Dear BNET reader,

Those whose days are spent trying to squeeze in work between all of their meetings can tell you that team unity can sometimes be counterproductive. And it seems that the only people who get anything out of you and your officemates catching a backward-falling coworker is the consulting company that charged $5,000 to show you how to do it. In BNET's new blog You in Team, Jeff Palfini dispels the myths of teamwork and show you how true collaboration can be achieved.

You in Team

Forget What You Learned in Grade School: Five Teamwork Myths
Since we were all knee-high to a whiteboard, we've been told that we need to work well as part of a team, that the team trumps the individual, that every leader is only as good as his team. But now that we're adults, cynics - many of us full-blown skeptics - can we really believe that this idea of team is the holy grail of productivity and success?

What Would Lance Armstrong Do?
Managers can line their shelves with books on collaboration and not get as much actionable information on teamwork as they would from watching one week of competitive cycling's annual gauntlet of pain, Le Tour de France.

Are We Web 2.0? - The Blog
Blogs are so often associated with teenagers grousing about their tortured high-school lives or tech geeks indulging their vanity by touting inflated page-view numbers. But a blog is nothing more than a quick and simple way to share what's on your mind with others - and a great way for colleagues to check in on you or to get a quick sense for how you view the world around you.

Digital Office Space!
Do you find yourself wishing that some of the members of your team - especially those that work from home, a remote location or a satellite office - could be more tied into the workplace? The wait may be almost over thanks to a pair of 3D virtual workplaces hitting the market soon.

Insight

Debunking the Myth of the Star Performer
A new study at the Harvard Business School takes the spotlight off the "top performers" and focuses it on the other folks who make it possible for the star to shine. According to the researchers, "Stars need to recognize that despite their talent, knowledge, experience, and reputation, who they work with really matters for sustaining top performance."

How to Boost Your Memory
It's well known that as people age memory can decline. But if you are starting to forget who told you that interesting fact about a competitor, or what exactly was said at the sales meeting last week, you don't have to simply live with the changes and a whole lot of post-it note reminders.

Video: Making Telecommuting Work
In today's world of record breaking gas prices, increased time pressures, the constant juggling of work and family, and endless communication tools, telecommuting has become very attractive to companies, managers, and employees alike. Staffing consultant, Sally Thornton, lets us know how both managers and employees can create a successful telecommuting relationship.

Management

Building Winning Teams
Building great teams starts with understand what great teamwork means. All too often, people think that a 'team player' is someone who fits quietly into a group and keeps out of trouble. But if everyone behaved like that, a team wouldn't work effectively-a flock of sheep may hang together well, but their only accomplishment is to eat grass.

Managing a Virtual Team
In today's globally connected world, you may never physically meet important members of your work or project team. While electronic communication can't replicate the chemistry of teams working together in the same place, by making good use of technology and thoughtful communication practices, you can still interact effectively with team members who are located at great distances.

Identifying, Managing, and Nurturing Top Talent
Talent is an indicator of one's capacity to learn, grow, and develop new skills for future use. It also suggests how quickly a person or organization can adapt to new challenges. In this article, "talent" is defined as a dormant or untapped quality that lies either in an individual employee or the collective body of employees.

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