DREAM TEAMS
Groups That Exceed The Sum Of Their Parts
Dream Teams: Groups That Exceed The Sum Of Their Parts
As a business journalist for WIRED and HBR with a focus on human behavior science, Shane Snow has spent years obsessed with the question, “Why do some teams exceed the sum of their parts, while others don’t?”
The question led him on a global adventure, where he led massive-scale business research studies and traveled around the world interviewing rap groups, historians, intelligence agency directors, and leaders of social movements—all of which went into his instant bestseller, Dream Teams. The book launched Shane into the stratosphere as a consultant to Fortune 500 leadership teams on building high-performance cultures, harnessing differences after mergers, and adapting to disruption.
Since then, Shane has applied his Dream Teams research as CEO of multiple successful companies, as a Producer assembling awe-inspiring teams in film and on Broadway, and as an Advisor helping launch billion-dollar companies like Substack.
Described as a “master storyteller and change agent,” Shane draws from real experience in the trenches as a business leader—and leverages decades of experience crafting inspiring stories in magazines, in Hollywood, and on Broadway—to deliver lessons and takeaways about teamwork that audiences never forget.
In his Dream Teams keynotes, Shane Snow reveals how to:
Identify unseen differences that allow a group to add up to more than its parts
Debate smarter and leverage conflict to make a group smarter
Practice low-effort leadership habits that build psychological safety
Use storytelling to inspire people to dig deep and do hard things together
Create cultures that can embrace new things and change their minds
A decade of research & interviews
Over 100 scientific studies dissected
and A journey around the globe
to unearth the hidden attributes of the world's most surprising teams
Shane Snow takes audiences on "an adventure into the very human science of making breakthroughs together."
preview the dream teams keynote
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Who is Dream Teams for?
- Teams embarking on new, ambitious intitiatives
- Leaders and teammates who want to level up and turn differences into positive energy
- Recently combined groups, teams, companies, and lines of business with big goals
- Organizations seeking to motivate people to dig deeper and climb higher together
What will you walk away with?
- Skills and strategies for increasing trust and psychological safety so you can face bigger challenges
- Strategies to increase efficiency and find smarter solutions to problems at work and in life
- Tools to communicate smarter, de-pressurize conflict, and accelerate company growth
- Techniques and habits to build openness new ideas and initiatives
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When and where is Dream Teams particularly effective?
- Leadership meetings and strategy kickoffs
- All-hands and internal team events
- Association and customer conferences
- Custom events
Dream teams reviews
"Not just a book that every leader should read. It's a message the world itself needs right now."
–Adam Braun, founder of Pencils of Promise
"A mesmerizing read for anyone looking to up-level their team building and leadership skills."
–Kathryn Minshew, CEO of The Muse
“Truly amazing. The writing and storytelling is phenomenal.”
–Tom Rath, author of Strengths Finder 2.0
"A sharp-witted journalist and brilliant entrepreneur—one of the easiest and enjoyable business books to consume."
–Josh Golden, President of Ad Age
"A force of nature—and an important message."
–Jane Chen, TED Fellow
“An adventure that examines the very human science of making breakthroughs together—and why, so often, we break down on our own."
–Charles Duhigg, Pulitzer Prize Winner
"Describes and prescribes the crucial traits of the ultimate teams."
–Shane Battier, NBA Champion
"Stands out and pushes beyond business book bromides."
–Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of New America
Get Shane's latest Teamwork study
From 2019–2026, over 1,000 US company teams took this assessment, revealing the gap between reality and their teams' potential. The results show where a few small changes can make a big difference for all of our teams. Dig in below:
Download the slides