Leo Bottary, author of Peernovation: What Peer Advisory Groups Can Teach Us About Building High Performing Teams, discovered the concept of group learning during graduate school. While in a room with mid-to-senior level executives, he realized everyone had amassed a wealth of knowledge that was there for the taking. That scenario became a catapult for the power of collective learning, writing several books about the importance of peers, and even starting a podcast.
Peers, he says, are important to assess and develop high-performing teams within any organization and he discusses the 5 factors that are common to that type of team. Bottary says that “the five factors are a framework, not a prescription” and advises that every leader should know their organizations better and identify what will work well within their culture. As a sports fan, Bottary cites an example of knowing what works for the organization by mentioning the famed head coach of the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team, Geno Auriemma. As one of the most successful sports programs in the country, men’s or women’s, Coach Auriemma credits the team’s success with finding those players who are great teammates, not just talented, and creating a culture of accountability.
The same principle should apply to corporations everywhere. Every organization needs to determine what the “it” factor is and what creates success. Bottary encourages leaders struggling to find the “it” factor to use their biggest asset: current team members. Once they ask their teams, Bottary says, leaders experience one of the biggest learning moments as a result.
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