Unstoppable Teams Book Summary

Book Summary

15 min

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Brief Summary

Unstoppable teams are created when groups of individuals come together with a diverse and complementary skill set that makes the group stronger than the individual. An environment that fosters mutual respect, commitment, and caring will cultivate unstoppable team members. Team members who are committed to each other and to achieving a common goal will achieve far more together than they would otherwise.

About the Author

Alden Mills is an author, entrepreneur, and public speaker. He is a nationally recognized rower and three-time former Navy SEAL platoon commander. Previously, Mills was the co-founder and CEO of Perfect Fitness. He holds an MBA from Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School.

Topics

Management & Leadership

Unstoppable Teams Book Summary Preview

What You’ll Learn

The most effective ways to build an unstoppable team
The seven essential character traits all unstoppable team members should possess
Why commitment, care, gratitude, and mutual respect are the most important elements to cultivate effective teamwork
The importance of sharing a commitment to common goals and outcomes

Who Is This For

Business executives hoping to encourage effective teamwork within their organizations
Team members who want to learn how to collaborate and work together more effectively
Team leaders who wish to inspire their team members

Key Insights

Unstoppable teams do not have the space for big egos or Rambo-like characters. Instead, teams become unstoppable when each individual is committed to each other and to working together in pursuit of a common goal. The strongest teams have complementary character traits that, when combined, will make the whole team stronger than any one individual would be on their own.

It is the team leader’s responsibility to establish an environment where all team members can be successful. They should demonstrate mutual respect, create a CARE loop, and establish an environment where continuing education is enabled and encouraged. They should also connect with team members physically, mentally, and emotionally. The most effective teams are the ones where each member cares for and is committed to each other.

Unstoppable Teams Are Committed

Contrary to what you may see in movies like Rambo, elite military units, like the SEALS, Green Beret, Rangers, Delta Forces, and other Special Operations Commands do not succeed based on the action of lone wolves. In fact, they look down on lone wolf, “Rambo” characters, because in the real world goals are achieved in the military, and elsewhere, through the coordinated teamwork of multiple individuals working together towards a common goal.

Navy SEALs often aim for big goals, called “over-the-horizon” goals. Because these goals have a lot of unknowns, unstoppable teams are needed in order to achieve them.

Truly unstoppable teams are committed, coordinated, have a diverse set of skills, and are able to set aside their own desires for the good of the team. They share the same goals and are committed to helping each other achieve these goals, even under difficult circumstances. Unstoppable teams can be found anywhere from the military to the corporate world to sports, and most unstoppable teams are modeled after the way Special Operations units are organized.

The most effective teams care strongly for one another. Most teams will not perform at their best if they are working for a faceless corporation that they do not feel connected to, but putting people together in teams who care deeply for each other will yield the best results.

For example, the De La Salle High School football team in Concord, California, is an unstoppable team. They won 151 consecutive games from 1992 to 2004, because the team thought of themselves as a family and we're committed to working together and winning together. No one team member thought they were better than the others. If one player let their ego get in the way, they would be benched, no matter how talented they were,...