--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Great groups ship. “They are places of…" description: "\"“Great groups ship. “They are places of action, not think tanks or retreat centers devoted solely to the generation of ideas.” Warren characterized the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/tom-kelley-24374_dreams_great-groups-ship-they-are-places-of-act_783148.png" --- # Great groups ship. “They are places of action, not think… ![“Great groups ship. “They are places of action, not think tanks or retreat centers devoted solely to the generation of ideas.” Warren characterized the successful collaborations he studied as “dreams with deadlines.” quote by Tom Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/tom-kelley-24374_dreams_great-groups-ship-they-are-places-of-act_783148.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/tom-kelley-24374_dreams_great-groups-ship-they-are-places-of-act_783148.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/tom-kelley-24374_dreams_great-groups-ship-they-are-places-of-act_783148.png) > ““Great groups ship. “They are places of action, not think tanks or retreat centers devoted solely to the generation of ideas.” Warren characterized the successful collaborations he studied as “dreams with deadlines.”” [Tom Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kelley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective groups are built on action, not just ideas; deadlines turn dreams into results. **In simple terms:** Actionfulfocused teams beat idle think tanks. Key Takeaway Set clear deadlines for collaborative work. Themes collaboration productivity innovation Mood energetic pragmatic Type motivational practical When to use this quote - project planning - startup teams - research labs - creative workshops Key Concepts Design thinking execution goal setting Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance speed with depth? - What structures keep ideas from stagnating? A Different Perspective Deadlines can pressure creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) ## Related quotes > [“Great groups believe they are on a mission from God. Beyond mere financial success, they genuinely believe they will make the world a better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kelley/great-groups-believe-they-are-on-a-mission-from-god-beyond-mere/) [Tom Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kelley/) > [Great groups give the lie to the remarkably persistent but incorrect notion that successful organizations are the lengthened shadow of a great woman or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/great-groups-give-the-lie-to-the-remarkably-persistent-but-incorrect/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [In great groups, the right people always have the right job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/in-great-groups-the-right-people-always-have-the-right-job/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [“One thing Great Groups do need is protection. Great Groups do things that haven’t been done before. Most corporations and other traditional organizations say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/one-thing-great-groups-do-need-is-protection-great-groups-do-things/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [The early '90s was the best time for hip-hop. The Cube's, the Snoop's, the Dre's - that was a golden time with great music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-yella/the-early-90s-was-the-best-time-for-hip-hop-the-cube-s-the-snoop-s/) [DJ Yella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-yella/) > [The organizations of the future will increasingly depend on the creativity of their members to survive. Great Groups offer a new model in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/the-organizations-of-the-future-will-increasingly-depend-on-the/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [Great groups deliver great results. And for everyone involved in a great group, great work is its own reward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/great-groups-deliver-great-results-and-for-everyone-involved-in-a/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [“As dreams are the healing songs from the wilderness of our unconscious - So wild animals, wild plants, wild landscapes are the healing dreams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-pendell/as-dreams-are-the-healing-songs-from-the-wilderness-of-our/) [Dale Pendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-pendell/) > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [“Not that it matters, when you dream, there's no outside or in. Your mind is an unimaginable bloom. A willow catkin as big as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-shapero/not-that-it-matters-when-you-dream-there-s-no-outside-or-in-your-mind/) [Rich Shapero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-shapero/) > [“Now you’re wet. You’re so wet you’re leaking down your ass. You’re soaking my pillow. I don’t think I’m ever washing it. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-stoker/now-you-re-wet-you-re-so-wet-you-re-leaking-down-your-ass-you-re/) [Susan Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-stoker/) > [“Once we become sensitive to dreams, we discover that every dynamic in a dream is manifesting itself in some way in our practical lives”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-johnson/once-we-become-sensitive-to-dreams-we-discover-that-every-dynamic-in/) [Robert A. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-johnson/) > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) ## More by Tom Kelley > [The head that once was crowned with thorns Is crowned with glory now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kelley/the-head-that-once-was-crowned-with-thorns-is-crowned-with-glory-now/) [Tom Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kelley/) > [If simplicity were easy, we would see more of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kelley/if-simplicity-were-easy-we-would-see-more-of-it/) [Tom Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kelley/) > [If you want a team of smart, creative people to do extraordinary things, don't put them in a drab, ordinary space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kelley/if-you-want-a-team-of-smart-creative-people-to-do-extraordinary/) [Tom Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kelley/) > [“Mark Twain said a century ago, “It’s not what you don’t know that gets you into trouble, it’s what you know for sure that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kelley/mark-twain-said-a-century-ago-it-s-not-what-you-don-t-know-that-gets/) [Tom Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kelley/) > [“No matter how high you rise in your career, no matter how much expertise you gain, you still need to keep your knowledge and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kelley/no-matter-how-high-you-rise-in-your-career-no-matter-how-much/) [Tom Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kelley/) > [Fail early, fail often, in order to succeed sooner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kelley/fail-early-fail-often-in-order-to-succeed-sooner/) [Tom Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kelley/) > [“New opportunities for innovation open up when you start the creative problem-solving