The Captain Class: The Hidden Force Behind the World’s Greatest Teams

by Sam Walker

A person’s reaction to failure is everything.

teams that talked intently among themselves in the break room were more likely to achieve superior results at work.

On the best teams, speaking time was doled out equitably—

charismatic connectors. “Badge data show that these people circulate actively, engaging people in short, high-energy conversations,”

Nice point. Work on it.

the lowest-rated teachers had a tendency to sit, shake their heads, frown, and fidget with their hands. Those gestures seemed to be ones worth avoiding.

Studies have shown that a team leader who is in a positive mood can increase a group’s enthusiasm, help it to channel anger more constructively, and even coax it to perform better on specific tasks, such as assembling a jigsaw puzzle.

These incidents had two things in common: First, they did not involve words; second, they were intentional. None of the captains in Tier One had read up on the science of emotional contagion. Yet they all seemed to understand that there were times when practical communication wasn’t enough.

“We gain status more readily, and more reliably, by acting just a little less deserving than we actually are.”

The truth is that leadership is a ceaseless burden. It’s not something people should do for the self-reflected glory, or even because they have oodles of charisma or surpassing talent. It’s something they should do because they have the humility and fortitude to set aside the credit, and their own gratification and well-being, for the team—not just in pressure-packed moments but in every minute of every day.

A great leader is dedicated to doing whatever it takes to make success more likely, even if it’s unpopular, or controversial, or outrageous, or completely invisible to others. A leader has to be committed, above all else, to getting it right.

“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worst when they despise him,” he wrote. “Fail to honor others and they will fail to honor you. But of a good leader, who talks little, when his work is done, his aims fulfilled, they will all say, ‘we did this ourselves.’”