The Avengers

This week we turn our attention from individual heroes to one of the most iconic teams of all time: The Avengers. But are Earth’s Mightiest Heroes actually a great team, or just a collection of super-powered egos bound together by circumstance?

From Nick Fury’s manipulative recruitment tactics to the constant clashes between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, Andrew and Ellen unpack the Avengers’ dysfunction through the lens of Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a Team and Tuckman’s team development model. They explore how trust, conflict, accountability, and ego play out in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and why psychological safety is just as vital for superheroes as it is in any boardroom.

Along the way, they spotlight Black Widow’s role as the team’s emotional glue, debate whether the Avengers could survive in other universes, and even imagine what Nick Fury’s performance reviews might look like.

Join us for a witty, insightful, and sometimes scathing look at what the Avengers can teach us about teamwork, leadership, and why not every group of “the best” automatically makes the best team.