On the field of life, leadership and teamwork look a lot like they do on the field of sports. It’s all about creating a culture where diverse opinions are actively encouraged, dialogue is ongoing and no idea is ridiculous. This is especially true when intense competition drives the need for innovation, which by its nature involves risk. Trying novel approaches comes with the possibility of failure, but the only other option is continuing to keep going the same way and getting lost in the dust.

As Aristotle said, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” In other words, when individual parts are connected together to form one entity, they are worth more than parts stored in silos. Yet many firms and businesses are set up exactly this way with little idea sharing, connection or cross-selling.