#davesdailychallenge (161): The Why. It has been consistently proven to me that the long term strength and capability of a group of people is primarily predicated on whether or not they truly care for one another. The team that will show up and fight for each other will experience more success, happiness, and overall value than the team whose members only live for themselves. This is a relatively simple, if not a bit esoteric, concept. The reason I do what I do is that even though we know this, and some of us even believe it, few of us make it a priority or have seen the awesome effects first hand. We have lost the connection with our primal selves that inherently knows this pack mentality concept. Leaders, one of the most widely replicated results coming from associated research into teams, leadership, and talent development is the need for psychological safety. This sounds “touchy-feely”, I get that, and it’s next to impossible to measure objectively or attach an ROI to it, but I promise you that you need to ensure that your team members are taken care of on a daily basis. Within the first day of meeting a team for the first time I can tell if this critical need is being fulfilled. Create and sustain the environment for your people to be at their best. That will never happen if you aren’t taking care of them. My family taught me this. The Marine Corps taught me this. The Fortune 500 taught me this. Clients and friends taught me this. It is one of the most consistent needs of human nature.