Over the past three weeks, I’ve racked up a lot of air miles crisscrossing North America to speak at events. The experience led me to think about the art of being a good teammate and how air travel, topography, and the view from 35,000 feet relate to team success.

When you are part of a team, you will inevitably experience peaks, plummets, and plateaus. Some successes will cause you to feel exhilarated. Some failures will cause you to be defeated. And in between those moments, you will encounter...