--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A great team doesn’t mean that they had…" description: "\"A great team doesn’t mean that they had the smartest people. What made those teams great is that everyone trusted one another. It can be a powerful thi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7c/gene-kim-2268_football_a-great-team-doesn-t-mean-that-they-had_2329561.jpg" --- # A great team doesn’t mean that they had the smartest… ![“A great team doesn’t mean that they had the smartest people. What made those teams great is that everyone trusted one another. It can be a powerful thing when that magic dynamic exists.” quote by Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7c/gene-kim-2268_football_a-great-team-doesn-t-mean-that-they-had_2329561.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7c/gene-kim-2268_football_a-great-team-doesn-t-mean-that-they-had_2329561.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7c/gene-kim-2268_football_a-great-team-doesn-t-mean-that-they-had_2329561.jpg) > “A great team doesn’t mean that they had the smartest people. What made those teams great is that everyone trusted one another. It can be a powerful thing when that magic dynamic exists.” [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A team's strength lies in mutual trust, not just individual brilliance; trust creates a powerful collaborative dynamic. **In simple terms:** Great teams rely on trust, not just talent. Key Takeaway Build trust to unlock team potential. Themes trust collaboration leadership teamwork Mood inspirational reflective motivational Type advice philosophical leadership When to use this quote - project teams - startup founders - sports squads - remote work groups Key Concepts psychological safety collective intelligence Questions to Reflect On - How do you foster trust in a new team? - What happens when trust breaks down? A Different Perspective Trust can be fragile and hard to rebuild after breaches. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Great team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-team/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team/) ## Related quotes > [I've been very fortunate to be on some great teams and in great locker rooms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-j-redick/i-ve-been-very-fortunate-to-be-on-some-great-teams-and-in-great/) [J. J. Redick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-j-redick/) > [You have a lot of great teams in the NBA. I watched San Antonio against Dallas, and they're two great teams, and there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-gilbert/you-have-a-lot-of-great-teams-in-the-nba-i-watched-san-antonio/) [Dan Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-gilbert/) > [Good teams become great teams when the members trust each other enough to surrender the 'me' for the 'we.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/good-teams-become-great-teams-when-the-members-trust-each-other/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Whatever it is, we want to be able to win at any time. The great teams and the great drivers are capable of doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chase-elliott/whatever-it-is-we-want-to-be-able-to-win-at-any-time-the-great-teams/) [Chase Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chase-elliott/) > [I've been on bad teams, I've been on good teams - great teams even. And I ended my career as the first big man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/i-ve-been-on-bad-teams-i-ve-been-on-good-teams-great-teams-even-and-i/) [David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/) > [We pretty much have barnburners with every team. There's always new teams, there's always great teams, and you always want to be in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesaro/we-pretty-much-have-barnburners-with-every-team-there-s-always-new/) [Cesaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesaro/) > [Throughout my career, I was blessed with great teams and great teammates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-craig/throughout-my-career-i-was-blessed-with-great-teams-and-great/) Roger Craig > [The West is tough. Great teams. Great records, top to bottom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stockton/the-west-is-tough-great-teams-great-records-top-to-bottom/) [John Stockton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stockton/) > [I love those words: killer instincts. Great teams, great players, they develop that, and it's not something that has to be said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-trubisky/i-love-those-words-killer-instincts-great-teams-great-players-they/) [Mitchell Trubisky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-trubisky/) > [If talented people across teams, functions, and geographies share the same passion and dedication, the results can be remarkable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-bizzarri/if-talented-people-across-teams-functions-and-geographies-share-the/) [Marco Bizzarri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-bizzarri/) > [I don't like comparing people or teams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-van-gundy/i-don-t-like-comparing-people-or-teams/) [Jeff Van Gundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-van-gundy/) > [In life it wasn't what you know, but who you know. I had people who were trying to buy teams and had they bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-barry/in-life-it-wasn-t-what-you-know-but-who-you-know-i-had-people-who/) [Rick Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-barry/) > [Good leaders don't tell people what to do, they give teams capability and inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-immelt/good-leaders-don-t-tell-people-what-to-do-they-give-teams-capability/) [Jeffrey R. Immelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-immelt/) > [Progress in Iraq has always been about teams of people and teams of teams - and ultimately about young men and women, Iraqi as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-petraeus/progress-in-iraq-has-always-been-about-teams-of-people-and-teams-of/) [David Petraeus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-petraeus/) > [To get important work done, most leaders organize people into teams. They believe that when people collaborate toward a common goal, great things can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-grant/to-get-important-work-done-most-leaders-organize-people-into-teams/) [Adam Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-grant/) ## More by Gene Kim > [“for those organizations that provided a stock ticker symbol, we found that high performers had 50% higher market capitalization growth over three years. