shared purpose. If I missed my assignment, I needed to trust a teammate would pick me up. If a play broke down, we had to adapt together in real time. That same truth applies in wealth management.  ↳ McKinsey research shows that high-trust teams are 50% more productive.  ↳ Harvard Business Review found psychological safety - the belief that mistakes won’t be punished - is the #1 predictor of performance. My football teams weren’t perfect; we were resilient. We won - we bounced back from dropped passes, wrong reads, missed tackles because we trusted each other to recover without blame. In business, the same dynamic separates good from great. Markets change. Clients panic. Regulations shift. But high-performing teams adjust together, faster than those weighed down by fear or finger-pointing. And here’s the hard truth: without trust, even the most talented teams collapse under pressure. I’ve seen star players lose games because they didn’t believe in each other. I’ve seen brilliant professionals stall out because their teams lacked psychological safety. In football, I don’t remember the scores. I remember the feeling of winning and trusting the team - and relying on the team.  I remember being part of something bigger than myself. That’s the real scoreboard in business too: a team that has your back no matter what.

I interviewed close to 50 executives who built unbreakable teams. The ones that survived every crisis had one thing in common. They didn't hire for skills. They didn't focus on culture fit. They didn't obsess over experience. They hired for how people handled conflict. Here's what I learned: The strongest teams aren't the ones who never fight. They're the ones who fight right. A CFO told me about his leadership team. Eight brilliant minds. Constant disagreements. But they've been together 12 years. Their secret? Every conflict made them stronger. Not weaker. They had rules: • Attack the problem, not the person • Ego stays outside the room • Best idea wins, regardless of who said it The teams that fell apart? They hired brilliant jerks. Or worse, brilliant people who couldn't handle being wrong. I watched a $300M company implode because the C-suite couldn't disagree without destroying relationships. Meanwhile, a scrappy startup with half the talent is crushing them. Why? Their team argues daily. But they leave every meeting unified. The difference isn't talent. It's trust. Trust that conflict serves the mission. Trust that everyone wants to win. Trust that being wrong doesn't mean being weak. Your next hire shouldn't be the most qualified. They should be the one who makes your existing team better. Skills can be taught. Character under pressure can't. What's the one trait you won't compromise on when building your team?

From Solo Success to Shared Growth The true power of a team isn't in having similar people who think alike. It's in bringing together different individuals with unique backgrounds who genuinely enjoy working together. When I started in finance, I was laser-focused on personal achievement. Hit my targets. Chase my goals. Individual excellence. But I soon discovered something profound: The ceiling of solo success is much lower than what a great team can achieve together. My transformation from individual contributor to leader required a completely new mindset. I needed to learn not just how to succeed myself, but how to empower others. This shift changed everything. What makes our team extraordinary: ✅ Diversity as our superpower - Different backgrounds, styles, and experiences driving innovation ✅ Trust as our foundation - Built through consistency, openness, and unwavering support ✅ Purpose beyond targets - A shared "why" that connects us deeper than daily tasks ✅ Culture of continuous growth - Weekly learning, mentorship, and personal development ✅ Celebration of all wins - Recognizing achievements both big and small says Eric Sim When challenges arise, we don't point fingers. We seek understanding, open dialogue, and to face difficulties together. This journey has taught me crucial lessons: • Leadership is about people, not power • Trust beats talent for long-term success • Diversity isn't just a checkbox—it's a catalyst for brilliance • You don't build a team and step back—you build it, serve it, and grow with it The most rewarding part? Watching team members thrive in their unique ways, knowing I played a small role in their journey. In finance and life, your legacy isn't measured by numbers alone. It's about the people you lift along the way. If you're building or hoping to lead a team, remember: Start with trust. Celebrate differences. Lead with heart. Watch your team transform from coworkers into a force for remarkable impact. I'm Emily. What's your approach to building strong teams? What challenges have you faced? #inspiration #motivation #leadership

Is your team firing on all cylinders? Getting a top team to outperform is no easy task. It's usually a group of highly talented people, but finding a way to make the combined talent greater than the sum of the parts is an age old conundrum. After watching the football these past few weeks, it's been interesting watching teams of lesser talent, or at least less expensive talent, cause teams of stars real problems. The biggest mistake is playing your 11 best, versus your best 11. A great team is the second one, and this is why a team of best 11, with a player valuation of $200M, can outperform a team of the 11 best, valued at $1.5B. Leadership teams are not business teams, but they do highlight some of the pitfalls in getting great team performance. A few thoughts: - Over-reliance on "stars". Stars often carry ego and feel they have to do the job for the team. Not trusting others, trying to do too much and thinking self, are all habits of stars that make the overall team worse. - Trust is the bedrock of the team. Do you trust the others to do their job. In football, do you trust them enough to pass to them. If you don't have full confidence and trust between team members, the over effort will struggle. - Trusting too heavily on past performance. A team member that was great, may not still be at the top of their game. Choose the team on today, not on some past record. - Is everyone "all-in". Too many teams carry passengers. People who are half committed to the task at hand, cannot help a team be great. Half-in, passengers, should not be in the team. - Energy is critical. Even key team members, if their energy is off, cannot do the job. Being honest about who has the energy to get the job done, is part of the leader's role. Team energy is often dragged down to the lowest energy members. - Play people in the right roles. Sometimes you have the right team member, but in the wrong role. If a solid player is not showing up, consider finding a role that suits their strengths and helps them contribute in creating a better team. - Don't be afraid to make change. If what you're seeing is not what you need, be brave and make the changes that will change the dynamic of the team. - Sometimes "non-stars" are reason a team is great. Look for the people who don't shine for themselves, but quietly make everyone around them better. Who are your quiet team shapers? This week, reflect on your team. What from here could help you create an even better team? You'll only be as good as your team, so worth reflecting on.

If there is one thing that connects human potential & is key to amplifying collective intelligence- it’s TRUST.. Would you agree? We speak of it as soft, as intangible, yet it may be the most concrete predictor of organizational performance we've ever measured..! I feel, High-performance teams don't emerge from talent alone. World-class talent without trust creates world-class dysfunction. But , when ordinary talent is bound by extraordinary trust, they accomplish great things.. Such teams have the power of ‘synchronicity’ that defies simplistic explanation—until we look deep beneath the surface… When we trust, our brains enter a state of psychological safety where Innovation accelerates. Risk tolerance expands. Information flows without filtration or distortion… Trust ofcourse isn't monolithic—it's architectural, built on four critical pillars. ·      Competence: the belief in capability. ·      Integrity: alignment between words and actions. ·      Care: genuine concern for others' wellbeing. ·      Reliability: consistent delivery on commitments. If we remove any pillar, then the structure becomes unstable… The absence of competence creates anxiety. The absence of integrity breeds suspicion. The absence of care generates disengagement. The absence of reliability produces hesitation. But when all four converge? Performance explodes… The data on this is staggering. High-trust organizations experience 74% less stress, 106% more energy, 50% higher productivity, 13% fewer sick days, 76% more engagement. This isn't correlation—it's causation. Trust doesn't result from high performance; it precedes it—creating the conditions where excellence becomes not just possible but inevitable… So, the question isn't whether you can afford to invest in building trust. It's whether you can afford not to… Below is the ABCD Trust Model of Ken Blanchard that delves into the intricacies of building trust.. Hope it helps.. - with Ketan Da