Model teams is a collection of stories from unique, everyday, diverse teams. This story is about a famous magician, his team and the importance of performance and social trust.

This article focuses on the importance of one’s confidence in the resources they are provided, or means efficacy, in influencing workplace performance. As powerful in some cases as self efficacy, means efficacy is a rarely discussed, but vitally important aspect to workplace performance.

Creativity is often seen as something that requires solace and few interruptions, but what happens when you need team creativity? Everyone cannot work in silence for weeks. JRA, one of America’s top themed design companies explains how they manage their creative teams to maximize creative output.

A story is shared about how the filming of Miami Vice in 2006 led to an internal investigation of ethical violations in the department of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement or ICE. Ethical implications are discussed along with suggestions for strengthening ethical decision making in the workplace. (Read time: 6-8 minutes)

Sometimes articles aren’t as fun as having someone just read it to us. That’s why we created a YouTube channel! Get all of your leadership advice and teamwork tips in video format. This segment is on Social Trust. Visit the Leadership Blog for the complete article. (4 videos, 3 minutes each)

Model Teams, United States Coast Guard: The Importance of Training. Model teams are found everywhere. This is a story of a daring rescue performed by the United States Coast Guard. The moral of the story is the importance of training with everyone involved party. Read about it here. Read time: 5-7 minutes

The purpose of this article is to explain the importance of hope. Hope is a generally misunderstood concept. I hope (see what I did there) to provide clarification to the necessity of hope in our lives, the lives of our employees and in our organization. (5-7 minute read)

Employee retention can be difficult, especially with Millennials. I recently surveyed 35 late Millennials what they felt were the top three things employers could do to show they support and care about their employees. I received 105 suggestions. Five stood out way above the rest. Read about it here. (2-4 minute read)

My research with teams naturally leads me to research trust. There are a variety of different types of trust, but if you want an extraordinary team, focus on developing Social Trust. This article introduces Social Trust, why we need it and how to grow it in your organization. (5-7 minute read)

Model Teams, Wright Brothers: Dedication, Sacrifice, Persistence, Hard Work. “Model Teams” are articles written for team members and leaders looking for inspiration or just a good story about great success. Some are historical. Others are modern. All of them have been fun to put together. If you like them, please share. (3-5 minute read)

Team Unity Advice. An accomplished manager took over a new team, and wanted to make some quick changes, but was quickly disappointed with the snail pace of life. Read about it here. (2-4 minute read)

Most leaders, if not all leaders, face a moment in their leadership path where the gravity of their position hits them. They suddenly realize that they do not know what their doing. The Imposter Syndrome sets in. This article discusses the Imposter Syndrome, what causes it and how to overcome it. (4-6 minute read)

Leadership Advice: Feed Teams, not Ducks. Leadership is about influence and relationships. Leaders need to be careful about the messages we send through our actions. When offering food, make sure you’re feeding your team, not ducks. (4-6 minute read)

Leadership lessons are found everywhere, including in Psych, a USA Network comedy series about a fake psychic, a blueberry and a pharmaceutical rep. These are the top three leadership lessons that stand out from the 8 seasons currently found on Amazon Prime (2-3 minute read)

The dreaded job search. As a professor, I work with numerous job seekers. Unfortunately, what should be an exciting time of adventure and exploration is often a time of stress, trepidation and anxiety. This article discusses a major tip to help make the job search a more hopeful experience. (3-5 minute read)

Mental health is important as leaders. This has only been exacerbated with many of us working from home dealing with many interruptions. With all the craziness, we need to take care of ourselves. A quick note for #mentalhealth while working from home: Eat lunch doing something other than work. (2-4 minute read)