Weekends are time when things slow down a little. Your weekend shouldn’t be two more regular workdays. That’s a sure road to burnout. Take time to refresh yourself. Take time for something different. Take time for some of that reading you can’t find time for during the week.

Here are choice articles on hot leadership topics culled from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms. This week there are articles about teams and teamwork.

From INSEAD: The Great Covid-Driven Teamwork Divide

“For most teams, the pandemic either brought colleagues closer or drove them increasingly apart. There are three key reasons why.”

From McKinsey: The importance of psychological safety in the workplace

“In times of anxiety, depression, fear, and stress, how can companies create the psychological safety that employees need?”

From Stanford Graduate School of Business: Building Teams to Tackle the Most Challenging Problems

“Yes, expertise matters. But diverse skill sets matter just as much — and perhaps even more — when it comes to solving hard problems.”

From LSE Business Review: Cross-cultural virtual teams are on the rise, but can they communicate effectively?

“Cultural differences can create barriers to communication; the lack of physical interaction can make it worse, writes Marion Festing”

From Stanford Graduate School of Business: Rethink Competition in the Workforce

“Good leaders recognize the negative consequences of pitting people and teams against each other.”

From Chief Executive: Great Leadership Teams Are Fundamentally Sound

“When mastering a craft, the best performers practice, execute and continue to refine the core skills and techniques that form the foundation of their greatness. For a basketball team, understanding and committing to a method of play and plans for each game greatly enhances the team’s likelihood of success. For a symphony orchestra, the diligence of the warm up is a predictor of a great performance. For an Army Ranger unit, holding each other accountable to a set of simple operating principles can be the difference between life and death.”

From Adi Gaskell: Research Explores The Optimum Form Of Team Dynamics

“Team work is one of the most sought after capabilities in the workplace, so it’s perhaps no surprise that researchers have devoted a lot of time and attention to understanding how teams can best function. The latest study in the field comes via the University of California, Santa Barbara.”

Every Monday, I do a blog post about business reading and business books. This week I wrote about how to use Amazon reviews to pick better books to read.