Most successful crypto projects happen with a solid team, not a given single individual. While there may be one person who is the "owner" or primary player, he or she isn't going to get very far without a good team helping with all that's involved. We frequently think of this in terms of functions; there's a dev, a community manager, an owner, a web or marketing person and so on. However, good teams are far more than just tasks and functional categories. Instead, they are a group who has reached a level of synergy in seeing a share goal become reality.

Now, while words like "synergy" might seem very corporate or buzzy, if you've ever been in situation where you were actually part of such a group, you know it works really well, and it's also really rare to achieve. The mental energy produced literally drives people to keep producing for the team far more than they would on their own individually. When a team works well synergy begins to develop as each player knows their role and that of the others and anticipates what's next. Unfortunately, it also takes a lot of discipline to keep a team in this state of being, and it can quickly fall apart as individual interests pull people apart again.

Projects that generate genuine interest, as well as motivate usually start off well. Teams are willing to engage, sacrifice, support and do what needs to be done to get to the next level. Solid leadership and experience helps refine that effort into clear, strategic performance. However, the key is that all of the team is focused on the same interest and the same result. Where motivations deviate, differences and then fracturing will happen, sooner or later. This doesn't mean everything starts out innocent. It's quite possible for teams to start off with members who are faking their involvement just to see quick profit or be on the "inside curve." They will hide their true intention as long as the team is moving where they want it to go. When the path differs though, then the fracturing starts, most often with internal politicking. One of the most common tactics involves whaling in, a teammember who "altruistically" helps fund the project to get it going but ultimately begins to pull strings with their investment, compromising the project leader. When other teammembers catch on and start to differ, they get pushed out being labeled as risks or threats to the project's success. 

The project might seem to be moving forward, but in reality it's morphing. The change moves from a synergistic team to a dictatorial operation, top-down. Continuing supporters are just workers directed by an inner ring who compromise the project owner/leader. He or she needs that inner ring to stay solvent and growing, and the inner ring needs the project to reach their profit expectation. The workers are just that, cogs in a machine. There is no team anymore. Multiple crypto projects have fallen in this trap and continue to do so every month. Unfortunately, all of this house of cards rides and feeds off the money and support of communities who end up being burned the most in the end. 

Why does this common mistake continue to be repeated with project after project? Honestly, because people refuse to learn. Project leaders focus on immediacy versus patience, and they sell their vision for backing. Everything else goes through the sausage grinder. While sometimes the dinner tastes good, everyone knows it's been processed with something else. Can it be different? Yes, but it takes a willingness to develop projects longer, with time and effort versus rushing to the next big sale. Instead of trying to cash in as fast as possible, the goal should be actually building for longevity. However, that requires real vision, marketing, and convincing people to get on board for with a lot of sacrifice. It's usually not very attractive or "viral" for growing projects fast. So, projects take the poison pill that almost garauntees their quick death; build fast, build exponentially and hope something big happens before the fuel runs out. 

Sound familiar? That's why team projects fail. It's the humans, stupid.