260. Cohesion Inside, Courage Outside: Redefining Team Success with Mick Spiers

Ever wondered if your team's greatest strength could also be its biggest weakness? When expertise becomes tunnel vision, even the most talented teams can miss what matters most.

Drawing from my enlightening conversation with Professor Henrik Bresman of INSEAD, co-author of "X-Teams," this episode explores a counterintuitive truth: truly exceptional teams aren't defined by their internal cohesion alone, but by their courage to look outward. While most organizations celebrate alignment and efficient execution, Bresman's research reveals that external focus, deep listening, and genuine co-creation with stakeholders create the real competitive edge.

We dive into the "inward trap" that ensnares even the most brilliant teams, keeping them locked in internal debates while customers feel forgotten. You'll discover why presenting fully-baked solutions often backfires, transforming what should be partnerships into mere transactions. Through practical examples and actionable strategies, I'll walk you through the mindset shift from being expertise-driven to connection-focused.

The most powerful moment comes when we realize that listening itself is transformative. I share personal experiences where simply creating space for customers to express frustrations—even when those truths were uncomfortable—completely turned around soured relationships. That's because people don't just want solutions; they want to feel heard, valued, and involved in creating their future.

Ready to build an X-Team that leads rather than merely executes? This episode offers immediate steps you can take to audit your team's orientation, schedule genuine listening sessions with stakeholders, and move from problem-focused thinking to possibility-centered creation. Your expertise matters, but your ability to connect might matter even more.

Subscribe to The Leadership Project for more insights that challenge conventional wisdom and transform how you lead. How might your team's effectiveness change if you spent as much energy looking outward as you do looking inward?

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Episode Transcript

Mick Spiers (00:01):
What if the greatest threat to your team
success isn't poorcommunication, lack of alignment
or even burnout, but tunnelvision. What if the very
expertise that made your teamgreat is also what's holding you
back? And what would happen ifwe stopped building teams to
execute and started buildingthem to lead in today's episode,

(00:25):
I'm sharing my reflections onthe recent conversation with
Professor Henrik bresman ofINSEAD, the co author of a book
called X teams. Henrikchallenged us to reimagine how
we build and lead teams, and oneidea stood out. The most
successful teams are justcohesive inside the room.

(00:46):
They're courageous outside ofit.
Welcome back to The LeadershipProject. I'm your host, Mick
Spiers, and today we'rereflecting on the amazing
conversation with Henrik Bresmanof INSEAD, challenging us to
think as to whether we're alwaysinwardly focused, instead of
looking at the outside world,starting with that quote that we

(01:08):
just spoke about, the mostsuccessful teams aren't just
cohesive inside the room,they're courageous outside of
it. That simple insight packs apunch, and it got me thinking,
how many of us lead teams thatare so focused on internal
cohesion, alignment anddelivery, that were forgotten to

(01:28):
look outward?
Let's unpack that with severalideas, starting with number one,
the inward trap, when expertisebecomes a barrier. Henrik shared
that X teams succeed becausethey are not just internally
strong, they are externallyfocused, agile and connected to
their broader environment. Andit struck me so how many teams,

(01:53):
especially expert teams, becomeinwardly focus. We double down
on internal meetings, debatesolutions in a vacuum and then
proudly present a finishedproduct to the customer,
expecting applause. But here'swhat really happens. We forget
that our customers andstakeholders are people too,

(02:13):
just like us. They want to feelseen, they want to feel heard,
they want to feel valued. Theywant to feel that they're part
of the solution. They want toknow that they matter. And when
we present something fullybaked, something they didn't
help shape, they don't feel likecollaborators. They feel like
outsiders. They feel forgotten.
The result is we come across asbeing combative, contractual,

(02:38):
commercial, and it becomestransactional, or even worse, if
it goes off the rails, it mighteven become personal, and that's
a problem.
So number two, what's theantidote here? Listening, listen
then listen again. Deeplistening, not the kind where

(03:01):
you're waiting to talk and showhow smart you are, the kind
where you create a safe spacefor people to truly open up,
where you stop interrupting withyour expertise and instead
invite their full story into theroom. Here's something I see all
the time. Teams second. Guesswhat the customer wants. We make

(03:25):
assumptions. We try to predictwhat they'll push back on. We
think we're being clever orconsiderate, but the truth is,
we're often just avoiding theuncomfortable work of asking
them. We need the courage to askthe customer, so what's really
going on here, and what do youactually need from us? What's

(03:45):
the real challenge here? And whyis this important? Because the
real challenge is often deeperthan the surface request. It
might not be about the productspecs at all. It might be that
they promised their bosssomething by a certain date, and
they're under pressure, and ifyou don't know that, you're

(04:07):
solving the wrong problem, oneof my favorite practices here is
to keep on asking those Is thereanything else or what would you
say is the real challenge here?
So that you really allow them toopen up, then once they have
paraphrase it back to them,because nothing builds trust
faster than demonstrating thatyou get them. If you can

(04:29):
articulate their problem betterthan they can, they'll naturally
assume you have the answer, andthat's when trust begins.
Henriks research showed that xteams spend time mapping their
external ecosystem, not just togather data, but to build

(04:50):
relationships, to hear unspokenconcerns and adapt in real time.
That's the kind of team. I wantto lead, and the kind I want to
be part of.
Idea three is then co creationover imposition, once we've
deeply listened, the next stepis co creation. It's tempting as

(05:14):
experts to leap to solutions.
We're the expert. We know ourcraft, but if you design with
the customer, rather than forthem, everything changes.
Sometimes it's not aboutoffering the perfect solution.
It's about drawing it out fromthem, helping them to arrive at
the plan so it feels like it'stheirs, that their fingerprints

(05:37):
are over it, that sense ofownership is powerful. It
transforms how they view us.
We're no longer seen as vendors.
We're now their partners. We'renot anymore seen as the ones
that think they know better, thearrogant ones. We're now
collaborators and trustedadvisors. That's where true

(05:59):
influence lies.
Idea four is this also requires,sometimes a mindset shift, a
mindset shift from being avictim mindset to a creator
mindset. So a victim mindset isalways looking for what's wrong,
why things can't be done, andthe challenges that are ahead.

