Smart Teams

Have you ever wondered why some teams seem to glide smoothly toward their goals while others sputter and stall despite having talented individuals? In Smart Teams, productivity expert Dermot Crowley argues that the difference lies not in individual skill but in how people work together. His central claim is simple but profound: teams must learn to create flow rather than friction. To achieve this, we must transform how we communicate, meet, and collaborate so that every interaction enhances, rather than drains, collective productivity.

Crowley contends that while personal productivity (the subject of his earlier book Smart Work) is essential, it’s only half the battle. Even the most organized worker drowns if their environment breeds chaos. In most workplaces, people unintentionally sabotage each other’s effectiveness—through endless cc’ed emails, poorly planned meetings, last-minute delegations, and knee-jerk reactivity. The antidote is a cultural shift where teams act with shared purpose and awareness of how each person’s behavior affects others.

The Cost of Friction

Crowley likens unproductive teamwork to a yacht dragging a bucket behind it. Friction slows progress and saps energy. It appears in subtle ways: that “urgent” email sent at 10 p.m., a 12-person meeting where ten sit silently, or a manager who dumps last-minute work on the team. These aren’t the acts of bad people—but of unaware ones. Over time, these micro-inefficiencies accumulate into organizational burnout and mediocrity.

What’s needed, he argues, is a team-wide commitment to productive flow: consciously working to enhance both your own efficiency and that of everyone around you. This is inspired by John Nash’s game theory insight (immortalized in A Beautiful Mind): the best result comes not when each person acts for their individual good alone, but when everyone acts for their own and the collective good simultaneously.

From Selfish to Serving

At one extreme, Crowley describes “selfish” workers—people who manage their own time well but disregard how their last-minute changes, incomplete emails, or meeting absences derail others. At the other extreme are “selfless” team members who constantly drop their own priorities to help others, burning out in the process. The sweet spot is a serving mindset: balancing your own priorities with those of the group. It’s not about working harder—it’s about working smarter together. In this mindset, everyone asks: “How does what I’m doing right now affect my teammates?”

The Four Cornerstones of Smart Teams

To operationalize this serving mindset, Crowley introduces four key qualities of a smart team: purposeful, mindful, punctual, and reliable. These traits anchor behaviors and decisions. A purposeful team knows what matters most and aligns time and energy with those goals. A mindful team is aware of how actions affect colleagues. Punctuality—showing up and delivering on time—signals respect. And reliability breeds trust, allowing collaboration to flourish without micromanagement or stress.

These aren’t abstract ideals; they’re daily practices. A punctual person ensures meetings start and finish on time. A mindful communicator pauses before hitting “Reply All.” A purposeful manager delegates early instead of creating false urgency. Over time, consistent habits like these build a culture of flow.

Beyond Individuals: Culture Change and Leadership

Crowley insists that leaders bear the greatest responsibility for cultural transformation. They must “lead from the front,” model the right behaviors, and act as buffers against external chaos rather than conductors of it. He offers a five-level model of organizational productivity—from disruptive to passive, productive, collaborative, and finally superproductive—arguing that sustained progress requires leaders who make productivity a cultural priority, not an individual one.

This cultural shift doesn’t demand massive restructuring. It starts small: one project, one behavioral improvement, one conversation at a time. Crowley’s method is pragmatic and incremental—small wins compound into systemic change. As he notes, “A culture is just a set of collective habits.” Change the habits, and you change the culture.

Why It Matters Now

In an age of nonstop notifications, global teams, and hybrid work, smart teamwork is no longer optional. The speed of communication has bred a culture of urgency and distraction. Crowley calls this “urgency cancer”—a self-inflicted condition where everything feels immediate, leaving no time for meaningful thought or planning. The cure is deliberate collaboration rooted in awareness and structure. As teams learn to manage communication, meetings, and projects with intention, they reclaim time, focus, and sanity.

Across the book’s three parts—Moving from Friction to Flow, Working Better Together, and Building a Smart Team Culture—Crowley provides step-by-step guidance, from designing better meetings to negotiating workloads and leading change. It’s a blueprint for any team that wants not just to do more, but to do better together. Ultimately, Smart Teams reminds you that productivity is not a solo sport; it’s a team game played best when everyone rows in rhythm, not turbulence.

