How to Forge a Winning Team that Thrives in Any Crisis

Winning Team: The Core Unit of Performance

Dr. André Martin, an organizational psychologist who cut his teeth at Mars, Target, Google and Nike, argues that the only unit that matters in today’s volatile world is the winning team. In an exclusive interview, he distills five tactics from his new book, Collective Confidence, that leaders can apply now.

1. Teams, Not Individuals, Drive Results

When Hurricane Harvey slammed Houston in August 2017, a loose network of volunteers dubbed the “Cajun Navy” rescued ↑ 8,000 residents without a formal chain of command. Their success hinged on a shared belief that together they could solve any problem. Today, the Surgeon General warns that loneliness is a public health crisis, and a Reuters survey found ↑ 84% of executives feel unprepared for upcoming shocks. The lesson is clear: a cohesive, confident team is the only reliable performance engine.

2. Motivation Isn’t Enough to Build Confidence

Aboard the USS Honolulu, inspectors threatened to fail the crew after a weapons‑system glitch. Instead of caving, the sailors rallied, fixed the issue, and earned praise as the best inspection the lead examiner had ever seen. Admiral John Richardson recalls that the crew’s confidence was forged over months of gritty mentorship, where new sailors heard two truths: “It will be hard, but you will have help.” Small, repeatable wins—like holiday clean‑ups—kept the momentum alive.

“Confidence spreads like a virus and compounds like interest.” – Admiral John Richardson

3. Make Every Member Feel Essential

At Burning Man’s Camp Corny, volunteers construct a 25‑foot fire‑shooting unicorn arch each August. Participants range from investment bankers to pharmacists, yet all stay because they know their contribution matters. Martin calls this “contributory confidence”: the certainty that your skills, effort and ideas are vital to the group. Leaders should articulate, in concrete terms, what each person brings and what the team would lose without them.

4. Borrow Brilliance to Accelerate Learning

When “Deadliest Catch” needed to film in treacherous Bering Sea conditions, showrunner Jeff Conroy gave his crew a crash film school in Dutch Harbor. By dissecting past footage together, a single clever camera angle became a team standard, and a crew member’s grit after a rib injury inspired everyone to push boundaries. Likewise, Mark Rampolla studied giants like Vitaminwater and Red Bull before launching Zico Coconut Water, proving that excellence leaves clues.

5. Empower Everyone to Own a Decision

Back‑to‑Roots co‑founders Nikhil Arora and Alejandro Velez began by growing mushrooms on used coffee grounds in a fraternity house. Neither held a formal title; each owned a slice of the business and made autonomous calls. When disagreements arose, they asked, “What am I missing?” instead of trying to win the argument. This habit cemented a culture where every employee is the boss of something, and the company logged a record month in 2026 across Walmart, Target, Home Depot and Amazon.

In a world where change arrives faster than ever, the path to resilience is simple: cultivate collective confidence, give each person a purpose, and let the team solve the next unknown together.

Words by Nathaniel Reed (Wealth Management Correspondent).