process with empathy toward your target audience—whether”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kelley/new-opportunities-for-innovation-open-up-when-you-start-the-creative/) [Tom Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kelley/) > [“But as you look at the sweep of your life and start to think of a legacy that survives beyond it, giving others the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kelley/but-as-you-look-at-the-sweep-of-your-life-and-start-to-think-of-a/) [Tom Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kelley/) > [“I used to think that to make something happen in a corporation or in the army, you had to be at the higher ranks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kelley/i-used-to-think-that-to-make-something-happen-in-a-corporation-or-in/) [Tom Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kelley/) > [“But to act, most of us must first overcome the fears that have blocked our creativity in the past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kelley/but-to-act-most-of-us-must-first-overcome-the-fears-that-have-blocked/) [Tom Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kelley/) > [“Work doesn’t have to feel like “Work with a capital W.” You should be able to feel passion, purpose, and meaning in whatever you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kelley/work-doesn-t-have-to-feel-like-work-with-a-capital-w-you-should-be/) [Tom Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kelley/) > [“Great groups believe they are on a mission from God. Beyond mere financial success, they genuinely believe they will make the world a better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kelley/great-groups-believe-they-are-on-a-mission-from-god-beyond-mere/) [Tom Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kelley/) > [“So design your space for flexibility instead of inertia and the status quo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kelley/so-design-your-space-for-flexibility-instead-of-inertia-and-the/) [Tom Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kelley/) > [“Friedrich Nietzsche said, “All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kelley/friedrich-nietzsche-said-all-truly-great-thoughts-are-conceived-by/) [Tom Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kelley/) > [I'm not gonna be perfect, but I'm gonna try stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kelley/i-m-not-gonna-be-perfect-but-i-m-gonna-try-stuff/) [Tom Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kelley/) [Explore all 24 Tom Kelley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kelley/) ## More Dreams quotes > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“Once we become sensitive to dreams, we discover that every dynamic in a dream is manifesting itself in some way in our practical lives”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-johnson/once-we-become-sensitive-to-dreams-we-discover-that-every-dynamic-in/) [Robert A. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-johnson/) > [“Now you’re wet. You’re so wet you’re leaking down your ass. You’re soaking my pillow. I don’t think I’m ever washing it. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-stoker/now-you-re-wet-you-re-so-wet-you-re-leaking-down-your-ass-you-re/) [Susan Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-stoker/) > [“Not that it matters, when you dream, there's no outside or in. Your mind is an unimaginable bloom. A willow catkin as big as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-shapero/not-that-it-matters-when-you-dream-there-s-no-outside-or-in-your-mind/) [Rich Shapero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-shapero/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [“As dreams are the healing songs from the wilderness of our unconscious - So wild animals, wild plants, wild landscapes are the healing dreams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-pendell/as-dreams-are-the-healing-songs-from-the-wilderness-of-our/) [Dale Pendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-pendell/) > [Alone in a world, With millions of souls Walking in circles Trapped in their dreams unhealthy, unclean walking in circles, now do not disturb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-bennington/alone-in-a-world-with-millions-of-souls-walking-in-circles-trapped-in/) [Chester Bennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-bennington/) > [“Doing the work to transform your dreams into reality is like walking across the earth. It can be that hard, and it can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/doing-the-work-to-transform-your-dreams-into-reality-is-like-walking/) [Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/) > [As far as Im concerned, I didnt dream - ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/as-far-as-im-concerned-i-didnt-dream-ever/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [I guess, it's a father's dream for his daughter to be known around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-soberano/i-guess-it-s-a-father-s-dream-for-his-daughter-to-be-known-around-the/) [Liza Soberano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-soberano/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Sometimes life seems like a dream, especially when I look down and see that I forgot to put on my pants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/sometimes-life-seems-like-a-dream-especially-when-i-look-down-and-see/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [“I had a dream. I had an awesome dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-had-a-dream-i-had-an-awesome-dream/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 40,599 Dreams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Great groups ship. “They are places of action, not think tanks or retreat centers devoted solely to the generation of ideas.” Warren characterized the successful collaborations he studied as “dreams with deadlines.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Kelley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kelley/great-groups-ship-they-are-places-of-action-not-think-tanks-or/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dreams" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kelley/great-groups-ship-they-are-places-of-action-not-think-tanks-or/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/tom-kelley-24374_dreams_great-groups-ship-they-are-places-of-act_783148.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/tom-kelley-24374_dreams_great-groups-ship-they-are-places-of-act_783148.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/tom-kelley-24374_dreams_great-groups-ship-they-are-places-of-act_783148.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Great groups ship. “They are places of action, not think tanks or retreat centers devoted solely to the…” — Tom Kelley", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tom Kelley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kelley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Great groups ship. “They are places...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kelley/great-groups-ship-they-are-places-of-action-not-think-tanks-or/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kelley/great-groups-ship-they-are-places-of-action-not-think-tanks-or/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```