Great teams argue. Not in a mean-spirited or personal way, but they disagree when important decisions are made.

On great teams - the kind where people trust each other, engage in open conflict, and then commit to decisions - team members have the courage and confidence to confront one another when they see something that isn't serving the team.

The fact is, employees cannot make breakthroughs if they can't openly and honestly disagree with their peers and their leader. Indeed, great leaders don't just permit conflict; they actively try to elicit it from reluctant employees as well.

The majority of meetings should be discussions that lead to decisions.

Clients don't expect perfection from the service providers they hire, but they do expect honesty and transparency. There is no better way to demonstrate this than by acknowledging when a mistake has been made and humbly apologizing for it.

I've seen it again and again in my consulting: Most teams are too large to be innovative, despite their leaders' best intentions.