Dermot Crowley pinpoints four qualities that turn any group of capable people into a high-performing team: purposefulness, mindfulness, punctuality, and reliability. Together, they build trust, respect, focus, and impact—the foundations of productivity. Each quality is simple to understand but transformative when practiced collectively.

Being Purposeful: Working on the Right Things

Purposeful people know exactly why they’re doing what they’re doing. They avoid busywork and resist the gravitational pull of urgency. Crowley points to elite brands like Amazon and Apple that thrive on shared purpose; clarity of “why” sharpens every decision. At a personal level, being purposeful means aligning daily actions with meaningful outcomes. It’s not about being busy, but about doing what matters most—an echo of Stephen Covey’s focus on “important, not just urgent.”

Being Mindful: Thinking Beyond Yourself

Mindfulness, Crowley says, is both inward and outward. Internally, it’s about staying focused amid distractions. Externally, it’s about considering how your actions (or inaction) affect others. Sending a sloppy email or arriving unprepared to a meeting creates extra work for someone else. A mindful team player slows down enough to notice these ripple effects. In Crowley’s words, mindfulness is the embodiment of “game theory productivity”—acting in ways that are productive for both you and the team.

Being Punctual: Respecting Others’ Time

Punctuality, Crowley argues, is non-negotiable. It signals reliability and respect. He shares the story of an ex–Microsoft executive whose naval background made punctuality sacred: “If you arrive after 8 a.m., the ship has sailed.” Turning up late to meetings or delivering overdue work isn’t trivial—it erodes trust and collaboration. Smart teams start and finish on time, deliver on deadlines, and treat others’ time as precious as their own.

Being Reliable: Doing What You Say

Reliability builds confidence. Crowley tells the story of decorated soldier Ben Roberts-Smith, who trusted his team with his life because they “always did what they said they would do.” In business, reliability provides psychological safety—the assurance that no one will have to chase you or clean up after you. Reliable people own their work, negotiate priorities, and are transparent about commitments. Reliability turns individual accountability into collective strength.

When practiced together, these four qualities unlock powerful outcomes: focus (from purpose and mindfulness), respect (from mindfulness and punctuality), trust (from punctuality and reliability), and impact (from reliability and purpose). They’re not cosmetic values—they’re operational disciplines that decide whether your team is friction-filled or flowing.

Declaring values isn’t enough to change behavior. Crowley argues that teams must translate their ideals into specific, measurable productivity principles that apply to real situations. Vague qualities like “be mindful” need to be expressed through actionable commitments such as “CC with purpose” or “arrive five minutes early.” By turning abstract ideals into visible, shared standards, teams transform culture from words into habits.

From Qualities to Principles

For each of the four smart team qualities, Crowley encourages you to brainstorm behaviors that demonstrate them. For example, if a team struggles with late meetings, you might flip “start late” into “Start wrap-up ten minutes early.” If emails are chaotic, flip “inbox overload” into “CC with purpose.” This “flipping problems into principles” method converts frustration into agency. Each principle becomes a tiny culture-change lever.

Collaborative Creation

Crowley warns leaders against dictating principles from the top. Teams must co-create them to feel ownership and accountability. He recommends a simple workshop: brainstorm the biggest productivity pain points, prioritize the eight to twelve most damaging using the MoSCoW method (“must have,” “should have,” etc.), and then flip each into a guiding principle. Once established, these should be visible—on wall posters, notebooks, or digital dashboards—and reviewed every six months.

Leading Cultural Change

Behavioral change, Crowley stresses, is less about mandates and more about modeling. His interview with cultural strategist Stephen Scott Johnson reinforces this: organizations often fail at change because they “do” change to people rather than involving them. A team that owns its principles will self-regulate; one that merely receives them will backslide. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s consistent awareness. Over time, principles become shared reflexes, “the way we work around here.”

Crowley’s approach mirrors agile thinking and Amazon’s leadership principles: actionable, memorable, and alive in daily practice. In essence, productivity principles are the microcode of a team’s culture—small, repeatable patterns that create large, sustainable change.

Communication, Crowley says, is both the artery and the clog of modern work. Email, once revolutionary, has become the chief cause of friction. Overuse of CC, “Reply All,” and vague subject lines creates digital noise that drowns the important signals. The challenge isn't abandoning email but using it purposefully and mindfully—and exploring alternatives that better fit the context.

