GROWING GROUPS INTO TEAMS

Real-life stories of people who get results and thrive together

Why Teams Succeed While Groups Falter:

New Book Demystifies the Dynamics of Powerful Teams

SAN DIEGO, CA—Whether you are a team member, leader, investor, customer, or community member, much of your happiness, health, and wealth depends on the success of teams. However, most organizations tolerate many teams that aren't exactly amazing. In fact, many mediocre "teams" aren't actually teams—they're groups of people focused on doing tasks.

In Growing Groups into Teams, the team from Altus Growth Partners identifies the ten essential elements to build a strong high-performing team, while taking the reader on a tour of successful teams among many cultures around the world. The goal is to build the ability to observe teams, to think and act with new perspectives, and to work within your own teams in ways that produce transformative results.

Two Key Elements Needed to Create Teams

According to lead co-author and Altus Principal Pam Fox Rollin, "Teams exist for you to accomplish something—that's what we call the shared promise. A bunch of people working for the same boss is a group, not a team. They become a team when they first share a promise, and then gain commitment from team members to coordinate well to achieve that goal.

"An amazing team is one that makes a shared promise with observable outcomes, navigates challenges together, and creates valuable results—with each team member supported," she adds.

A Book About Teams Written by a Team

Lead co-author and Altus Managing Director Kobe Bogaert notes that writing and producing this book gave the Altus team new insights into the process of building teams. "Going through this process confirmed that there are no shortcuts to being a team. Building and growing amazing teams is like developing a living organism that needs feeding, care, nurturing, encouragement—and reiteration of our actions and why we're taking them.

"We brought decades of experience building teams with our clients to this project," Bogaert adds. "More importantly, we've experienced ourselves what it takes to come together as a highly effective high-performing team."

A Guide to Generating Amazing Teams

The book combines compelling case studies with pragmatic advice—from creating teams where none exist in Africa to running effective remote teams across today's highly connected, post-pandemic world. Each chapter includes insights from leaders across a wide range of industries and geographical locations, sharing how team experiences had a powerful impact on the success of their organizations. Topics covered in the book include what it takes to make a team, why teams are so important, forging teams at the top and in the middle of an organization, why responsibility and trust are critical to successful teams, creating diverse and brave teams, as well as forming successful teams that cross generations, and more.

"The bottom line," Fox Rollin notes, "is that anyone can build a great team. We want to inspire you to grow your leadership practices so you can build amazing teams—again and again."

Early Praise for Growing Groups into Teams

"Growing Groups into Teams is an important book, and easy to read too. This is the guide so many teams have needed. Working with Altus truly makes a difference, and this book lays the groundwork for making teams of all kinds more successful."

TIM MOORE, CTO, Allogene Therapeutics

"Growing Groups into Teams is a must-read for groups that want to transform into amazing teams that produce results and energize members. With its practical guidance, real-life examples, and actionable strategies, this book is a valuable resource for anyone looking to build a high-performance team."

LAURA FRANCIS, CEO, SI-BONE, Inc.

"A must-read for leaders at all levels. I highly recommend Growing Groups into Teams for your entire organization."

AKE PERSSON, Former CEO, Ericsson North America

"Finally. A book about teams written by a diverse team of authors. How refreshing to find a book that is inclusive of different types of organizations and cultures."

RONDA JACKSON, Vice President Policy, Advocacy, and Impact, KABOOM!