We spend a lot of time thinking about the work people do, but not nearly as much about what happens between them. My last essay discussed how software is built by people. So what determines whether those people accomplish something exceptional together? Why do certain teams create awesome software while others don't?

 On a software team, it is easy to see the work. Code gets written, features get built, and problems get solved. But there is another kind of work happening at the same time. Team members ask for help. They challenge each other's thinking. They disagree, they explain things, they share ideas, and they figure things out together.

 That is the work between us.

 I am very fortunate. I get to work with teams of technical professionals and help create the conditions for them to do their best work. It is such a fun job. Watching people pull together, contribute their strengths, and achieve something meaningful as a group is a wonderful thing to experience.

 Over the years, I have become convinced that the difference between teams that accomplish exceptional things and those that don't often has less to do with individual talent than with what happens between them. When people support one another, share responsibility, and care about what they're trying to accomplish together, a sense of camaraderie and shared purpose can develop.

 There are lots of ways to manage the visible work. We often create plans, track progress, hold meetings, and measure results. But it is much harder to measure whether people trust one another enough to ask for help, whether they feel comfortable disagreeing, or whether they genuinely care about helping a teammate succeed. Oddly enough, some of the things that are hardest to measure matter the most.

 You can feel the difference when you spend time with a great team. People don't care much about who gets credit or try to protect their territory. A team member struggling with a problem doesn't struggle alone. People disagree without making it personal. They enjoy working together. And when something goes wrong, the first question isn't who is to blame, but how we are going to fix it.

 The work between us doesn't show up on a project plan. It is difficult to measure and easy to overlook. But after years of working with technical teams, I have come to believe that it is the most important work we do.

 What happens between the people on your team?

 I’d be interested in hearing what you think.