Superteams - by Ron Friedman (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The ultimate playbook for building high-performing teams, packed with counterintuitive insights, surprising science, and real-world lessons from the most comprehensive study of elite groups ever conducted.

What do the best teams do differently?

To find out, award-winning social psychologist Ron Friedman surveyed thousands of teams and pinpointed the precise habits that separate the best from the rest. The results upend everything we think we know about teamwork. It turns out that the most successful teams aren't the ones that collaborate most, get along best, or put in the longest hours. What really sets them apart is the way they manage their energy and attention, bring out the best in one another, and keep improving over time.

Blending eye-opening discoveries with unforgettable stories, Superteams takes you inside the writers' room of Succession and Bridgerton, the recording studio of ABBA and Fleetwood Mac, the kitchens of Michelin-starred restaurants, the laboratories of Nobel Prize-winning scientists, the locker rooms of NBA and NFL teams, and the boardrooms of the world's most innovative companies.

You will learn:
-A simple rule that instantly cuts meeting time in half
-How the best teams make focus easier, not harder
-The one question that makes team decisions up to 30% smarter
-The only office perk that improves performance (spoiler: it's not coffee)
-How personal productivity hacks make teamwork harder
-Why feeling like the smartest person in the room is a red flag
-Why top performers care more about disappointing their peers than their boss
-How the best teams avoid burnout without working fewer hours
-The science of truly restorative breaks, evenings, and vacations
-How to build a team that keeps getting better (even when you're not in charge)

Smart, insightful, and relentlessly practical, this is your science-backed guide to turning your team into a Superteam.

Review Quotes

NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB MUST READ

"The world needs this book."
--DANIEL COYLE, New York Times bestselling author of The Culture Code and Flourish

"An engrossing book, filled with surprising revelations and practical recommendations for unlocking the hidden potential in teams. It's a rare read that introduces fresh ideas about how to make groups more than the sum of their parts."
--ADAM GRANT, #1 New York Times bestselling author of HIDDEN POTENTIAL and THINK AGAIN, and host of the podcast Re: Thinking

"Ron Friedman's research cuts through the noise to show what actually matters: trust, clarity, and the courage to protect everyone's time and attention. Superteams is evidence-based, refreshingly honest, and full of strategies that work whether your team sits in a single office or is scattered across time zones."
--DANIEL H. PINK, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Regret and Drive

"Superteams is a great blueprint for building teams that stay focused, connected, and indistractable. Grounded in behavioral science and packed with actionable advice, Ron Friedman reveals how small design choices can transform the way people work together and drive peak performance."
--NIR EYAL, bestselling author of Indistractable and Beyond Belief

"Required reading for CEOs who want real scale. If your company depends on you, you don't own a business. You own a job. Ron Friedman has cracked the code on what the best teams do differently and shows you how to build one that frees up your time and multiplies your impact."
--DAN MARTELL, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Buy Back Your Time

"If you've read one teamwork book, you've read them all--until now. Superteams is practical, surprising, and immediately useful. Ron Friedman is one of the clearest thinkers on the science of human performance at work."
--MARSHALL GOLDSMITH, Thinkers50 #1 Executive Coach and New York Times bestselling author of What Got You Here Won't Get You There

"A no-nonsense playbook for building a world-class team. Ron Friedman turns the science of high performance into simple, actionable steps any leader can use."
--JONAH BERGER, Wharton Professor and bestselling author of Contagious and The Catalyst

"Ron Friedman is one of the only business writers who gives you genuinely useful, practical advice--in the form of a page-turner! You won't be able to put down this fast-moving, unforgettable book."
--DORIE CLARK, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World

"There's s LOT of BS about what makes a great team. This book cuts through the blather, and give you exactly what you need to build your own superteam."
--MICHAEL BUNGAY STANIER, bestselling author of The Coaching Habit

"Fascinating, well-researched, and practical....Superteams is a rare combination of science and storytelling. It delivers surprising, research-based insights that show with striking clarity how small changes in the way we work together can open the door to extraordinary results. An important and modern book for leaders who want teams that are both happier and higher performing."
--SHAWN ACHOR, New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Advantage and The Power of Beliefs

"If you've ever wondered why some groups spark magic while others stall, Superteams holds the answer. Ron Friedman delivers a masterclass in translating cutting-edge science into practical strategies for building teams that thrive."
--SCOTT BARRY KAUFMAN, Ph.D., author of Rise Above

"Superteams is a rare book: a data-driven, highly practical guide to what actually makes teams exceptional. Ron Friedman reveals that top performers don't succeed through nonstop collaboration or endless meetings. They thrive by creating the conditions for focused thinking, shared clarity, and frictionless communication. If you want a team culture where people think deeply, trust one another, and consistently produce great work, this book delivers."
--TIAGO FORTE, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Building a Second Brain

About the Author

Ron Friedman, PhD, is an award-winning psychologist who helps leaders build high-performing teams. He is the bestselling author of The Best Place to Work and Decoding Greatness, and the founder of Superteams, Inc., where he delivers keynotes, workshops, and executive advisory to senior leaders around the world. An expert on human motivation, Friedman has served on the faculties of the University of Rochester, Nazareth College, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges. He contributes regularly to Harvard Business Review, and his work has been featured in The New York Times, Financial Times, Bloomberg, NPR, CBS, FOX, NBC, Fast Company, The Washington Post, Forbes, and Inc. To learn more about his work, visit SuperteamsInc.com.