The Email Paradox

Crowley reminds us that the very qualities that made email powerful—instant, global, cheap—also made it destructive. The “quick note” has turned into hundreds of unread messages per day. Even worse, speed creates a false sense of urgency. Quoting studies from Loughborough University, he links email overload to anxiety and cognitive fatigue. The fix is structural: slow down, plan communication, and use the right medium for the message.

Choosing the Right Communication Tool

He identifies four main tools—conversation, meeting, email, and post (Slack, Yammer, Teams). Each suits a different purpose: conversations are fast and nuanced; meetings gather alignment; email documents actions; posts share information asynchronously. The key is to match the message to the medium. Use conversation when fewer than three emails will do. Use posts to replace CC-heavy threads. Use meetings only for decisions or collaboration. Use email for clarity, not convenience.

Writing with Purpose

Crowley advocates the SSS structure: Subject, Summary, Supporting Information. Create focus with a sharp subject line, clarity with a short executive summary, and context with background info. Treat readers as “lazy, busy, and selfish”—make it effortless for them to respond. His expert interviews with Paul Jones underscore this: concise, well-structured emails protect both sender and recipient from wasted effort. Every email should serve progress, not perpetuate noise.

When teams adopt mindful communication—pausing before sending, limiting “thank you” replies, and using CC sparingly—they regain time and attention. Crowley’s mantra, “Pause, Think, Send,” is the new “Stop, Look, Cross” for the digital workplace.

If email is the bane of modern knowledge work, meetings are its black hole. Crowley estimates that executives spend up to 90% of their time in meetings—many unplanned, unfocused, or unnecessary. His solution? A deliberate “meeting diet” that replaces endurance with efficiency. The goal is not zero meetings but 100% fewer wasted ones.

A 100% Reduction in Spirit

Crowley proposes four 25% cuts: 25% fewer meetings, 25% shorter durations, 25% fewer participants, and 25% less time wasted. This playful formula forces attention on proportional gains—small reductions with massive payoff. He backs it with hard-won examples: teams that halve duration and attendance often double outcomes.

The 5W Model for Planning Meetings

Using classic interrogatives—Why, What, Who, Where, and When—Crowley flips meeting design on its head. Begin with why (the purpose statement), then define what (agenda items and deliverables), select who (required participants only), choose where (appropriate environment), and end with when (right duration and timing). This mirrors Stephen Covey’s “begin with the end in mind.”

Running an Awesome Meeting

A productive meeting, he says, has three phases: focus (10%), manage the agenda (80%), and confirm next steps (10%). He underscores engagement and punctuality as key behaviors. His interviews with meeting expert Donna McGeorge reinforce these principles—she advocates 25-minute meetings, zero PowerPoint, and strict punctuality (doors lock at start time). Crowley’s version of flow means meetings aren’t time sinks but decisions-in-motion.

By making meetings count, teams reclaim control, focus, and mutual respect. Crowley’s challenge to us all: “Imagine your meeting calendar was a living proof of your priorities—what would it say about you?”

Projects, Crowley says, are where collaboration either shines or burns out. Every cross-functional endeavor surfaces misalignment, missed expectations, and “hidden friction.” His solution is a framework grounded in three A’s—alignment, agreement, and awareness—supported by clear tools and visible progress. Collaboration, done right, converts complexity into momentum.

Alignment: Getting Everyone on the Same Page

Crowley compares great teams to elite sports squads: success requires not just shared goals but a shared play style. Alignment means everyone understands the “why” behind the project. He cites Jeff Schwisow’s work in Projectify—connecting people’s tasks to higher purpose drives engagement and creativity. Aligned teams act proactively rather than reactively because they can prioritize autonomously.

Agreement: Setting Rules of Engagement

Once aligned, teams must agree on how they’ll work. Will they minimize email? Hold stand-ups twice weekly? Use shared platforms like OneNote or Planner? These agreements reduce ambiguity. Crowley insists that “do what you say you will” is the hallmark of reliability. Team charters, he notes—endorsed by project expert Colin Ellis—build trust before tools ever do.

