Michael Phelps and the Redeem Team

This Element is an excerpt from Doing Both: How Cisco Captures Today''s Profit and Drives Tomorrow''s Growth (9780137083640) by Inder Sidhu. Available in print and digital formats.

Building organizations where individuals can shine and  teams work together brilliantly.

“We’re guaranteeing a gold medal,” predicted Carmelo Anthony after one practice with fellow members of the 2004 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team. But by the time the Olympic torch was extinguished a month later, his words hung like a foul odor. How could the sport’s one-time kings have fallen so far? One of Team USA’s many shortcomings stood out: teamwork....