We have two competing types of attention: narrow "task attention" for getting things done, and wider "relational attention" for connection. Flourishing groups, like Zingerman's Deli, deliberately create spaces for relational attention to emerge, such as sharing personal stories, because it is the true source of trust, creativity, and meaning.
"Shallow fun," like happy hours, offers a temporary high without lasting impact. "Deep fun" occurs when teams collaborate on activities that improve their shared experience, such as researching the best office coffee. The goal is not the fun itself, but the bonding that happens when a group takes ownership of a shared, meaningful project.
A complicated system (a Ferrari) has linear steps, while a complex system (a teenager) changes as you interact with it. Your life and career are complex. Instead of fighting for a straight-line path, embrace the "squiggly" nature of growth, treat wrong turns as valuable information, and learn through exploration rather than rigid planning.
In the "spaghetti tower contest," kindergartners consistently beat teams of CEOs because they don't protect their status. While professionals hesitate to speak up or take risks, children collaborate freely, try things, and make mistakes together. This demonstrates that being willing to be fallible as a group is a more effective strategy for innovation than individual intelligence.
While we easily see open "green doors" and closed "red doors," flourishing people notice "yellow doors"—small signals of curiosity or a half-formed idea that invite exploration. Unlike efficient systems that ignore these diversions, successful groups pause when a team member mentions an aside, ask them to "say more," and discover possibilities together.