Awareness: Monitoring Behavior Mindfully

Regular check-ins, reflection on “what’s dragging us down,” and mindfulness in meetings elevate awareness. Crowley’s interview with mindfulness coach Matt Lumsdaine reinforces the dual attention concept: “attention in” for focus, “attention out” for empathy. Teams that master both can anticipate each other’s moves, like jazz musicians or rugby teams. Mindfulness makes collaboration humane again.

Crowley also demystifies project tools—from Gantt charts to Trello boards—urging teams to use what’s “useful, usable, and used.” Visibility equals accountability. A project that’s visible is one that moves.

Urgency, Crowley warns, is “a cancer that kills productive collaboration.” Most modern workplaces run on false urgency—emails marked 'urgent,' requests sent without planning, and crises born of poor prioritization. His chapter on cooperation is a survival guide for staying sane in reactive cultures. It blends psychology, diplomacy, and process into four critical skills: managing urgency, developing an active mindset, negotiating workload, and delegating properly.

Taming False Urgency

Crowley distinguishes between real, reasonable urgency and false, self-inflicted urgency. Leaders must act as buffers, not amplifiers—protecting their teams from undue stress. He classifies four appropriate responses: ignore false urgency, negotiate reasonable urgency, question real-but-unreasonable urgency, and respond to real-and-reasonable urgency. The key is to respond, not react. As he says, “You’re not working in an emergency ward—unless you actually are.”

Developing an Active Mindset

Between reactive and proactive lies the sweet spot—active. Like an athlete “on their toes,” active workers are ready to pivot mindfully. Crowley proposes a time ratio: 10% proactive planning, 80% active execution, 10% true urgency. This rhythm avoids chaos without creating paralysis. Teams that talk openly about whether they’re being “active or reactive” make smarter decisions under pressure.

Negotiating Workload and Saying No

Saying “no” is not rebellion—it’s balance. Crowley introduces the SSSH formula for managing expectations: Send acknowledgment, Set expectation, Schedule task, and Hold yourself accountable. Negotiation, not submission, keeps cooperation fair. His use of project management’s “four variables”—time, cost, quality, and scope—turns negotiation into math rather than emotion. Good managers, he says, “hold the space for negotiation.”

Delegating with Decency

Finally, effective cooperation demands thoughtful delegation. Crowley’s interview with leadership coach Scott Stein offers a four-level model—from “show” (co-planning tasks) to “go” (entrusting full ownership). Delegation builds capability, not just capacity. Handing off tasks early and clearly—using “if...then” instructions—ensures no one is set up to fail. As Stein reminds leaders, “Every time you do something you should have delegated, you are not doing the job you were paid for.”

Together, these skills create calm, confident cooperation in a hyper-reactive world. Teams that master urgency, planning, negotiation, and delegation don’t just survive the storm—they set the weather.

Culture change, Crowley insists, happens through small, well-led projects—not vague mandates. To move from friction to flow, teams must lead by example, experiment, and sustain momentum through “productivity projects.” The goal: create ripples that influence beyond your immediate circle.

Micro-Cultures and Ripple Effects

Even if you can’t change your entire organization, you can shape your team into a micro-culture of productivity—much like a vineyard’s microclimate fosters special grapes. When practiced consistently, habits become culture. Crowley provides strategies for influencing those outside your team: control what you can, lead your direct team, influence the wider organization through visibility, and educate external stakeholders about better ways of working.

The Leader’s Role

Borrowing from Matt Church’s Amplifiers, Crowley says leaders must replace fear with confidence, confusion with clarity, and inertia with traction. Their four principles: first do no harm (don’t create urgency or useless meetings), lead from the front, remember you’re always on show, and rally the team around meaningful projects. Leadership is not authority—it’s demonstration.

Productivity Projects: Small Wins, Big Shifts

Crowley outlines eight sample projects—from reducing email noise to designing better meeting agendas. Implementation follows an agile rhythm: choose one project, focus for a month, then layer the next. Projects such as “Turn Down the Noise” (cut email volume by 25%) or “Meeting Diet” (trim unnecessary sessions) create visible wins and boost morale. These simple initiatives prove that cultural change is achievable within existing workloads.

In Crowley’s words, “There’s no magic bullet for productivity, but if there were, it would be implementing projects that matter.” Small, consistent action turns aspiration into culture—and culture into momentum.