There are over 14 million results on Google when you search 'high performance books' - so what's great about this one? Carlos has accumulated a wealth of 'inside knowledge' on what makes the enigmatic Mars business tick. He's extracted the DNA of high performance and its impact, which we at Leading Edge have used as a guiding compass when developing collaboration with global Mars teams over the last 3 years. Ultimately, he's created a compelling story for modern business leaders and anyone interested in decoding high performance. ~ Patrick Marr, Managing Director, Leading Edge Consulting

Carlos tells a great story of discovery and innovation. You feel like you’re right there with him experiencing the starts and stops and moments of frustration as he searches for a better way of improving team performance. Carlos has every reason to expound upon his successes, yet he demonstrates great humility. As a fellow practitioner, I found his way of integrating the ideas of thought leaders that came before him with his practical experience very compelling, giving real credibility to his model. The way Carlos tells us about Mars, a company most people know little about, is intriguing. All in all, the content and his style of writing makes for a very readable book. Wendy Helmkamp, Partner, The Clarion Group ~ Wendy Helmkamp

Carlos's conversational style, his humor and pragmatism keep you reading; he combines theory and practice with elegance and thoughtfulness. His work drives home the point that the key to effective teams at any level is a clarity of purpose, role and expectations which support greater intentionality, clarity and discipline leading to effective outcomes. Harris Ginsburg, former VP, Executive Leadership and Talent Development, Pfizer, Inc. ~ Harris Ginsburg

Carlos is an iconoclast – in the best sense, highly credible but responsible too. Challenging the conventional wisdom of corporate team building, he offers a sound, research-based alternative that organizations and teams can put to work with immediate positive impact. His tried and tested approach delivers concrete results while minimizing the need for external support. He conveys his experience and wisdom in a style that is informal and accessible, presenting his robust evidence and no nonsense advice with humor and humility. Arvi Dhesi, Sr. Client Partner, Korn Ferry ~ Arvi Dhesi

Are you about to drop six figures on an offsite team-bonding experience? Don't! With insight born of years of experience and the warmth of a natural storyteller, Valdes-Dapena lets the air out of "teaminess" and gets to the roots of what motivates productive collaboration. I was surprised, heartened and inspired...and got change back from two twenties! Jane Grenier, Executive Director, Client Services, Quartz Daily Brief ~ Jane Grenier

There may be no "I" in team, but there is in “informative,” “interesting,” “innovative,” and “insightful” -- all apt descriptions of "Teams from Mars." Building on his nearly 30 years in the field, Carlos Valdes-Dapena takes a hard look at what passes for team building in the corporate world and finds it wanting. But this is more than a critique of conventional wisdom by a consultant peddling his own approach. After thoroughly dissecting the ineffective way most companies spend their money on team effectiveness, this book offers a cogent, research-based alternative that can be used by anyone managing groups of people. It turns out that while women are from Venus, valuable lessons in corporate management are from Mars, Inc. Roy Sekoff, Founding Editor, The Huffington Post ~ Roy Sekoff

I have been a participant in the High Performing Collaboration approach multiple times throughout my time at Mars and is not only a fabulous approach, it is essential if you really want to focus teams. The approach creates truly proactive and collaborative teams, with a purpose and crystalized intent at the heart of everything they do, which in turn accelerates performance. Ulf Hahnemann, CHRO, SVP Human Resources Maersk Transport & Logistics ~ Ulf Hahnemann

I thoroughly enjoyed your book. A good read written in a very conversational style, I can almost hear your voice as you layout the premise and fresh insights. Aptly named, The Collaboration Paradox powerfully fills a void for anyone leading cross-functional teams. Teams of cross-functional leaders know they need to collaborate but on what precisely? Who should and when should they collaborate? And when don't we need to collaborate? I especially liked the linkage to the 4 Stages Of Team development, it always struck me as odd that teams are perpetually caught in the early Stages with no hope of ever achieving Stage 4. This is a great new addition to team development literature and is instantly in my rotation of "go to" sources for management development materials. Quincy Troupe, Sr. VP, Supply Chain, Boston Beer Company ~ Quincy Troupe

Throughout his long career in organizational development, Mr. Carlos Valdes-Dapena has become well versed in the existing team-building models and their relative limitations. His inquisitive nature of research, patience and discovery, along with practical and proven applications at Mars, lead him to find the 'missing link', the three imperatives necessary for a proactive and sustained collaboration: Clarity, Intentionality and Discipline. Workers, managers and leaders in any organization can enhance their teams’ effectiveness by understanding and applying these essentials, encapsulated in this easy to understand unique model,detailed in his book. ~ Artie Mahal, author of Facilitator’s and Trainer’s Toolkit