What The Beatles, Destiny's Child and Little Mix Can Teach You About Building a World-Class Team

Let me tell you about a moment.

It’s 1966.

The Beatles are backstage in Tokyo, just before playing Budokan Arena.

Tens of thousands are screaming.

But the band?

They were exhausted.

• Not from the fame.

• Not from the travel.

But from each other.

Years of living in vans, writing at 3am, arguing over lyrics, fighting over girlfriends, dealing with label pressure.

They could barely hear themselves play over the screaming.

And still they walked out together.

And made magic.

That’s what a great team does.

Not perform because it’s easy.

But despite how hard it gets.

The Best Bands Don’t Just Have Talent.

They have something deeper: shared history, strong identity, healthy conflict, and unshakable rituals.

I usually study startups, elite sports teams, and special forces units.

But if you want to understand true longevity, creative endurance, and chemistry under pressure?

You’ve got to look at the most successful bands of all time 👇

1. Fleetwood Mac – Use Tension as Fuel, Not Fire

During the making of Rumours, the band was falling apart: divorces, betrayals, and addiction plagued every member:

• Christine and John McVie had just divorced.

• Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were barely speaking.

• There were fights, addictions, and breakdowns.

But somehow, they didn’t implode.

They made one of the most emotionally raw, bestselling albums in history.

Because they channelled their pain into the mission.

“You can go your own way” wasn’t a lyric. It was therapy.

The Takeaway: Let Creative Conflict Breathe

In business, we avoid hard conversations.

We’re scared of friction.

But friction is what sharpens the edge.

✅ Actionable challenge:

• Do you create space for hard truths in your leadership meetings?

• Do you encourage productive tension or do you shut it down for “harmony”?

• Can your team channel the tension into a mission focused discussion?

• Could your best ideas be hiding behind a conversation your team’s too scared to have?

2. Destiny’s Child – Build for Balance, Not Brilliance

Beyoncé didn’t “carry” Destiny’s Child.

She was one force in a perfectly balanced system.

• Kelly Rowland was the emotional stabiliser = high EQ, warmth, soul. The team’s centre of gravity.

• Michelle Williams brought depth = quiet, introspective, a grounding presence with gospel roots.

• Beyoncé had the edge, vision, and fire = the natural frontwoman.

If you map them using personality archetypes (think MBTI or DISC):

• Beyoncé = Driver/Commander

• Kelly = Harmoniser/Supporter

• Michelle = Thinker/Integrator

Their power wasn’t in similarity, it was in intentional contrast.

They didn’t compete for the spotlight.

The Takeaway: Build Your Starting Five, Not Just MVPs

Most founders hire “the smartest person” or “the high performer.”

But like any band, what matters is how they play together.

✅ Actionable challenge:

• What role is missing from your team? (Not title but function)

• Are you hiring people who amplify the group or just look good solo?

• Have you mapped personalities, not just job descriptions?

3. The Beatles – Earn the Chemistry, Don’t Expect It

Before the fame, they spent 1,200 hours playing together in Hamburg.

Drunk crowds. Cramped venues. No fame, no fans, just reps.

That’s where the real magic started.

That’s where they learned to trust, anticipate, challenge, sync.

They didn’t find their chemistry.

They earned it.

The Takeaway: Do the Hard Reps Early

Trust is built before the big stage.

Most startup teams go remote, jump into execution, and skip the emotional onboarding.

✅ Actionable challenge:

• Have your leaders spent meaningful time solving real problems together?

• Have they faced adversity or only slide decks?

• Are you investing enough in early experiences, not just job responsibilities?

4. Little Mix – Use Identity To Drive Belonging

In 2011, four teenage girls walked into The X Factor as solo contestants.

None of them made it through.

But then the producers did something bold:

They grouped them together on the spot and gave them one last shot.

That wildcard group?

That was Little Mix.

They went on to become the first group to ever win the show, and one of the UK’s most iconic girl bands.

Each member had a different background, story, and energy:

• Jesy’s toughness and vulnerability.

• Leigh-Anne’s boldness and pride.

• Perrie’s powerhouse vocals and relatability.

• Jade’s humour, activism, and edge.

Their fans didn’t just love the music, they saw themselves in the story.

That made them powerful.

That gave them edge.

And when Jesy left, they spoke about it publicly, making mental health a core part of their message.

That honesty made the group even stronger in the eyes of their audience.

Most brands try to look “aspirational.”

Little Mix was relatable.

That’s why it worked.

The Takeaway: Make Your Culture Tangible, Not Generic

Most companies copy-paste values from a Forbes article.

But great cultures are specific. Relatable. Embodied.

Your people don’t rally behind the company logo.

They rally behind what the logo says about them.

✅ Actionable challenge:

• If someone shadowed your team for a day, what would they feel?

• What makes your culture distinct, not just “strong”?

• Could an ideal candidate see themselves in your org?

• If someone left your team… would your values still hold?

• Could your team describe its personality without a slide?

Final Thought

Every great band has a story.

So does every great team.

Not just what they built but how they stayed together.

The arguments. The recommitments. The moments no one else saw.

Because anyone can build a team that works when things are easy.

The real test is who’s still standing when it’s not.

So ask yourself:

Longevity is the ultimate performance metric.

Build deep. Not just fast.

MY TOP FINDS OF THE WEEK 🏆

For Your Performance

• This video sums up why Tom Brady became the greatest of all time and what you can do to replicate the same success in your field (Link)

For Your Team

• Select people in your team that follow this principle from Barak Obama (Link)

For Your Health

• 25 years of health mistakes, 25 health tactics, less than 60 secs to watch (Link)