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/for-those-organizations-that-provided-a-stock-ticker-symbol-we-found/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“A critical part of the Second Way is making wait times visible, so you know when your work spends days sitting in someone’s queue—or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/a-critical-part-of-the-second-way-is-making-wait-times-visible-so-you/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“when something does go wrong, we conduct blameless post-mortems, not to punish anyone, but to better understand what caused the accident and how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/when-something-does-go-wrong-we-conduct-blameless-post-mortems-not-to/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“Bill Baker, a distinguished engineer at Microsoft, quipped that we used to treat servers like pets: “You name them and when they get sick,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/bill-baker-a-distinguished-engineer-at-microsoft-quipped-that-we-used/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“To even get feedback from our integration process would require twenty-four to thirty-six hours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/to-even-get-feedback-from-our-integration-process-would-require/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“work can bounce between teams endlessly due to incomplete information, or work can be passed onto downstream work centers with problems that remain completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/work-can-bounce-between-teams-endlessly-due-to-incomplete-information/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“practicing five minutes daily is better than practicing once a week for three hours. And if you want to create a genuine culture of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/practicing-five-minutes-daily-is-better-than-practicing-once-a-week/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“habits are what enable mastery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/habits-are-what-enable-mastery/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“20% on detailed planning (Their poor throughput and high lead times were misattributed to faulty estimation, and so, hoping to get a better answer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/20-on-detailed-planning-their-poor-throughput-and-high-lead-times/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“Features are always a gamble. If you’re lucky, ten percent will get the desired benefits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/features-are-always-a-gamble-if-you-re-lucky-ten-percent-will-get-the/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“I listen to Wes and Patty brainstorm ideas to reduce yet another dependency on Brent when something starts to bother me. Erik called WIP,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/i-listen-to-wes-and-patty-brainstorm-ideas-to-reduce-yet-another/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [The status quo (of development) pre-ordains failure from the very beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/the-status-quo-of-development-pre-ordains-failure-from-the-very/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“high performers were twice as likely to exceed profitability, market share, and productivity goals. And,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/high-performers-were-twice-as-likely-to-exceed-profitability-market/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“we value improvement of our daily work more than daily work itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/we-value-improvement-of-our-daily-work-more-than-daily-work-itself/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“Alert fatigue is the single biggest problem we have right now…We need to be more intelligent about our alerts or we’ll all go insane.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/alert-fatigue-is-the-single-biggest-problem-we-have-right-now-we-need/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) [Explore all 175 Gene Kim quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) ## More Football quotes > [When I came to Chelsea, it was clear that, like many other players, I would first be loaned out. So I went to Belgium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorgan-hazard/when-i-came-to-chelsea-it-was-clear-that-like-many-other-players-i/) [Thorgan Hazard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorgan-hazard/) > [If you take your eye off the ball or lose focus for even a minute you can lose a game against any team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felipe-anderson/if-you-take-your-eye-off-the-ball-or-lose-focus-for-even-a-minute-you/) [Felipe Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felipe-anderson/) > [There are guys who play lacrosse, and there are lacrosse players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-mundorf/there-are-guys-who-play-lacrosse-and-there-are-lacrosse-players/) Brendan Mundorf > [Giggs is the realest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kaluuya/giggs-is-the-realest/) [Daniel Kaluuya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kaluuya/) > [You get a new coach; you do things a little differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-manning/you-get-a-new-coach-you-do-things-a-little-differently/) [Archie Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-manning/) > [You gotta have a little kid in you to play football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-edwards/you-gotta-have-a-little-kid-in-you-to-play-football/) [Herman Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-edwards/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [My team mates are fundamental for my characteristics, if they send in crosses I can play inside the area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/filippo-inzaghi/my-team-mates-are-fundamental-for-my-characteristics-if-they-send-in/) [Filippo Inzaghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/filippo-inzaghi/) > [The Copa del Rey is a different competition. It is football in its purest form and is different from the continuity of the league.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-laudrup/the-copa-del-rey-is-a-different-competition-it-is-football-in-its/) [Michael Laudrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-laudrup/) > [“Wild card, got it," Duncan said. "Just like in Crazy Eights. I can be a diamond; I can be a spade. Whatever you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-healy/wild-card-got-it-duncan-said-just-like-in-crazy-eights-i-can-be-a/) [Christopher Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-healy/) > [Leo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Eden. Every year, you look at their numbers - score goals, assists, minutes - to see they play very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro/leo-cristiano-ronaldo-neymar-eden-every-year-you-look-at-their/) [Pedro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro/) > [It's a lot harder to play football when you haven't got the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gray/it-s-a-lot-harder-to-play-football-when-you-haven-t-got-the-ball/) [Andy Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gray/) > [I just enjoy winning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xander-bogaerts/i-just-enjoy-winning/) [Xander Bogaerts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xander-bogaerts/) > [I think you can get, as a player, stuck in the mindset of trying too hard to prove yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trinity-rodman/i-think-you-can-get-as-a-player-stuck-in-the-mindset-of-trying-too/) [Trinity Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trinity-rodman/) > [We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/we-cannot-change-the-cards-we-are-dealt-just-how-we-play-the-hand/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) [Browse all 59,646 Football quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A great team doesn’t mean that they had the smartest people. 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