Why “Teamship” is the New Way to Lead and Three Shifts Every Business Should Make

By Gabriel Muñoz

Within the last five years alone, we’ve faced a worldwide pandemic and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), which have upended the workplace and fundamentally changed everyday life. More recently, tensions among senior leadership and workers have risen as return-to-office (RTO) mandates increase and employees nationwide believe businesses are “doing a poor job supporting collaboration, connectivity, innovation, mentorship and skill development in the workplace.” With this complicated landscape, leaders and businesses are encouraged to drastically transform the workplace to survive and thrive. 

This is the premise of famed author Keith Ferrazzi’s newest book, Never Lead Alone: 10 Shifts from Leadership to Teamship. In the book, Ferrazzi and his writing partner Paul Hill examine 10 different shifts business leaders should utilize in today’s volatile world to forge a new path forward. According to Ferrazzi, even the most gifted leaders can’t lead alone. Instead, leaders need to ensure everyone on the team is holding each other accountable, praising one another and providing advice when needed. He argues that every business needs to move to a practice of teamship.

What is Teamship?

Good leaders practice leadership, but great leaders practice teamship. According to Ferrazzi, teamship is a fundamental shift in how people lead and work with one another today. 

In the book, teamship is described as a shift “from traditional hierarchies to teammates co-leading…elevating each other to achieve world-class performance; and shifting from standard working habits to inclusive 21st century collaboration practices, processes and tools to achieve bolder innovation and faster-decision making.”

After more than two decades of research and working with over three thousand teams (including business leaders from Cisco, Comcast, IBM and iHeartMedia), Ferrazzi has collected enough data to show that teamship works (if deployed properly). According to Ferrazzi’s findings, when teams work through the lens of teamship, businesses create “more positive energy, generate bolder innovative ideas, expand…abilities and execute [on plans] faster.”

Here are three shifts Ferrazzi recommends businesses need to transition to:

Shifting from Conflict Avoidance to Candor

According to Ferrazzi’s research, “72 percent of team members avoid conflict.” This avoidance chips away at team morale and “causes the greatest erosion to shareholder value.” Ferrazzi argues that being open and direct with teammates helps ignite decision-making, builds deeper relationships and is an act of ultimate respect. It also builds upon the team’s commitment to the same mission and one another to ensure no one fails.

Shifting from a Culture of Scarce Praise to Peer Celebration and Recognition

Everyone loves being told they’re doing a good job. According to a Gallup poll, “employees who received high-quality recognition on the job were 45% less likely to have left that job between 2022 and 2024.” In the book, Ferrazzi likens work to a marathon race and how everyone on the team runs together. During a marathon, many observers dot the streets, clapping and cheering on participants, not only when they cross the finish line. Similarly, Ferrazzi argues that leaders and teammates must celebrate each other as they go, not only when they’ve reached the end. This is especially true for young workers who are likely still learning through the process and need encouragement on the way.

Shifting to Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging

Even though Ferrazzi’s book came out just before the administration’s most recent attacks on DEI, it likely wouldn’t have changed his opinion. Ferrazzi knows DEI is good for business and firmly believes “greater inclusion leads to greater outputs.” In the book, Ferrazzi shares an example from Frito-Lay, who created a Hispanics for Excellence Employee Resource Group at the organization. This group eventually came up with the idea behind the Jalapeño chip flavor, which became a billion-dollar innovation for the company.

Teamship is the Future

Businesses that commit to a new way of leading are destined for greatness. Organizations can stay ahead of the curve by transitioning to Ferrazzi’s 10 shifts, including candor, consistent peer celebration and recognition and diversity, inclusion and belonging. This new way of leading will cultivate a transformational work environment that is good not only for its employees but also its bottom line.