Team Unity: A Leader's Guide to Unlocking Extraordinary Potential

Based on more than ten years of researching, observing, coaching, and building extraordinary teams, this entertaining and thought-provoking book demonstrates how to unify groups of all sizes to maximize performance. Unity is the most influential factor in team performance and, although it is frequently discussed, it is often misunderstood. This book explains how disunity is the root cause of all team dysfunctions, and provides clear instructions on how to define, measure, and increase unity in your organization. Through entertaining and impactful stories, John Ross divides Team Unity into four components - focus, direction, trust, and conflict – and examines how they are related and measured. Notably, Ross introduces The Unity Formula: a simple equation useful for leaders at all levels in any organization to measure the team’s current unity and identify areas for improvement. Senior and middle managers in manufacturing, hospitality, and a range of other industries, as well as entry level employees and students of organizational behavior and HRM, will find this book an invaluable resource for understanding how to identify, measure and partake in the right steps to increase team performance.

Table of Contents:
Preface Introduction Part 1: Introducing Unity 1. What Makes an Extraordinary Team? 2. Important Considerations for Team Success Part 2: Defining Unity 3. Unity Component #1 – Focus 4. Unity Component #2 – Direction Research Note: Focus + Direction = Hope 5. Unity Component #3 – Trust Research Note: Focus + Trust = Creativity, Innovation & Inspiration 6. Unity Component #4 – Conflict Part 3: Measuring Unity 7. The Focus Scale 8. The Direction Scale 9. The Trust Scale 10. The Conflict Scale Part 4: The Unity Formula 11. Applying The Unity Formula Part 5: Increasing Unity 12. How to Hold Effective Meetings 13. Increasing Team Focus 14. Increasing Team Direction 15. Increasing Team Trust 16. Decreasing Team Conflict 17. Fun Facts about The Unity Formula Conclusion

About the Author :
John Ross started his career as a seventh grade history teacher in Mesa, Arizona. From there he worked as a producer of musical events and then as a project lead at one of the world’s leading manufacturers before becoming a business professor at Indiana University’s southeast campus. He has been researching and working with teams for more than a decade. His research in extraordinary teams and unity has since expanded into hope, knowledge acquisition and retention. He holds a BA in organizational studies from Arizona State University, an MBA in finance from Drexel University and a PhD in management from New Mexico State University.

Review :
"As an NFL player, I saw games won and lost over team unity. As an executive leader, I see the same pattern. This book shows that team unity doesn’t happen by accident. It’s created through a trusted formula, and if followed, it works every time." −Randy Grimes, 10-year NFL center for Tampa Bay Buccaneers, founder of Professional Athletes in Recovery, and author of Off Center "Team unity is like gold. This book provides the tools to mine for it—within any team or industry. As a former executive leader charged with engaging 13,000 employees, I saw the stark value of team unity. Don’t leave unity to chance; apply the Unity Formula. Your team will be happier, healthier, and higher-performing." −Scott Carbonara, CEO of Spiritus Communications and author of Getting It Right When It Matters Most "It is a struggle to find a resource that helps students grasp the concepts of team success and have fun while doing it. Team Unity fits this spot like a glove. It goes miles beyond simply adapting management concepts to the team situation by providing a practical formula with entertaining and relevant stories along the way." −Jacki Perrmann-Graham, Assistant Professor of Management and Director of the Eva G. & Oakley Farris Leadership Academy in the Haile College of Business at NKU "As an NFL player, I saw games won and lost over team unity. As an executive leader, I see the same pattern. This book shows that team unity doesn’t happen by accident. It’s created through a trusted formula, and if followed, it works every time." −Randy Grimes, 10-year NFL center for Tampa Bay Buccaneers, founder of Professional Athletes in Recovery, and author of Off Center "Team unity is like gold. This book provides the tools to mine for it—within any team or industry. As a former executive leader charged with engaging 13,000 employees, I saw the stark value of team unity. Don’t leave unity to chance; apply the Unity Formula. Your team will be happier, healthier, and higher-performing." −Scott Carbonara, CEO of Spiritus Communications and author of Getting It Right When It Matters Most "It is a struggle to find a resource that helps students grasp the concepts of team success and have fun while doing it. Team Unity fits this spot like a glove. It goes miles beyond simply adapting management concepts to the team situation by providing a practical formula with entertaining and relevant stories along the way." −Jacki Perrmann-Graham, Assistant Professor of Management and Director of the Eva G. & Oakley Farris Leadership Academy in the Haile College of Business at NKU