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.

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

The book's author, Ron Friedman, recently took time to answer seven questions from Porchlight about the new book—and share some other book recommendations. 

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Porchlight Book Company: Writing a book is no small undertaking. What compelled you to write this one?

Ron Friedman: The idea for this book emerged from an article I wrote for the Harvard Business Review, called “5 Things High-Performing Teams Do Differently.” The response was overwhelming. Within a few short months, it became the second most-read article in HBR’s history. 

What struck me was not just how strongly people reacted to the findings, but how hungry they were for practical, evidence-based strategies for improving teamwork.

So my team and I went deeper. We conducted five additional rounds of research with more than 6,000 professionals, studying everything from how they collaborate, make decisions, and run meetings to how they structure their day, generate ideas, and motivate one another to improve.

We then sifted through all that data and created a comprehensive playbook of what the best teams do differently. We called the project Superteams, which became the name of this book.

PBC: What is one unanswered question you encountered as you wrote the book that you are most interested in answering now?

RF: One of the advantages of our methodology is that it allows us to continuously explore the specific ways Superteams work differently. Right now, one question we’re especially interested in is how high-performing teams use AI at work.

Our early findings suggest that AI can either shorten the workday or lengthen it depending on how a team uses it. Another interesting difference is that average teams tend to use AI for quick answers and move on. But Superteams use it more like a thinking partner. They use it to refine ideas, challenge assumptions, and improve the quality of their decisions together.

PBC: If there is only one thing a reader takes away from reading this book, what would you hope it to be?

RF: I hope readers come away realizing that great teams are not the product of luck, chemistry, or hiring a few extraordinary people. 

In my research, I found that Superteams share three core strengths: (1) They get more done by managing their time, energy, and attention more effectively; (2) They make each other better, and (3) they keep improving over time.

And the good news is everyone one of these strengths is learnable, which means by building the right habits, any team can dramatically improve its performance.

PBC: One of the great things about books is that they tend to lead readers to other books. What book[s] related to this topic would you recommend people read after (or perhaps even before) reading your book?

RF: At the end of Superteams, I provided a long list of book recommendations for those interested in going deeper. But if I had to pick just one, I’d point readers to The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle.

PBC: What is your favorite book?

RF: That’s a big question! So much of finding the right book is about timing. A book that impresses you at the age of 30 can bore you at 40 and go over your head at 20.

A novel that recently hit the mark for me is The Award by Matthew Pearl.

PBC: What are you reading now?

RF: I’m on a John Grisham streak at the moment. The Widow was great.

The older I get, the more interesting legal books become.

PBC: Do you have any future projects in the works that we can look forward to?

RF: Yes! I have a lot more in the works exploring what the best teams do differently.

I love uncovering actionable strategies that any team can use to get more done and bring out the best in one another, so there’s plenty more research and ideas still to come.

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.