"A fascinating study of creative teamwork. The final chapter on how to "turbo-charge" less-than-exceptional teams is worth the cover price of the book." Director "What a pleasure to read...the case studies are excellent." -The Financial Times, July 2005 Lead a very special kind of team. The virtuoso team. At the heart of a great change or creative breakthrough you will often find a dynamic team of inspired individuals who work together to break out of the common place and make something remarkable happen. A team that generates more creativity, more energy and the very best performance. This is a book about those revolutionary teams that are catalysts for big change and breakthrough performances. Unlimited by the conventional approach to teamwork Virtuoso Teams are frequently contentious and always less comfortable, but if you can pull together the right people and manage them in the right way, the results can be extraordinary. Virtuoso teams don't last forever, but their members almost always go on to become leaders in their field's next generation. The rules of the game are different for virtuoso teams and their leaders. This book will show you how to play to the standards of some of the greatest uncompromising, creative and catalytic teams of our times. Andy Boynton & Bill Fisher introduce you to some of the most compelling and wide-ranging stories of remarkable team leadership ever assembled, from Miles Davis, a serial innovator who surrounded himself with virtuoso talent at least three times, to change the face of jazz, to Thomas Edison, The Manhattan Project to West Side Story. Find out how these teams set out to revolutionize their worlds, and how you can build and manage a Virtuoso Team of your own. Whether you're launching an innovative new product or service; entering into challenging new markets or simply trying to transform the way you operate, virtuoso teams can make the difference between achieving a high-impact success and just another modest outcome. "I never thought I would be extolling the virtues of a book on Virtuoso Teams unless it specifically pertained to baseball. Nevertheless here I am praising a book on the advisability of developing Virtuoso Teams--regardless of the type of organization in which you belong. If you aspire to develop an organization of high-performers or take an organization of high-performers to an even higher "next level"-- Andy Boynton and Bill Fischer's Virtuoso Teams is a definite must read! George Steinbrenner, Managing General Partner, New YorkYankees Baseball Club