I’ve built companies in transportation, technology, and real estate—and while the industries are different, one thing has remained constant: the importance of building the right team. No matter how great the idea, no business can scale without people you can trust, rely on, and grow with.

Over the years, I’ve come to recognize the traits that make a team truly effective. These aren’t just resume bullet points—they’re qualities that show up in the way people work, communicate, and handle challenges.

The Science Behind Team Success

Google’s groundbreaking Project Aristotle study, which analyzed 180 teams over two years, fundamentally changed how we understand team performance. The researchers discovered that psychological safety—not individual talent, educational background, or even team composition—was the single most critical factor in team effectiveness. Teams with high psychological safety brought in 17% more revenue than those with low psychological safety, proving that creating an environment where people feel safe to take risks, admit mistakes, and contribute ideas directly impacts the bottom line.

This finding aligns perfectly with what I’ve observed building teams across multiple industries. The most successful organizations I’ve led weren’t necessarily those with the highest individual performers, but those where team members felt empowered to speak up, learn from failures, and tackle challenges collaboratively.

1. Accountability Over Excuses: The Foundation of Trust

In high-stakes environments—whether dispatching buses for 15,000 students or maintaining 99.7% uptime for a critical software platform—mistakes can’t be passed around like hot potatoes. I look for people who instinctively own their work, especially when things go sideways.

This isn’t just about professionalism—it’s about creating the psychological safety that Google’s research identified as crucial. When team members feel safe admitting mistakes and discussing them openly, teams accelerate learning and innovation. At ISI Technology, our most significant breakthroughs have come from team members who quickly acknowledged when an approach wasn’t working and pivoted to find solutions.

Accountability creates a ripple effect. When one person models ownership, it gives others permission to be vulnerable about their own challenges, fostering the open environment where the best ideas emerge.

2. Curiosity and Learning Agility: The Ultimate Competitive Advantage

Markets shift overnight. Technology evolves constantly. The tools that worked last year become obsolete tomorrow. That’s why I prioritize what Korn Ferry research identifies as “learning agility”—the willingness and ability to learn from experience and apply those lessons to new situations.

The data is compelling: individuals with high learning agility are promoted twice as fast as those with low learning agility, and organizations with highly agile executives have 25% higher profit margins than their peer groups. Yet only 15% of the global workforce demonstrates high learning agility.

At ISI Technology, some of our most innovative features have emerged from team members with zero software background who approached problems with fresh perspectives. Their willingness to ask “why do we do it this way?” and “what if we tried…” has driven innovations that our most experienced developers initially missed.

I specifically look for people who demonstrate what Korn Ferry calls the five dimensions of learning agility: mental agility (embracing complexity), people agility (working effectively with diverse groups), change agility (leading transformation), results agility (delivering in tough situations), and self-awareness (understanding their own strengths and development areas).

3. Clear Communication: The $1.2 Trillion Problem

Poor communication isn’t just frustrating—it’s devastatingly expensive. According to Grammarly’s 2024 State of Business Communication report, miscommunication cost US businesses $1.2 trillion in 2022. For companies with 100 employees, miscommunication costs an average of $420,000 per year.

More importantly, companies with highly effective communication practices enjoy 47% higher total returns to shareholders compared with firms that are least effective at communicating.

In every company I’ve led, we’ve prioritized clarity above all else. This means updates without corporate speak, feedback that’s direct but respectful, and ensuring everyone understands not just what we’re doing, but why we’re doing it. At our transportation company, clear communication protocols during the morning dispatch chaos have been the difference between smooth operations and potential safety incidents affecting thousands of children.

Great teams don’t guess—they talk. They ask clarifying questions. They repeat back what they heard to ensure understanding. They proactively share context that might help others make better decisions.

4. Adaptability Across Roles: Thriving in Uncertainty

In a growing business, wearing multiple hats isn’t a temporary phase—it’s the culture. From our drivers who learned new routing systems overnight to real estate managers handling tech rollouts, adaptability has become non-negotiable.

