When Joan Ryan stepped into the locker room to conduct her first post-game interview as a sports journalist, she was all but kicked out by the players. Feeling both unwelcome and undeterred, she made a firm decision to stick around and make a name for herself as one of the first female sports columnists in the country.

Using over four decades of experience on the field and in the conference room, Joan is now exploring the concept of team chemistry. Her latest book, Intangibles, shares what team chemistry really is, how to identify it, and how to use it to elevate the performance of any entity, from sports to businesses and beyond.

Joan Ryan is an award-winning journalist, speaker, author, and media consultant with the San Francisco Giants. Her work has been featured on Oprah, 60 Minutes, the Today Show, People magazine, the New Yorker, the New York Times, and Time Magazine.

In this episode, Dart and Joan discuss:
- Whether or not team chemistry exists
- How team chemistry elevates performance
- The neurophysiology of human connection
- The essential archetypes within team chemistry
- Connecting over emotions vs. connecting over a shared task
- How chemistry and skills affect the likelihood of team success
- Using an intangible concept to create tangible results
- And other topics…

Joan Ryan is an award-winning journalist, speaker, author, and media consultant with the San Francisco Giants. She pioneered sports journalism as one of the first female sports columnists in the country; her work has earned 13 Associated Press Sports Editors Awards, the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Journalism Aware, and the Edgar A. Poe Award from the White House Correspondents Association, among others.

As an author, Joan has been featured on Oprah, 60 Minutes, the Today Show, People magazine, the New Yorker, the New York Times, and Time Magazine. Her expansive career inspired her latest book, Intangibles: Unlocking the Science and Soul of Team Chemistry, which draws from hundreds of interviews to understand the phenomenon known as team chemistry.

Resources mentioned:
Intangibles, by Joan Ryan: https://www.amazon.com/Intangibles-Unlocking-Science-Soul-Chemistry/dp/B086KJFGBW
Organizing Genius, by Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman: https://www.amazon.com/Organizing-Genius-Secrets-Creative-Collaboration/dp/0201339897

Connect with Joan:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joan-ryan-intangibles/ 

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.