Smart Teams by Dermot Crowley Summary
Overview of Smart Teams
"Smart Teams" reveals how to eliminate workplace friction that silently kills productivity. Dermot Crowley's 2018 guide has become essential reading for business leaders seeking the elusive balance between communication and efficiency. What hidden productivity killer is your team facing right now?
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Key takeaways
The Productivity Paradox: Why Slowing Down Gets More Done
In today's workplace, genuine productivity feels increasingly elusive. We've mastered personal productivity hacks yet still drown in emails, meetings, and urgent requests. Why? Because we're missing the crucial piece: team productivity. The counterintuitive truth is that slowing down actually helps teams accomplish more. Think of productivity like sailing a boat-when barnacles build up on the hull, you expend enormous energy just to maintain speed. Similarly, our workplaces accumulate productivity-killing friction through rushed communications, pointless meetings, and constant interruptions. The solution lies in what Dermot Crowley calls "game theory productivity," inspired by Nobel Prize winner John Nash. The best results come when everyone does what's best for both themselves and the group. Most of us operate with either a selfish mindset (focusing solely on our own productivity regardless of how it affects others) or a selfless mindset (helping everyone else at the expense of our own work). Neither works. Instead, we need a "serving mindset" that balances personal efficiency with team effectiveness. Consider how often you send rushed, poorly written emails that create extra work for recipients, or accept meeting invites when you know you can't attend. These seemingly minor behaviors compound across an organization, creating massive productivity drains. When everyone operates with awareness of how their actions affect the group, productivity increases exponentially-like removing those barnacles from the boat. Suddenly, everything moves with less effort.
The Four Horsemen of the Modern Workplace
From Disruptive to Superproductive: The Five Levels
The Four Pillars of Smart Teams
Communication Revolution: Making Less Noise
From Micro-Culture to Macro-Change
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"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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