This adaptability is particularly crucial in today’s business environment. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that companies with adaptable teams—those willing to pivot quickly, learn new tools, and take on unfamiliar responsibilities—were the ones that not only survived but thrived.

The best people I’ve worked with aren’t constrained by job descriptions or organizational charts. They see a problem that needs solving and ask, “How can I help?” rather than “Is that my job?” This mindset creates resilient organizations that can navigate uncertainty and capitalize on unexpected opportunities.

5. Trust and Integrity: The Multiplier Effect

No partnership or team survives without foundational trust. I look for people who consistently do the right thing, especially when no one is watching. Integrity shows up in seemingly small ways—how someone discusses a former employer, how they handle confidential information, how they admit when they don’t know something.

The research supports this intuitive understanding. Companies with highly effective internal communication strategies are 3.5 times more likely to outperform their peers significantly, and effective communication is impossible without trust.

In every venture I’ve built, integrity has proven to be a competitive advantage. Clients trust teams they can rely on. Employees stay longer with leaders they respect. Partners engage more deeply with organizations they believe operate ethically.

When team members trust each other, they’re willing to take the interpersonal risks that psychological safety requires—sharing dissenting opinions, admitting mistakes, asking for help, and proposing innovative solutions.

The Buffalo Advantage: Building in a Collaborative Community

Operating from Buffalo has taught me additional lessons about team building. This city’s collaborative spirit—where competitors often help each other succeed—has influenced how I approach team dynamics. The Buffalo business community understands that individual success is interconnected with collective success, a mindset I’ve embedded in every organization I’ve built.

This regional approach to business has reinforced my belief that the best teams operate with abundance mindsets rather than scarcity thinking. When team members genuinely want to see their colleagues succeed, the entire organization performs better.

Measuring What Matters: Interview Strategies That Work

Theory is only valuable if you can apply it. Here are three specific approaches I use to identify these traits during hiring:

For Accountability: “Tell me about a time when something went wrong on your watch. Walk me through exactly what happened, your role in it, and how you handled it.” I listen for ownership language versus deflection.

For Learning Agility: “Describe a situation where you had to learn something completely new under pressure. How did you approach it?” I look for systematic thinking and curiosity rather than just raw intelligence.

For Communication: I give candidates a complex scenario relevant to our business and ask them to explain the solution to someone with no technical background. Clear thinking leads to clear communication.

The Return on Investment

The financial impact of building teams around these principles is measurable. Companies described as highly effective communicators had 47% higher total returns to shareholders over five years compared to companies described as the least effective communicators. Organizations with highly effective internal communication strategies are 3.5 times more likely to outperform their industry peers significantly.

Beyond the numbers, I’ve seen how these principles create sustainable competitive advantages. Teams built on accountability, learning agility, clear communication, adaptability, and trust don’t just perform better—they’re more resilient during crises, more innovative during stable periods, and more attractive to top talent.

Looking Forward: Teams in an AI-Driven World

As artificial intelligence reshapes how we work, these human-centered traits become even more valuable. While AI can automate many technical tasks, it cannot replicate the judgment, empathy, and creative problem-solving that effective teams provide. The ability to learn quickly, communicate clearly, and adapt to change will differentiate winning organizations in an increasingly automated world.

Bottom Line: There’s no perfect formula for team building, but the research is clear—character, mindset, and communication matter more than credentials. When you’re building across industries and navigating constant change, you need people who believe in the mission, own their role, and elevate everyone around them.

That’s what I look for in a winning team. That’s what I build around. And in a business landscape where 100% of business leaders experience miscommunication at least once a week, getting team dynamics right isn’t just important—it’s essential for survival.

Igor Finkelshtein is an entrepreneur and business leader based in Buffalo, New York, with experience building companies across transportation, technology, and real estate sectors.

References

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