(06:23):
But here's the kicker, when westop obsessing over what can't
be done and start focusing onwhat can we move into a creator
mindset, even if the customer isstuck, even if the constraints
are real, even if the situationis dire, we can ask, well, what
can we do? What can we do withwhat we've got from where we

(06:47):
are, and what would progresslook like from here? And how do
we turn constraints intocreativity? That's when magic
happens. When you make yourcustomer successful, they will
make you successful,particularly in those dire
moments. If you can get the bestpossible solution from the

(07:07):
current situation, they willlove you. They will fight for
you. They'll call you for thenext opportunity, and they'll
see you as essential. There'sgoing to be times where you need
them as well, and that's wherethey will go out of their way to
help you, if you've been the onethat helped them, particularly
when they were in a pickle. Sohere's some calls to action,

(07:30):
some baby steps that will buildmomentum. Let's land this
episode with the practicalthings that you can do today.
You can do this start withauditing your team's
orientation. Ask how much of ourenergy is focused inward versus
outward? How much time are wespending on internal meetings

(07:52):
versus actually going and takinga meeting with our customer,
where we deeply listen to them?
Where are we disconnected fromstakeholders, where do we re
need to rebuild those bridges.
Schedule listening sessions.
Don't go to your next customermeeting to pitch them something.
Go into learn something. Ask thequestions. Ask what else, at

(08:14):
least twice in your nextstakeholder meeting, ask them,
what does this really mean, andwhy is this important? Why does
this matter to you? Paraphrasebefore you solve. Show them that
you heard them use theirlanguage when they say, Yeah,
that's exactly it. Then you canstart solutioning. Then co

(08:36):
create, bring them into thedesign phase. Draw ideas out of
them, not just not just intothem. Don't have all the ideas
yourself. Let them take someownership here and lead with
possibility. Be the voice in theroom that says, here's what we
can do, not what we can't do.

(09:01):
Invite collaboration even whenthe problem seems messy, and
have this creative mindset ofwhat can we do with what we've
got from where we are?
So here's the final thought, themost effective teams aren't
built to execute someone else'svision. They're built to lead
the next one. That's the callHenrik gave us, and I believe

(09:23):
it's one worth answering. Let'smove towards cohesion. Let's
look outwards. Let's listendeeply, and let's co create.
Let's build X teams, ones thataren't just focused on their own
internal BS, but they're trulyfocused on the external world,
the problems that they solve,the customers that they serve,

(09:46):
the stakeholders that theysupport.
Start today, get out there andhave a really good deep
listening session with yourcustomer. Try to make sure that
you draw out what the realchallenge is, not just what you
think. It is. It may not be whatyou think it is. And if you
don't hold that space and askthe right questions, you're

(10:09):
solving the wrong problem, andthe customer is going to get
very frustrated with you.
They're going to feel thatyou're arrogant, that you think
you know better, but you'd missthe point so deeply listen and
CO create with them. And thefinal thought I'll leave with
you is this approach can reallyturn around situations where the

(10:29):
customer relationship may havesoured. I've had situations
where I've gone into customerrelationships and given them a
good, deep listening to let themjust get everything off their
chest for 90 minutes, and I gotto tell you, some of the things
I heard were not nice. They werequite ugly truths about what

(10:50):
they thought about our team. Thevery fact of doing the listening
session turned the relationshiparound, because they then felt
heard. They finally felt likesomeone was listening to them,
and they'd felt like for a longtime that no one was listening
to them. So the very fact oflistening is going to start

(11:11):
turning a sour relationshiparound. And then what's most
important is what you do next isto show that you understood the
problem, that you understoodtheir business and that you are
ready to co create with them, tocollaborate with them and to
find solution you can turnaround even the most dire of

(11:31):
customer relationships if youdeeply listen to your customer
and your stakeholders. If thisidea has really resonated with
you. I'd love to hear yourthoughts. Please comment or
share or send us a note. What'sone baby step your team could
take this week to be moreoutwardly focused, to more
deeply listen to your customersand stakeholders, so that you

(11:55):
can become an X team.
So that's it for today. In thenext episode, we're going to be
joined by Dan Johnson, the chiefconsultant and founder of next
level not non profits us, andhe's going to be sharing with us
authenticity and impact in nonprofit leadership.

(12:18):
Thank you for listening to TheLeadership Project
mickspiers.com a huge call outto Faris Sedek for his video
editing of all of our videocontent and to all of the team
at TLP. Joan Gozon, GeraldCalibo and my amazing wife Sei
Spiers, I could not do this showwithout you. Don't forget to
subscribe to The LeadershipProject YouTube channel where we

(12:40):
bring you interesting videoseach and every week, and you can
follow us on social,particularly on LinkedIn,
Facebook and Instagram. Now, inthe meantime, please do take
care, look out for each otherand join us on this journey as
we learn together and leadtogether.